Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

(a)  To agree the Minutes of the meeting held on 20^th March 2019

(b)  Matters arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 20th March 2019 were agreed and signed as a true record. There were no matters arising.

Verbal Update of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

(Note: Ian Lane, Head of Operational Projects for the Canal and Rivers Trust, has been invited to attend the meeting)

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) received an update on the work being done at the Canal and Canal Basin to prepare for City of Culture in 2021. The Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration and Nick Cleaver from the Canal and River Trust attended the meeting for consideration of this matter.

At their meeting on 15th May 2018, the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) approved the recommendations of the Canal and Basin Task and Finish Group (minute 50/18 refers). The Canal and Rivers Trust provided a briefing, attached as an Appendix to the briefing note, on work they had been doing in Coventry and preparations for City of Culture 2021.

Following the announcement that the City of Culture would be in Coventry and the identification by the Canal & River Trust that Coventry was a key strategic location, a Community Roots project had been implemented in the area to improve the canal environment and help it reach its full potential and work alongside the Scrutiny Board’s Task & Finish Group.

The project, that took the form of three phases, was now ending its first year and had achieved the following progress:

Phase1

•  Identification of the communities living on and around the canal and any issues for the community and Canal and River Trust concerning the canals in the project area, were profiled. 

•  Key partners with wider community links who could be approached were identified and engaged.

•  A series of activities were organised. Further discussions and meetings could be held in order to prioritise actions for the remainder of the project.

Phase 2

•  “Taster” activity days could be organised to give groups a flavour of the kind of activity that would help Canal and River Trust.

•  Discussions and planning concerning other sympathetic enhancements to the canal environment were carried out and planning begun.

•  Other groups could be developed to help with further engagement activities such as running their own events on the canal or helping Canal and River Trust plan and deliver events such as Heritage Week or environmental surveys or boating experiences for the wider public.

•  Some groups may adopt sections of the canal.

Phase 3

•  Canal adoption groups and other volunteer groups introduced to existing waterway volunteer lead staff and decisions taken about groups most likely to continue and those not likely to continue after the end of the project.

•  Waterway staff continued the logistical support and planning and running of volunteering activity by sustainable groups.

•  Further activity developed by groups themselves with help from waterway staff.

By year three the bulk of the engagement work should be done and a legacy developed that could be sustained for as long as possible by existing waterway volunteer lead staff. Community Roots did not exist as a standalone entity but from the engagement officer and other staff were embedded within the regional team. In this way the regional team could become familiar with project staff and volunteers and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

Briefing Note of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) were invited to consider options for the use of the Council House as a Democratic Centre. The Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration attended the meeting for consideration of this matter.

The Council House was the Democratic Centre of the Council, where Elected Members and Civic Functions were based. It had committee rooms and the Diamond Rooms as meeting venues on the Ground Floor, the First Floor was used by Members and Members Services as office space and the Second Floor and Basement was used by other Council teams as office space and storage. There were also meeting spaces and breakout spaces available for staff in the building.

Since One Friargate opened in 2017, some of the staff teams once located at the Council House had moved to the new offices. The vacated office space was used as touchdown space for officers based elsewhere but who wanted to work at the Council House. Part of the space on the ground floor was used by The Wheelhouse as shared office and co-working space and this provided an income for the Council.

Members of the Board agreed that the information they needed to discuss were details of financial information relating to the financial and business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and the amount of expenditure proposed to be incurred by the Council under a particular contract for the supply of goods or services, which was required to be kept private in accordance with Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. The Board therefore agreed that this agenda item be considered in the private part of the agenda.

Briefing Note of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) received an update on the Air Quality Action Plan. The Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration attended the meeting for consideration of this matter.

At their meeting on 12th February 2019 (their minute 106/18 refers), Cabinet approved the recommendations contained in the Coventry Air Quality Action Plan report which was attached as Appendix A to the Cabinet report. The action plan was submitted to Government and officers had been waiting on a detailed response, once received Members would be updated on progress.

The Board questioned officers and discussed the following issues:

·  Scrutiny’s involvement in the shaping and developing the Plan

·  The change to the Plan relating to the Coundon Road proposals – traffic flow improvements, reduction in traffic pollution (emissions and effects on health), displacement of traffic to other major routes creating congestion and rise in emissions on those routes, current petition opposing road closure

·  Traffic pollution – effects on health, emissions on all major routes considered having regard to local buildings, residential premises, open spaces, etc.

·  Clean Air Zone – oppose any introduction of this measure as congestion charges would severely affect the economy of the City

·  Reduction of individual vehicle use and the encouragement of public transport use, walking and cycling

·  Buses – subsidising bus fares to encourage bus use, consideration of delivering similar Model to the London Model for this public service

·  Development of very light rail scheme

·  Media PR for publicising the health agenda in connection with traffic pollution

The Board requested that a further report be submitted to them following receipt of the Government response and prior to submission of the report to Cabinet.

RESOLVED that the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3):

1)  Notes the information in the Cabinet Report – Coventry Air Quality Action Plan, and the update on the current position of the Plan.

2)  Agrees that a further report be submitted to the Board following receipt of the Government response and prior to the report being submitted to Cabinet.

3)  The health agenda in connection with air quality be publicised.

There are no outstanding issues

There were no outstanding issues.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

RESOLVED that the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3):

1)  Notes the completion of the Work Programme for the Municipal Year 2018/2019 and the visits proposed and matters for consideration at future meetings of the Board.

2)  Agrees that the following matters be added to the Work Programme for submission to future meetings of the Board in due course:

i)  The Council House as a Democratic Centre – Progress Report.

ii)  Canal and Canal Basin - Progress update reports

iii)  Air Quality Action Plan – A further report be submitted to the Scrutiny Board following receipt of the Government’s response and prior to submission of the report to Cabinet.

There were no other items of public business.

RESOLVED that the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) agrees to exclude the press and public under Sections 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 relating to the item of private business in Minute 54 below headed ‘The Council House as a Democratic Centre' on the grounds that the matter involves the likely disclosure of information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Act, as it contains information relating to the financial affairs of a particular person (including the authority holding that information) and in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Further to Minute 49 above, the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) considered an item of private business of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) on the commercially confidential matters relating to the options for the use of the Council House as a Democratic Centre. The Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration attended the meeting for consideration of this matter.

RESOLVED that the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3):

1)   Notes the update.

2)  Agrees the following recommendation for the Cabinet Member Jobs and Regeneration:

i)  The Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration is requested to ask officers to undertake a review of the current occupancy and security measures in place at the Council House and identify proposals to maximise usage of the building and the security of users, and provide further income for the Council.

3)  Agrees that a progress report be submitted to the Board in due course.

There were no other items of private business.