Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mal Donoghue, Matthew Trafford and Colin Coulton.

Members are requested to indicate at this stage in the proceedings any items on the agenda in which they intend to declare an interest. Members are reminded that if the interest is a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (as defined in the Members’ Code of Conduct) they must leave the room for the whole of that item. If the interest is not a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, but is such that a member of the public could reasonably regard it as being so significant that it is likely that it would prejudice their judgment of the public interest (as explained in the Code of Conduct) then they may make representations, but then must leave the meeting for the remainder of the item.

Councillor Michael Green declared a personal interest in item 6 – Leyland Town Deal Update as a parish council representative on the Leyland Town Deal Board.

To be agreed as a correct record for signing by the Chair.

Resolved: (Unanimously)

That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Scrutiny Committee, held on Thursday, 24 November 2022, be approved as a correct record for signing by the Chair.

Report attached.

Members received an update on recommendations made at previous meetings of the Scrutiny Committee.

Members noted progress on previous recommendations and unanimously resolved to remove the following completed actions from the Matters Arising Sheet;

·       Minute 67.2 – Information regarding consultation responses to the Penwortham Masterplan.

·       Minute 67.6 – Consideration of public transport and connectivity within the Penwortham Masterplan.

·       Minute 80.3 – Consideration of including key leisure company indicators within quarterly performance reports.

·       Minutes 80.4 – For the Leisure Company to be invited to attend the Scrutiny Committee annually.

Other recommendations would remain until they are completed with comments from the appropriate cabinet member.

Report of the Director of Communities to follow.

Item withdrawn.

Report of the Chief Executive to follow.

The Chair welcomed the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Mick Titherington and Strategic Lead, Rachel Salter to provide an update on progress of the Leyland Town Deal.

The Strategic Lead provided an overview and timeline of key milestones in the progression of the Leyland Town Deal, its aims and objectives, governance arrangements in place with the Leyland Town Deal Board and risks identified with the project.

The report highlighted key points drawn from the full programme with further refinements progressing as the design process developed. Ongoing work included the identification of where critical paths are and how work can be phased to best minimise any disruption during construction.

The Committee also heard how stakeholder engagement was carried out throughout the process , noting several consultation sessions had taken place with good turnout and positive feedback.

In response to a query regarding how consultation feedback would be incorporated into the scheme, given the designs and business case had already been submitted, the Committee heard that the consultation in May 2022 provided an update on earlier consultation feedback and how that had fed into the designs. In addition, members were advised that although the budget was set, where applicable or possible the views of residents would be considered.

The Committee were reassured that outstanding queries between the Town Deal Board and the Government had now been resolved following a visit by the Government's independent representatives. The representatives scrutinised the project management systems, the designs and proposals and were satisfied that the scheme could progress.

On the makeup of the Town Deal Board, Members heard that public, private and voluntary sectors were all represented, within this membership included construction contractors, the job centre and established businesses in the Leyland area which provided a wide skillset to the Board.

Members heard that the physical development of the two projects would be distinct from how they are split in the business cases which focused on the strategic links in terms of the benefits and outcomes that would be delivered by the scheme. The construction phase will consider both projects together in order to best minimise disruption and also to facilitate greater use of local contractors for some of the smaller works. Consideration for the market traders was also factored into the phasing plan.

Responding to a query on membership of the Board and attendance at meetings, the Committee were advised that all members were required to sign the terms of reference. If members were not attending meetings and engaging with the Board on a regular basis, the Chair of the Board would be in contact to discuss their membership being withdrawn.

Following a query regarding the decision-making processes and role of the Leyland Town Deal Board, members were informed that South Ribble Borough Council was the decision maker with the Board taking an advisory role in the development of the scheme.

The Leyland and Farington Community Hub had been engaged separately from other stakeholders throughout the process and were represented with members on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90.

Report of the Director of Communities attached.

The Chair welcomed the Deputy Leader of the Council, the Director of Communities and the Housing Solutions Team Leader to the meeting to present draft proposals to amend the Select Move allocations policy and answer any questions from the Committee.

The Deputy Leader provided an overview of the pressures faced in relation to housing and homelessness, especially given the difficult financial climate. The Committee were advised that the Council had a statutory obligation to review the housing allocations policy on a regular basis. The report highlights proposed changes to the policy with the aim of improving the experience for users, making processes more efficient and strengthening local connection criteria. A consultation on the proposed policy would commence once approved by Cabinet.

When asked on the likely numbers affected by the proposed changes, it was noted that whilst the number was ever changing there was around 2,000 registered users currently on Select Move.

Members sought further details on how the local connection criteria at South Ribble compared to neighbouring authorities. Members heard that other local authorities had much stronger criteria around local and family connections which the proposed policy changes sought to address. As a result, people with a stronger connection to the South Ribble area would be prioritised on the housing register waiting list.

Members questioned the word ‘reasonable’ in relation to grounds on which properties were refused by prospective tenants. Whilst it was acknowledged it was difficult to give a definitive answer it was highlighted that refusal on ‘unreasonable’ grounds caused significant delays in the process and exacerbated the huge demand for properties. It was for this reason the draft policy seeks to reduce the number of refusals from 3 to 2 to speed up the process.

On managing the demand on the service and a need for more suitable properties, the Committee were told that the Council works closely with partners and registered housing providers, such as Progress Housing, who do actively encourage and incentivise tenants to consider downsizing so that larger properties could become available.

On addressing the challenges of meeting the significant demand for housing, work was needed to ensure developers incorporate more social housing within their projects and that South Ribble has a Local Plan that meets the needs of the population in the future. Members also were reminded of the Council’s desire to contribute in the way of building its own social houses.

Questions were asked on the consultation programme and how it would be effectively communicated to residents. The Deputy Leader was committed to reaching as many residents and stakeholders as possible through direct contact with Select Move users, through the Council’s website, multi-agency forums and other avenues. It was requested that consideration be given to residents who many not find online forms of communication easily accessible when forming the consultation plan.

The Deputy Leader also confirmed that the draft policy aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the team would work with the Armed Forces Hub.

It was subsequently

RESOLVED: (Unanimously)

That  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91.

The Chair invited the Council’s representative on Lancashire County Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Lou Jackson to provide an update on recent meetings she had attended.

Recent meetings had focused on the roll out of the virtual wards programme which was a concept developed in response to the pandemic where patients could receive care in their own homes with the aim of preventing avoidable admissions to hospital.

No training was noted since the last meeting.

The latest version of the Forward Plan can be found on the Council’s website by clicking here.

The Cabinet Forward Plan was noted.

Scrutiny Committee Forward Plan attached.

The Committee requested that the Community Safety Partnership item be rescheduled for the next meeting in February.

Councillor Michael Green thanked the members of the task group and the work of the officers supporting the group. Recent meetings had seen guests from the Council’s planning enforcement team, the County Council’s highways team and education departments discuss the impact of housing developments.

Several more meetings were planned before a final report would be brought back to the Scrutiny Committee.