Agenda and draft minutes

An apology for absence was received on behalf of Councillor Catherine Tite.

To note any urgent items of business which the Chairman has consented to being considered under the provisions of Section 100(B) 4(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no urgent items of business to be considered.

Members should declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and Non Statutory Interest as defined by the Members’ Code of Conduct in respect of:

a)  any business on the agenda;

b)  any urgent additional items to be considered;

c)  any matters arising out of those items;

and if appropriate, withdraw from the meeting at the relevant time.

No declarations of interest were made.

To consider the minutes of the Climate Change and Communities Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 8^th April 2025.

Moved by Councillor Cathy Jeffery and seconded by Councillor Ashley Taylor

RESOLVED that the minutes of a Climate Change and Communities Scrutiny Committee held on 8^th April 2025 be approved as a true and correct record.

Members should contact the officer whose name appears on the List of Key Decisions for any further information). NB: If Members wish to discuss an exempt report under this item, the meeting will need to move into exempt business and exclude the public in accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 and Local Government Act 1972, Part 1, Schedule 12a for that part of the meeting only.

The Committee considered the List of Key Decisions and Items.

RESOLVED that the List of Key Decisions and Items to be considered in the private document be noted.

The Service Manager presented the report to the Committee to provide Members with an update on the Community Outreach Service delivered by the Environmental Health Team.

The Community Outreach Service (the ‘Service’) was a well-established, longstanding service delivered by the Council.

The Service was ultimately aiming to assist residents to live or remain in a safe and healthy home, and to assist their overall health and wellbeing.  The Service delivered support across the District to some of the Council’s most vulnerable residents.

The Service delivery focussed on the following themes:

·       Support to ensure residents were receiving any financial help available;

·       Help with budgeting to reflect residents’ individual circumstances;

·       Referral to debt advice agencies;

·       Support in tackling food and fuel poverty;

·       Help to deal with letters and forms;

·       Referral to specialist agencies to meet the resident’s needs;

·       Help with improving physical, mental and emotional wellbeing;

·       Close working with partner agencies to support families in need of additional support; and,

·       Interventions.

Whilst the Service was flexible to the needs of residents in need of help and support, the demand for the Service had predominantly been around advice and support for financial assistance.

It was intended to provide a friendly, approachable Service focussing on individual assistance.  While telephone assistance could be provided, the aim was to provide face-to-face, in person connections via outreach or home visits.

Mobile phone numbers were used rather than customers accessing the Service through the Council’s telephonic services – to avoid wary customers being deterred from making contact and accessing the help they might need.

The Service received a substantial number of service requests.  In the 2024/25 financial year, the number of service requests equated to approximately 13 cases per week, between 2 FTEs.  The table below demonstrated how the number of cases had risen significantly since the COVID-19 Global Pandemic (and also perhaps as a result of the Cost of Living crisis).

Due to the increased demand for the Service over recent years, the Council had to make minor changes to the Service to accommodate current needs.  However, during the busiest times, it was likely that customers could wait up to two weeks for an appointment.  This did depend on priority and risk though, with the most urgent cases being brought forward.

Customers were generally satisfied with the appointment times being offered – to date, the Council had never received a complaint about the Service.

For each case received, there were a wide range of interventions that might be delivered.  Cases could often result in more than one visit due to their complexity.  Interventions such as assisting in the completion of forms for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) meant a visit could take approximately 2 hours.

Therefore, of the 13 cases received on average per week, there would be cases that were ongoing with multiple interventions and could range from  ...  view the full minutes text for item CLI6-25/26

The Scrutiny Officer presented the Post-Scrutiny Monitoring Report on the recent Review of Council’s Approach to Carbon Reduction to the Committee.

The Committee had put together 9 recommendations, as outlined in Appendix 1, which would enable the Council to clarify immediate priorities for action as well as longer term planning to ensure the Council and District had achieved Net Zero by 2050.

6 out of 9 recommendations had been achieved – 2 were on track and 1 had been extended.  The outstanding recommendations were on track to be completed in late 2025.  It was noted that the Council had established a Climate Change Officer in July 2024, who was overseeing the completion of the outstanding recommendations.

Revised target dates and detail on the actions and progress taken were set out in Appendix 2.

The Climate Change Officer informed the Council’s transportation emissions would increase due to additional vehicles in the fleet.  The Strategic Director of Services explained functions previously delivered by North East Derbyshire District Council were now in-house.  The Climate Change Officer added the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in lieu of diesel from April 2025 would result in around a tenth of emissions – actual emissions and savings would be reported when available from April 2026.  This equated to 841 tonnes CO2 reduction to 12 tonnes (approx.).

The Strategic Director of Services informed the use of HVO had been delayed due to the higher cost of the fuel in previous years – it was currently 8-9 pence more per litre, but the environmental benefits outweighed this cost.

The Committee was informed that while Battery Electric Vehicles had been considered, the initial upfront price per vehicle and their high devaluation did not offset the lower running costs.

The Strategic Director of Services left the meeting at 14:44 hours.

The Scrutiny Officer noted the Portfolio Holder for the Environment was meeting with the Climate Change Officer monthly.  Considerations were being made for Local Government Reorganisation and the Council’s future corporate plans.

The other recommendations and their current statuses were discussed by the Committee.

The Climate Change Officer offered Members could request meetings be arranged at any point to discuss any / all climate change issues.

Moved by Councillor Sandra Peake and seconded by Councillor Anne Clarke

RESOLVED that: 1) Scrutiny Members note the progress against the review recommendations;

2)    Scrutiny Members acknowledge any exceptions to delivery and clarify the additional action required by the service;

3)    Scrutiny Members make its report and findings public, in accordance with Part 4.5.17(4) of the Council’s Constitution; and,

4)    Officers continue to implement the recommendations and submit a further report in six months’ time highlighting progress and any exceptions to delivery.

The Scrutiny Officer presented the completed report for the recent Review of the Council’s Approach to Environmental Despoilment Education and Enforcement to the Committee.

The Committee had agreed to undertake a review of the Council’s approach to environmental despoilment education and enforcement, as part of its 2024/25 Work Programme.

The issue was initially raised due to concerns about environmental despoilment in the District, including fly-tipping, littering, and dog fouling, which not only degraded the aesthetic value of the District but also posed significant risks to public health, safety, and local biodiversity.

In May 2025, the Environment Secretary announced further measures to tackle waste crime, including a review of local authority vehicle seizure powers to better support local authorities in dealing with fly-tipping.

Reforms to the waste carriers, brokers and dealers regime, as well as tighter controls on waste permit exemptions, would provide local authorities and the Environment Agency the stronger tools needed to crack down on illegal waste activity.

At the local level, the District faced unique challenges - despite its natural beauty and rich heritage, the District had struggled with persistent environmental despoilment, especially when compared to neighbouring areas.

This issue had significant implications for the well-being of local communities,

impacting both the physical environment and public perception of the area.

The prevalence of environmental despoilment not only undermined residents'  quality of life but also detracted from the District’s appeal to visitors and potential investors.

Furthermore, environmental despoilment in shared public spaces could harm wildlife, pose hazards to public health and incur high costs for clean-up efforts.

This was a critical issue for the Council, as it aligned with both local priorities (incl. creating safer, cleaner neighbourhoods) and national objectives focused on waste reduction and environmental sustainability.

The aims of the review were:

·       That the Council reduced fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling to improve the aesthetical value of the District, protect local wildlife and reduce the cost of dealing with the unauthorised illegal depositing of waste by assessing the service’s effectiveness in tackling environmental despoilment; and,

·       That the Council became an excellent authority at ‘keeping the District clean’ rather than ‘cleaning the District’.

The objectives agreed were:

1.     Understand what Environmental Despoilment involved (fly tipping, littering and dog fouling), the Council’s statutory duty and enforcement powers, and policies available to the Council;

2.     Analyse the current data of incidents of environmental despoilment across the District;

3.     Review the current arrangements undertaken by the Enforcement Team, Streetscene Services and Environmental Health to reduce or prevent Environmental Despoilment;

4.     Improve public information / education on environmental despoilment; and,

5.     Identify benchmarking opportunities and areas for improvement; ensure there was a clear strategy of enforcement action to improve the quality of the environment across the District.

The key issues identified for investigation included:

·       Enforcement powers of the Council;

·       Types of land covered by the Council’s statutory duties (Agricultural, Back Alley, Commercial/Industrial, Council, Footpath/Bridleway, Highway, Private Land, Railway, Watercourse);

·       Public information and education;

·       Dog Fouling;

·       Fly Tipping; and,

·       Litter.

The Committee had put  ...  view the full minutes text for item CLI8-25/26

The Scrutiny Officer introduced the Work Programme 2025/26 and planned agenda items, attached at Appendix 1, to the Committee.

Moved by Councillor Anne Clarke and seconded by Councillor Sandra Peake

RESOLVED that Members review this report and the Programme attached at Appendix 1 for approval and amendment as required. All Members are advised to contact the Scrutiny Officer should they have any queries regarding future meetings.