Venue: Collingwood Room - Civic Offices. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services
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Apologies for Absence Minutes: An apology for absence was received from Councillor N Gregory. |
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To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel held on 06 July 2022. Minutes: RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel held on 06 July 2022 be confirmed and signed as a correct record. |
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Chairman's Announcements Minutes: The Chairman announced that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published the consultation response for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and highlighted the following points:
Materials in-scope of the DRS include plastic bottles (with lid the attached) and steel and aluminium drinks cans. For all materials, the size in scope is 50ml to 3 litres (no glass included).
The Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) will be responsible for managing the overall operation of the DRS as well as meeting the collection targets set out in regulations. The DMO will be independent, not for profit and a private organisation.
The collections targets will be phased in – 70% in year one, 80% in year two and 90% in year three.
The DMO will have responsibility for setting the deposit amount, abiding by parameters set out in the regulations, including a maximum amount still to be determined.
A network of return points will be established by requiring all retailers selling in-scope containers to host a return point. The retailer will be able to decide whether to take returns through reverse vending machines or a manual takeback service.
Local Authorities and/or waste operators can separate out in-scope drinks containers found in their waste stream and return them to redeem the deposit, providing they meet the required quality standards.
The proposed commencement date for the DRS is 01 October 2025. |
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Declarations of Interest and Disclosures of Advice or Directions To receive any declarations of interest from members in accordance with Standing Orders and the Council’s Code of Conduct and disclosures of advice or directions received from Group Leaders or Political Groups, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution. Minutes: Councillor R Bird declared a personal interest in item 8 on the agenda as he is a member of the Fareham Society. |
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Deputations To receive any deputations of which notice has been received. Minutes: There were no deputations made at this meeting. |
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Executive Business To consider any item of business dealt with by the Executive since the last meeting of the Panel, that falls under the remit of the Streetscene Portfolio. This will include any decisions taken by individual members during the same time period. Minutes: There were no items of Executive Business for the Panel to consider at this meeting. |
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The Council's Herbicide Treatment Programme To receive a presentation by the Public Spaces Operations Manager which will outline the Council’s Herbicide Treatment Programme. Additional documents: Minutes: The Panel received a presentation by the Public Spaces Operations Manager which detailed how fungicides and pesticides are used in the Borough to control plant growth. A copy of the presentation is attached to these minutes as Appendix A.
The presentation gave an overview of what pesticides are, the Regulations that cover them, a summary of the type and purpose of pesticides that are used in the Borough, the safe way that pesticides are used and the alternative options available to use in the control of weeds.
The Panel recognised that in recent years, concerns have increased worldwide about the potential environmental and health effects associated with the herbicide Glyphosate. Councillor Bainbridge referenced a petition that is currently running which requests that Fareham Borough Council ban the use of glyphosate across the Borough. The petition has over 1,000 signatures so far.
The Public Spaces Operations Manager explained in detail, the measures that the Council takes to ensure that glyphosate is used safely and provided a comparison to illustrate its effectiveness against alternative methods of treatment. Members were reassured that the Council’s use of glyphosate is minimal and well controlled but noted that a number of other Local Authorities have banned its use and adopted other methods to control plant growth. It was suggested that this could be investigated by officers to determine whether there are any viable solutions identified by other Authorities that could be implemented in Fareham.
Members were very supportive of the suggestion put forward in the presentation that a Policy be developed to regulate the Council’s use of pesticides and to provide details of the measures being considered to reduce them.
RESOLVED that the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel notes the content of the presentation and recommends that a Pesticide Policy be developed and adopted by the Council. |
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Community involvement in maintaining adopted land To receive a presentation by the Public Spaces Operations Manager which will provide members with an opportunity to consider ways in which local communities could be involved in helping to maintain land adopted by the Council in respect of planning application approvals. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor R Bird declared a personal interest in this item as he is a member of the Fareham Society.
At the invitation of the Chairman, Councillor Mrs K K Trott addressed the Panel on this item.
The Panel received a presentation by the Public Spaces Operations Manager which provided information regarding ways that local community volunteer groups participate in maintaining Council land. A copy of the presentation is attached to these minutes as Appendix B.
Members noted that community involvement in maintaining open spaces can have a positive effect in helping to control plant growth without needing to use pesticides. Members further noted that the discussions at items 7 and 8 on the agenda for this meeting were particularly relevant to the Council’s commitment to tackle the effects of climate change.
RESOLVED that the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel notes the content of the presentation. |
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Streetscene Scrutiny Panel Priorities To provide an opportunity for Members to consider the scrutiny priorities for the Streetscene Panel. Minutes: Members considered the Scrutiny Priorities for the Panel and requested that an update on the garden waste Clip and Collect service be brought to a meeting of the Panel later in the year.
RESOLVED that, having discussed the Scrutiny priorities for the Panel, an update on the garden waste Clip and Collect service be added to the Scrutiny Priorities Plan. |