Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor M Bailey, M Clarke and N Statham.

There were no declarations of interest

To receive an update from the Chair

There was no update.

Update on responses received to Reports of the Infrastructure Safety & Growth Committee:

·          

(Discussion item)

There were none.

(Report of the Assistant Director, Partnerships)

The Chair welcomed the Assistant Director, Partnerships and the Chief Inspector to present the report to consider the 2025 annual refresh of the Tamworth Community Safety Partnership Plan 2023-2026, priorities, and action plan.

The Assistant Director provided a summary of the report before handing over to the committee for questions.

The Committee made the following comments/observations and asked the following questions:

1.     What action/information did they have about the spike in car thefts on the north side of the town?

It was confirmed that there was a recurring trend of an increase in motor vehicles thefts and whilst no specific reason had been identified policing activity was targeting this type of criminality included cross border work (specific details could not be shared). It was confirmed that that there was no evidence to suggest that the north was being targeted.

2.     It was highlighted that there seemed to be little action around littering and fly tipping.

It was confirmed that littering needed to be witnessed to be prosecuted and that information from the public was welcomed. The use of deployable cameras could be acting as a deterrent. It was noted that action can be taken under a duty of care for household waste, but that education was important before jumping straight into prosecution.

3.     With waitlists for prosecutions being up to six years in circumstances, how do we engage with the judiciary to ensure that police work on the ground is followed up.

Firstly, it was highlight that in terms of sentences there are schedules in place that determine these. It was confirmed that investigations that were not complex were not taking this long however there were delays due to national problems. It was highlighted that investigations can appear lengthy, but this is to be able to demonstrate the impact of a crime. It was confirmed that some issues such as low level anti-social behaviour, breach of PSPO can go to a magistrate’s court which only have about a six-week delay, and where emergency action is needed (e.g. for an emergency injunction) this can usually be resolved the next day. For littering and fly-tipping you have up to six months to complete the prosecution.

The committee highlighted that they would have more questions when they had heard the responses to the piece of work around honest conversations in response to the events of August 2024.

The Chair welcomed Mark Evans and Annabel Chell from Staffordshire County Council and noted that apologies were received from the Councils officers.

The Officers ran through a presentation highlighting the following –

Ø  Slide 2 - The new local transport plan for 2025 has six main themes set out in slide 2. They will be moving into a new funding period and are looking at the funding was required from Government to meet the needs of the County moving forward., as well as giving the long-term vision up to 2050. Priorities would be identified for the rail and bus networks including what infrastructure is required. Road networks were covered, as well as land use, transport installation and improving the environment for walking and cycling.

Ø  Slide 3 – the plan has been in development for over a year and it is to be evidence based. The district data report has been shared with the Council. The maps show key congestion areas identified such as Upper Gungate, Watling Street and the A5 corridor.

Ø  Slide 5 – there is a chapter on the road network and there has been collaboration with National Highways to look at what can be done to improve how traffic performs on the A5. Key priorities are to keep the existing network running smoothly and no major works are proposed, the aim being to  create an efficient, safe and sustainable traffic network. Alongside vehicle improvements they are aiming to reduce the number of miles driven and the condition of the network, as well as improved network management to cut delays when works are being carried out.

Ø  Slide 6 – the County have provided advice to Tamworth on their new local plan. There are challenges to delivery with housing and employment growth changes and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) means that a vision-led approach is required to identify transport solutions.

Ø  Slide 7  - the local transport plan is a statutory document required by law. The County Council are a consultee in the planning process and paragraph 114 of the NPPF identifies what should be considered when assessing developments.

Ø  Slide 8 – it was highlighted that all major developments should include a detailed Transport Assessment (TA). It is recommended that the scope of the TA is agreed at pre application stage to make the process easier. Where a development shows an impact, developers should show mitigation measures. The County would then make a recommendation to the borough on whether they would object or approve the application with any conditions. If an application is refused and then won on appeal this can be costly to the Council and an example was given. There are two main reasons for saying no to a development; due to a severe impact on highways or a highway safety issue.

The Committee made the following comments/observations and asked the following questions:

1.     The Council has been told in the past that the borough was close to capacity for developments, how  ...  view the full minutes text for item 105.

(Report of the Chair of the Infrastructure, Safety and Growth Scrutiny Committee)

Report of the Chair of the Infrastructure, Safety and Growth Scrutiny Committee to provide the Committee with a draft of the Committee’s Annual Report for 2024/25 (Appendix 2) together with a draft of the Introductory Report (Appendix 1) which will be presented to full Council in the 2025/26 municipal year. Following the Committee’s consideration, the draft Annual Report will be updated and following the agreement of the Chair will be presented to full Council together with the Annual Reports for the other scrutiny committees and the Introductory Report.

(Report of the Operations Manager - Joint Waste Service)

Report of the Operations Manager to provide the Committee a quarterly update of the Joint Waste Service. This is a shared service that Lichfield District Council (LDC) deliver on behalf of both authorities.

(Report of the Deputy Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Environmental Sustainability, Recycling and Waste)

Report of the Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Environmental Sustainability, Recycling and Waste to update the Committee on the authority’s work around the Nature Recovery Declaration that was made in November 2023.

To receive updates from any Working Groups

There were no updates.

(Discussion item – link to Forward Plan is attached)

Browse plans - Cabinet, 2024 :: Tamworth Borough Council

There was nothing new identified from the Forward plan.

(Discussion item – to review the Infrastructure Safety & Growth Scrutiny Work Plan)

The Chair confirmed that this was the last meeting of the year, and thanks the Members and officers for their contribution over the year. They advised that a work planning session would be arranged for the new municipal year.