To receive any announcements from the Leader.
Minutes:
The Acting Leader made the following announcements:
Former private hire driver, Colin Buckley, has been prosecuted by Spelthorne Council for driving without a private hire driver or vehicle licence, or valid insurance. The private hire operator he worked for, Michael Marks, was also prosecuted. Buckley was fined a total of £495 plus £1,595 in costs, and his DVLA licence was endorsed with 8 points, narrowly avoiding a driving disqualification. Marks received a fine of £1,200 with an additional £1,435 in costs.
The Spelthorne Junior Citizen event ran for two weeks from 14-29 September at Walton Fire Station. During the two weeks of operation, over 1000 Year 6 pupils from 20 Spelthorne primary schools attended the event which teaches children about staying safe and being good citizens. Topics covered included fire safety, first aid, online security, using public transport, contacting the emergency services and reducing litter.
Councillor Robin Sider BEM has been appointed as the Borough’s new Armed Forces Champion. Spelthorne Council signed the Armed Forces Community Covenant in April 2014, an important pledge between the community and the military to recognise, remember and respect the work of the armed forces.
New legislation came into force on 1 October 2015 which requires private landlords to have smoke alarms installed in their properties, and a carbon monoxide alarm where solid fuel is used. Penalties can be up to £5000 for non-compliance. These regulations are enforced by the Council’s Environmental Health team.
The first phase of piling work for the ‘Ecopark’ in Shepperton has been completed. The next phase of piling is due to start in March 2016 and expected to finish at the end of May 2016.
New legislation came into force on 1 October 2015 to protect tenants who hold an assured shorthold tenancy from eviction in circumstances where the tenant has complained about the condition of the premises, and the landlord either did not respond within 14 days, provided an inadequate response or responded by serving a notice of eviction.
Spelthorne’s ‘My Alerts’ service now has 900 online subscribers. The service enables residents to receive news, planning information and bin collection reminders via email.
Ashford resident, David Gale, has received a £5,000 grant for home energy efficiency improvements from the Action Surrey ‘Streets Ahead’ project which aims to help residents who live in properties which are unsuitable for cavity wall insulation.
Six Aberdeen Angus cows have been introduced to Sunbury Park as part of a trial to improve the areas biodiversity. The Park will be home to the grazing cows for the next eight weeks and it is hoped that their presence will help control invasive grassland species and make way for a greater diversity of wildflowers.
The Council has relaunched its mobile app to make it easier for residents to make contact and find out about local services. Updated with a new look and feel and clearer navigation, the free app can be downloaded to any smart phone or tablet and allows residents to access Council services whilst on the move – no need to make phone calls or log on to the website.
The Council Tax collection rates (cumulative) up to end September were:-
• Council Tax: 64.3% (64.4% sply)
• Council Tax Support: 50.6% (46.6% sply)
• Business Rates: 56.87% (57.41% sply)
• Business Rates growth 0.41%
Spelthorne Council’s efforts to create a clean, green and colourful borough were recognised at this year’s prestigious South & South East in Bloom Awards. The ever-popular Sunbury Walled Garden claimed the top-spot, receiving a Gold award and being declared overall winner in the Small Park category for the third year running. Staines and Sunbury Cemeteries also gained Silver Gilt awards in the Best Small Cemetery category.
Following investigations by the Joint Enforcement Team, three individuals have been prosecuted by Spelthorne Council for the illegal dumping of waste. Stacey Leigh from Ashford, Kathleen Hathaway from Twickenham and Mark Blackburn from Walton-on-Thames were ordered by the Court to pay fines/costs totalling £732, £1266 and £1116 respectively.
The Joint Enforcement Team has issued their first Fixed Penalty Notice for dog fouling to a resident in Stanwell, following information provided by a member of the public. They received an £80 fine.
Spelthorne Council has made a successful bid to receive £6K from the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioners office to help fund improvements at Sunbury Cross. Throughout the winter months the Community Safety team will be working to replace old signage, organising a deep clean of the subways and generally making the area more pleasant for local residents.
From 14 December the Council will be starting kerbside collections for small electrical items such as toasters, kettles and hairdryers. They will be collected on the same day as textiles.
The Annual Police and Crime Commissioners Crime Summit took place on 22 October with around 50 people attending. A grant of £1,000 provided jointly by the Office of the PCC and Spelthorne Community Safety Partnership was won by Jackie Taylor with a bid that will allow a performing arts group to visit schools to deliver presentations related to issues such as bullying/domestic abuse.
The annual SBF breakfast riverboat trip took place on 17 September and was sponsored by Heathrow Airport. Almost 70 people attended which provided an excellent opportunity for businesses to network and meet with some of the local councillors.
The Heathrow Primary School Engineering Challenge took place on 11 September at Echelford School in Ashford with the aim of promoting ‘STEM’ subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). The event was attended by the late Cllr Watts who, with his engineering background, was a very enthusiastic participant.