Agenda item

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which are not published elsewhere)

Contact Officer, telephone number and email:

Nick Baker, 01263 516221, Nick.Baker@north-norfolk.gov.uk

The Corporate Director (NB) introduced the Report and informed Members that it reported on the key work streams of 2018/19, and illustrated the position of the Council at the year end. He added that some projects would have progressed or changed since the Report was published, and that with the performance management software due to be updated shortly, reporting procedures would change accordingly.

Questions and Discussion

Cllr N Housden asked where Members could look to find trends in the data and statistics included in the Report, and suggested for example, if there was any visible trend in the housing waiting list increasing. The Corporate Director (NB) stated that he would need to seek this information from the relevant service area manager, but added that it was hoped that the new software would allow immediate access to this information. Cllr N Housden noted that the Report showed that visitor numbers had increased last year, though not dramatically, and asked whether climate information could be used to predict visitor numbers. The Corporate Director (NB) replied that climate data could be used to an extent, as there was a correlation with warmer weather causing sports centre use to go down, whilst beach use went up. He added that climate change could be expected to bring incremental changes, with higher visitor spending in warmer weather.

Cllr T Adams referred to long term empty homes data identified on page 97, and asked for further information. The Corporate Director (NB) stated that the data covered a wide range of properties, and that the key aim was for the homes to be empty for as short a time as possible. He stated that there were lots of reasons for the homes remaining empty, such as those in probate, some with anti-social behaviour issues and some held for family, but the ultimate goal remained to reduce the number of empty properties. The Corporate Director (NB) informed Members that an enforcement board update would come to the Committee in July, at which point penalties, such as 200% council tax charges for homes that remained empty for three years or more could be discussed in more detail. It was suggested that the number of LTE homes increasing from 137 to 151 was a normal level of growth, and whilst the Council had a good handle on empty properties in the district, it had to keep up the pressure. Cllr G Mancini-Boyle asked about the accuracy of the information, to which the Corporate Director (NB) replied that it was not perfect, but was considered accurate enough to be reported to central government and was monitored continuously. Cllr J Toye asked what percentage of homes in the district were empty, to which the Corporate Director (NB) replied that of the approximate 54k properties in the district, less than 1% were considered to be empty, which put the district in a good position when compared to the national average of 1.5%.

Cllr T Adams referred to planning targets identified on page 109, and noted that targets had been exceeded. He then asked if these numbers could be expected to continue to rise. The Corporate Director (NB) replied that the Council had a good turnaround time on planning applications, which had gone from 70% to 90% on target, thanks to a business process review and digital transformation. Despite the increase, the Corporate Director (NB) stated that it was unlikely that the Council would reach 100%, though suggested that he did not expect the current figure to slip. Cllr N Pearce stated that the Planning Department were an excellent team that maintained good working relationships between Members and Officers with a minimum of fuss, which he suggested had led to its success, without further room for improvement.

Cllr N Housden referred to Broadband provision, and asked if figures for internet speed across the district were available. He then asked if the Council had any leverage on Openreach as the connectivity provider. The Corporate Director (NB) replied that NNDC did not have any significant leverage on Openreach, and added that Norfolk County Council ran the Better Broadband for Norfolk Scheme, which Members were able to hold to account, with the caveat that NNDC was hostage to NCC’s implementation process. The Corporate Director (NB) stated that it remained a Member decision to lobby NCC further to implement the BB4N scheme across North Norfolk faster. Cllr E Seward stated that the County Councillor responsible for digital communications was Cllr T FitzPatrick, and encouraged Members to contact him in order to pursue further information. He added that NNDC had set aside a £1m contribution to help BB4N bring high speed internet to  rural areas across the district, and hoped it would be requested shortly. Cllr E Seward suggested that BT’s monopoly on the high speed cable infrastructure needed to be loosened, and informed Members that the question had been raised by MPs. Cllr N Housden asked if any leverage could be applied to encourage NCC to roll-out the scheme faster in North Norfolk, to which the Corporate Director (NB) replied that encouragement to date had not sped up the process. In reference to poor internet speeds, Cllr P Bütikofer stated that it would cost £35k to install high speed cable to his home address, and that 13 properties in close proximity to his home had speeds of just 0.3mb/s, with 7 businesses in the area that also relied on this connection. Cllr G Mancini-Boyle asked for details on what  NNDC would be paying £1m for in relation to the BB4N scheme. The Corporate Director (NB) replied that this would bring enhanced delivery of high speed broadband cable to rural areas of North Norfolk. The Head of Economic and Community Development informed Members that NNDC had already lobbied NCC on the issue, and they had been generally responsive. He added that the issue was not about prioritisation, but with the speed of delivery, and that Broadband speed figures could be sought from NCC if required. The BB4ER (Better Broadband for East Ruston) scheme was discussed, and it was suggested that information could be passed on to Members if requested.

In response to a question from Cllr T Adams, the Corporate Director (NB) stated that fixed penalty notices were used for less serious waste crimes, whereas prosecution was sought for more serious crimes such as fly tipping. He added that several methods were used to catch offenders, such as covert CCTV, which had been relatively successful to date. The Corporate Director (NB) stated that fly tipping prosecutions were well advertised to inform the public of the severity of the crime. He then informed Members that fixed penalty notices and the number of fly tipping incidents could be reported at the request of Members.

Cllr N Housden referred to paint disposal amnesty, and asked who set the time limits on these periods. The Corporate Director (NB) replied that these services were run by NCC, and noted that there had been some conflict between NNDC and NCC on the delivery of waste services, but this had only had a minor impact. Cllr H Blathwayt asked if there was any correlation between the recent introduction of DIY waste charges and fly tipping. The Corporate Director (NB) stated that he had expected that this would be the case, but a rise in fly tipping across North Norfolk was yet to be seen. Cllr T Adams stated that the issue was regularly raised at NCC, and was still a matter of frustration. Cllr G Mancini-Boyle asked what NNDC had done to educate the public on this issue, to which the Corporate Director (NB) replied that there was a waste education programme in place, run via the NEWS joint waste partnership. He added that businesses were also educated on how to dispose of their waste properly, with trade waste arrangements in place.

Cllr N Housden asked when the procurement of the new waste contract would take place, and whether this would be seen by Members. The Corporate Director (NB) stated that it would be added to the O&S Work Programme, to be reviewed by the Committee at the appropriate time, as it was felt that procurement boards alone did not provide the best governance arrangements for the project. Members were informed that NNDC had entered into an agreement with KLWNBC and Breckland District Council, in order to procure a joint waste contract that would lower costs. It was noted that, should NNDC maintain its current arrangements, costs would increase. The new joint contract, set to go live in April 2020, would provide an economy of scale, with the other Councils joining once their current contracts expired. The Corporate Director (NB) stated that tenders had been received, and the Council was now at the negotiating stage. With regards to food waste, it was reported that KLWNBC already provided this service, but had considered bringing it to an end, as the cost was approximately £250k per year.

Cllr N Pearce referred to the roll-out of Universal Credit, and asked whether any problems had been foreseen. The Head of Finance and Asset Management replied that he had been keeping an eye on any issues, and noted that NNDC would be one of the last authorities to introduce the scheme, meaning that many of the issues would hopefully be resolved by the time it was introduced. He added that some claims would take longer to process, but he was happy to learn from neighbouring authorities. It was suggested that tolerance levels could be introduced that would limit the administrative impact for the public and the Council.

Cllr N Housden asked if any update was available regarding the IT issues that took place at the time of the meeting. The Corporate Director (NB) informed Members that during routine maintenance, a reboot of the system had caused an issue with the servers. It was explained that engineers had been working overnight to fix the issue, and it was hoped that this would be resolved by the afternoon. The Corporate Director (NB) informed Members that customer service calls were being diverted, and that manual operations would continue until the issue was resolved.

Cllr H Blathwayt proposed that the Scrutiny Officer write to NCC to seek an update on when BB4N at NCC would request the £1m held in NNDC reserves to implement the scheme across North Norfolk. The proposal was seconded by Cllr N Housden.

RESOLVED

1.    That the Committee notes the Report and endorses the actions being taken by management in areas of concern.

2.    That the Scrutiny Officer write to the relevant officer(s) at Norfolk County Council to determine when the £1m held in NNDC reserves will be spent on the roll-out of the BB4N scheme in North Norfolk.