To receive any announcements from the Leader.
Minutes:
The following are the latest service updates from various Council departments.
The canvass for the Electoral Register is underway and will be published on 1 December 2016. The response has been very poor this year and canvassers are now knocking on the doors of those who have not responded to encourage them to do so. Preparations for the County Council Elections on 4 May 2017 have also begun.
Businesses in Staines-upon-Thames are currently voting on whether a Business Improvement District (BID) should be established in the town. The ballot closes on 28 November and the result will be known the following day.
The annual Heathrow Business Summit took place on 8 November at the Park Hotel on the Bath Road. This event generates significant amount of business for the companies which participate and Spelthorne was well represented this year.
The Borough’s CCTV cameras will be upgraded from fibre-optic and broadband connectivity to a wireless connection in the next few months, resulting in savings of approximately £50k a year.
Christmas lights went up in Staines on 10 November. The lights have been funded using money from Staisafe, the radio system for retailers.
IT company, Service Now, have moved from their Egham offices to the Strata Building in Staines-upon-Thames. They will initially employ around 200 people with capacity to expand.
The Members Code of Conduct Committee met recently to consider a complaint. The Panel heard that a resident had complained that Cllr Steven Burkmar had spoken to him in a disrespectful manner during a telephone conversation which took place in April and that the councillor was also failing to respond to email communications. The Panel concluded that the actions of Cllr Burkmar had amounted to a breach of the Code of Conduct and that he had been disrespectful to his constituent and discourteous to his email correspondents by failing to respond to them in a timely and appropriate manner. The councillor was ordered to apologise to the resident in writing and attend ICT training.
The Council has welcomed the Government’s announcement that it has confirmed its preference for a third runway to be built at Heathrow. The Government will now produce a draft National Policy Statement on aviation which will be consulted on before being referred to Parliament next autumn.
Neighbourhood Services recently took delivery of four new assisted transport buses. The Council spent £218K purchasing the new Spelride vehicles which are specially designed for passengers with mobility problems.
A new community coffee bar will be opening in Staines Community Centre from February next year. The Council undertook a review of the Centre’s catering services in preparation for the end of the current catering contract and concluded that a restaurant was no longer sustainable. Options are being explored for people who rely on the restaurant for their main meal.
The sporting successes of local players, coaches and volunteers was celebrated at the annual Sports Awards at Shepperton Studios on Tuesday 11 October. The awards were presented by Nerys Pearce who competed at the Invictus Games in Orlando.
The winter edition of the Bulletin magazine is currently being printed and will be delivered to residents from 3 December. It includes articles on seasonal information, recycling improvements and the Council’s purchase of the BP campus.
As part of their commitment to support local businesses, the Leader and Deputy Leader recently approved a new corporate logo incorporating the words ‘Spelthorne Means Business.’ The new logo will be added to stationery and signage when new stock is needed.
Nominations have opened for the Spelthorne Youth Awards which recognise the achievements of young people in the Borough. The deadline for nominations is Friday 16 December.
Spelthorne Council and Surrey County Council have established a Joint Committee to replace the current ‘Surrey County Council Local Committee in Spelthorne’. The new Joint Committee will provide the opportunity for the two councils to work together to identify solutions to local issues and deliver
improvements for residents and businesses. The Spelthorne Joint Committee meetings will be held in public, enabling local people to have their say. The first meeting is on 5 December.
Neighbourhood Services have taken delivery of a new fleet of vehicles which will enable the refuse teams to collect textiles and small electricals every week, rather than fortnightly, from June 2017.
Following concerns raised by residents, Spelthorne Council commissioned an air quality monitoring station to be re-installed in Sunbury Cross. The monitoring station is being jointly funded by Spelthorne Council and Heathrow Airport. The monitoring results will be uploaded in real time to the Heathrow Airwatch website (www.heathrowairwatch.org.uk ), so all interested parties will be able to view and download the data.