Agenda and minutes

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting of 16 October 2023

The minutes of the meeting of 16 October 2023 were confirmed and signed.

This item will be in the form of a question and answer session with a representative from Anglian Water

The Chairman welcomed Grant Tuffs, Regional Engagement Manager, and Natasha Kenny, Head of Quality Regulation and Enforcement, from Anglian Water (AW) to the meeting. 

Members made comments, asked questions, and received responses as follows:

·         Councillor Gowler asked, on behalf of Councillor Carney, for several years now it has been known, or at least believed, that the street sewers and drains in Chatteris town centre have, in some parts, collapsed or are broken in some way or another. For example, there is a drain in Church Lane that is frequently blocked with mud and earlier this year the road surface was repaired and when a resident asked the Highways engineer whether the drain could be repaired, the answer was ‘it is broken underneath the road so there’s not much we can do about it, that’s why the surface is uneven’. Please can you advise what the position is replacing or repairing the drains? Grant Tuffs responded that he had checked with the local network manager, and he is not aware of an issue on Church Lane so this may not be the responsibility of AW, but if it were a broken sewer it would show up on their system and it would be fixed. AW has a planned preventative maintenance programme, and the Church Lane drain was cleaned in January 2023. He has asked the team to look at this again and get back to him as there is a case-by-case repair on anything reported to their contact centre.

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough stated Church Lane sounds like a small road and given that AW had these questions in advance, she is surprised that they cannot confirm or deny whether it is their responsibility. Natasha Kenny responded AW has not been aware of any problem at Church Lane, but it will be investigated after today’s meeting.

·         Councillor Nawaz asked what role does AW have in housing development projects and what responsibility regarding the disposal of surface water and the safe disposal of domestic effluent? Grant Tuffs answered this is a complicated issue as currently water companies are not statutory consultees on planning applications, so a developer under the Flood and Water Act can connect to AW’s assets without their permission. However, they are lobbying the new Secretary of State for the Environment to see whether this law can be changed to allow AW and other water companies across the UK to have more say within the developments. If AW believes an action can have a detrimental effect then they can ask for a planning condition to be put on an application to manage surface water and foul water flows, but it is up to the local authority to accept that condition. AW are consultees for local plans for the long-term view of housing growth in the area but rely on the goodwill and nature of planning authorities in the meantime.

·         Councillor Nawaz asked for confirmation on AW’s role within development sites stating is he then to understand they are consultees to  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC23/23

To report on the Task and Finish Group’s review of the corporate performance indicators for the purpose of ensuring that they enhance the Council’s corporate priorities and are both measurable and achievable in nature.

David Wright, Policy and Communications Manager, presented the Task and Finish Group report on the review of the Council’s Corporate Performance Indicators.

Peter Catchpole commented that the draft Business Plan is being presented to Cabinet on 18 February 2024 and the Council is looking at aligning the Business Plan with what can be achieved as a District Council and not being held hostage to other agencies, after the 18 February there will be a period of consultation to feed back before the Business Plan goes to Full Council at the end of February. Councillor Davis stated that two members of Overview and Scrutiny put their views across as part of the sub-committee. Peter Catchpole agreed stating it has been a lengthy time due to an election taking place and the panel changing but is pleased with where the specific priorities are, and the indicators line up much better.

Members AGREED

• the sub-priorities and performance measures outlined in Appendix 2 and highlighted in purple so far as they relate to matters over which Fenland District Council have direct control and that they should be presented for consideration to Cabinet as part of the draft Business Plan for 2024/25 for which consultation will commence in January 2024; and
• the sub-priorities and performance measure recommendations outlined in Appendix 2 and highlighted in yellow and grey so far as they relate to matters over which the Council’s partner organisations have direct control and that they should be presented for consideration by Cabinet with a view to periodic updates being included within future portfolio holder briefings when available.

Members to receive an update on the previous meeting’s Action Plan.

Members noted the update on previous actions.

Members considered and noted the future work programme.

Members made the following comments:

·         Councillor Nawaz suggested topics on health and education as since he has had the opportunity to access information at the CPCA it appears that the health inequalities are quite different across the District, for example the average life expectancy. He feels it would be helpful if the panel could ask the Integrated Care Board to come prepared with a presentation and explanation for the huge difference across the districts so the committee could put some mitigation measures in place. Councillor Nawaz made the point that educational measures are worryingly low across Fenland compared to other Districts and he feels it would be beneficial for the panel to invite the right people to a meeting who are responsible for education in Fenland to explore the issues and reasons. Councillor Davis agreed.

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough agreed with Councillor Nawaz’s proposal but stressed there would need to be some discussion around who to invite.

·         Councillor Davis stated she would work with Amy Brown to see how this can be incorporated into the programme and who to invite.

·         Councillor Roy added that he feels the Fenland area is always underfunded when it comes to education and aspiration needs to be raised for the Fenland children.

·         Councillor Gowler agreed but stated the panel should be aware that this is the County Councils responsibility but that should not stop the panel challenging some decisions made.

Members AGREED to the inclusion of Health and Education topics to the work programme.