Agenda item

The Chief Officer for Enterprise presented the end of year data for the Improvement Objectives which fall under the remit of the Economy & Development Select Committee:

·         Improvement Objective 3: We want to enable our county to thrive.

·         Improvement Objective 4: Maintaining locally accessible services.

The report presented an evaluation of the progress and impact made over the three years of the Outcome Agreement 2013 -16, for themes which are under the committee’s remit:

·         Outcome agreement Theme 3: Poverty and material deprivation

We also received the latest performance against wider key national performance indicators that are under the committee’s remit.

Recommendations:

It was recommended that:

·         Members scrutinise the performance achieved and impact made, particularly in areas fall under the committee’s remit, to assess progress and performance against the improvement objectives.

·         Members scrutinise the performance achieved and impact made, over the three years (2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16) of the Outcome Agreement.

·         Members identify and explore any areas of underperformance or concerns, and to seek assurance from those responsible for future activity where they conclude that performance needs to improve.

·         Members confirm the evaluation scores based on the evidence provided.

Members Scrutiny

A Member questioned the reasons for declining performance in housing and what plans there were to improve future performance. The Officer explained that the period under consideration reflected the very end of the previous Unitary Development Plan (UDP) and that completions from the Local Development Plan (LDP) haven’t yet taken effect and that a time lag in sites coming forward is reflected in the confirmed 4.1 year housing land supply.  This matter will be reported upon at the next meeting as part of the annual monitoring report for LDP.  The Officer further explained that the low number of completions can be attributed to the external economy, housing completions and the end of the recession.

The Officer explained that lower performance against the targets for affordable housing units is a feature of the current economy and challenges related to the viability of schemes.  The Officer added that it would be beneficial to discuss the availability of sites at Planning Committee.  He referred to development approvals and more recent completions noting in larger sites of five plus units in 2015/16, 150 affordable units were approved of 465 units (32%).

A Member commented that the Planning Act 2015 puts new emphasis to create Place Plans that are sympathetic to the LDP and involve Town and Community Councils, and queried if the plans would have much effect as residents want to protect their locale.  The Officer responded that this should not cause an impact because the plan has to reflect the LDP.  The Chief Officer for Enterprise, added that policy drivers would have to take account of other factors for example, the planned M4 Relief Road and the projected increase in the aging population combined with a decline in the younger population which will have serious implications for the housing market.  The Officer reminded Members that the Council must have a five year housing land supply.  The current 4.1 year land supply may lead to developers suggesting sites outside the LDP. 

In response to a question, it was confirmed that neighbouring authorities are in a similar position; Newport, however, has over 6.3 years housing land supply mainly due to a successful growth strategy.

A Member queried the potential impact of not proceeding with the Fairfield Mabey site and what the authority can do to support changes to affect our own ability to invest in social housing.  The Officer responded that that there was confidence that the Fairfield Mabey site would proceed to Planning Committee this year and officers are working with the applicants accordingly.  It was explained that there had been an 18 month delay whilst the Welsh Government considered concerns relating to air quality and traffic capacity; these points now resolved.  It was added that there was an element of policy compromise to consider when allocating desirable, sustainable brown field sites in the LDP such as this site, which is near a railway station and the town centre, balanced against significant associated costs. 

In terms of affordable housing, the Officer commented that Registered Social Landlords (RSL) are now able to build affordable housing on their own and other sites (e.g. consent given to Melin to build 58 units on the Coed Glas site which will have a mix of markets with a proportion of affordable housing) and are capable of innovative projects. 

An Officer explained that it will be necessary to consider innovative solutions to accelerate availability of affordable housing to maintain a thriving county and economy.  It is proposed to look differently at council owned sites to provide e.g. a higher proportion of affordable housing, flexible tenure or co-operative housing.  It was noted that the Future Monmouthshire work will consider scenario planning and suggest policy tools to create conditions for job opportunities, business, enterprise and housing opportunities to create communities where people choose to live or can stay.

Members queried if there is anything that can be done to support affordable social housing for young people commenting that young people have already left the area in favour of less expensive areas.  Members also commented on the need to attract more job opportunities to the county.  It was suggested that Housing Associations are best placed due to economies of scale but that the Housing Associations can’t afford to build in some areas. It was also commented that some larger sites are not creating lower cost housing. The Officer advised that there will be opportunity to address the issues in the LDP review and it will be possible to consider different, more innovative options such as new settlements or sensitive expansion of more rural areas.  The Officer reported that MCC is unique in Wales in its 60/40 sites where there is 60% affordable housing and 40% market housing.  The availability of and progress with employment land will be considered in the annual monitoring report.

The Chair commented that scrutiny of the annual report will take place at the September meeting and it might be appropriate to hold a members’ seminar. 

The Chief Officer for Enterprise agreed the need for appropriate infrastructure, and that the City Deal will be an opportunity to debate how best to protect and preserve the county with the need for growth for future generations.

A Member raised the issue of the Rural Development Plan (RDP) and questioned how long funds are secured for in view of Brexit and if it will be possible to replace the funding in future from the UK Government.  The Officer clarified that the current programme runs to 2017, and on an N+2 basis funding will last until 2019/20 and anything that has been approved will continue.  The Officer reported that Welsh Government are pushing for confirmation from the UK Government that funds will be replaced. 

It was agreed to hold a members’ seminar on outcomes post Brexit.

The Chair asked if the locations where AB Internet is provided are precluded from the roll out of BT Superfast Broadband and secondly, what percentage of premises have access.  The Officer said that these areas were not precluded but there may be a delay if it is a ‘Hard to Reach’ area where fibre to premises instead of fibre to cabinet is required.  The Officer reported that no data from BT had been received since December 2015 adding that the BT marketing contract ended in June 2016.  Marketing has been taken over by the Welsh Government to encourage take up.  The Officer added that roll out was nowhere near completion compared with other areas and direct contacts have been established to ensure regular provision of up to date information. It was agreed to request that Welsh Government attend this Committee and commented that it was important to complete Superfast Broadband to encourage technical industries, residents and workers to move to or remain in the county. Referring to statistics, the Chair confirmed the drive to sustain the increasing numbers of people who live and work in Monmouthshire.

The Chair asked if the target measure indicators are appropriate to monitor the Service Improvement Plan (SIP) to adequately identify support for those in isolated communities.  The Officer agreed that the performance indicators only show part of the situation and informed Members that a comprehensive assessment of rural services’ needs has been commissioned.  The assessment will include demographics changes and projections forward, which will be combined with information collected on population and wellbeing to better inform more relevant targets.

A Member questioned the reasons for the decline in performance in waste recycling and for reusing.  The Officer explained that there had been some changes to the bag system introduced but this was not a particular concern and that Strong Communities Select Committee is monitoring performance.  The Member asked if the decline could be attributed to three vehicles following each other around estates and route changes.    The Head of Operations explained that there had been a decline in performance specifically due to an issue relating to the disposal of glass, and also an increase in residual waste because we are not recycling bottom ash.  The Head of Operations agreed to discuss the specific issues from his ward with Members concerned.

A Member queried when the work is being undertaken, and with whom regarding the Place Plan for the Lower Wye Area as he was not aware of any contact being made through various forums. The Chief Officer for Enterprise agreed to contact the Member separately to provide an update and to explain the arrangements for future plans. The Member welcomed contributions from the local community and businesses.

A Member asked when there would be a Whole Place Plan in Monmouth.  The Officer advised that a positive meeting had taken place to consider what existing information and data is available e.g. work has been commenced by Monmouth Town Council.  It was queried when Members would be involved.  The Chief Officer, Enterprise agreed to request an update for all Members on the work completed in each area and next steps.

A Member reported that Abergavenny Town Council has established a Place Plan using volunteers with groups of councillors.  He advised that he is the Chair of the Agri Urban Project for Abergavenny and surrounding areas.  This work can be added to the Place Plan.