Agenda and minutes

13 July 2023

It was moved by Councillor Matthew Buckler, Seconded by Councillor Peter Slack and

RESOLVED (unanimously)

That the minutes of the meeting of the Community and Environment Committee held on 13 July 2023 be approved as a correct record.

The Chair declared the motion CARRIED.

To enable members of the public to ask questions, express views or present petitions, IF NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN, (by telephone, in writing or by email) BY NO LATER THAN 12 NOON OF THE WORKING DAY PRECEDING THE MEETING. As per Procedural Rule 14.4 at any one meeting no person may submit more than 3 questions and no more than 1 such question may be asked on behalf of one organisation.

There was no public participation.

Members are required to declare the existence and nature of any interests they may have in subsequent agenda items in accordance with the District Council’s Code of Conduct. Those interests are matters that relate to money or that which can be valued in money, affecting the Member, her/his partner, extended family and close friends. Interests that become apparent at a later stage in the proceedings may be declared at the time.

Item 8 – Visit Peak District, Derbyshire and Derby: Partnership Agreement 2023-2026

Councillor David Chapman declared a pecuniary interest in Item 8 due to his wife being employed by the District Council as a Tourism Officer.

To answer questions from Members who have given the appropriate notice.

No questions were received.

This report discusses the outcomes of public consultation on the proposals put forward as part of the draft Ashbourne Air Quality Management Area Action Plan and makes recommendations to Members as to the establishment of a working group to assist with the ongoing development of actions to address air quality issues.

The Director of Regulatory Services introduced a report outlining the outcomes of the public consultation on the proposals put forward as part of the draft Ashbourne Air Quality Management Area Action Plan. The report sought Member approval for the establishment of a working group to assist with the ongoing development of actions to address air quality issues.

At a Meeting of the Committee on 7th April 2021 it was agreed that updating reports would be submitted to further meetings of the Community and Environment Committee whilst work was undertaken to develop a draft Action Plan to address the exceedance of the air quality objective. These updating reports had been considered by the Committee at regular intervals and had led to proposals being agreed for public consultation. The period of public consultation concluded on 26th June 2023 and the outcomes from that consultation exercise had been analysed and detailed in Appendix 2 to the report.

At the meeting of the Community and Environment Committee on 13th July 2023 the Committee discussed the desirability of re-establishing an ongoing Working Group to monitor the success or otherwise of any Action Plan and to consider any necessary future developments of that Action Plan. It was suggested that the re-establishment of such a Working Group could provide a forum to consider and prepare further options for actions that could address air quality issues within the Ashbourne Air Quality Management Area for future consideration by the Community and Environment Committee, taking into account the outcomes from the consultation exercise and the implications of the Ashbourne Reborn project.

The recommendations as set out in the report were moved by Councillor Peter Dobbs and seconded by Councillor Robert Archer with the following amendment to recommendation 2:

2. That an Air Quality Action Plan Working Group be re-established, with a membership drawn from but not limited to those individuals listed in paragraph 2.18 below with a core group within the working group to provide continuity for the collation and evaluation of possible actions, with the core group to be at least one officer from the District Council and two elected Members taken from the list set out in the report.

The motion was put to the vote and

RESOLVED (Unanimously)

1.    That the responses received from the consultation exercise in relation to the Ashbourne Air Quality Action Plan be noted.

2.    That an Air Quality Action Plan Working Group be re-established, with a membership drawn from but not limited to those individuals listed in paragraph 2.18 below with a core group within the working group to provide continuity for the collation and evaluation of possible actions, with the core group to be at least one officer from the District Council and two elected Members taken from the list set out in the report.

3.    That progress on the re-establishment of the working group and its preliminary findings be reported to the next meeting of the Community and Environment Committee.

4.    That a report be prepared on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100/23

Following the Government announcement of the closure of bridging hotels, currently housing Afghan refugees, Councils were asked to provide housing to support the successful moving on of families. Following submission of an expression of interest for grant funding through the Local Authority Housing Fund Round 2 (LAHF2), the Council has been offered £292,000. This report seeks approval for use of the grant funding towards the purchase of 2 properties.

The Director of Housing introduced a report following the Government announcement of the closure of bridging hotels, which were housing Afghan refugees. Councils were asked to provide housing to support the successful moving on of families, some of whom had been in hotels since early 2022.

The Council had received an allocation to purchase one ‘bridging’ home in the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) Round 1 programme (the bulk of LAHF1 is for 17 Ukrainian properties). That property was acquired on 23 June and a family had now moved in. Members were updated on how the LAHF Round 1 proposal was progressing with six properties purchased, five further properties in the process of being acquired and seven properties left to be identified.

It was noted that grant funding through the Local Authority Housing Fund Round 2 (LAHF2) was available in two ways, firstly as a direct grant with 200 councils receiving an allocation and a further 66 who had been asked to submit an expression of interest (EOI) to take up any underspend. Under LAHF2 £250m had been made available to buy larger properties but this would buy less than 2,000 homes.

The Council was not allocated a grant initially through LAHF2, instead officers were advised that if any funding remained, then the authority would be offered £126,000 + £20,000 per property. Some of the 200 councils offered the grant did not take up the allocation. As such the grant had now been confirmed and the District Council was expected to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with DLUHC. It was noted that both LAHF1 and 2 are challenging to deliver given open market values.

It was moved by Councillor Peter O’Brien, seconded by Councillor Robert Archer and

RESOLVED (Unanimously)

That approval be given to the delivery of LAHF2 as set out in the report.

The Chair declared the motion CARRIED.

18:40pm – Councillor David Chapman left the meeting due to previously declaring an interest in Item 8.

This report seeks renewal of the Partnership Agreement between the District Council and Visit Peak District, Derbyshire and Derby (the official Tourist Board for this area).

The Director of Regeneration and Policy introduced a report which sought Member approval for the renewal of the Partnership Agreement between the District Council and Visit Peak District, Derbyshire and Derby (the official Tourist Board for this area).

Members were informed that annual expenditure for Visit Peak District, Derbyshire and Derby (VPDDD) varied but was approximately £750,000, of which some £168,500 was directly contributed by local authority partners. The largest district council funding contribution was from Derbyshire Dales District council. This reflected the fact that the district contained more visitor economy businesses and attractions than other districts.

It was noted that VPDDD was one of the first 15 destination management organisations to be awarded the status of Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) by the Government earlier this year. LVEP status had been awarded to some of the larger and more viable destination management organisations, and recognised VPDDD’s approach to partnership working. As part of the LVEP agreement, joint working between the existing Visit Peak District and Derbyshire and the existing Visit Derby organisations was being formalised – hence both titles, along with VPDDD, were still currently in use.

The VPDDD Board comprised of private sector industry representatives and local authority representatives. The Council was represented on the Board of VPDDD by Councillor Lucy Peacock in 2023/24. If the LVEP in time had a different Board structure, it was recommended that the Council (as the district contains more visitor economy businesses and attractions than other districts) should have a seat on the LVEP Board too.

It was moved by Councillor Roger Shelley, seconded by Councillor Andy Nash and

RESOLVED (Unanimously)

1.    That the Partnership Agreement between Visit Peak District, Derbyshire and Derby and Derbyshire Dales District Council 2023-2026 be approved.

2.    That the District Council takes a seat on the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) Board when established.

The Chair declared the motion CARRIED.