Environment and Sustainability Committee

 

 

 

Decisions taken at the meeting held on Thursday, 18 June 2026.

 

 

Meeting Time:

7.00 pm

 

Meeting Venue:

Council Chamber, Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW18 1XB

 

 

 

 

PRESENT:   Councillor John Turner (Chair), Councillor John Boughtflower (Vice-Chair), Councillor Laura Barker, Councillor Malcolm Beecher, Councillor Tony Burrell, Councillor Darren Clarke, Councillor John Doran, Councillor Kathy Grant, Councillor Karen Howkins, Councillor Lawrence Nichols, Councillor Joanne Sexton, Councillor Howard Williams and Councillor Paul Woodward

 

<AI1>

4.            Tree Maintenance

 

The Committee resolved to:

1.    Authorise the Group Head Neighbourhood Services to commence a joint open tender procurement exercise with Runnymede Borough Council and Surrey Heath Borough Council for the provision of tree maintenance services for a period two (2) years, with an option to extend for a further one (1) year.

2.    Approve a maximum contract value that does not exceed a total annual budget of £65,000, and in accordance with the appropriate level of delegation as set out in the Spelthorne Borough Council Constitution.

3.    Authorise the Group Head Corporate Governance to enter contracts and all ancillary documentation with the successful tenderer.

</AI1>

<AI2>

5.            Affordable Housing SPD and Climate Change SPD

 

The Committee resolved to recommend to Council the adoption of the Spelthorne Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document and Updated Climate Change Supplementary Planning Guidance under Regulation 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012.

</AI2>

<AI3>

6.            Local Plan Immediate Review Gateway One

 

The Committee resolved to:

1.    Approve the commencement of the Immediate Review of the Spelthorne Local Plan, in accordance with Policy ST3 and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026

2.    Approve publication of the Local Plan Immediate Review Timetable, in accordance with the requirements of the new plan-making system.

3.    Approve publication of the statutory Notice of Intention to Commence Plan-Making to formally commence plan-making and meet the Government’s Local Plan Implementation Funding requirements.

4.    Approve the undertaking of a statutory Scoping Consultation in accordance with Regulation 20 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026.

5.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee, to make any necessary updates to the Local Plan timetable as required by the new regulations (monthly review), any minor amendments to the Scoping Consultation and as required by the new regulations to self-publish the required Gateway 1 documentation.

6.    Note that decisions 1-4 fulfil the requirement of the Inspector’s Report which requires a review of the Local Plan immediately and an updated or replacement plan to be submitted for examination no later than two years from the date of adoption of the Local Plan, and note that decisions 1-4 fulfil the requirement of the letter from MHCLG dated 15 January 2026.

7.    Note the implications of Local Government Reorganisation and the importance of progressing the Immediate review at pace to ensure continuity through the transition to the West Surrey Authority.

8.    Agree to reconvene a Local Plan Task Group and agree the composition of the Local Plan Task Group, Membership and Terms of Reference, and review proportionality.

9.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of this Committee to agree the names of those ward members on the Local Plan Task Group.

</AI3>

<AI4>

7.            Transitional Corporate Plan

 

The Committee considered the proposed Transitional Plan and resolved to provide comments on areas relevant to the Committee’s remit to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.

</AI4>

<TRAILER_SECTION>

 

 

 

</TRAILER_SECTION>

 

<LAYOUT_SECTION>

</LAYOUT_SECTION>

 

<COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

 

<TITLED_COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</TITLED_COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

 

<HEADING_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</HEADING_LAYOUT_SECTION>

 

<TITLE_ONLY_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</TITLE_ONLY_LAYOUT_SECTION>

 

<SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

 

<TITLE_ONLY_SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</TITLE_ONLY_SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

 

NOTES:-

 

(1)          Members are reminded that the “call-in” procedure as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution, shall not apply to the following matters:

 

(a)         Urgent decisions as defined in Paragraph 9. of the Call-in Scrutiny Procedure Rules;

(b)         Decisions to award a contract following a lawful procurement process;

(c)          Those decisions:

                                i.          reserved to full Council

                               ii.          on regulatory matters

                              iii.          on member conduct issues.

 

(2)          Those matters to which Note (1) applies, if any, are identified with an asterisk [*] in the above Minutes.

 

(3)          Within three working days of the date on which this decision is published, not less than three members from two or more political groups by submission of the standard call-in pro-forma, may ask for that decision to be referred to a meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee for review (call-in). The completed pro-forma must be received by the Proper Officer by 5pm three working days after publication of the decision.

 

(4)          The members exercising the right of call-in must not be members of the Committee which considered the matter.

 

(5)          When calling in a decision for review the members doing so must demonstrate the following exceptional circumstances:

 

a.    Evidence which suggests that the decision maker, did not take the decision in accordance with the principles set out in Article 11 (Decision Making); or

 

b.    Evidence that the decision fails to support one or more of the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities to the detriment of the majority of the Borough’s residents; or

 

c.    Evidence that explicit Council Policy or legal requirements were disregarded.

 

(6)          Once the request for ‘call-in’ has been deemed valid by the Monitoring Officer the matter will be suspended until the call-in procedure has been exhausted.

 

(7)          The Chief Executive, in consultation with the relevant officer, will determine if the interests of the Council or Borough would be prejudiced by a delay in implementing a decision such that the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.

 

(8)          Where the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting, the Monitoring Officer will arrange an extraordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to review the decision subject to call-in at the earliest possible opportunity.

 

(9)          In exceptional cases, where there is clear evidence that a delay to the implementation of a decision would lead to a specific and significant financial or reputational harm to the Council, a call-in request may be refused by the Chief Executive following consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.

 

(10)       In reviewing a matter referred to it under the call-in scrutiny procedure rules, the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee shall follow the procedure for dealing with call-in scrutiny at its meetings as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution.

 

(11)       The deadline of three working days for "call in" in relation to the above decisions by the Committee is the close of business on …..(Insert date).