Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

In relation to Minute 24 below relating to “ Householder Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) Public Consultation”, it was noted that Councillor R Bailey and J Gardiner are members of Planning Committee.

a)  To agree the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 6 October, 2022

b)  Matters arising

The Minutes of the meeting held on 6 October, 2022 were agreed and signed as a true record.

In response to a question regarding ensuring that action is taken following consideration by the Scrutiny Board, It was noted that all Recommendations made by the Board were captured on a Recommendations Tracker report and that often, items were added  to the Work Programme and reconsidered by the Board after a period of time to receive a progress update.  

Briefing Note of the Director of Adult Services and Housing

The Scrutiny Board considered a Briefing Note of the Director of Adults Services and Housing which provided a detailed update on the progress of the Housing and Homelessness Service, together with the key initiatives that have been implemented during the previous 12 months.

The Briefing Note indicated that the Council approved its Housing and Homelessness Strategy (2019-2024) in March 2019 which is the core Strategy that drives the service forward. The Strategy has four key areas of focus:

·   Preventing homelessness

·  Supporting homeless households

·  Support for people and communities

·   Improving existing homes

·  Housing development

The Strategy Action plan is currently being refreshed to demonstrate progress against actions and to ensure it reflects the current housing priorities in the city. The Housing and Homelessness Service has undergone a significant transformation over the previous three and a half years with a number of initiatives/projects being worked on which have:

·  Reduced the financial burden on the Authority whilst providing better quality temporary accommodation options.

·  Increased the number of households where homelessness is prevented or relieved and therefore decreasing the number of households in temporary accommodation.

·  Increased the number of properties available to households in exceptional housing need that are either at social/affordable rents or at the Local Housing Allowance rates if in the private rented sector.

A table in the Briefing Note set out in detail a number of projects/improvements that have been implemented over the previous 2 years and the progress that these have achieved.

The Briefing Note also detailed work undertaken with Registered Providers and other organisations/landlords in the City to ensure that there are appropriate levels of accommodation built in the City to meet the needs of residents.

The service has seen an increase in the number of families presenting as homeless throughout 2022 and anticipate this will continue into and through 2023.  It is also anticipated that there will be an increase in the number of single people presenting as homeless and an increase in rough sleepers.  These increases are largely driven by the following factors;

·  With the likelihood of a recession and the cost-of-living issues it is anticipated that more households will struggle financially to meet their housing costs, whether this is rented or mortgage payments.

·  Other factors include a buoyant private rented sector and an increase in Domestic Abuse presentations

·  During previous financial downturns there has been an adverse impact on young people living at home who are evicted by their parents/guardians due to pressures on the family.

·  The service has a number of actions in place to support the mitigation of these risks as identified earlier in the report based on prevention, effective temporary accommodation where required, and move on.

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

·  The operation of the new IT system

·  How the service is benchmarked

·  Operation of the new contracts

·  The work undertaken by the Partnership Forum

·  New housing projects taking place in Wyken ward (It was noted that

Wyken ward Councillors will be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

Briefing Note of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services

The Scrutiny Board considered a Briefing Note of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services which provided a detailed indication of the levels of usage and steps taken to encourage usage of greenspaces and parks in the City.

The Briefing Note indicated that there is now increasing tangible evidence which demonstrates how the city’s greenspaces including all of the parks, recreation grounds, playing fields, children's playgrounds, ornamental gardens, golf courses, and woodlands directly contribute to people's health and wellbeing. In addition to the health benefits, they help create thriving communities providing significant opportunities to develop and enhance the social, recreational, environmental, educational and economic wellbeing of our community.

The City Council adopted its second Green Space Strategy in 2019. The Strategy initially identified 747 individual areas of greenspace covering an area of 2002 hectares.  It was recognised that many of these sites were small and offered little amenity value. The Strategy therefore focussed on individual sites greater than 0.1 hectares of which there are 650 individual sites covering 635 hectares.  These varied greatly in size with the largest including Coombe Park covering 202 hectares and the War Memorial Park which approximately 48.5 hectares.

Two thirds of green space across the city, some 430 sites have no restrictions on public access with almost all the remainder having at least some limited public access. The sites with restricted access typically included sports clubs, allotments and school grounds. The Briefing Note indicated that it is important to recognise that greenspace can take many forms including less obvious forms such as cemeteries which also provide opportunities for quiet recreation.

Consultation in developing the Green Space Strategy found that the main reasons given for visiting parks and open spaces was for the fresh air, to walk and jog and to enjoy peace, quietness and relaxation. It also included seeking and being close to nature and wildlife and providing somewhere for children to play including dedicated play areas. A number of barriers were also cited. These included perceptions of antisocial behaviour, and generally not feeling safe; dog fouling, poor quality or lack of facilities and some concerns around clashes with cycling and vehicles in parks.

The Briefing Note outlined:-

·  The significant increase in the use of the greenspaces in the City during the Covid-19 pandemic which placed a huge strain on the infrastructure of the parks and impacted on the wear and tear of infrastructure, including play equipment

·  The likelihood that the current cost of living crisis will mean that parks will be extensively used in 2023 and will continue to suffer from increased levels of wear and tear for the indefinite future

·  Maintenance of the parks and green open spaces. It was noted that the maintenance budget was reduced by £1m in 2016, which has led to a significant reduction in basic infrastructural maintenance

·  Toilet provision in parks, including work undertaken with the Equalities and Diversity Team to provide modular toilet facilities accessible for people with severe and multiple disabilities where personal care can  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

Briefing Note of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services

The Scrutiny Board considered a Briefing Note of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services which sought the Scrutiny Board’s representations to the draft Householder Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which is currently out for consultation. A copy of the draft SPD was appended to the report.

The draft SPD sets out guidance to applicants seeking to extend or alter their properties and comprehensively updates the current guidance that dates to 2013, promoting high quality design throughout.

There is a seven week consultation process after which responses will be analysed and, where appropriate, the SPD amended accordingly before submission to Cabinet for final adoption. The Cabinet report will include a statement setting out the details of the consultation, a summary of the main issues raised and how they have been addressed.

The Scrutiny Board made a number of comments in relation to the draft SPD:-

·  Drafting amendments in relation to Para 4.19 and Figure 8

·  A suggestion to include reference to the acceptable use of a garden/outbuilding as a home office in Principle 7

·  A suggestion to redraft Appendix 1 – Justification Statement to use plain English and/or to include a glossary of more “technical” terms

RESOLVED that:-

1)  The draft Householder Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document be noted

2)  That the comments outlined above be considered as representations as part of the consultation process

Report of the Chief Legal Officer

The Scrutiny Board noted their Work Programme for 2022/23.

There were no other items of urgent public business.