Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ. View directions
Contact: Lindsey Watson 01305 252209 / Email: lindsey.watson@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
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Minutes To confirm the minutes of the meetings held on: Minutes: The minutes of the meetings held on 25 March 2021, 11 May 2021, 12 May 2021, 13 July 2021, 21 September 2021, 16 November 2021, 7 January 2022 and 25 January 2022 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. |
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Declarations of interest To disclose any pecuniary, other registrable or non-registrable interests as set out in the adopted Code of Conduct. In making their disclosure councillors are asked to state the agenda item, the nature of the interest and any action they propose to take as part of their declaration. If required, further advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting. Minutes: D Tooke indicated that as a dog owner, he had received a dispensation in respect of the item on ‘Post Implementation Review of the Dog-related Public Spaces Protection Order’ and therefore would be taking part in consideration of the item. M Roberts and D Shortell indicated that they were also dog owners and following advice from the Monitoring Officer, also requested a dispensation to enable them to participate in the item. B Heatley indicated that as a former dog owner, he did not feel that consideration of the item would have an effect on his well-being and he would therefore take part in consideration of the item. |
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Chairman's Update To receive any updates from the Chairman of the Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee. Minutes: An update with regard to the Planning Advisory Service Peer Review had been provided by the Head of Planning and was read out by the Senior Democratic Services Officer. The update is included at Appendix 1 to the minutes. |
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Public Participation Representatives of town
or parish councils and members of the public who live, work
or represent an organisation within the Dorset Council area are welcome to
submit up to two questions or two statements for each meeting.
Alternatively, you could submit one question and one statement for each
meeting. All submissions must be emailed in full
to lindsey.watson@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
by 8.30am on Thursday 3 March 2022. When submitting your question(s) and/or
statement(s) please note that: ·
no more than three minutes will be
allowed for any one question or statement to be asked/read ·
a question may include a short pre-amble
to set the context and this will be included within the three
minute period ·
please note that sub divided questions
count towards your total of two ·
when submitting a question please
indicate who the question is for (e.g. the name of the committee or Portfolio
Holder) ·
Include your name, address and
contact details. Only your name will be published but we may need your
other details to contact you about your question or statement in advance of the
meeting. ·
questions and statements received in line
with the council’s rules for public participation will be published as a
supplement to the agenda ·
all questions, statements and responses
will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting. Dorset Council
Constitution Procedure Rule 9 Minutes: There were no questions or statements from members of the public or local organisations. |
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Questions from Members To receive
questions submitted by councillors. Councillors can submit up to two valid
questions at each meeting and sub divided questions count towards this total.
Questions and statements received will be published as a supplement to the
agenda and all questions, statements and responses will be published in full
within the minutes of the meeting. The submissions must be emailed in full
to lindsey.watson@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
by 8.30am
on Thursday 3 March 2022. Dorset Council Constitution – Procedure Rule 13 Minutes: There were no questions from councillors. |
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Local Land Charges Service Update PDF 220 KB To consider a report of the Head of Legal Services. Additional documents:
Minutes: The committee received a report of the Head of Legal
Services which provided information
about the current Local Land Charges service, improved search response times
and further action to be taken. It was noted
that significant progress had been made by the land charges team, who had
reduced response times, details of which were provided in the report. Councillors
considered the issues covered in the report and during discussion, the
following points were noted: · Current fee levels would continue for now but could be reviewed once the service was back to a steady and sustained position · Staffing issues and associated costs were noted · Further efficiencies would be made as part of work on the Planning Transformation Project and updates would be provided to members as appropriate · It was hoped to reduce search times to the Government set target of 10 working days within the next couple of months · Customer contact methods with the team were noted · Support was expressed for the work undertaken by the team and the progress that had been made. |
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Post Implementation Review of the Dog-related Public Spaces Protection Order PDF 246 KB To consider a report of the Service Manager Environmental Protection. Additional documents:
Minutes: The committee received and considered a report of the
Service Manager Environmental Protection which provided a post-implementation review
of the Dog-related Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). In January
2021, a single Order had come into force within the Dorset Council area and the
report provided a review of the first year of the Order’s implementation and
identified key issues and recommendations for the committee’s consideration. As set out in minute 73, D Tooke, M Roberts and D Shortell, as dog
owners and on the advice of the Monitoring Officer, had requested a
dispensation for the item so they could participate in the debate. A short video was shown to the committee which provided information on
the role of the dog wardens. The committee considered the issues arising from the report and during
discussion the following points were raised: ·
It was
suggested that reference to ‘agricultural stock’ should read ‘livestock’ ·
It was
suggested that reference to ‘waste stream’ should read ‘waste bins’ ·
Consideration
should be given to restricting access for dogs to the working areas of the Cobb
in Lyme Regis ·
Dorset Council
and BCP Council could work together in order to have a comprehensive approach
to beaches across both areas ·
Appropriate
signage had been provided and authorised officers could provide information
where available ·
Working with
town and parish councils in this area was considered and where councils had
opted out from applying the orders in their area, further discussion would be
held to understand their reasons for doing so, as part of the review to be
undertaken in 2023 ·
Issues around
Lyme Regis front town beach were considered and a point noted that the
additional dog restriction may be required due to the number of users. Officers were asked to continue to liaise and
investigate further options for this area ·
Further
consideration was required of enforcement issues ·
Issues around
new developments would form part of the consultation for the review of the PSPO
in 2023 ·
Opportunities
to bring together a residents’ panel to help develop the consultation for the
next review was being considered ·
The positive
relationship with town and parish councils was noted and the importance of
getting information from the local areas. It was proposed by M Roberts seconded by D Tooke Decision That the Place and
Resources Scrutiny Committee support the following recommendations with the
comments as set out in the minute above: Recommendation 1 - Lyme Regis To review the issues and availability of dog exercise areas in this
locality. Officers to continue to work with the Town Council and other
interested parties to explore options. Recommendation 2 - Enforcement To improve the effectiveness of enforcement,
officers will continue to work with partner organisations and
identify/authorise appropriate officers to assist with enforcement duties. Recommendation 3 - Enforcement To obtain improved local information which
will help ensure a more targeted approach to patrolling and enforcement. This
may include local surveys and directed community engagement. Recommendation 4 – Public awareness The Council’s website gives locations where restrictions are ... view the full minutes text for item 78. |
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Performance Scrutiny A review of the
relevant Dorset Council performance dashboard to inform the scrutiny
committee’s forward plan and identify items for deep dives. Committee members to flag up if any areas for potential review: The Chairman, Councillor Shane
Bartlett, maintains an overview of all the above areas. Minutes: The committee considered issues arising from the Performance Dashboard that had been set up for the monitoring of performance for areas covered by the remit of the committee. A link to the performance dashboard is provided below for information: Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee Performance Dashboard The following points were noted: · The committee noted a performance indicator relating to ‘Overall – Number of homes built in Dorset Council area’ and noted that the overall delivery of homes across Dorset did not meet the adopted local plan targets. Questions were raised as to whether sites that had received planning permission could be identified, the number of properties per site that had not yet been built and how far past the grant timescale they were and whether there was anything the council could do to encourage more homes to be built · Targets relating to ‘Percentage of principal roads requiring urgent attention’ and the ‘Percentage of non-principal roads requiring urgent attention’ - questions were raised as to what options the council had to improve the figures. A report could be produced to provide information on the approach taken by the council for the maintenance of principal and non-principal roads and the approach to funding in this area · Performance indicators relating to staff sickness days were to be looked at by the People and Health Scrutiny Committee · Information on the council’s approach to reporting ‘staff near misses’ was provided. |
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Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee Forward Plan PDF 214 KB To review the Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee Forward
Plan. Minutes: Councillors reviewed the committee’s forward plan and noted items to be considered at the forthcoming meetings of the committee on 25 April and 26 May 2022. |
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Cabinet Forward Plan and Decisions PDF 394 KB To review the Cabinet Forward Plan and decisions taken at recent meetings. The Cabinet Forward Plan and decisions of recent meetings
are provided to members of the Place & Resources Scrutiny Committee to
review and identify any potential post decision scrutiny to be undertaken, by
scheduling items into the forward plan to review after a period of
implementation. Additional documents: Minutes: The committee noted
the Cabinet Forward Plan and decisions taken at recent meetings, which the
committee could use in order to identify potential areas for post decision
review. Reference was made to ‘Bus Back Better’ provision and it was noted that a decision on funding was awaited. A review of this could be undertaken at an appropriate time. In addition, it was noted that the Leisure Services Review was to include wider member involvement and the potential role for scrutiny would be clarified. |
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Urgent items To consider any items of business which the Chairman has had prior notification and considers to be urgent pursuant to section 100B (4) b) of the Local Government Act 1972. The reason for the urgency shall be recorded in the minutes. Minutes: There were no urgent items. |
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Exempt Business To move the exclusion of the press and the public for the following item in view of the likely disclosure of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph x of schedule 12 A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended). The public and the press will be asked to leave the meeting whilst the item of business is considered. There is no exempt
business. Minutes: There was no exempt business. |
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Appendix 1 - Chairman's Update Update on
Planning Advisory Service Peer Review provided by the Head of Planning · A peer review of the
planning service was undertaken between November 2019 and January 2020, seven
months into the life of the new council · It was led by the
Planning Advisory Service (PAS) which is part of the Local Government
Association (LGA) · Its key findings were
that: o
Operational
detail was needed to flesh out the service’s transformation plans and ambitions
o
A
single software system and consistent approach to performance management was
urgently needed in the development management service o
The
council would need to keep a tight grip on the Local Plan to ensure delivery by
2024, given the huge challenges of arriving at a sustainable and supported
development strategy o
The
service needs additional resource and information technology that is ‘fit for
purpose’ · The review, which took
place before the pandemic, initially made 10 recommendations. An additional one
was added to review the service in light of COVID-19 · Progress has been made
in all 11 areas, and several completed. In particular: o
A
review has been completed of the entire service (new structure, additional
posts in under-resourced areas) o
The
new structure has been implemented, with appointments made to the majority of
posts o
4.3
million records from 5 of the 6 legacy authorities have now been converged onto
a single software system, with only the former county council records to migrate
(taking place this month) o
Progress
on the emerging local plan has taken place with significant amounts of
evidence-gathering and wide-ranging public consultation. We are now considering
the consultation responses and taking stock of the future direction of strategy
choices, including conversations with Government. This may have implications
for the timescales which need to be reviewed. o
A
comprehensive package of initiatives has been introduced to address a
combination of pressures on the development management service which had
resulted from a significant uplift in planning casework, impact of Covid 19 and backlog of applications. This has included
streamlining of validation processes, new consultation protocols, skills
development, effective use of the new software system, and effective use of
additional interim resource. This has resulted in a complete reduction in the
backlog of applications awaiting validation from a peak of 10 weeks delay in
August 2021. Applications are now being validated within the same week of
receipt. This has shifted additional pressures onto case officers and
consultees, but the service is now determining between 500-600 applications per
week (over 100 higher than those being received on average). · Some challenges remain,
including recruitment across the service. This has proved particularly
difficult in relation to more experienced planning officers as well as in other
expert roles such as conservation and minerals and waste. · Committee is asked to
note that Planning Service invited PAS to provide some targeted assistance and
guidance, aside from the peer review, on development management. This has
provided some helpful and constructive suggestions. PAS noted that the
authority has adopted a range of procedures that are widely accepted as being
good practice and accord with the advice in the PAS DM Challenge Toolkit. · This was one of three
LGA peer reviews that have been conducted since the council was created – a
corporate review took place in October 2019, and a finance peer review in
October 2021 · The council is keen to
consolidate the learning from the three reviews – check-ins are being organised with finance
in March and planning in the summer, both of which will contribute to a wider,
corporate review in September/October · A report will be
produced for the scrutiny committees on the outcome of this |