To receive any announcements from the Leader.
Minutes:
The following are the latest service updates from various Council departments.
Spelthorne celebrated the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta with the Barons’ Gathering and River Flotilla events on Saturday 13 June. Over 4,000 people came out to enjoy the festivities which highlighted the fact that many of the Magna Carta Barons met in Staines-upon-Thames before making their way to confront King John at Runnymede.
Travellers who were staying at Dumsey Meadow in Shepperton were moved on by the Council following a week-long stay. The site has been cleared and the access points secured.
Spelthorne Council has successfully prosecuted the owners of three boats which were illegally moored in Shepperton and Sunbury-on-Thames. Hearings held at Redhill Magistrates Court on 16 June resulted in £1400 in fines and £1050 in costs paid to the Council. The Council had received complaints that some boats were persistently mooring in excess of the 24 hours permitted within in a 48 period. On hearing the evidence, Magistrates were satisfied that the defendants had moored in contravention of Spelthorne's Byelaws.
The Council is in the process of reviewing its Local Plan which sets out how much development should be allowed in Spelthorne. Forming part of the information needed for the review, the Council has drafted a Housing Market Assessment which Cabinet will consider on 24 June. If agreed, the Council will be asking residents for the views on the draft document which will be published on the website.
A number of food businesses identified as needing improvement following their hygiene inspections have received additional training, funded by the Food Standards Agency. Of the 15 food businesses which received the additional help, 9 have gone on to improve their food hygiene ratings and 4 of these managed to increase their score to either a “4” (good) or “5” (very good).
The Council Tax collection rates (cumulative) up to end May were:-
· Council Tax: 26.3% (26.4% sply)
· Business Rates: 21.28% (24.29 sply)
· Council Tax Support: 20.1% (17.5% sply)
The Supporting Families Partnership between Spelthorne, Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell and Surrey County Councils continues to provide intensive support for families with complex needs. The team has received Quality Assurance feedback which confirms that their frontline practice is of a high standard, with extremely positive feedback from the families supported. Along with the other Surrey councils, the team are now looking to expand their service by supporting a larger number of families with a wider range of needs.
Spelthorne has received a Gold award for the 4th consecutive year for the quality of its address data at the 2015 Geoplace Exemplar Awards. The Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG), managed by ICT, is the corporate address database for Spelthorne and underpins many of the Council’s address based services.
The Council has partnered with the online business support service, My Incubator Ventures (MIV), to offer local residents free access to online business advice. Using the online chat facility, residents can speak to a professional business mentor from the comfort of their home, office or whilst on the move.
Spelthorne Council and seven other Surrey councils have joined together to target fraud across the county. Using funding from the Government, the councils have created the Surrey Counter Fraud Partnership to improve detection and prevention of fraud for areas such as Council Tax, Business Rates, the Blue Badge scheme, and supplier management.
Cllr Mark Francis was elected as the new Mayor for Spelthorne at the Annual Council Meeting held on Thursday 21 May. During his term as Mayor, Cllr Francis will be supporting the Fordbridge Centre in Ashford, The Samaritans and The Well – a charity operated by Kings Community Church. Cllr Alfred Friday was elected as Deputy Mayor.
People in parts of London and Surrey are being reminded not to touch the caterpillars of the oak processionary moth (OPM), which are now emerging in oak trees. OPM caterpillars are a tree pest which was accidentally introduced to Britain. Their tiny hairs contain a protein which can cause itchy skin rashes and, less frequently, eye and throat irritations and breathing difficulties in people and animals. The greatest risk period is May to July.
An impressive 594 runners completed this year’s Staines 10K road race which took place on 17 May. The winner of this year’s event was Ben Martin-Dye from Bracknell Forest Running Club who finished in a time of 34 minutes and 29 seconds. The women’s race was won by Kay Trinder from Woking Athletic Club who completed the course in a time of 41 minutes and 43 seconds.
Work is underway on the summer edition of the Bulletin which will feature articles on developments in Staines-upon-Thames, flooding protection products, the Walking for Health scheme, and the Joint Enforcement team. It also contains the rubbish and recycling collection dates for the coming year.
The next Partnership Action Day is being held on 9 July in Shepperton and will involve the various partner agencies including the Council, Police, Trading Standards and A2Dominion.
Environment Services recently won a funding bid to increase levels of electrical recycling in the Borough. In September the team will launch the collection of large electrical waste (fridges, washing machines, TVs etc.) and also relaunch the bulky waste collection scheme. In December, regular kerbside collections will be introduced for small electrical items (hairdryers, toasters etc).
Stickers reminding residents to use the food waste collection scheme rather than placing food in their bins are being produced in association with Surrey CC. The stickers will be placed on residents’ bins in phases in July and September.
The Environment team will be running roadshows in local supermarkets in July to encourage residents to recycle more plastic. Food waste roadshows for schools will start again in September and work continues to promote the new textiles collection service.