Agenda and draft minutes

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 6 February 2024

It was unanimously,

RESOLVED

The Minutes of the meeting held on 6 February 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

None.

Members of the public may ask questions of the Chair. A maximum period of 15 minutes will be allowed with a maximum period of three minutes per questioner. The deadline for questions is no later than three working days before the date of the meeting i.e. should the meeting be on a Thursday the deadline would be the Friday before at 5pm.

None.

Members of the Council may ask questions of the Chair of the Committee subject to procedural rules. The deadline for questions is no later than three clear working days before the meeting.

None.

To note forthcoming issues anticipated to be considered by the Executive over the next 12 months. The Executive Forward Plan can be found here.

The Executive Forward Plan listing items to be considered over the next few months was noted, and consideration was given to whether any items were to be requested to come forward to the Committee prior to being considered by the Executive. There were no requests for items to come forward to the Committee.

To review the Committee’s work programme

The committee’s work programme as circulated with the agenda showing issues to be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee over the next few months was noted.

The Chair advised that the work programme would be amalgamated with that of Overview and Scrutiny (OS) 1 Committee, for the one OS Committee going forward from May 2024. Priorities would be reviewed and agreed at a future meeting of the Committee.

To receive a biannual update from the Executive Member for Open Spaces, Leisure, Sport,Resorts and Tourism

The Executive Member for Open Spaces, Leisure, Sport, Resorts and Tourism, Cllr Nutley presented the biannual update. The update included: conservation volunteer task days; education and learning, noting that Teignbridge Leisure was an approved accredited training centre; green spaces and community engagement; refurbishment of Broadmeadow and Dawlish leisure centres, which includes individual changing and shower units; sports pitches and open spaces play areas; budget consultation 2024; performance indicators and the Dawlish ridgetop SANGS site.

A question relating to the identification in the 2019 Strategic Plan of the requirement for additional swimming lanes and hockey pitches, and how this is to be addressed could not be answered at the meeting.  This would be provided in the Members Newsletter.

The full presentation can be viewed at Agenda for Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2 on Tuesday, 9th April, 2024, 10.00 am - Teignbridge District Council

To consider the attached report

Consideration was given to the agenda report.

In response to questions, it was noted that:

-     Current T100 opportunities included 23 houses at Sherbourne Road House car park, and possibilities being investigated for single bed accommodation.

-     The Council land at Teignmouth for the NHS health and wellbeing centre is still operating as a car park and providing income for the Council.

-     Other ways of boosting the economy of Newton Abbot are being followed up as part of the Future High Street Fund proposals, as detailed at agenda page 21, following the Council decision in January 2024 to abort the cinema project.

-     In regard to the budget 2024/25 savings and new methods of working, particularly with opportunities to work with the community, are ongoing.

-     The Executive Member for Corporate Resources would be advised of the comment for ongoing change of circumstances checks on the single persons council tax allowance scheme.

-     There has been an increase in the performance targets for decisions on planning applications.

-     A devolution documentation pack including forms to complete to request assets to be devolved in accordance with the Council’s Strategic Asset Plan was available on the Council’s website.

Requested information relating to a timescale for decisions on older planning applications, and how many and percentage of affordable houses being delivered would be provided in the Members Newsletter.

It was unanimously,

RESOLVED

The report and actions being taken to rectify performance issues detailed in the appendix be noted.

The Procedures Committee on 31 January 2024 referred the following NOM (presented at Council on 17 October 2023 by Cllr J Taylor) to this Committee with a recommendation that a task and finish group be set up with Cllr J Taylor being a member of the group.

The Minutes and agenda for the Procedures Committee on 31 January 2024 can be found at the link below

Agenda for Procedures Committee on Tuesday, 30th January, 2024, 10.00 am - Teignbridge District Council

“I would like your support for the following motion, which I believe will improve transparency within the planning process and give councillors more decision making in regards to planning applications and amendments of major developments. It is particularly important that all decisions relating to the loss of agreed 106 affordable units, are made by the Planning Committee.

Planning is a process tied up in legislation, including the committee decision making element. Councillors are, when an application comes to committee, presented with recommendations, accompanied by detailed reports and are expected to adopt an open mind when deciding on the merits of that application. Often, the officer presenting the report has anticipated where concerns might lie and along with technical aspects listed conditions that will apply should the application be passed.

On large sites, those conditions might relate to aspects such as the number of affordable homes, children’s play areas and green landscaping. Thus, typically, the committee members make a decision based on what is in front of them but in reality the ends product looks nothing like the approved application.

That application may then change beyond recognition by a process of amendments, submitted by the applicant and approved by delegated authority. It may never come back to the Planning Committee.

This is a well-established practice by Developers which enables the Plans to be passed and then amended so that the maximum profit can be achieved. It is called value engineering. I call it disingenuous and it’s time it stopped.

The council are well aware of this process but choose to engage with it for fear of the monetary consequences of non-compliance. It is no secret that this council, along with many others, has an unhealthy dependency on the money provided by major house builders.

It is time to draw the line and take the first steps to breaking the cycle and distancing ourselves from this unhealthy relationship, by developing a transparent process and sending a clear signal to Developers. We will not be bartering to build houses. Submit, approve, build. We will no longer be engaging in planning ping pong.

The motion calls for additional transparency by ensuring that on all major developments (over 20 homes,) where variations to conditions are applied for, must be brought to the planning committee.

This is to apply to all 106 changes and any visible amendments, eg. change of materials, removal of garages, landscaping, etc.

All amendments on the grounds of viability, must come to the Planning Committee. (However, it should be an exception  ...  view the full agenda text for item 27.

The Chair referred to the Notices of Motion (NOM) set out on the agenda, and consideration was given to the recommendations from the Procedures Committee relating to the NOMs. 

The NOMs were:

·         Loss of Section 106 contributions presented by Cllr J Taylor.

·         Green improvements in conservation areas presented by Cllr Mullone

·         Public speaking procedure at Planning Committee presented by Cllr P Parker.

It was requested that officers look at:

·         scheduling a Councillor informal briefing on the current and forthcoming NOMs relating to Planning Services to assist the new group of overview and scrutiny Members agreeing work priorities.

·         scheduling to speed up NOM processing.

It was unanimously,

RESOLVED

Consideration of the NOMs be deferred to the new Overview and Scrutiny Committee and in the meantime officer reports are to be provided for Committee, detailing the procedural, financial, constitutional, and legal implications for each NOM. 

To receive a verbal update from the Medium Term Financial Plan Group

To receive a report from the Chair of the Car Parking Review Group

The Committee received updates from the Chairs of the Medium-Term Financial Plan, and the Car Park task and finish groups as below. 

It was requested that officers look to scheduling a Councillor informal briefing regarding the Estates and Assets service to assist the new group of Overview and Scrutiny Members agreeing work priorities.

The Chair referred to the recommendation of alternative overview and scrutiny work methods to task and finish groups.

Medium term Financial Plan

The Group were meeting on a monthly basis and were looking at several items with regard to efficiency savings such as future work streams and processes, Modern25 programme, and statutory and discretionary processes.

Car Parking Task and Finish Group

The agenda report of the task and finish group and the Operational Car-Parking Plan attached as Appendix B to the agenda report was noted. 

It was unanimously,

RECOMMENDED

The Executive be recommended to adopt the Operational Car-Parking Plan attached as Appendix B to the agenda report. 

RESOLVED

The Car-Parking Task & Finish Group reconvene to review the items identified in Appendix C of the Agenda report and produce a further report(s) for the Committee’s consideration, having regard to relevant external reports and the Local Plan.

The Chair referred to the meeting being the last of Overview and Scrutiny 2 Committee as the committee and Overview and Scrutiny 1 Committee would be returning to one Overview and Scrutiny Committee of 20 Members from May 2024. The Chair thanked Members and officers for their contribution over the past year, particularly those who had contributed to several meetings of task and finish groups. The Committee also thanked the Chair for the work, time and commitment towards the scrutiny role of the Council on behalf of the Committee.