Minutes of the Community Development and Environment Committee 12 February 2020

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF CHOPPINGTON PARISH COUNCIL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE HELD ON 12 FEBRUARY 2020

Members present:

 Cllr H Allsopp

Cllr A E Barrell

Cllr J Foster

Cllr K Grimes

Cllr G Huntley

Cllr A Iley

Cllr J Rowell

Cllr P S Vaughan

Cllr L Watson

 

In attendance:

 

Mr D L Nicholson, Parish Clerk and Ms A Brindley, Deputy Parish Clerk/Responsible Finance Officer.

 

CD&E 030/19. 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE.

 

All members in attendance.

 

CD&E 031/19. 2. MEMBERS’ DECLARATION OF DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY AND OTHER REGISTERABLE INTEREST(S).        

 

No declarations were made.

 

CD&E 032/19. 3. PUBLIC QUESTIONS.

 

None received.

 

CD&E 033/19. 4. TO RECEIVE AND AGREE AS A TRUE RECORD THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 13 NOVEMBER 2019.

 

The minutes were received, accepted as a true record with authority given to the Chairman to sign as such.

 

CD&E 034/19. 5. MATTERS ARISING.

                                   

                                    There were no matters arising.

 

CD&E 035/19. 6. BUS SHELTERS AND PLAY AREAS

  1. Members received a verbal report on the process to be adopted for the appointment of preferred suppliers for bus shelters and play areas.
  2. Queensbury Shelters have previously supplied bus shelters and have always satisfied quality and value for money review through market testing. Queensbury Shelters have ceased trading and the Parish Council has recently had a shelter supplied by a company undertaking work for former Queensbury customers. Officers are not satisfied that this supplier meets required quality or value for money criteria.
  3. Kompan has been the preferred supplier for play area equipment for 8 years having been awarded a 4-year extension previously following full market testing. Kompan has provided play equipment to required standards and has shown flexibility in installation methodology to the financial benefit of the Parish Council. Notwithstanding this it is considered that full market testing should be undertaken, involving if necessary, the award of a single contract for the supply and installation of a play area to an alternative supplier. Members requested that consideration should be given to the benefit of appointing separate preferred suppliers for play and activity areas.

RESOLVED: Members agreed:

  • The award of preferred supplier status should be for a 4-year period.
  • In respect of bus shelters, specifications be prepared and quotations sought from 3 suppliers.
  • In respect of the supply and installation of a play and activity areas (informal multi-user games area (MUGA), quotations should be sought from 3 suppliers.
  • Technical appraisal of all quotations will be undertaken by officers with further evaluation and scrutiny by a panel of members (all members to be invited to participate) prior to any appointment.

 

CD&E 036/19. 7. CLIMATE CHANGE.

  1. Members received a report from the Parish Clerk on measures that could be taken within existing legal authority to mitigate and reduce the effects of climate change.
  2. It was explained that Government has not made funds available to local councils to undertake measures to combat the effects of climate change. As a consequence it is anticipated that the Parish Council will work within its existing resources to ensure that climate change is considered as part the delivery of all services.
  3. The Parish Clerk advised members that he had drawn on published resources from the National Association of Councillors and the National Fire and Rescue Service in the preparation of this report.
  4. Recent Ipsos Mori polls indicate that 85% of Britons are concerned about climate change and that 52% are very concerned. These are the highest concern levels recorded since Ipsos Mori started recording in 2005. Major factors in raising public awareness are cited as being the activities of Extinction Rebellion, Greta Thunberg’s school strikes and BBC’s Blue Planet 2 documentary. Increased public concern has caused climate change to be raised higher on the political agenda and all levels of government are being challenged to address climate change.
  5. National Government is committed to having net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and has stated that to reach this target all parts of the public sector will have a role to play in responding to the effects of climate change through mitigation and adaptation.
  6. Internationally governments are committed to build on the sustainable development goals contained in the Paris Agreement 2015.   Not all government are convinced that climate change is responsible for the extended period of extreme weather emergencies that the planet has experienced over recent decades and President D J Trump’s announcement to withdraw from the Paris agreements is widely regarded as making those goals more difficult to achieve.
  7. The Parish Clerk asked members to consider the following actions:
  • The role of the Parish Council in relation to climate action groups
  • Actively support small and large planning applications for renewable energy
  • Promote action by local people
  • Encourage formation of groups for bulk purchasing
  • Develop and promote car sharing schemes
  • Adopt energy saving measures in all council buildings and Green energy production in all council buildings
  • Improve the management of land and woodlands
  • Increase tree cover
  • Use sustainable transport
  • Minimise waste to landfill/incineration
  • Ethical investment
  • Consider climate change implications of decisions of the council
  • Designate sites within the Neighbourhood plan for trees and nature restoration
  • Encourage energy efficiency in all new homes though the planning system
  • Encourage designated routes for safe walking and cycling within the neighbourhood plan

8.       Members discussed the report, asking for details of existing land management, scrutinising the affect on local ecology.

RESOLVED

  1. Members agreed that this report be adopted as Parish Council policy.
  2. A meeting be arranged for Cllr K Grimes to further consider land management issues.

Agenda, Part 2

Members, in consideration of Standing Order 46a and because of the special and confidential nature of the business to be transacted considered that press and public should be excluded during the consideration of items included in part 2 of the agenda.

CD&E 037/19. 9. CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS REFERRED FROM PART 1 OF THE AGENDA.

 

There were no matters to be considered.

 

 

Chairman………………………………………………………..                   Dated……………………