Agenda and minutes

Resolved –

That Councillor Will Simpson be elected Chair for the meeting.

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

No apologies for absence were received.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 4^th July 2023.

Resolved –

That the minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 4^th July 2023 be agreed as a correct record.

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

No interests were declared.

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Panel.

All items were considered in public session.

The Panel will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, Members of the Public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.

To receive any public questions.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, the period for the asking and answering of public questions shall not exceed 15 minutes.

Any questions must be submitted in writing at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting.

Please note that in line with pre-election rules, questions relating to the Batley East Ward and By-Election issues will not be heard.

No questions were submitted.

The Panel will consider a report informing of the re-profile of the Kirklees Resource & Waste Strategy 2021-30.

Contacts:

Natalie Clark, Programme Manager, Resources and Waste Strategy

Will Acornley, Head of Operational Services, Highways and Streetscene

CCc The Panel considered the report, Re-profile of the Kirklees Resource and Waste Strategy 2021- 30, which was presented by Natalie Clark, Programme Manager - Environmental Strategy and Climate Change (Operational Services) and Will Acornley - Head of Operations.  It was advised that:

• The Kirklees Resource and Waste Strategy 2021-30 was approved and adopted at full Council in September 2021.
• The Strategy set out how the Council aimed to achieve its vision of “a clean, green, sustainable future for Kirklees with zero waste to landfill and where waste was valued as a resource through re-use, recycling, and recovery.”
• The key aims were to:
  • Use a Place-based approach which was engaging, straightforward and visible.
  • Achieve 70% recycling at the Household Waste and Recycling Centres by 2025 (as of 22-23 the position was 49-50% average).
  • Achieve 55% Recycling of municipal waste by 2025 (as of 22-23 the position was around 26.3% provisionally).
  • Achieve 90% diversion from landfill and this target had been met and exceeded at 91%.
  • Reuse or recycle as much bulky waste collections as possible.
  • Deliver a clean, green, sustainable future for Kirklees, set a precedent of good practice.
• There had been many positive initiatives delivered as part of the strategy such as the:
  • Introduction of a recycling service to schools and businesses via the trade waste service.
  • Introduction of the ‘Recycling Hero’s’, a scheme which was launched to recognise those in the community who were recycling and reusing.
  • Addition of plastic pots, tubs and trays (PTTs) to the kerbside recycling collection service.
  • Composting Subsidy Scheme, which had been offered to residents.
  • New bookable bulky waste collection service and the launch of a Reuse Shop in Huddersfield town centre.
• Since the strategy was adopted in 2021 the financial climate had changed considerably.
• The strategy assumed that promised reforms and funding streams from central Government would allow the development and investment noted in the strategy.
• Due to delays and uncertainty from central Government, there were some elements that now needed to be reprofiled to meet the new timeframes provided and to allow time to understand what funding would be available.
• The strategy required significant investment to implement however the re-profiling sought to reduce this cost.
• It was proposed to revise the strategy’s key targets as follows:
  • Achieve a recycling rate of at least 70% at Household Waste and Recycling Centres by 2030.
  • Recycle at least 65% of municipal waste by 2035.
  • Achieve a 95% diversion from landfill rate by 2030.
• The forecasted spend under the original action plan was £2.9m capital spend and the revised initiatives estimated to decrease spend to around £800k.
• Included within the presentation was a timeline for the revised strategy approval, initial delivery milestones and a list of overarching risks and dependencies.
• This was scheduled to be presented to Cabinet on 17th October 2023, where approval for the revision would be sought.

The Panel noted the presentation and expressed gratitude to the team for their work and ambition within the challenging financial context.  In the discussion to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Panel will consider an update report on the Snow Wardens Volunteer Scheme.

Contact:

Nick Jenkin, Business Development Officer

The Panel considered a report on the Snow Wardens Volunteer Scheme presented by Nick Jenkin, Business Development Manager.  It was advised that:

• The Snow Warden Scheme was a volunteer scheme which ran across Kirklees.
• It enabled the Council to equip residents with grit, equipment and PPE which would allow them to clear snow from residential areas that gritters would not cover.
• The Scheme was flexible, where residents were able to decide how much time they would like to dedicate to the scheme, allowing them to choose their own hours and locations of work.
• The first year of the trial attracted 27 volunteers to the scheme across 9 wards. 
• There was a cost of £39.77 per grit kit and there was 1 grit delivery for each warden, with no further requests due to a mild winter.
• Kit delivery times were up to a week during the holiday period.
• The scheme adopted a Cllr first application process through ward meetings.
• Positive feedback had been received from wardens, with recommendations given on changes to equipment for implementation in year 2.
• The Year 2 recommendations were to:
  • Begin direct communications to residents in addition to communicating via elected members, to attract more residents into the scheme.
  • Lift the volunteer limit to 100 across the district, to allow for the bulk order of stock and in turn reducing costs by a third.
  • Remover the shaker from the resident kit and replace with a scoop as identified through resident feedback.
  • Increase the initial grit volume from 10kg to 30kg.
  • Move to a collection first model to decrease delivery costs and allow more training with volunteers.

The Panel noted the presentation and welcomed the scheme. In the discussion to follow the Panel raised key points around communications, and it was agreed that a consistent approach be taken to communications and raising awareness of the scheme across the Council, including the provision of social media guidance, and the use of handouts to be provided to members to share with residents and help to promote the scheme within communities. It was also agreed that the idea of promoting the scheme in rural areas through community events such as agricultural shows be explored further.

In response to a question around how many volunteers used their kit and how this might have impacted on the outcomes of the trial, Nick Jenkin advised that 20 volunteers had confirmed that they had used their kits. In response to the Panel’s comment about the lack of financial detail in the report it was advised that there was not enough information at this stage of the trial to provide approximate financial implications.

In response to a question from the Panel around direct communication with residents and the suggestion of use of email, Nick Jenkin advised the key methods of communication were through ‘Gritter Twitter,’ the website and community networks. Nick further noted that email would not be used at this stage as the number of volunteers was currently capped at 100 during the trial  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Panel will consider its work programme for 2023/24.

Contact:

Jodie Harris , Principal Governance and Democratic Engagement Officer

The Panel considered its Work Programme for the 2023/24 municipal year. It was noted that the Fleet Replacement item and the Waste procurement items be coupled in the same meeting if timescales allow.

RESOLVED:  The Panel noted the work programme.