NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL
COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL SERVICES
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
At a meeting of the Communities and Local Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee held in Committee Room 1, County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland,
NE61 2EF on Wednesday 22 June 2016 10.30a.m.
PRESENT
Councillor B Pidcock
(in the Chair)
MEMBERS
Armstrong, E.Foster, J.D.
Campbell, D. / Grimshaw, L.
Jones, V.
OFFICERS
Jeffreys, P.Little, L.
Nicholson, S.
Soderquest, P.
Young, J. / Contracts and Commercial Manager
Democratic Services Officer
Scrutiny Officer
Head of Housing
Housing Services Manager
ALSO PRESENT
8.APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Cairns, Graham, G.W. Jones, and Sanderson.
9.MINUTES
RESOLVED that theminutes of the Communities and Local Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 25 May2016, as circulated, be agreed as a true record and be signed by the Chair.
10.FORWARD PLAN OF KEY DECISIONS
The published Forward Plan (attached to the signed minutes as Appendix A) was presented.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
REPORT FOR CONSIDERATION BY SCRUTINY
11.REPORTS OF THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF LOCAL SERVICES AND HOUSING
(a) Integration of Asylum Seekers & Refugees into the Community.
The report (attached as Appendix B to the signed minutes) provided an update on the activity undertaken since approval by Cabinet on 10 May 2016 to support the settlement of Syrian refugees in Northumberland. The Head of Housing along with the Housing Services Manager were in attendance and provided an introduction to the report. The Committee was advised that the multi-agency operational group had been established and contact had been made with other local Councils including Newcastle and Gateshead who had offered opportunities to work with their already established community services and groups. Offers had also been received from other local authorities to share their experiences on what had worked well and their established best practice along with an opportunity for the person seconded from the VCS to shadow their Officers.
Clarification was provided on the two distinct schemes for asylum seekers and refugees i.e. the G4S contracted scheme for the general dispersal of asylum seekers and the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme (SVPRS).
It was expected that the Council would receive the first four families as part of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme in September or October 2016 with the families being met airside when they arrived at Newcastle Airport. The composition of families would be known approximately 6 weeks prior to arrival with Cramlington identified as the placement location for the first families.Properties would be identified and suitably furnished etc. for the families arriving. In terms of meeting the educational need of the children, Members were informed that the local schools had capacity and that support would be provided with either the provision of a teacher specialising in English as a second language or the provision of teaching assistants. Support and cultural orientation would be provided by the Office of Migration prior to arrival in the United Kingdom so that families had some understanding of where they were being placed. Payments due to families would be made by way of a payment plan over four to six weeks until any claim for benefits was approved and support into work would be provided by the DWP.
Whilst G4S was not required to seek the Council’s agreement prior to placing asylum seekers or refugees in Northumberland they had agreed to notify the Council of the number of people and addresses of properties where they were being housed. Whilst this information could not be made public it was suggested that Ward Councillors be informed of any placements within their wards in order to help support the process. At the current time it was thought placements would be within the South East of the County. The Engagement Officer would also work with those placed through this scheme.
The need for support from the Community for those arriving through both schemes was highlighted and it was acknowledged that this must be balanced against the risk of a more negative attitude if more focus was placed on the arrival of Asylum Seekers or Refugees.
The Chair thanked the Officers for the report and the information provided.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
(b) Review of Household Waste Recovery Centres’ Opening Arrangements
The report (attached as Appendix C to the signed minutes) sought the views of the Committee on the proposed reduction in opening days at Allendale, Haltwhistle, North Sunderland, Wooler and Kirkley West Thorne Household Recovery Centres. P. Jeffreys the Contracts and Commercial Manager was in attendance to introduce the report. It was clarified that the final decision would be made by delegated authority to the Director of Local Services and Housing Delivery in consultation with the Cabinet Member from Local Services. Members were advised that Council in February 2016 agreed the revenue budget for 2016/2017 which included a saving of £132,000 from a Review of the Household Waste Recovery Centres (HWRCs). The review sought to identify savings whilst seeking to maintain the coverage of the network and therefore changes to the opening arrangements were being considered rather than the closure of sites.
Whilst Members did not consider the proposals unreasonable, concerns were expressed specifically in relation to the Kirkley West Thorne site due to the wide range of areas that used this site. There was the potential for increased fly tipping along country lanes surrounding the area with the associated costs to the Council, especially as there was no garden waste collection in the area. It was acknowledged that fly tipping was a concern in general however it was thought that any additional fly tipping due to the changes could possibly occur outside the recovery centre itself and cameras had been used successfully in other locations to stop these illegal practices. The Authority also had more enforcement powers to deal with fly tipping which included fixed penalty notices and higher cost penalties with the Council having had a number of successful prosecutions recently.
The need for positive publicity surrounding the reduced opening hours for all sites involved was stressed to ensure that the public was clearly informed that the sites were still open Friday to Monday inclusive. It was suggested that cards be provided to be retained by households outlining the revised opening days.
The Committee advised that they were happy to support the proposals provided that any increased levels of fly tipping would be investigated. They asked that their appreciation of the helpfulness of staff at all the HWRCs in the County be passed on to the staff involved.
RESOLVED that the Director of Local Services and Housing Delivery be asked to note the Committee had concerns regarding the potential for increased fly tipping however they supported the proposals.
REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER
12.Work Programme
The Committee’s work programme was attached as Appendix D to the signed minutes. The Scrutiny Officer would contact the Director of Local Services and Housing Delivery regarding a possible six month review of the revised opening days for the Household Waste Recovery Sites. Members were reminded if they wished any items to be added to the Work Programme then they should contact the Scrutiny Officer so that these can be reported to the Chairmen’s Group.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
INFORMATION REPORT
The following report was for information only and could be accessed through Northumberland County Council’s Website. If a member of the Committee would like further explanation of the report, or had questions they wished to put to the relevant Cabinet Member, he/she should contact Democratic Services Section in order that appropriate arrangements could be made.
13.POLICY DIGEST
The report gave details of the latest policy briefings, government announcements and ministerial speeches which may be of interest to members.
RESOLVED that the report be noted.
CHAIR
DATE
Ch.’s Initials………
Communities and Local Services – 22 June 20162016 1