Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs V Ayling, A Bridges, and N M Murray.

The Chief Executive reported that, under Local Government (Committee and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, Councillor Mrs J M Renshaw had been appointed to the Environmental Scrutiny Committee to replace Councillor N M Murray for this meeting only.

There were no declarations of interest at this point in the meeting.

RESOLVED

            That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 January 2017 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Executive Councillor for Development made the following announcements to the Committee:

·         He thanked all the members of the Committee and officers for all the good work which had been done, and thanked those not standing again in the election for all their work and challenge.

·         The Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre had been nominated for a major award from the Institute of Customer Service (ICS).  The Visitor Centre was good testament to what a well-designed building could do.  It had also helped the local economy and had created more jobs than expected.  Work would be commencing at the Chapel Point Observatory in the next couple of weeks.  It was also reported that there were more buildings planned for the east coast.

·         The launch of the Water Management Plan had taken place in Louth earlier in the week.  There was a growing understanding of how the management of water and the environment could have an effect on the economy of an area.

Members made the following comments in relation to the announcements:

·         Comments regarding the Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre were supported and it was suggested whether alternative routes to the sea could be looked into for those who had difficulty walking.  It was noted that the Coastal Access for All scheme was coming to the coastline and the ability to walk in these places would be given proper consideration.  There was a need to ensure that these building projects were of a sustainable nature.

·         It was pleasing to see Gibraltar Point doing so well.

·         It was also reported that the William Farr School was up for an award for its use of green technologies.  It was commented that the work of Doug Robinson and his team was a credit to this Council.

·         Concerns were raised regarding the issue of fly tipping, and the charging of green waste, and it was suggested that this should be discussed by the new council after the election.

(To receive a report from Brian Kane, Anglian Water, which provides the Committee with an update on the situation regarding odours from Water Recycling Works)

Consideration was given to a report which provided the Committee with a summary of the situation regarding odours from the Spalding and Ingoldmells Water Recycling Centres.

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report, and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         Councillor C J Davie, as the local member for Ingoldmells, reported that he had not received any complaints regarding odours since the last meeting.  However, it was noted that the tourist season was about to start.

·         One member commented that there had been a marked improvement in relation to Spalding, and had used Marsh Road recently.  He had not received any comments from residents.

·         When issues regarding Ingoldmells first came up, it had been discovered that a lot of fast food businesses were dumping fats (used oils) into the drains.  It was queried whether this was being kept on top of.  Members were advised that Anglian Water worked very closely with Steve Ross, from the Environmental Health Team at East Lindsey District Council who also had a 'Keep it Clear' team who worked with businesses on the effects of flushing fats, oils and other non-flushables into the drainage system.  However, it was noticed that fast food businesses tended to change ownership year on year so this message had to be repeated regularly.

·         Places such as Skegness would have large increases in population during the summer months.

·         There would be a need for the new Committee to look at the issues in relation to population growth and meeting the challenges of the future, including making sure that partners were playing their part to help deliver the growth strategies.

·         Three years earlier the Keep it Clear campaign did not have a high enough profile in Boston. 

·         Members thanked Brian Kane for the co-operation of Anglian Water in coming to these meetings as improvements had definitely been made.  It was suggested that a letter should be sent to senior officers at Anglian Water to highlight how beneficial their presence at this Committee had been.

RESOLVED

1.    That comments made in relation to this report be noted.

2.    That a letter be sent to senior officers at Anglian Water highlighting how beneficial their presence at this Committee had been over the last 4 years.

(To receive a report from Sean Kent, Group Manager Environmental Services, which provides key performance information relevant to the work of the Committee)

Consideration was given to a report which provided key performance information which was relevant to the work of the Environmental Scrutiny Committee.

Members were advised that the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership had met the previous day and its focus had been on the Waste Strategy and the targets which the authority would be setting in relation to recycling.  If the Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) produced by the Energy from Waste facility could be classified as recycling, then performance would move back towards target.  However, it was reported that some of the targets were contextual measures.

Officers reported that they were pleased with the recycling at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC's) as around 75% of the waste being brought to these centres was either recycled or re-used.  The County Council now owned and operated 9 HWRC's.

In relation to complaints and compliments, it was reported that number of complaints received this quarter had halved.  It was also reported that the number of compliments had increased, and it was thought that this was mainly due to being a frontline service.

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         Members commended Sean Kent and his team for all the work they had done with this Committee.

·         It was suggested that fly tipping and the amount of green waste in the residual waste stream should be examined by the new council.

·         One of the key issues was unintended consequences, for example, East Lindsey District Council had recently increased their green waste charge, and so some residents were putting it into the residual waste bin instead of paying for green waste collection.  The effect of this would be that the calorific value of the Energy from Waste (EfW) would reduce if there was too much green waste in the mix.  This would result in a need to burn oil to keep the EfW at the right temperature.  The County Council would be working with the districts through the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS) on this, as well as other, issues.

·         It was noted that the HWRC at Boston was not county council owned, and was open longer hours.  It was queried whether it was thought that waste was being taken to Boston instead of other sites as it was open longer, therefore reducing the amount collected by County owned sites.  It was acknowledged that this was likely.

·         It was queried whether the County Council was lobbying manufacturers and retailers to reduce the amount of packaging used.  Members were advised that the authority did not have the resources that it used to, and it had carried out this activity in the past.  However, there was also the issue that the customer wanted the products they purchased to be well packaged.

·         In relation to opening times at HWRC's, it was queried whether it was worth experimenting with the summer and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

(To receive a presentation from Beryl Lott, Places Manager on the current situation with regards to the archaeological findings on the first part of the Lincoln Eastern Bypass)

Consideration was given to a report and presentation on the current situation with regards to the archaeological findings on the first part of the Lincoln Eastern Bypass (LEB).

Members were advised that there was a statutory responsibility to protect all types of heritage including archaeological remains and planning consent for the LEB required substantial archaeological work to be undertaken prior to the start of any road construction works.  Previous evaluations had identified a number of areas along the route which had a high potential for significant archaeological remains, and as construction of the road would destroy any such remains it was a condition of the Planning Consent that these remains were professionally excavated and recorded.

Archaeological contractors were appointed in October 2016 and concentrated on the land required by Network Rail, as part of it was required before the end of November 2016.  This area of land north and south of the railway line and across the valley of the River Witham had been identified as one of the most potentially significant archaeological areas along the route.  Members were advised that it was known that the valley of the River Witham had been an important focus of activity throughout the prehistoric period and that a medieval monastic grange was located somewhere in the vicinity of the railway west of Washingborough.  Evaluation work which had been carried out in 2008 had also shown that there was a potential for Roman remains.

Work undertaken on site so far had unearthed extensive remains associated with a 18^th century farmstead, the medieval monastic grange, a previously unknown medieval stone tower, a Saxon cemetery and extensive Roman remains which were not yet fully understood.  In addition there had also been extensive prehistoric finds from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age periods identified.  It was reported that this site was one of the largest Mesolithic site so far identified in the county and one of the largest known sites in the country.

Members were informed that burial sites had also been found which were dated from the 7^th and 8^th century, which was earlier than originally thought as it had been thought they were Anglo Saxon and dated from 9^th and 10^th century.   Remains of an 18^th century farmstead had also been discovered, which were quite extensive.  It was thought that this had been demolished at some point in time and rubble spread across a wide area.

The Committee received a presentation which gave a visual view of where remains had been found and were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and presentation and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         It was queried whether anything had been found with the burials which could give information about the people who had been buried there.  Members were advised that nothing had been found with them.

·         It was noted that some very substantial stone walls  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

(To receive a report from Doug Robinson, Principal Sustainability Policy Officer, which provides the Committee with an update on the Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017)

The Committee received a report which set out details of the Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017.  It was reported that Lincolnshire County Council already had plans which recognised the risks relevant to the county but would need to review them in light of the next National Adaptation Plan which was due to be published in 2018.  This Plan aimed to ensure that government, business and other stakeholders had the information they needed to take action.

It was commented that the Council had reduced its carbon footprint by 13% in the past few years. It was also noted that there was a lot of work going on in terms of renewables.

The Committee thanked Doug Robinson for all his work as he was due to retire in coming weeks.

RESOLVED

            That the report be noted.

(To receive a report from Daniel Steel, Scrutiny Officer, which enables the Committee to consider and comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year to ensure that scrutiny activity is focused where it can be of greatest benefit)

It was reported that there were no actions required in relation to the work programme.

The Chairman thanked all officers and members for their support over the last four years, and noted that the Committee had done quite a lot of good work and had worked together in a harmonious manner.  The Chairman thanked members for supporting him and also thanked those who would not be seeking re-election for their work and support.

Members thanked the Chairman for being so inclusive and supportive to the Committee and for chairing the Committee so well.

RESOLVED

            That the work programme and comments made be noted.