Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from David Hill, Councillor M. Hickman, S. Jones, V. Smith and K. Williams.

None received.

Discussion paper on the Gypsy and Traveller Needs Assessment in Monmouthshire.

Context:

The Strong Communities Select Committee convened the Select Committee to consider the draft findings of the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment for Monmouthshire, which is a statutory requirement of the Council. The Council’s Housing & Communities service led the Assessment, with the independent guidance of the South East Wales Regional Equalities Council, which is due to be submitted to Welsh Government by 26^th February 2016. Committee Members met members of the Gypsy and Traveller community at the beginning of January in order to better understand the circumstances and needs of the community to inform the debate at the Committee.

          Key Issues:

• Under Part 3 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, all local authorities must undertake a Gypsy & Traveller Accommodation Assessment and to make provision where assessments identify an unmet need for mobile home pitches (See Appendix 2).

• The assessments were undertaken with reference to Welsh Government guidance document, ‘Undertaking Gypsy & Traveller Accommodation Assessments’ published in May 2015 (See Appendix 3).

• All Local Authorities have until the 26^th February 2016 to submit their assessments to the Welsh Government for scrutiny.

• The purpose of the assessment is to inform the Council’s LDP Annual Monitoring Report and the LDP Review Process to meet both current and future needs for Gypsy and Traveller sites.

The following provides a brief summary of the Assessment process, and its Findings. For a more detailed information please refer to the Assessment report.

Process:

 A Steering Group comprising of important key stakeholders and members of the

Gypsy and Traveller community was formed to oversee the assessment process and its findings. The group had a number of responsibilities including:

 Helping to identify households living within the community to contact and survey using the standard questionnaire contained in the Guidance.

 To help scrutinise and provide feedback on the results:

 To sign off the report to be submitted to Welsh Government.

 Household survey interviews were conducted between June and November 2015 by officers from Housing & Communities Service, with the assistance of the

Regional Equalities Council’s Gypsy & Traveller Liaison Officer. The Assessment’s core findings, conclusions and recommendations are based on the answers to the questionnaire.

Member Scrutiny:

A Member sought clarification on an item in the report, in which it states that unauthorised sites may be tolerated while site are in development, and asked would the Authority tolerate this indefinitely. The Head of Planning answered that advice had been taken from Welsh Government guidance and that during the period that a planning application is under review, the Authority may tolerate an unauthorised site for a short period of time, until planning application is determined. If refused, enforcement action would take place.

A Member commented on the new definition of need and asked if it better reflects the needs of the Traveller Community. We were advised that the needs of Travellers have not been satisfactorily accessed in the past. The definition of need is one area of guidance which is not prescriptive. We are currently in a position that the information collected  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Review of Policy’s progress one year post-implementation, together with highway verge maintenance.

Context:

To provide the Strong Communities Select Committee with a performance overview of the pollinator policy 22 months post implementation. In particular the perceived implications of the highway verge maintenance policy amendment (Budget Mandate proposal number B4) in relation to MCC’s commitment to support WG Pollinator Action Plan.

          Key Issues:

1.  The pollinator policy was adopted in 2014 and fully supports the Welsh

Governments’ Action Plan for Pollinators and the Natural Environment and Rural

Communities act 2006. The Action Plan recommended new management systems in terms of planting regimes and resulted in reducing the first cut on A & B routes to

safety cuts only and reducing the number of unnecessary cuts to large verged areas and elected public open spaces. The change in the management system resulted in a benefit saving of £43,555, whilst actively making the county more desirable to visit, live and work in.

2. Consultation with Town and Community Councils (T&CC’s) was a requirement of the policy and as such, there are now regular and much improved discussions with T&CC’s on how to replicate the flowering displays within their areas. Support for the policy has been given by numerous T&CC’s, with one council requesting an extension to the safety cuts and reduced cuts in more rural areas.

3. On April 16th 2014 the Select Committee were presented with a report of petitions received, a petition with 163 signatures – opposed to the verge safety cuts on A&B roads and a 2nd petition with 766 electronic signatures, 74 emails and 6 individual letters fully supporting the whole policy. This support has since grown with many residents and groups actively asking for reduced cuts to hedges and verges.

4. The Wales Environment Bill will place an enhanced biodiversity duties on Local

Authorities when it receives royal ascent in the spring. This means that rather than

just having regard for biodiversity, we will need to maintain and enhance biodiversity in exercising our functions, which dovetails the Council’s commitment outlined in the Single Integrated plan to promote, protect and enhance Monmouthshire under the theme “Our County Thrives”.

5. Within the first 6 months of implementing the policy, the Council received over 80 emails and 25 telephone calls in praise and support of the displays. Individual

T&CC’s and various environmental groups also took time to congratulate us on the

work.

6. In the wider arena, the Council received applause from DEFRA, BBC’s Country File, Spring Watch and Horticultural Weekly. Advice was sought from neighbouring

Councils including Chard, Somerset and Crickhowell Town Council in addition

Council officers have given presentations to a large proportion of Welsh LA’s on the subject.

7. Since the implementation of the policy, officers received only one concern on issues of visibility/ safety from 1 Community Council and one resident and these concerns were addressed immediately.

8. Currently, highway verges are cut twice, with field hedges and verges receiving a safety cut in the summer, if there isn’t a verge, for example within  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Strong Communities Select Committee

·         Thursday 28^th January at 10am

Strong Communities Select Committee

·         Thursday 28^th January 2016