Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of any substitute Members in accordance with the Constitution.

Apologies for absence had been received for Councillor A. King. There were no substitutes present.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the previous meeting.

Minutes of the previous meeting held on 13 October 2022 were approved.

To receive any Declarations of Interest (including the existence and nature of any Party Whip).

Councillor Moses declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 4 - Presentation on the Work of the Banstead Commons Conservators, as she is a member of the Banstead Commons Conservators, appointed by the Council.

To receive a presentation on the work of the Banstead Commons Conservators

The Committee received a presentation from the Banstead Commons Conservators (BCC) delivered by Lucy Shea, Clerk to the BCC, Vic Broad, Chair of the BCC and David Hatcher, member of the BCC.

Several advance questions had been asked relating to the presentations. The advance questions and responses can be viewed here:

Document Advance Questions OS 9 November 2022 | Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (moderngov.co.uk)

Following the presentation, Members asked additional questions:

Litter - Members noted that there are two litter bins, maintained by the Council, on the commons and asked whether there are any bins to dispose of dog waste and whether there is a problem with dog waste bags being left in trees and on the ground. It was reported that there are no bins provided for dog waste and that visitors were generally very respectful. Discarded dog waste bags, although an issue, were not a significant problem. The BCC were also fortunate that local residents were willing to clear any litter they found on the commons.

Damage from vehicles - Members asked what action is taken to support recovery from damage made by vehicles on Banstead Downs. It was reported that although BCC had attempted to arrange a meeting to discuss the problem with partner organisations such as Natural England, Plantlife, RBBC, the Police and the Jet Enforcement Team, this had not been possible, and BCC did not have the resources to deal with the problem alone. Working with Surrey Police has meant that there is a Police presence on some Saturdays and Section 59 notices can be issued to owners of vehicles found on the Commons. The Section 59 means that a repeat offender can have their vehicle seized.

Members asked what measures are in place to prevent vehicles accessing the commons. It was explained that fencing cannot be erected, but boundaries are built up and inspected on a regular basis, making them prohibitive to four-wheeled vehicles. Preventing access for motorbikes is more challenging. BCC work together with the Police to tackle the problem of motorbikes.

Site Management Plans - Members asked whether any of the sites other than those attributed the title Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) had special status and whether all the sites had site management plans and to what standard the management plans need to be produced. It was confirmed that Banstead Heath has Historic Landscape Value (HLV) status. The BCC believe that all sites should have site management plans and have applied for funding to produce site management plans next year, as the current plans are out of date. Work programmes which address the tasks across the four sites are in place; each site has a schedule of work which is carried out each year and the work is reviewed depending on how the habitats are evolving and what work needs to be carried out in terms of scrub maintenance and woodland maintenance. The SSSI sites are under Higher Level Stewardship with Natural England, which attracts a grant and prescribes  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

To note the Portfolio Holders updates on the activities undertaken within the Organisation Portfolio service and policy areas and make any observations to the Executive.

Members received briefings from the Organisation Portfolio Holders overseeing three areas of the Council’s work – Corporate Policy & Resources, Finance & Governance, and Investment & Companies.

The presentations from each of the Executive Members / Portfolio Holders were published on the Council’s website as part of the Committee’s agenda pack which can be viewed here:

Choose agenda document pack - Overview and Scrutiny Committee 9 November 2022 | Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (moderngov.co.uk)

Several advance questions had been submitted regarding the Portfolio Holder Updates. The advance questions and responses can be viewed here:

Document Advance Questions OS 9 November 2022 | Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (moderngov.co.uk)

Councillor Lewanski, Portfolio Holder for Corporate Policy & Resources gave an overview of the Council’s work.

Corporate Policy and Projects and Performance - work carried out included supporting on the Financial Sustainability Programme and associated workstreams, fees and charges, the second annual update Environmental Sustainability report, work to develop a programme of work to reduce overall energy use and carbon emissions from Council buildings including an energy survey, work to encourage and support residents and businesses to become more sustainable, introduction of member champion scheme

IT – the IT Strategy was approved by Executive on 24 March 2022 with key areas being disaster recovery capability, improving cyber defences and the telephony system. All these upgrades would be completed by the end of the Municipal year.

Human Resources and Organisational Development – the new draft OD & HR Strategy is underway with the main themes of financial sustainability and workforce planning, staff performance and reward, operational excellence, culture, equality & inclusion, and effective use of data. Councillor Lewanski praised the effort involved in the implementation of the mourning period for the late Queen and noted a need to improve the Civic Protocol in future. The rise in the volume of phone calls received by the Customer Contact Team and the subsequent increase in staff abuse was pointed out.

Data and Insight – the Data & Insight Team continues to support corporate policies such as the Financial Sustainability Programme and provides data and insight to inform key Council activities and projects. A Tool & Technology review was undertaken resulting in plans to adopt PowerBI.

Members made observations and asked questions on the following areas:

Data Insight – Members asked what the cost of Data Insight is and how is this measured in terms of benefit to the Council. It was confirmed that the cost of the Data Insight Team was very small. The work of the team allows the Council to pinpoint groups of residents for communications, resulting in mailshots to relevant residents rather than all residents, as well as provide services that are most beneficial to residents. A great deal of the team’s work is to support the Financial Sustainability Programme, a key element of which is monitoring efficiencies and the cost of achieving them. There may be opportunities to sell this service in future.

Staff turnover - Members noted that staff turnover pre-pandemic was 11% and asked what  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

To consider and agree any changes to the schedule for Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Forward Work Programme 2022/23 and to consider the Action Tracker from the previous meeting.

Members considered the Forward Work Programme 2022/23 for the Committee. It was noted that the Leisure and Culture Strategy appeared on the work programme for December, but that the strategy would not be ready by this date and was expected early in 2023.

RESOLVED that the Committee:

Noted its proposed Forward Work Programme 2022/23 and the action tracker.

To consider any items arising from the Executive which might be subject to the ‘call-in’ procedure in accordance with the provisions of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules set out in the Constitution.

It was reported that there were no items arising from the Executive that might be subject to the “call-in” procedure in accordance with the provisions of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules.

To consider any item(s) which, in the opinion of the Chairman, should be considered as a matter of urgency - Local Government Act 1972, Section 100B(4)(b).

(NOTE: Under the Committee and Sub-Committee Procedure Rules set out in the Constitution, items of urgent business must be submitted in writing but may be supplemented by an oral report.)

There was no urgent business.