Agenda and minutes

Resolved: That all items be web-cast.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Sharp.

There were no substitute members.

There were no visiting members.

Councillor Beerling disclosed a personal interest by virtue of his previous employment with Golding Homes and Councillor Yates disclosed a personal interest by virtue of his former business in the paper mill industry which dealt with effluent water both in relation to item 8, Securing Water Supplies.

Resolved: that all items be taken in public as proposed.

Resolved: That the minutes of the Environment and Transportation Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting of 15 February be agreed as a correct record and duly signed by the Chairman.

Interviews with:

·  Lee Dance, Head of Resource and Environmental at South East Water;

·  Rob Jarman, Head of Development Manager; and

·  Steve Clarke, Principle Planning Officer.

The Chairman welcomed Head of Development Management, Rob Jarman, Principal Planning Officer, Steve Clarke and Lee Dance Head of Resources and Environmental at South East Water.

Mr Jarman and Mr Clarke began with a presentation that set out the consultation process regarding the impact of new development on water supplies demand through the Local Development Framework and the development management process that seeks to ensure development that is approved uses water as efficiently as possible. They explained that this demand was managed through consultation with water providers; Southern Water for drainage and South East Water for capacity/supply. Mr Dance explained that South East Water had a Water Resource Management Plan which was a 25 year business plan that was regulated by Ofwat and reviewed every 5 years. Along with infrastructure requirements it took into consideration the number of houses, the location and the pace of investment and development.  Mr Dance explained that South East Water had a statutory requirement to provide water to new homes.

It was explained that climate change data showed that the south east was getting dryer with an increasing population and economic growth. The Code for Sustainable Homes, an environmental impact rating for housing in England in Wales which set the standard for energy efficiency, was explained to the Committee.  They were told Maidstone Borough Council had no policy that took them above Level 1 of the Code but that through negotiation they nearly always achieved Level 3. The Officers informed Members that they were one of the highest achieving local authorities since the scheme’s introduction in 2007 and they were the highest in Kent. Members were told that in the emerging Core Strategy policy requiring development to achieve a minimum Level 3 for the Code would be set. The government aspiration was that by 2016 all new dwellings would be carbon neutral, meeting water efficiency targets that would put them at level 5 or 6 in the Code. The same aspiration was set for public buildings by 2019. Members explored the area of water efficiency in developments further and were told that in major developments grey water recycling and rain water harvesting and SuDS drainage were often included and were given an example of a recently approved development at the television studios in Maidstone.  The Committee queried the water efficiency methods that were being introduced by the water companies and whether the aim was to introduce a water metre in every property.  They were told that South East Water supported the Code for Sustainable Homes and were working with Kent County Council. Mr Dance explained that South East Water were working with developers and on development in Ashford had provided a water efficiency ‘kit’ to prove the reliability of water saving methods. He explained that the kits used micro component modelling to understand water usage and how savings could be delivered through water saving shower heads and by using a half flush on toilets.  Members were told that the Secretary of State was in support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91.

Interviews with:

·  Georgia Hawkes, Head of Business Improvement;

·  Jennifer Gosling, Waste Collection Manager; and

·  David Edwards, Director of Change, Planning and the Environment.

The Committee welcomed Georgia Hawkes, Head of Business Improvement, Jennifer Gosling, Waste Collection Manager, David Edwards, Director of Change, Planning and the Environment and Jonathan Scott, Street Scene Manager to the meeting.

Ms Hawkes gave the Committee a background to the Waste and Recycling Best Value Review describing it as a key piece of work for the Council over the past 18 months. Members were reminded that this followed a review into Waste and Recycling in which Overview and Scrutiny had played a key part. The Officer explained that the review had been about defining a strategy and giving that clarity through an implementation plan and that was now something that was being delivered on. The Officer highlighted the 4 overdue actions that had occurred because of the food waste collection service being implemented. Ms Hawkes explained the use of Covalent performance management system to the Committee which allowed the plan to be updated and monitored by Officers with actions assigned to the relevant person.  This was something that Officers did as they went along and she offered her congratulations to Ms Gosling and her team.

The Committee were told that the new food waste collection contract had already shown a 70-80% participation rate.  This measurement was currently being made by counting the number of food waste caddies presented on the roadside on the day of collection; Members were told that there would be more extensive monitoring to come.  With regard to flats, residents had the option to opt in to the scheme if there was a place to put out a caddy.  Larger caddies would be looked at in the future, once the service and routes had been established. Commercial Waste was also something that would be considered at a later stage under the phase model which included school waste. Members were told that the education officer had attended all Maidstone’s primary schools to help inform the next generation. The success of the service so far was also measured by the amount of food waste collected which at 100 tonnes, was per household higher that the UK average shown in trials. It was explained that the waste was taken to Blaise Farm for composting.  As a result of the food waste collection Maidstone’s recycling rate had risen from 30% in 2009/2010 to over 40%. Taking into account a reduction in the use of grey bins there was a 12% reduction in the overall waste arisings, which put Maidstone on course to meet the 45% recycling target set with a further 5% to be achieved through glass recycling.  The expectation was that people would begin to buy less food when they saw how much they were wasting which would show an initial decrease in usage.  Less that 90 people had opted out of the new scheme and concerns over the caddies being a target for vermin had been appeased when the robust, lockable caddy was delivered.

Ms Gosling explained other recycling initiatives that were being launched including funding for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92.

The work programme was considered by the Committee.

It was resolved that:

a)  Flo Churchill, Interim Head of Core Strategy, should be invited to the next meeting to discuss the local development framework in respect of transport;

b)  Southern Water should be approached again and be invited to the next meeting; and

c)  The Cabinet Members should be invited to update the Committee on their progress.

6.30pm to 8.35pm