Minutes of Meeting of the Transport, Environmental and Community Services Committee held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 17 November 2011 at 10.30 am.
Present:
Mr J Laing, Mr B J Murphy, Mr G Farlow, Mr G M Smith, Mr R Coghill, Mr J McGillivray, Mr R Greene, Ms M Smith, Mrs A MacLean, Mr A Graham, Mr N Donald, Mr D Henderson, Mr F Parr, Mr R Balfour, Mr R Pedersen, Mr F D S Black
Non-Members also present:
Mr R Rowantree, Mr B Fernie, Mr I Ross, Mrs I Campbell, Mrs M Paterson, Dr D Alston, Mr D Hendry, Mr D Kerr, Mr G Marsden, Mr B Gormley
In attendance:
Mr N Gillies, Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services
Mr R Guest, Head of Roads and Community Works
Mr S MacNaughton, Head of Transport and Infrastructure
Dr C Clark, Head of Waste Management
Mr M Mitchell, Finance Manager
Mr A Yates, Principal Food Safety Officer
Mr A Luke, Principal Officer (Contaminated Land)
Miss M Fraser, Business Support Officer
Miss J Maclennan, Principal Administrator, Chief Executive’s Office
Mrs F MacBain, Committee Administrator, Chief Executive’s Office
An asterisk in the margin denotes a recommendation to the Council. All decisions with no marking in the margin are delegated to Committee.
Mr J Laing in the Chair
Business
Preliminaries
The Chairman informed Members that Mr Alistair Thomson had retired as the Head of Environmental Health after working for the Highland Council since 1996 and, before that, for Inverness District Council from 1988 to 1996. The Committee thanked Mr Thomson for his loyal service and wished him well for the future.
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr J Rosie, Mr D C M Flear, Mr A Rhind, Mr C Fraser, Mr A Henderson, Mrs L MacDonald, Mr A S Park and Dr M E M Foxley.
2. Declarations of Interest
There were no Declarations of Interest.
3. Good News
The Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services reported on the following:-
Quality Awards
- TEC Services had won ‘Category 4 Protecting and Developing the Environment’ for the quality of recyclate
- Trainee of the Year Awards had been won by Hayley Outram, Assistant Technician and Florence Cargill, Administrative Assistant;
- Innovation of the Year had been awarded to the Project Design Unit of TEC Services for the innovative techniques used in refurbishing the Kyle of Tongue bridge in North-West Sutherland; and
- Graham Ross, a Community Works Operative based in Tain, had been commended by Edderton Community Council.
Internet Delivery Charges
On 10 November 2011, the Council’s Trading Standards Team had launched a web survey to gauge the experiences of Highland consumers and small businesses in relation to the reported excessive delivery charges in the Highlands for goods bought online. The more information that could be gathered, the greater the opportunity to challenge any malpractice or unfair charges and Members were urged to promote participation of local people. The results of the survey would be reported to Members in due course.
The Committee NOTED the good news items.
4. Revenue Budget – Monitoring 2011/12
There had been circulated Report No TEC-77-11 (73kb pdf) dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which set out the revenue monitoring position for the period 1 April to 30 September 2011 and which predicted a balanced year end position.
In summary of the report, it was explained that the Service was unlikely to achieve some of the savings that had been agreed as part of the budget process, notably in relation to street cleaning, lighting services and bus contracts. Implementation of the alternate weekly waste collections had resulted in a drop in refuse collection income from commercial customers due to a combination of a change in pricing structure and a loss of commercial customers. Compensatory savings to cover the shortfall on unachievable savings and pressures mainly centred around unfilled vacancies, a drop in the cost of waste disposal contracts due to increased recycling and the ongoing high price achieved from the sale of recyclate.
During discussion, some Members voiced concern that the budget was not being correctly controlled, with variances being referred to in the report without sufficient explanation. Unfilled vacancies were of particular concern to the ability of the Service to respond promptly to complaints and to the long-term delivery of services, notably in the engineering and community works sectors. Other Members commended Officials for tackling any additional workload as a result of unfilled vacancies and referred to the need to work within the budget allocated, especially given the rising costs of some materials such as bitumen which had a severe impact on the budget for road maintenance in particular.
Specific questions from Members were responded to as follows:
- the Director would speak directly to Mrs I Campbell in relation to closure of the public toilets in Lochcarron and alternative arrangements which could be put in place;
- many unfilled vacancies were being held to comply with the Council’s vacancy monitoring policy, put in place to help meet the budget savings measures agreed by the Council and to avoid compulsory redundancies. In some instances, despite repeated advertising, difficulties had been encountered in recruiting certain qualified staff, particularly mechanics, and this too had resulted in unfilled vacancies. Attempts to rectify the situation had included the recruitment of four apprentice mechanics and a review of the organisation of the workload. Full details of all unfilled vacancies, including pressure points where service delivery was being affected, would be reported to the Committee in January 2012. Further detail about the maintenance of light vehicles was covered later on the agenda at Item 14;
- pressure on the transport budget, as a result of inflationary increases applied to bus contract subsidies, had been partially addressed during the recent renewal of bus contracts, through reductions and changes to services with poor patronage. Further solutions, including integrated transport policies with other Services, especially Education, Culture and Sport, were being investigated;
- energy and cost-saving street-lighting trials were ongoing and had been extended to cover winter months. If appropriate, capital expenditure would be considered to replace lighting equipment with more energy-efficient models but as the technology was relatively new, it was thought that the price might reduce in the coming years as more Council’s introduced low energy units;
- in relation to the state of repair of the Council’s road network, it was pointed out that Scotland, as a whole, had a backlog of £151m of road repairs, of which 12% was in Highland. However, to date, there had been no indication of additional funding to tackle this;
- salt storage was on target for winter 2011/12, with around 70,000 tonnes already in stock and a new dry storage facility opened at Inverness Harbour. Further dry storage facilities were being considered, notably in Kishorn;
- in relation to absence levels among staff as a direct result of stress, it was explained that the most recent quarterly performance review had shown absence levels to be at their lowest for some time, with manual and other absence levels having improved consistently in recent years; and
- it was clarified that blind people and their official travelling companions would be excluded from any savings measures in relation to the budget for Subsidies and Concessionary Fares.
During further discussion, some Members referred to the budget variances in the report and asked, specifically, what different courses of action were planned to address the anomalies. In addition to freezing vacancies, Members were informed that work was being undertaken to reorganise the workload and improve efficiency. Other Members pointed out that the budget settlement received from the Scottish Government had not increased. Nevertheless, a balanced budget had been planned for 2011/12 and 2012/13, with the variances referred to being required to balance budgets. It was impractical to expect service levels to be maintained following the savings measures that had been made but the Director emphasised that the budget was being tightly controlled in order to minimise the impact.
The Committee:-
i. NOTED the report and the monitoring statements which showed the revenue
position for the period 1 April to 30 September 2011;
ii. NOTED the actions which had been put in place to manage the budget over the
remainder of the financial year;
iii. NOTED that a report would be brought to the next meeting in relation to staffing
vacancies and the delivery of services; and
iv. AGREED that the Director should discuss details of alternative public toilet
arrangements for Lochcarron with Mrs I Campbell.
5. Capital Expenditure – Monitoring 2011/12
There had been circulated Report No TEC-78-11 (85kb pdf) dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which summarised the capital expenditure monitoring position for the period 1 April to 30 September 2011. The projected outturns for expenditure and income were £19.241m and £0.484m respectively, leading to a projected overspend of £1.128m.
During a summary of the report, attention was drawn to the need to bring forward the required adjustments to the slipway at Sconser, to prepare for the operation of the new Hybrid Sconser to Raasay Ferry in 2013. Compensatory adjustments would be made through project slippage to balance the capital programme which had previously scheduled this project in 2014/15.
The Committee:-
i. APPROVED that the improvements to the Sconser slipway, estimated at
£750,000, be brought forward to 2012/13 with requisite adjustments made
through project slippage to balance the capital programme in 2012/13; and
ii. NOTED the capital expenditure monitoring position for the period 1 April to 30
September 2011.
6. Cantray Bridge and White Bridge – Strathnairn Area
There had been circulated Report No TEC-79-11 (33kb pdf) dated 7 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which, following a report to the Inverness City Committee on 10 October 2011, invited Members to approve recommendations in relation to the repair of Cantray Bridge, which had been built in 1774, and the replacement of White Bridge, which dated from around 1760.
In summary of the report, it was explained that Cantray Bridge had been closed in January 2011 to all vehicular traffic following an inspection. The closest alternative crossing of the river involved the use of White Bridge, an even older bridge which was single-track and suffered poor alignment and visibility and, following consideration of various options, recommendations for the repair and replacement of these bridges were being proposed. In response to a question, it was explained that the proposed repairs to Cantray Bridge would include physical restrictions to prevent heavier vehicles using the bridge.
Thereafter, having heard that the community were happy to restrict the use of Cantray Bridge to light vehicles, the Committee:-
i. APPROVED that Option B (the installation of a tie bar and bracing system to span
2) be adopted in the short term and that repairs be carried out to Cantray Bridge
which would allow pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles up to 3 tonnes (gvw) to use
the bridge and that these works be included in the Capital Programme for Lifeline
Bridges within the list of projects identified for Future Years (beyond 2013/14), an
estimated cost of these works being £75,000;
ii. NOTED that these works might be brought forward should slippage occur in other
projects; and
iii. AGREED that Option 6 be adopted in the medium to long term and that a new
crossing be provided at White Bridge with the retention of the old White Bridge as
a footbridge and cycle bridge and to repair/strengthen Cantray Bridge to allow
access for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles up to 3 tonnes (gvw), an estimated
cost of these works being over £2 million.
7. Programme for the Delivery of Minor Road Improvements
There had been circulated Report No TEC-80-11 (29kb pdf) dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which invited Members to approve the programme for Minor Road Improvements for the period 2012/13 to 2014/15.
During discussion of the report, the impact of timber extraction on the local road network was considered. Members pointed out that, with timber prices expected to rise in the immediate future, there could be a resultant increase in timber extraction and further funds should be lobbied for from the Scottish Timber Transport Fund (STTF) to compensate for the additional wear on the roads and to fund specific improvement projects. It was suggested that the matter should, in the first instance, be taken to the Rural Affairs and Climate Change Strategy Group for consideration to ensure that a cross-Service approach was taken.
In relation to specific projects on the programme, Members welcomed the Harbour Road/Millburn Road footpath/cycleway and hoped that future consideration would be given to the improvement of traffic safety, noting however that this would be a long-term and costly exercise. Following a request from Members, it was confirmed that a footpath would be considered when the A99 Keiss to North Keiss road widening was being designed.
The Committee:-
i. APPROVED the programme for Minor Road Improvements; and
ii. AGREED to discuss timber extraction and the impact on local roads with the Rural
Affairs and Climate Change Strategy Group.
8. Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 – Flood Risk Management Districts - Lead Local Authority
There had been circulated Report No TEC-81-11 (103kb pdf) dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which invited Members to approve the Council’s response to the Scottish Government on their proposals for lead local authorities in relation to Flood Risk Management Districts affecting the Highland Council area.
The Committee APPROVED the Council’s response to the Scottish Government’s letter dated 21 July 2011 in relation to the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 – Lead Local Authorities.
9. Update on the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Regulations
There had been circulated Report No TEC-82-11 (19kb pdf) dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which updated Members on the Scottish Government’s conclusions in relation to the powers and duties which were likely to be laid before Parliament in 2013.
In summary of the report, it was explained that many aspects of the Council’s response to the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Regulations consultation had been incorporated in the Policy Statement on the Regulations. This Statement set out the decisions that would underpin the final form of the regulations and, once they had been through Parliament, many of the actions relating to waste management which had, until recently, been undertaken with the agreement of local authorities, would then become a statutory duty. Issues that were covered in the Policy Statement and summarised in the report included the collection of food waste, landfill issues, the quality of recyclables, local authority reporting mechanisms, pre-treatment of waste prior to incineration, measures of bio-degradability and the enforcement of the regulations.
During discussion, questions from Members were responded to as follows:
- the creation of criteria related to housing density would mean the Highland Council would most likely only be required to offer a food waste collection in Inverness;
- there had been extensions to some key deadlines, including to the roll out of food waste collections from small businesses from 2013 to 2015. Similarly, the collection of food waste from households had been extended to 2015 but had to be initiated by the end of 2013;
- Members’ concerns in relation to bin storage, especially in urban areas, if food waste was to require a third wheeled bin, was acknowledged but was not considered a sufficient reason not to collect food waste. It was recognised that there would be difficulties but the Head of Waste Management was confident that these could be addressed;
- there was no statutory duty to have an anaerobic digestion plant in Inverness. In-vessel composting would be acceptable, with a further option being the use of the private sector to handle biodegradable waste;
- the UK was 30 years behind some European countries in relation to aspects of waste disposal and recycling;
- if food waste could not be collected along with green waste, additional refuse vehicles might be required; and
- it was important, in the collection of any recyclable waste, that the quality was kept high and the number of contaminants low. This would maximise the income that could be derived from the sale of the recyclate. To date, the quality level of Highland recyclable waste had been high.
The Committee NOTED:-
i. the contents of the report; and
ii. that a further report would be taken to the Transport, Environmental and
Community Services Committee when the draft regulations had been published.
10. Food Standards Agency Audit – August 2011
There had been circulated Report No TEC-83-11 (618kb pdf) dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which advised Members of the findings of the Food Standards Agency focused audit of the Council’s Environmental Health Section carried out in August 2011.
Members having pointed out the usefulness of the glossary that had been appended to the report, the Committee NOTED the Food Standards Agency Audit report and the Action Plan.
11. Implementation of the Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy
There had been circulated Report No TEC/84/11 dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which updated Members on the work undertaken to implement the Council’s Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy which had been approved by the Committee on 13 August 2009.
During discussion, Members referred to the Invergordon Seabank ‘Tank Farm’ which was currently being considered as a Vacant Derelict Land Fund project and it was confirmed that a report was awaited on this. In this connection, it was known that developers could be put off the regeneration of certain areas by contaminated land issues and it would be helpful, to address this, if restorative work could be undertaken to key areas to encourage its development. It was pointed out that contamination on some sites might actually be superficial, such as a small amount of petrol spillage from an old filling station, but the cost of investigating possible contamination could be prohibitive. Specific information was requested by Mrs M Paterson on the safety of the Dingwall ‘Old Town Dump’ which had been widely used by the local community for recreational purposes until its recent closure due to contaminated land issues.
In response to these and other comments, it was explained that the Contaminated Land Team in TEC Services worked closely with the Planning and Development Service, scrutinising weekly Planning lists and, where appropriate, requesting a full site history, further information or imposing a condition on any Planning Permission. Any imposed conditions would reflect the intended use of the land, with more stringent requirements for housing use than, for example, warehousing. Advice was also given by TEC Services Officials to communities in relation to the use of former landfill sites.
The Committee:-
i. NOTED the work undertaken to implement the Council’s Contaminated Land
Inspection Strategy which was approved by the Committee on 13 August 2009;
and
ii. NOTED that an annual update report would be submitted in due course; and
iii. AGREED to provide Mrs M Paterson with information regarding the land formally
used as a refuse facility in Dingwall.
12. Performance Management – Statutory and Internal Performance Indicators – 1st Quarter 2011/12
There had been circulated Report No TEC-85-11 (41kb pdf) dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which provided details of Transport, Environmental and Community Services performance, as measured by Statutory Performance Indicators and Internal Performance Indicators, for the first quarter of financial year 2011/12.
The Committee NOTED the performance of Transport, Environmental and Community Services in relation to Service activities that were measured by Statutory Performance Indicators and Internal Performance Indicators.
13. Review of Street Cleaning - Review of Zones
There had been circulated Report No TEC/86/11 dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which updated Members on progress in relation to the review of Street Cleaning and invited Members to approve the outcome of the review of the zoning for street cleaning.
The report was summarised and it was explained that Members’ views had been sought at Ward level. It was intended that, following this review, a more equitable level of service would be achieved and Members were assured that future reports on operational practices planned.
The Committee:-
i. APPROVED the outcome of the review of zoning for street cleaning; and
ii. NOTED that further reports would be taken to the Committee in relation to operational practices.
14. Procurement and Maintenance of Council Vehicles up to 3.5 Tonnes
There had been circulated Report No TEC/87/11 dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which, following the report to the Transport, Environmental and Community Services Committee on 11 August 2011 on the Procurement and Maintenance of Council vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, addressed the concerns expressed by Members regarding the retention of local jobs, carbon saving and socio-economic factors in relation to the tender specification, prior to the issue of tender documents.
Following a brief summary of the report, it was explained that the tender process was likely to advantage local-based companies given the inclusion of criteria such as carbon-impact and speed of response in the evaluation process.
The Committee thereafter:-
i. NOTED that a specific Highland Council contract would be developed for the
procurement and maintenance of vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes;
ii. NOTED the measures which were proposed to address the retention of local jobs,
carbon savings and socio-economic factors; and
iii. AGREED that the formal tender process should now proceed.
15. Amendment to the Fees Charged for Road Opening Permits under Section 109 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991
There had been circulated Report No TEC-88-11 (25kb pdf) dated 4 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which invited Members to agree that the current arrangements for charging developers and individuals for permission, under Section 109 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, to open the road for the purpose of installing or maintaining apparatus or plant, be replaced with a flat charge.
During a summary of the report, it was highlighted that the current fee structure was overly complicated and the report detailed proposals to simplify the system. Proposed prices were based on cost-recovery and would include ensuring the equipment was properly installed, the road correctly reinstated and the appropriate records kept of the works undertaken. The current fee had not properly taken into account the cost of maintaining accurate records of the equipment that had been installed.
Members voiced concern about road openings which they considered had not been properly reinstated and asked whether this would be dealt with by means of a fine. It was confirmed that a contractor would remain responsible for the reinstatement of the road until it was completed to an acceptable standard. This type of operational practice would be the subject of a future report to the Committee, as the report currently under consideration dealt with the fee structure only. It was, however, highlighted that it was not possible to inspect every road reinstatement and there was a reliance on unacceptable work being reported by the general public.
The Committee:-
i. APPROVED the replacement of the current fee structure charged for Road
Opening Permits, under Section 109 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991,
to open the road for the purpose of installing or maintaining apparatus or plant,
with a single flat rate fee of £350, with effect from 1 December 2011; and
ii. AGREED that a report be submitted to a future meeting regarding the road
reinstatement carried out by Statutory Undertakers and other bodies.
16. Minutes
The Committee NOTED or APPROVED, as appropriate, the following Minutes:-
i. Highland Licensing Committee of 6 September 2011; and
ii. Resource Monitoring Working Group of 22 September 2011 (15kb pdf).
17. Rail 2014 – Public Consultation
The Committee NOTED that, in terms of Standing Order 17, the Chairman had decided that this additional item of business, not specified on the agenda, should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency in view of the importance of the Caledonian Sleeper Service to the economy of the Highlands.
There had been circulated Report No TEC-89-11 (40kb pdf) dated 16 November 2011 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services advising Members that the Scottish Government had issued a consultation entitled “Rail 2014 – Public Consultation” on 15 November 2011, with a closing date for responses of 20 February 2012.
A full response to the consultation would be considered by the TECS Committee on 19 January 2012. However, this report advised Members that Section 11 of the Consultation Document related to the Caledonian Sleeper service and Members were invited to agree that the Council make strong representation to the Scottish Government for the retention of the “Highland Sleeper” which operated from Fort William, Inverness and Aberdeen.
The Director, in response to comments from Members, explained that it had been important to bring the consultation to Members’ attention at the earliest opportunity, given the significance of the sleeper service to the economy of the Highlands, particularly the service to and from the West Coast, which did not have an air link to London and the South. It had also been considered important to inform Members of the consultation given the likely media interest in the issue and to inform them that the Director had been invited to a preliminary meeting with Scottish Government representatives in Inverness at the end of November 2011 to be briefed on the consultation.
Members voiced support for the retention of the sleeper service, emphasising that Fort William and the West Coast did not have reasonable access to an air service and the A82, which linked Glasgow, Fort William and Inverness, was in urgent need of upgrading. The distinction was also made between the actual rail service and the sleeper service, and the importance of improving overall rail links to and around the Highlands.
The Committee:-
i. AGREED that the Council should make strong representations to the Scottish
Government for the retention of the ‘Highland Sleeper’ service;
ii. NOTED that a detailed response to the Scottish Government’s Consultation would
be considered at the next meeting on 19 January 2012; and
iii. AGREED that the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services
should inform Members if the meeting, scheduled to take place in late November in
Inverness with Scottish Government representatives, was open to Members.
The meeting concluded at 12.40 pm.