Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

a)  To agree the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 29^th January 2026.

b)  Matters arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 29^th January 2025 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

Briefing Note from the Director of Law, Governance and Safer Communities.

The Board considered a briefing note from the Director of Law, Governance and Safer Communities that gave information on additional recommendations from the CCTV in Taxis Task and Finish Group.

At their meeting on the 29th of January 2026, the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) agreed recommendations from a task and finish group established to consider whether the Council should require taxis to have CCTV as part of Licensing requirements.

Whilst the task and finish group was considering recommendations, the Government launched a consultation on Local Transport Authorities and the licensing of taxis and private hire vehicles 2026 to run until 1 April 2026.

The consultation focused on identifying the right level of regulation for taxis and whether LTA’s should be responsible for taxi and PHV licensing as was proposed in the English Devolution White Paper.

Members of the T&F group recommended to the Cabinet Member for City Services that the Council formally respond to the consultation and that the task and finish group were to consider the consultation before it goes to Council.

The task and finish group met one more time on the 2nd of March 2026 to consider the draft response to the government’s consultation. The comments and recommendations can be found in section 2 of the report.

The board requested that officers consider the issue of GDPR for CCTVs in Taxis and who the data controller would be.

RESOLVED The Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) made the following recommendations to the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1)  Consider the following inclusions to the consultation response:

a.  Amend section 4 of the consultation response to address concerns about the impact of shifting to Local Transport Authority (LTA) control and ensure consistency with the position on environmental policies and incentive schemes.

b.  Weave the argument for mandatory CCTV throughout the consultation response.

c.  Append the letter sent to government ministers regarding CCTV to the consultation response.

d.  Make it clear that the current legislation governing taxi licensing is not fit for purpose, is out of date and requires updating as it doesn't fit with modern practices.

2)  Take the issue of mandatory CCTV in taxis to the upcoming Taxi Forum in April for discussion with drivers, emphasising both passenger and driver protection.

3)  Consider that the Council amend licensing policy to incorporate mandatory CCTV in taxis.

Briefing Note from the Director of City Services.

The Board considered a briefing note from the Director of City Services that provided an update on the plans for the introduction of a separate food waste collection service across the city.

In October 2023 the Government announced the new Simpler Recycling Reforms introducing a requirement for all households to receive a weekly separate collection of food waste from April 2026.

The council received funding of £2,691,322 to cover the costs of vehicles, containers and other expenses related to the implementation of the service.

Ongoing revenue funding to cover the additional costs of delivering the service was received as part of the overall budget settlement for 2026/2027.

The new service was to commence for all Coventry residents from September 2026. Officers emphasised the importance of education and appropriate preparation for the incoming changes and noted the hiring of a new Waste Education Team to assist in this.

In considering the briefing note, the Board questioned officers and the Cabinet Member, received responses, and discussed matters as summarised below:

• Concerns about collections from flats - 5?litre caddies will be provided to all flats, with some larger caddies available to encourage use. Individual circumstances will be considered.
• Missed collections and concerns about food waste sitting for too long, especially affecting hygiene - it was confirmed that communications will clarify acceptable bags/liners.
• Issues for elderly residents highlighted that assisted collections are available and will continue
• Anaerobic Digestion (AD) capacity and location – whether there is sufficient AD capacity, referencing historic issues. It was noted that there were contracts in place with regional providers (e.g., Severn Trent), that facilities can handle 45,000 tonnes, with no current capacity issues and that food waste generates electricity and fertiliser.
• Concerns about contamination, e.g., kitchen peelings wrongly placed in garden waste and that communications will emphasise putting the right waste in the right bin. Importance of tackling contamination and promoting resident buy-in emphasised
• That garden waste and food waste are processed differently; messaging will highlight sustainability benefits. Home composting will continue to be promoted.
• Discussion around the 5?day collection cycle:

• Challenges around transition from 4?day to 5?day working:

o  Need to recruit for new patterns.

o  Balancing staff welfare (climate impacts, long days) with service needs.

o  Union implications noted.

• Queries about whether residents want the service, however food waste collection is statutory, unlike garden waste.
• Strong calls for simplified messaging for residents with a preference for implementing changes in one go, rather than incrementally.

RESOLVED that the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) recommend that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1)  Note their support of the actions undertaken to date and the further activities scheduled for completion prior to the implementation of the new service.

2)  Ensure that clear communication and messaging of the new food waste collection is shared with residents.

3)  Food waste collection be added to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

Briefing Note from the Scrutiny Co-ordinator.

RESOLVED that the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) notes the Work Programme and request an item be added concerning Selective Licensing for the following municipal year.

There were no items of public business.