Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 17 November, 2021 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

Briefing Note of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services

Further to Minute x/20, the Committee considered a Briefing Note of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services which provided details of monitoring undertaken in relation to the impact of potential displacement parking following the introduction of charging at the War Memorial Park. The Committee had requested this information following consideration of a call-in of the original decision to introduce the charging.

The Briefing Note outlined the methodology and detailed the review and monitoring undertaken of on street parking and traffic volumes which included:-

·  Impact on displacement parking

·  The use of alternative modes of transport and impacts on climate change

·  The impact of the introduction of charges on blue badge holders

The following key findings of the monitoring were outlined:-

·  The total numbers of vehicles counted across all zones were consistent for before and after the implementation of charges

·  No impacts of displacements were witnessed by the monitoring team following the introduction of charges

·  No formal complaints had been received in relation to parking issues caused from displacement parking following the introduction of charging

The Briefing Note also detailed work undertaken by the City Council on a new Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, which will set out in detail plans to achieve net zero by 2041, or earlier if possible. The City Council is also working on a new Transport Strategy and a draft of the Strategy has recently been approved for public consultation in early 2022.

In relation to alternative modes of transport, the Briefing Note outlined the success of the West Midlands Cycle Hire scheme, which was launched earlier this year. By September 2021 the docking station nearest the main car park was ranked in the top 10 docks in the city by origin and destination and the most popular outside the City Centre.

In addition, sustainable travel to the city's parks is promoted via the Travel Assistant journey planner which has been embedded within the War Memorial Park website to assist visitors with route information depending on the form of travel they wish to use. The Park and Ride service is an alternative method available from Kenilworth Road car park and, as proposed, discounted parking for users of the service has been introduced. For stays over 3 hours parking fee is reduced to £1

The Committee asked questions, sought assurances and made comments in relation to a number of issues including:-

·  The cost of installing the charging equipment and income achieved (It was noted that this information was not originally requested as part of the review and monitoring)

·  Further data on the usage of the cycle hire scheme at the park (It was noted that this information would be provided to the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) as part of their consideration of the Cycling Strategy

·  The benefits of the increased and improved security of the car park, including the fact that there had been no Traveller incursions since the introduction of the charges and equipment

·  How the introduction of the charges had helped  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

Report of the Director of Public Health and Well-being

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, to be considered by the Cabinet Member of Policing and Equalities at his meeting to be held on 17 January, 2022. The report indicated that Coventry City Council is committed to fulfilling its duties as a public authority under the Public Sector Equality Duty.  As part of this general duty, the Council is required to comply with a specific duty to publisha set of equality objectives which will further the aims of the general duty. 

The current set of equality objectives were set in 2020 for a period of two years and will therefore expire at the end of March 2022. The report, together with a presentation at the meeting, detailed key highlights of progress made against those objectives:-

Objectives 2020-2022

·  Create a foundation to drive improved access to service through better use of equalities data

·  Develop and deliver in partnership a whole-city approach to “Building a Coventry that works for all”

·  Increase the diversity of our workforce at all levels so that we are more representative of the communities we serve and better able to meet their diverse needs

·  Increase the number of 18-24 year olds getting into employment

·  Increase the number of disabled residents taking part in sporting and cultural activities in the City

The Committee noted that, in some cases the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent emergency response required by the Council impacted on the delivery of some of the actions identified for each of the objectives.

Analysis of the progress made since 2020 with the current set of equality objectives has informed the development of the proposed following set of equality objectives for 2022, further details of which were provided in a presentation at the meeting :-

Proposed Objectives for 2022-2025

·  Create a foundation to drive improved access to services through better use of equalities data

·  Develop better understanding of our diverse communities in order to shape and deliver the Council’s Integration policy and practice for the City and its residents

·  To increase year on year the percentage of applications for employment received and appointments made to candidates who are either LGBT+, declare a Disability or are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds

·  Increase the effective delivery of Council services in key areas

·  Increase participation from residents and visitors with disabilities in sporting and cultural activities, including events in the City

The report detailed consultation on the above proposed objectives, details of which were appended to the report, and indicated that the results of the consultation will be fed into the development of action plans for each equality objective and the issues raised will be addressed through this approach. 

The Committee asked questions, made comments and sought assurances on a number of issues including:-

·  The introduction of the Tribepad recruitment system, which has enabled job applications to be anonymised (the success of which was noted and welcomed) and work being undertaken/planned to provide support and skills for interviews

·  The disappointing response to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

Report of the Director of Law and Governance

The Committee considered their Work Programme for the current Municipal year.

RESOLVED that the City Council’s consultation processes be added to the Work Programme.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as a matter of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

There were no other items of public business.