Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

(a)  To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 14^th September 2022

(b)  Matters Arising

The minutes of the meeting on 14 September 2022 were agreed and signed as a true record. There were no matters arising.

Report of the Director of Transporation and Highways.

Note: The objector has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item.

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways regarding objections to the proposed prohibition of a right turn from the Arches Industrial Estate Access Road (Spon End). 

Since 2017 the Council had been working closely with the Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) to develop an action plan to reduce NO2 levels below the legal limit of 40ug/m3 in the shortest possible time and following consultation, a Local Air Quality Action Plan was developed.  In order to develop the plan, around fifty measures were assessed using traffic and air quality models.  The plan included work to reduce traffic on Holyhead Road and to direct traffic through a widened Spon End. The proposed Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to prohibit the right turn from the Arches Industrial Estate Access Road is required to facilitate the safe operation of the junction.

The proposed TRO was advertised on 8 September 2022, which commenced a 21-day statutory objection period. One objection was received. In accordance with the City Council's procedure for dealing with objections to TROs, they are reported to the Cabinet Member for City Services, for a decision on how to proceed. The cost of introducing the proposed Air Quality scheme, will be funded by the Air Quality Implementation Fund supported by additional funding from the Transforming.

Officers reported that a letter drop to all of the properties in the industrial estate had been undertaken to ensure that they were aware of the change.  The one objection had been on the basis of the time it would take to divert and the safety and speed of traffic at the junction.  The objector was invited to attend the meeting but did not attend.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services having considered the objection to the prohibition of the right turn at the Industrial Estate, approves that the City of Coventry (The Arches Industrial Estate Access Road) (Prohibition of Right Turn) Order 2022 is made operational.

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

To consider the above petition bearing 121 signatures. The petition has been submitted by Councillor S Keough, a Bablake Ward Councillor and the Petition Organiser, who have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item.

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways concerning an initial petition bearing 7 signatures and a subsequent petition bearing 121 signatures, requesting that HGV’s are stopped from Lyons Park using The Scotchill and Burnaby Road as a cut-through. 

The Cabinet Member had considered the petition prior to the meeting and requested that the petition was dealt with by determination letter.  The determination letter advised that The Scotchill and Burnaby Road were on a designated lorry route and there were no plans to introduce a weight limit on these roads.  Long-term plans were under development for a road link via Keresley.

On receipt of the determination letter, the petition organiser advised she would like the issue to be considered at a Cabinet Member for City Services meeting, raised additional questions and submitted a second petition bearing 121 signatures.

The petition had been submitted by Councillor S Keough, a Bablake Ward Councillor.  Councillor S Keough attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of the petitioners.  The Petition Organiser was also invited to the meeting but was unable to attend.

Councillor S Keough, speaking on behalf of the Petition Organiser, raised concerns over the speed and time of night the HGV’s were travelling, manhole covers not being repaired and being noisy when HGV’s were driving over them, rubbish being thrown from HGV windows, the danger to children crossing the road and that there was a school nearby.  The Cabinet Member confirmed Sat Nav companies, Amazon and other businesses had been spoken with regarding the HGV issues.

Officers responded to advise plans were in place for a road link via Kerseley which would provide an alternative route, discussions had taken place with the police regarding the average speed enforcement cameras and weight restrictions had been in place on Waste Lane since Amazon had been situated there. Illegally parked HGV’s were being challenged.

Officers undertook to advise the Cabinet Member and Councillor Keough of timescales for the Keresley road link and the HGV ticket numbers and compliance following from the meeting with the Police in November.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services having considered the petition:

1. Notes the petitioners’ concerns
2. Endorses the actions confirmed by determination letter to the petition organiser (as detailed in paragraph 1.5 of the report)

Report of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services

Coventry City Council had a duty under the terms of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 to carry out its functions as a Licensing Authority.  The Department for Transport (DFT) had national responsibility for hackney carriage and private hire legislation in England and Wales.  The DFT had produced statutory standards for taxis and private hire vehicles which set out standards considered good practice, although it also recognised that individual licensing authorities should produce their own policies in relation to specific licensing matters.

Although not mandatory, it was recommended by the DFT that a local authority had a policy document for Taxi Licensing.  Following this recommendation, the Cabinet member for City Services agreed on 26 January 2022, that a Statement of Licensing Policy (Taxis and Private hire) 2022-2027 was formulated.  A copy of this statement was appended.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services approves the Statement of Licensing Policy (Taxis and Private Hire) 2022-2027.

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways in respect of petitions received relating to the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for City Services and how officers proposed to respond to them.

In June 2015, amendments to the Petitions Scheme, which forms part of the Constitution, were approved in order to provide flexibility and streamline current practice.  This change had reduced costs and bureaucracy and improved the service to the public.

These amendments allow for a petition to be dealt with or responded to by letter without being formally presented in a report to a Cabinet Member meeting.

In light of this, at the meeting of the Cabinet Member for Public Services on 15 March 2016, it was approved that a summary of those petitions received which were determined by letter, or where decisions are deferred pending further investigations, be reported to subsequent meetings of the Cabinet Member for Public Services (now amended to Cabinet Member for City Services), where appropriate, for monitoring and transparency purposes.

Appendix A set out petitions received relating to the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for City Services and how officers propose to respond to them.

Councillor Lancaster attended the meeting and made representation in respect of Petition No: E08/22 & 22/22 – Speeding on Hen Lane and Roland Avenue.

Councillor Lancaster suggested any Determination Letter in respect of speeding on Hen Lane and Roland Avenue should include details of what the Council could and could not do, what investigations had been undertaken and full details of the community safety schemes and in relation to petitions regarding schools, Councillor Lancaster indicated that assurance should be provided to residents that matters were being targeted by the Police, Enforcement Officers and cameras.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services endorses the actions being taken by officers as set out in Section 2 and Appendix A of the report in response to the petitions received.

There are no outstanding issues

There were no outstanding issues.

Any other items of public business which the Cabinet Member decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

There were no other items of public business.