Issue - meetings

To consider the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the QSR for the first quarter of 2013/14 (April to June) relating to Environment, Culture and Communities.  An overview of the second quarter of 2013/14 will also be provided.

Please bring the previously circulated Quarterly Service Report to the meeting.  The QSR is attached to this agenda if viewed online.

The Panel considered the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the Quarterly Service Report (QSR) for the first quarter of 2013/14 (April to June) relating to Environment, Culture and Communities (ECC).

Major variances in revenue had occurred in areas including The Look Out Car Parking Scheme, Cemetery and Crematorium Income, Traffic Management UTMC, Concessionary Fares, and Planning Policy CIL.

A Capital scheme identified to be carried forward was: Replacing Existing Combined Heating and Power Units. A new one would be procured for Coral Reef but Bracknell Leisure Centre would be carried forward to next year.

Key highlights included: Site Allocations Local Plan (SALP); Town centre development; Work to Twin Bridges roundabout; Recycling Incentive Scheme; Ringway and BFC commended in the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation Partnership Award in respect of the way we seek to deliver the highway service; CIL consultation; Permit scheme; proposing a permit scheme for utility companies to carry out works affecting highways; and as of 06/09/2013 there were 13,449 brown bins registered, a high rate of take-up, and 4,399 blue bins registered.

A Forward Look included: Green Flag Awards; Public realm 2014 would be continued; SALP Implementation (i.e. Delivery of Major Development Sites); Further refinement of the Residents Parking Scheme; the Bus Strategy would be finalised, and there would be a New Local Plan.

In response to Members’ questions, the following points were noted:

• The insourcing of traffic management did not save money but was designed to bring more control as this needed to be fully functioning for the Borough Council before the town centre regeneration was completed.
• Under the recycling incentive scheme, a small number of first redemptions had been made for leisure services in relation to the e-plus card. It would be investigated further as to whether this could be linked with blue bin registration.
• Fees and charges were not the same for blue, brown and green bins. The blue and green bins were owned by the Borough Council but the brown bins were not, therefore there was a charge for repairing the brown bins.