The Leader, or their nominee, to answer questions from Councillors on matters affecting the Borough, in accordance with Standing Order 15.
The following questions have been received from Cllr. Quentin Edgington:
1. “What progress has Councillor Mitchell made to reviewing and delivery of the parks grass cutting contract?”
2. “Does the Leader agree with the decision by Surrey County Council to charge residents of the Borough from the 1st of September up to £50 to dispose of their building waste?”
3. “Following the redevelopment of the Charlton Waste facility, what steps are the Council taking to control air quality in the Borough?”
Minutes:
The Mayor reported that three general questions had been received, in accordance with Standing Order 15, from Councillor Edgington.
1. Question from Councillor Q.R. Edgington
“What progress has Councillor Mitchell made to reviewing and delivery of the parks grass cutting contract?”
Response from Councillor A.J. Mitchell, Portfolio holder for Environment and Compliance
“Thank you for your question, Councillor Edgington. I refer you to the response I gave to your last question with regard to this matter at Council on 21st July 2016.
In your short tenure as Leader of the Council you would have been aware of the necessity for financial responsibility. We estimate that the budget would have to be increased by £40K to £50K a year to achieve your aims. This is not feasible at this time although we will continue to review our grounds maintenance budget as appropriate. The current contract expires in 2019 and we will review the uncut areas as part of any specification for the new contract.”
In accordance with Council Standing Order 15.2, Councillor Q.R. Edgington asked the following supplementary question:
“Thank you Councillor Mitchell. Can you explain the vast anomalies within contract delivery of this Borough? For example, the grass is cut outside this building and taken away but not in our parks. And why can’t wild seeds be sown in those areas which are not cut to make them more presentable?”
Councillor A.J. Mitchell, Portfolio holder for Environment and Compliance, gave the following response to the supplementary question:
“The specification for parks and open spaces allows for different areas to be cut at differing frequencies, for example cemeteries are box cut and kept to a higher standard than a grass verge. Play areas are also box cut whereas the grass surrounding the play area is cut and drop. This is normal practice for grounds maintenance contracts to deal with differing levels of footfall and activity.
The management of wild flower areas can be very costly and if managed properly does take up both time and cost, not something we considered when trying to reduce costs in 2009. That said our Commons officer has put together a programme of bulb planting and wild seed sowing in two parks in Spelthorne - Fordbridge and Groveley. This will be taking place this year in the uncut areas.”
2. Question from Councillor Q.R. Edgington
“Does the Leader agree with the decision by Surrey County Council to charge residents of the Borough from the 1st of September up to £50 to dispose of their building waste?”
Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor I.T.E Harvey
“Thank you for your question, Councillor Edgington. As you will be aware from your time as Leader, this is something over which Spelthorne Borough Council has no influence. We obviously have sympathy with anyone facing additional costs but also recognise that Surrey County Council, who set these charges, are facing very considerable budget pressures.”
In accordance with Council Standing Order 15.2, Councillor Q.R. Edgington asked the following supplementary question:
“I thank the Leader for his response. Does he agree with massive increases in charges made by Surrey County Council? When fly tipping increases in this Borough, who will pay for the cost of waste removal on the streets?
Councillor I.T.E Harvey, Leader of the Council, gave the following response to the supplementary question:
“Neighbourhood Services have been monitoring the effects of the changes recently undertaken at the waste transfer station in Charlton Lane and we can confirm that we have not seen the suggested significant increases in fly tipping as a result of some of the charges introduced. Neighbourhood Services will continue to monitor and continue to liaise with Surrey officers on this subject. In addition to this, Surrey County Council have recently developed a fly tipping strategy and have been promoting this by way of a campaign to alert residents to the potential outcomes of not disposing of their waste properly.”
3. Question from Councillor Q.R. Edgington
“Following the
redevelopment of the Charlton Waste facility, what steps are the
Council taking to control air quality in the
Borough?”
Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor I.T.E Harvey
“The applications for the EcoPark were supported by air quality modelling and assessment. The contribution of the EcoPark was predicted to be insignificant for particulate pollution, and throughout the borough the levels of particulate matter are well below the relevant objectives. Nitrogen dioxide emissions from the EcoPark will be about 1% of the air quality objective; road traffic is responsible for over 80% of emissions in Spelthorne. The traffic emissions are largely due to vehicles on trunk and main roads controlled by the Highways Agency and Surrey County Council.
A continuous monitoring station (recording levels of nitrogen dioxide, and particulates) was installed in Upper Halliford in February 2016, funded by Surrey County Council – a legacy of the efforts of the late Councillor Watts. This monitor will be in place throughout the ongoing construction phase, commissioning and into the operational phase.
The Council is reviewing its 2005 Air Quality Action Plan. The success of the action plan will depend on external partners such as Highways England, Surrey County Council and Heathrow Airport Ltd taking responsibility for their air quality actions and engaging constructively in the process.
Throughout this process the Council continues to assess all major planning applications for impacts on local air quality through Core Policy EN3 to ensure any significant impacts are mitigated. It also continues to work closely with partners such as the County Council and Heathrow Airport to look at possible air quality actions and funding streams thereof.”
In accordance with Council Standing Order 15.2, Councillor Q.R. Edgington asked the following supplementary question:
“Can Councillor Harvey ensure that the monitoring station will continue to be funded by Surrey County Council and can he seek assurance from the Leader of Surrey County Council that this will be the case? So therefore the massive increase that Spelthorne residents are being asked to pay for the waste facility will at least be compensated.”
Councillor I.T.E Harvey, Leader of the Council, gave the following response to the supplementary question:
“Surrey County Council has agreed to fund the monitoring station through to mid-2020. Surrey County Council’s decision whether to continue with the monitoring after this will depend on the outcome of the air quality results obtained.”