Agenda item

To consider a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability and Resources, copy attached as item 8

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital and Resources, a copy of which had been circulated to members, a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as item 8. The report before members set out background information for the Adur and Worthing Executive Members for the Environment. Members were asked to consider and question the Executive Members on issues within their portfolios.

The Executive Members were present to answer questions

A Member asked the following question: Following on from the A&W Climate Assembly: how many of the 18 recommendations have been followed up to date and how has the impact of the assembly been measured? Members were told that the authorities had started working on 14 of 18 recommendations from the climate assembly and these were measured using a RAG rating. (4 green - being delivered, 10 amber - underway/ partially delivered, or paused, 4 red - not yet started / not our remit so partnership working required). Progress on the recommendations had been formally presented to the Climate Assembly Members in January, April and October.

The recommendations had also been weaved across the sustainability framework and were recognised across the councils as something of great value. 

Recommendations were regularly referred to in press releases and webinars/presentations and have been progressing on actions that weren't in plans before they were put forward, e.g. restoration of New Salts Farm as a centre for excellence in education around climate change, and have connected with the community to develop this.

The authorities continued to engage with the community through various online activities (weekly blog, quarterly online magazine, social media posts) and through more traditional stories in the local papers.

A Member asked the following question: Councillors in Central ward receive many complaints about lack of public conveniences in the town centre and the condition of those that are open. Can you tell us what action is being taken to address this issue? Public conveniences are critical facilities for our town.  Members were told that Accessibility Audits for ten Worthing public conveniences were completed in January 2022. These audits had looked at how we could improve accessibility to meet the generic needs of people with disabilities, including those with mobility, cognitive and sensory impairments.  This information would assist in developing a prioritised programme of capital works spread across the next few years. The programme would be agreed with relevant Executive Members utilising funding from the Capital Investment Programme. The capital budget allocation for 2022/23 is £230,000 and £100,000 for 2023/24

A Member asked the following question: Adur and Worthing Council ceased providing in-house pest control in 2018 but does still have an obligation under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act. What action is being taken in areas where there are growing problems eg the increase in rat population at Brooklands. Members were told that the Prevention of Damage of Pests Act 1949 required the owner and/or occupier to take action to destroy vermin on their land. The Council's Public Health and Regulation had the necessary powers and skills to work with affected communities and businesses to manage rodent populations. In relation to Brooklands, the Rangers and Park Team were aware of the increase in rat sightings at Brooklands and were using the Council’s contractor to undertake an assessment and take the necessary action to destroy any vermin and tackle any harborage areas.

A Member asked the following question: What happened to the £50k  paid to consultants for the “Science Experience” plan for Brooklands that now seems to have been scrapped?  Members were told that Landscape Consultants were appointed in 2018 to prepare a masterplan for the redevelopment of the park. This resulted in the Brooklands Masterplan that was approved at the Joint Strategic Committee meeting in March 2020. In preparing the masterplan three key principles were distilled from the original concept and used to develop the masterplan of which one was the principle of “Learning” The Masterplan thus agreed as a principle that Brooklands Park would become an outdoor interactive classroom and science learning resource supporting the wider Science Technology Engineering and Maths curriculum. Schools and families will find new opportunities for learning about habitats, ecosystems, forces and materials. The Parks department would also be piloting new planting schemes to feed into how the councils responded to the issues of climate change and sustainability. This principle was then brought to life through the designs and masterplan.

A Member asked the following question: Has a soil test been undertaken at The old GoKart track at Brooklands and will the Council be responsible for any cleanup at the GoKart Track? Members were told that no intrusive soil survey had been undertaken at the old GoKart track. In line with legislation and Environment Agency guidance the Council would be responsible for decontamination of the site should hazardous materials be found and should a redevelopment of the site requiring its removal be proposed.

A Member asked the following question: One of the first things I was asked about as a councillor was the future of the popular pitch and putt course at Brooklands. Are there any plans to reinstate this either at Brooklands or elsewhere? Members were told that the Council agreed a new Brooklands Masterplan at its meeting in March 2020 which set out its vision for Brooklands. The masterplan sets out that the area where the pitch and putt course was would be landscaped as “glades” as part of the redevelopment works. The former golf course has left a legacy of existing trees and mounds. It was proposed to plant additional trees and shrubs to create different spaces that are protected from the wind. These outdoor 'rooms', named 'glades', would have different characters based on the colour and type of planting, natural play features, sculpture and science activities. The glades would vary in size and be connected with a path system that extends the length of the park. It was envisaged that the route and items along the way could be used by all the community and form part of children's activities organised by the Council's Park Rangers, and Friends of Brooklands. Other designed features were integrated with the glades and gardens to make up the overall connected landscape through which visitors pass and enjoy.

The intention was for the glades to become an important learning opportunity for school students within the National Curriculum. There were no current plans for a pitch and putt course elsewhere in Worthing.

A Member asked the following question: It's been reported that the refuse staff are in dispute over pay and conditions and morale is at 'rock bottom'. How is the council dealing with this dispute both as a responsible employer, a consistent service provider and also the need to manage the future financial implications? Members were told that Issues relating to pay and conditions were managed by the Chief Executive as Head of Paid Service and her team.  As such the Executive Member was not in a position to respond in detail. However the Executive Member had been advised that a review of the waste service was underway which was looking at pay, terms and conditions and working practices.  The review started in October and as part of this, a staff engagement framework was being put in place to ensure frontline staff had the opportunity to raise their concerns and ideas and have a say in the future design of the service.  This review was being undertaken with clear sight of pay and conditions across the organisation, and the importance of ensuring fairness and consistency, as well as assessing financial implications. As part of the work a redesign of refuse and recycling rounds would be undertaken to ensure they had sufficient capacity to deal with the significant growth in housing numbers. It was understood that a formal dispute had not been lodged however, officers were keen to have conversations with anyone, including staff and trade unions, who had concerns about the service. Anyone who wished to do so should contact the relevant Head of Service or Director.

A Member asked the following question: With regard to the completion and opening of Brooklands Park, the HealthyAW 2021-2024 Delivery Plan (Appendix 1 pp28) states - quote; "Park open and construction finished by January 2023." What are the key milestones and timeline to ensure this stays on track and that the park opens in 12 months as stated? The Committee was told that the contract in place was for a year with damages applied if not completed in time. There was a strong team in place  with regular meetings that would be monitoring the progress against the programme. Areas would be sectionally opened as they finished so not all the park would be shut for the duration of the contract except for the car park area.

A Member asked the following question: The work to transform Brooklands park started just this Monday with a year's estimate in getting the work completed. I understand that the work will take place in phases across  different areas of the park at different times. However the Public Conveniences  in the West Car park will shut throughout the whole of the year.This will effectively exclude some members of the public such as the elderly,  people with disabilities and parents with young children from enjoying  the areas of Brooklands that remain open. Whilst it is to be expected that the toilets will be shut for some time when the work is to be undertaken, why will they be shut for the whole year, when all the other areas of the park will be opened and closed according to the phases of work being undertaken. Members were told that whilst some areas of the park could be kept open and others opened sectionally this was not easy for all of the areas. The new masterplan would have new toilets as part of the new cafe. The old toilet block would need to be demolished to achieve this. This was scheduled for fairly early in the programme to allow for the testing and ground works required for the new building. It was asked In the making of this decision did any form of equalities impact assessment take place as part of the risk assessment process? Members were told that the Authorities worked with consultants to ensure design proposals were fully inclusive and fit for purpose. Equalities impact assessments had been undertaken for the project and proposals as a whole rather than relating to a specific issue arising from the construction.

A Member asked the following question: Every Christmas there is a huge amount of paper and cardboard for residents to recycle. Come the Christmas period recycling bins are over full with card and other recyclable waste often left on the street and certainly in Worthing Central fly tipped. In order to encourage even more recycling, and to avoid streets being with various recyclable materials, Might it be helpful to schedule an extra recycling collection over this period, possibly just prior to Christmas day? Members were told that the authorities did not have the resources to provide extra collection days. A reasonable amount of ‘sidewash’ was collected for both refuse and recycling over this period. Once crews had caught up the service provided a Christmas Tree collection service.

A Member asked the following questions which were taken together by the Executive Member: Q1 When the Council last ran a study on open space, sports & recreation, a large percentage of residents found the state of the Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAS) to be poor or very poor, and the report noted that there were none in Southlands or Widewater, with recommendations about access to such facilities within walking distance . What are the plans to address this and bring MUGAs to these wards? Q2 It has been noted in the 22/23 budget a total of £500k being spent on Buckingham Park. My residents tell me that they have seen no improvement in the facilities at Parklands Park in what feels like a decade. When will we see fair allocation of public money for Parklands park and other smaller parks to improve life for children and families in more deprived areas? Members were told that the team prioritised on condition of the equipment within the Adur parks. The approach was to work with Friends of Groups & local Councillors to create what residents wanted for and in their parks and looking at the future management plans of them. This enabled a tailored approach to each area and opened external funding streams. A good example of this was the Shark Park in Eastbrook Ward. Most recently the authorities had been working with residents and the Councillors in Widewater Ward on plans for Larkfield Park, which could include a MUGA if that is what they chose. As for Parklands, this was one mile from the MUGA in Buckingham Park. The Executive Member had been working with local residents and a Southlands Ward Member on making improvements to Southlands Village Green which backed on to Parklands and on forming a Friends of Group.