To record that Councillor V Cunningham substituted for Councillor S Lewis

To confirm and sign, as a correct record, the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 7^th March 2024 (Appendix ‘A’).

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 7 March 2024 were confirmed and signed as a correct record, with the following amendment – item 51, page 6, 5^th paragraph should read 2020 not 2022.

The Chair of the Committee, Councillor D Whyte wished to formally thank former Councillor D Coen for all his commitment to the Environment and Sustainability Committee in the previous municipal year.  His commitment had moved the Committee along very well and wished his thanks to be recorded.

No apologies for absence were received.

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or other registrable and non-registrable interests in items on the agenda.

No declarations of interest were made.

The Committee was advised that there was currently just one consent street in the borough where street traders could apply to sell street food and products, which was in a small section of the Broadway, New Haw.

For six years the Council did not receive a single application to trade and then received two in relatively quick succession, which were considered by this Committee in September 2023 and March 2024, both of which were refused.

It was apparent that during the consultation process for those applications that the vast majority of forms of street trading at The Broadway would trigger objections by those consulted, particularly the police, the highways authority, and local councillors.

Consequently, there was very little value in the Council operating a consent street where any application was highly likely to be turned down.  The Committee was therefore asked to approve the beginning of the process to remove The Broadway as a consent street.  This would require both Environment and Sustainability Committee and Full Council to approve the commencement of the consultation process, and subject to the results of the consultation, would also require Environment and Sustainability Committee and Full Council to pass the resolution to remove The Broadway as a consent street.

The Committee welcomed the move to get The Broadway, New Haw removed as a consent street and fully supported the proposal.

Resolved that:

The Environment and Sustainability Committee recommends to seek full Council approval to proceed with public consultation to re-designate The Broadway, New Haw from a consent street to a prohibited street.

The Committee was presented with a report regarding the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at four of the Council owned car parks.

In the EV Strategy Action Plan (2022-2026) Action 1 stated that the Council would ‘Explore opportunities to increase the network of publicly available electric vehicle charge points across Runnymede on both Council owned land and other public sector land’.   This included both on and off-street chargers.

As discussed in the Council's EV Strategy, it was expected that properties in the borough without access to their own driveways currently faced a barrier in being able to transition to electric vehicles.   Surrey County Council were installing on-street chargers in the borough which had the potential to help overcome this barrier.  However, to further assist in this regard, as well as using car parks for destination charging, Officers intended to allow residents who lived close to Council car parks to charge their cars overnight in some of the Council’s car parks.

In order to determine the best options for facilitating public charging points across the borough on Council owned land, Officers from Digital, Customer and Collection Services team worked with the Energy Saving Trust (EST) to look at factors such as demand, type of chargers needed, barriers for implementation and use of available funding.  Based on these discussions and further exploratory work, the four car parks chosen to be most suitable were:

Chertsey Library Car Park, Heriot Road, Chertsey

Woodland Car Park (St Peter’s Hospital), Hillswood Drive, Chertsey

Wasp Farm Car Park, Heritage Court, Egham

Memorial Gardens Car Park, Station Parade, Virginia Water

These sites corresponded to the car parks where the Automatic Number Plate Recognition was installed.  Currently, there was limited electricity supply at the car parks being considered.  As such, if the EV charging points were to be delivered to the shortlisted car parks, the Council would first need to understand the requirements and investigate the costs of any new connections to the grid at each site. The Assets and Regeneration team were awaiting quotes from existing Council contractors for an electrical survey at each site, however, the team estimated that the survey would cost in the region of £5,000 to £10,000 for the 4 car parks.  £30,000 was available from the earmarked Car Parks Reserve which could be used to pay for these surveys.

The Committee supported the proposal but considered Option 1 detailed in the report  a viable option and Officers were asked to also explore this option.

Resolved that:

The use of £30,000 from the earmarked Car Parks Reserve be used to complete electrical surveys at the four suggested car park sites.

Corporate Management Committee be asked to approve a budget of £30,000 to be financed by the release of funds.

The locations of the four suitable car parks sites selected be approved.

Officers be authorised to explore Options 1, 2 and 3 with regards to progressing EV Charging points in Council owned car parks.

Option 4 in the report be disregarded.

The Committee was asked to approve the proposed Food Service Plan for 2024/25.

Runnymede Borough Council (RBC) was designated as a Food Authority with statutory duties to enforce food law and carry out activities in accordance with an approved code of practice.  As a designated Food Authority RBC was required to produce a Food Service Plan annually in accordance with the Framework Agreement on Food Controls by Local Authorities. The plan sets out how functions were delivered and current work programme.

Routine and reactive microbiological sampling of both poorly compliant premises and contributing to national sampling programmes had continued in 2023-24 and was summarised in the plan.

In relation to the Council’s Corporate Business Plan (2022-2026) the Food Service Plan was a key driver in achieving the Health and Wellbeing Strategy that supported the Economic Development Strategy.   An effective food safety service contributed to protecting the health of its residents and visitors through the provision of safe food outlets, the prevention and detection of food borne illness and food poisoning and ensuring good businesses were not being disadvantaged by non-compliant traders.

The Committee was pleased to note that in the last year RBC had carried out 100% of their inspections.

Resolved that:

The Food Service Plan for 24/25 be approved.

Officers reported that as part of Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s work programme for 2023/2024 one of the three areas of focus for the Committee was Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had received several briefings over the course of their meetings and had come up with three recommendations for the Environment and Sustainability Committee to consider.

The report was being presented to the Committee in order for the three recommendations to be endorsed by the Committee and Officers be asked to bring a report to a future meeting when recommendations had been considered.

The Committee was happy to support the recommendations and considered it a good move forward. Additionally, the Committee was keen for Officers to explore what sanctions could be employed to compel landlords to stick to the conditions of their licence.

Resolved that:

Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations are endorsed, and Officers from Environmental Services be asked to bring a report to a future committee covering the following matters:

1)    To consider the introduction of an Additional Licencing Scheme to include non-licensable HMOs

2)    To explore the introduction of new HMO Licence conditions on the following themes which would apply to existing and additionally licensed HMOs:

a)    Bins and waste management

b)    Garden Maintenance

c)    ASB and nuisance behaviour

3)    To review HMO licensing fees

Action points:  

The Committee was asked to approve the proposed updates to the current ‘Street Trading Licence Terms and Conditions’ for future Street Markets and Events.

Officers reported that due to the designation of Guildford Street in Chertsey as a licenced street where street trading was permitted.  Officers felt it would be appropriate to review the Council’s terms and conditions of Licenced Streets.  As such, through the current review, Officers had sought to identify possible areas of improvement, and had also taken the opportunity to check the terms and conditions aligned with current trading practices and legislation.  In addition, following the declaration of a climate change emergency in December 2023 and a Climate Change Action Plan for the Borough in February 2024, Officers had taken the opportunity to consider what more could be done to encourage more environmentally friendly practices from the licence holders and market traders.

The Street Trading licence laid out the roles and responsibilities that the licensee must adhere to, whether the licence holder was an umbrella organisation or a market trader.

The Committee agreed to the revised terms and conditions set out in the report. 

Resolved that:

The updates set out in the body of the report aligning to the current Street Trading Licence Terms and Conditions for future Street Markets and Events be approved. 

Resolved that:

the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting during the discussion of the following reports under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the reports in question would be likely to involve disclosure of exempt information of the description specified in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of the Schedule 12A of the Act.

The Committee was asked to consider the six options detailed in the report in relation to a capital estimate for the purchase of two electric fleet vehicles. 

Officers advised the Committee that there were currently two vehicles within the Council’s fleet which urgently needed replacing. The vehicles were used by Parking Enforcement Officers who patrolled the Council’s 14 off street car parks 7 days a week, including bank holidays.  In addition, they were responsible for reporting back minor repair works with the car parks, maintaining the pay and display machines and other routine work associated with car park enforcement.

Of the six options considered Officers considered option 3 to be the best option.  The Committee concurred to this approach.

Resolved that:

Corporate Management Committee be requested to approve a capital estimate for the purchase of two (2) electric fleet vehicles to be funded from the Equipment Replacement Reserve set up for this purpose.

The Committee was asked to approve an open tender procurement process to provide and maintain bus shelter infrastructure in the borough.

Officers reported that there were 95 bus shelters in the borough.  The report presented to the Committee detailed 5 options available to the Council for the continued provision and maintenance of bus shelters. 

It was the view of Officers that Option 3 (undertake a competitive tender exercise) was the best option as it offered Runnymede Borough Council the best value for money in terms of replacing an aging asset and providing the authority with a regular revenue income stream, which could be used to maintain the non-contracted bus shelters.

It was noted that an online reporting tool was available on the Council’s website where residents could report damage/maintenance issues at bus shelters in the borough.

Resolved that:

An open tender procurement process to provide and maintain bus shelter infrastructure and delegated authority to Officers to award the contract to the winning bidder be approved.