Agenda

The Committee are asked to note the following membership and terms of reference for the Communities and Place OSC which were agreed by Council on 4 May 2022.

10 Members (5:3:1 Ind Gp, 1 LD) (I Con place to GP) 

Quorum – 3

Chair: J. Reid

Vice Chair: M. Mather

Terms of reference:

1.     To maintain an overview of the Management Agreements in place between the County Council and Active Northumberland, Woodhorn Museum Charitable Trust and Northumberland Tourism.

2.     To monitor, review and make recommendations about:

•     Development planning

•     Neighbourhood Planning

•     Conservation

•     Housing

•     Climate Change

•     Countryside, Biodiversity and landscape quality

•     Waste Management and Energy Use

•     Public and community transport network and travel to school

•     Highway maintenance, Streetscape and the local environment

•     Local and Neighbourhood services

•     Crime, Community Safety, and fear of crime, including CONTEST, Prevent and Channel

•     Antisocial behaviour and domestic violence

•     Fire and rescue

•     Emergency services and Emergency planning

•     Customer Services

•     Provision of cultural and leisure facilities

•     Improving quality of life through access to culture and leisure;

•     Supporting economic growth in the arts, culture and leisure sectors

Minutes of the meeting of the Communities and Place OSC, held on 6 April 2022, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

Unless already entered in the Council’s Register of Members’ interests, members are required to disclose any personal interest (which includes any disclosable pecuniary interest) they may have in any of the items included on the agenda for the meeting in accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council on 4 July 2012, and are reminded that if they have any personal interests of a prejudicial nature (as defined under paragraph 17 of the Code Conduct) they must not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must leave the room.

N.B.   Any member needing clarification must contact the Legal Services Manager at monitoringofficer@northumberland.gov.uk.  Please refer to the guidance on disclosures at the rear of this Agenda letter.

To note the latest Forward Plan of key decisions.  Any further changes made to the Forward Plan will be reported to the Committee.

The Cabinet Member requested to attend for the following item is Councillor Colin Horncastle, Portfolio Holder for Community Services.

The Cabinet considered this report on 8 March 2022, which sought approval for the capital and revenue expenditure that would be incurred in the development of the first phase of the Potland Burn biodiversity net gain site and which was fully funded by a S.106 contribution by Britishvolt, and for the capital and revenue budgets to be amended.  The report also set out the likely need for further habitat creation at this site to meet the biodiversity net gain requirements for future strategic scale inward investment.  (The report and extract from the Cabinet minutes are enclosed).

The Committee will also be advised of potential resource implications for the Planning Service arising from the introduction of mandatory biodiversity net gain, the new burdens funding being provided by Defra and the uncertainties created by that, and possible options to address these prior to a full report being presented to Cabinet in May 2022.

The Committee are requested to consider and comment on the implementation of the proposals.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee operates within a work programme which is agreed at the start of the Council year.  The programme is reviewed at each meeting so that it can be adjusted to reflect the wishes of the Committee and take account of any changes to the latest Forward Plan (which outlines decisions to be taken by the Cabinet).  The Committee is asked to review and note its work programme for the 2022/23 council year.

To consider such other business as, in the opinion of the Chair, should, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.