Agenda, decisions and minutes

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 9 April 2024.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 9 April 2024 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

To receive from members, declarations of interest in relation to any items included on the agenda for this meeting, in accordance with the Waverley Code of Local Government Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman to respond to any questions received from members of the public for which notice has been given in accordance with Procedure Rule 10.

The deadline for receipt of questions is 5pm on Tuesday 30 April 2024.

The Executive received the following question(s) in accordance with Procedure Rule 10:

From Councillor Catherine Powell of Surrey County Council:

“Please can the Portfolio Holder explain why the Waverley Borough Council Executive is proposing to endorse the Waverley Borough Councils officers proposed modifications to the Farnham LCWIP, which have not been reviewed by the councillors at Waverley, Surrey County Council and Farnham Town Council and do not align with the earlier discussions or address the previously raised concerns specifically on the inclusion of additional core walking zones which do not address all the previously raised issues associated with Farnham Hospital. If there is to be an update, surely it should address all the previously raised issues relating to core walking zones particularly as the core walking zones associated with Farnham Hospital should be a consideration for the Hawthorns Development.

A revised set of cycling routes in and around Farnham Park all of which are already in the Farnham LCWIP or were agreed in the 17 October meeting and therefore already part of the annex being prepared and in the case of the Castle Hill realignment do not address the concerns that were raised in the public consultation meetings int the summer and Autumn of 2023 and will instead cause further confusion. Cycle route 3 which I attach the map was reviewed during the summer public engagement sessions and the route along Old Park Lane was preferred to the route along Folly Hill and adjacent to the Castle. The Old Park Lane route was included as a priority route; Waverley Borough Council officers have argued that the Castle Hill realignment addresses the concerns raised regarding the impacts on archaeology and ecology associated with that route please can the portfolio holder advise why it is not possible to proceed wit the adoption of the Waverley LCWIP and leave the addendum of the Farnham LCWIP to be reviewed separately.”

Response from Cllr Steve Williams, Executive Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability:

“I would like to thank Cllr Powell for her question and appreciate the concerns that she has raised in relation to specific elements of the Farnham LCWIP. In answer to the third part of her question the issue is quite clear. The two LCWIP documents for Waverley give us a network map of potential routes to provide an appropriate cycling and walking infrastructure across the borough. Specific routes are included to facilitate active travel and facilitate the kind of modal shift in transport that is needed going forward. However none of these represent firm proposals until such time as funding is available and further feasibility work takes place with further consultation. With regard to the issue of  core walking zones. The  Farnham LCWIP maintenance update provides Surrey County Councillors with the opportunity to propose a new core walking zone for Farnham Hospital. Waverley has identified Farnham Hospital as a key destination with hub and spoke priority walking routes. The two Waverley LCWIP consist of indicative cycling and walking network routes with some  ...  view the full minutes text for item EXE 167/23

The Chairman to respond to any questions received from Members in accordance with Procedure Rule 11.

The deadline for receipt of questions is 5pm on Tuesday 30 April 2024.

Councillor Spence, Hindhead & Beacon Hill Ward gave due notice of the following question to the Executive:

‘In December you made an Executive decision to enter a twelve month interim arrangement with Surrey County Council to keep The Edge in Hazelmere open. We are now five months into that twelve month period and a lot of local residents are asking where are we now. Is it possible to give an update on the status of a permanent solution that will allow the community to return to plan ahead with some certainty? It is urgent that these groups also obtain some certainty over the future availability of the edge.’

Councillor Kika Mirylees, Portfolio Holder for Community Services, Leisure and EDI responded as follows:

‘‘The Edge Sports Hall opened for public use again in mid-January and is being operated on a day to day basis by Woolmer Hill Sports Association under an agreement managed by Waverley with Surrey County Council the freeholder. The site is being well used by clubs since then, this is in conjunction with the usage of the new 3g pitch and the artificial training pitch in Waverley’s ownership. Waverley representatives are in regular contact with Surrey officers and a meeting is scheduled next week to look at the future options beyond the year arrangement. In accordance with the Leaders decision after six months a review will be carried out which is July looking at the performance and giving options for a way forward of a more permanent nature. Waverley is keen to provide assurance over the future of the sports hall and will work closely Surrey County Council to achieve this.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillor Steve Williams, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability read out a question of behalf of Cllr Nicholson:

‘There are two proposals which I and local borough colleagues would vigorously oppose. The first being to form a cycle lane in Lion Lane by removing all car parking from the western side of the lane. The parking situation is already reaching saturation point with parking on two sides of the road. A restriction would almost certainly end car ownership for some. There is actually a better solution by upgrading the eastern footpath to a dual cycle walking path. Secondly the strong hint of putting traffic lights at Haslemere Fosters railway bridge to accommodate a single only road lane plus a cycling lane will cause severe traffic. If these proposals were actioned and there would be severe reputational damage to the council. Finally my question is will the Executive agree to a full consultation of any proposals with Borough Cllrs, Town Parish Cllrs and the local community for other funding.

Cllr Williams responded by stating:

The Waverley LCWIP consists of indicative cycling and walking network routes with some more detailed suggested for priority areas. These suggested measures are indicative and not hard proposals. In order to progress any of the proposals for routes, funding will need to be secured and currently the likely  ...  view the full minutes text for item EXE 168/23

The Leader welcomed the newly elected Councillor for Witley and Milford, Cllr Laura Cavaliere, and encouraged more people to engage with the local electoral process. The Leader congratulated the re-elected Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend. The Leader also praised how effectively the election was run and thanked all the staff that took part in running polling stations and presiding over the work on the day.

At the invitation of the Leader, Executive Members gave the following updates:

·         Cllr Kiehl firstly praised all Waverley staff who were involved in the administration of the recent elections. Secondly, she advised that a refresh of the Corporate Strategy, working closely with Guildford Borough Council, was underway. A revised Waverley Corporate Strategy would be presented to the scrutiny committees for their consideration ahead of Executive approval and Council adoption.

·         Cllr Merryweather report that residents of Farnham were pleased with the upgrade to the B3208 Water Lane roundabout in Farnham.

·         Cllr Mirylees updated the Executive and stated that an application for £230,000 to the National Heritage Lottery Fund for Willmer House was submitted on April 16 and that the hope was for a reply in July.

·         Cllr Townsend stated that progress with the Local Plan was on schedule and engagement was continuing with Town and Parish Councils. Two new electric vehicles for the Environmental Services team had been delivered to continue the Council’s progress toward decarbonisation.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committees are next scheduled to meet in June 2024.

The Leader advised that the Overview and Scrutiny Committees were scheduled to meet later in the month, and that any recommendations from those meetings would be reported to the June meeting of the Executive.

The Executive are recommended to make the resolutions set out in the report at agenda item 8.

Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability.

The Executive RESOLVED to approve:

       I.          The introduction of priority projects within the CNAP which will be updated in the annual review due in September/October 2024.

     II.          That where it is not currently feasible for individual priority projects to reach net zero by 2030 new dates should be set and approved by the Executive, following the production of the Constraints to Net Zero report.

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability presented the report and thanked Officers for its detail. Executive members noted that the report set out the priorities for the Council’s ambitions.

The Executive RESOLVED to approve:

      I.        The introduction of priority projects within the CNAP which will be updated in the annual review due in September/October 2024.

    II.        That where it is not currently feasible for individual priority projects to reach net zero by 2030 new dates should be set and approved by the Executive, following the production of the Constraints to Net Zero report.

Reasons:

a)    Prioritising projects which will have the greatest impact on carbon reduction will enable the council to focus its limited resources on projects which will help us to reach the net zero objective.

b)    Setting a revised timetable for individual projects which we know will be difficult to achieve by 2030 will manage expectations and demonstrate a realistic understanding of the processes needed to achieve net zero for all organisation emissions

The Executive are recommended to make the resolutions set out in the report at agenda item 9.

Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability together with Portfolio Holder for Planning, Regeneration and Economic Development.

The Executive RESOLVED:

       I.          To delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Place to adopt the updated versions of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (both Waverley and Farnham), in consultation with the Portfolio Holders for Planning and Economic Development, and Environment and Sustainability, and the Leader.

     II.          That the LCWIP digital mapping be then incorporated into the StatMap Geographic Information System (GIS) planning layers and the Infrastructure Development Plan.

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability proposed an amendment to resolution 2.1 as set out below. The Leader stated that he expected there to be a meeting of the three County Councillors in Farnham together with Farnham WBC Councillors and a representative from Farnham Town Council. Additionally, the Leader stated that he would be review the consultation as he would like to see final wording before any delegation was actioned.

The Executive RESOLVED:

      I.        To delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Place to adopt the updated versions of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (both Waverley and Farnham), in consultation with the Portfolio Holders for Planning and Economic Development, and Environment and Sustainability, and the Leader.

    II.        That the LCWIP digital mapping be then incorporated into the StatMap Geographic Information System (GIS) planning layers and the Infrastructure Development Plan.

Reasons:

a)    Adoption of the LCWIP follows the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidance.

b)    The adopted LCWIPs will inform the Transport Statements and Travel Plans created for new development planning applications.

c)    By referencing the adopted LCWIPs, SCC Transport Development Planning will be better able to enforce Waverley’s existing Sustainable Transport policies

d)    The LCWIPs would become reference documents for the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), informing both applicants and the appraisal / scoring process.

The Executive are recommended to make the resolutions set out in the report at agenda item 10.

Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability together with Portfolio Holder for Community Services, Leisure and EDI.

The Executive RESOLVED to:

       I.          Approve the use of the £1.545 million grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and contribution of £330K from the Empty Homes Grant to install air source heat pumps at Farnham Leisure Centre, and;

     II.          Delegate authority to the Strategic Director - Place to appoint a contractor and enter into the necessary design and build contractual agreement(s) in accordance with the requirements of the Council’s Contract Procurement Rules.

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability presented the report. Members of the Executive spoke in support of the proposal and acknowledged that the existing boilers in the Leisure Centre would need to be replaced. 

The Executive RESOLVED to:

      I.        Approve the use of the £1.545 million grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and contribution of £330K from the Empty Homes Grant to install air source heat pumps at Farnham Leisure Centre, and;

    II.        Delegate authority to the Strategic Director - Place to appoint a contractor and enter into the necessary design and build contractual agreement(s) in accordance with the requirements of the Council’s Contract Procurement Rules.

Reasons:

a)    The boilers at Farnham Leisure Centre need to be replaced as they are at the end of their life.

b)    WBC has made a successful bid for £1.545 million from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and secured a £330K contribution from the Empty Homes Grant to fund the replacement of those boilers with air source heat pumps.

The Executive are recommended to make the resolutions set out in the report at agenda item 11.

Leader of the Council together with Portfolio Holder for Organisational Development and Governance. 

The Executive RESOLVED to approve:

       I.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to create a role of Joint Executive Head - Legal as set out in para 15.1 of this report;

     II.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to create a role of Joint Executive Head - Democracy & Governance as set out in para 15.1 of this report;

    III.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to create a Joint Executive Advisory and Support team as set out in para 6.4 of this report to include two new posts of Joint Executive Advisory and Support Manager and Joint Executive Advisor.   The Joint Executive Advisory and Support Manager will provide advisory support as well as management of the existing Joint Executive support team;

   IV.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to create a new post of Joint Head of Governance as set out in para 15.2 of this report;

     V.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to amend the existing three Waverley Borough Council posts of Senior Governance Officer, Senior Corporate Governance Lawyer and Monitoring Officer assistant to be joint roles operating across Waverley and Guildford Councils

   VI.          The increase to the Waverley Legal & Democratic Services salary budget for 24/25 of £179,329 as set out in para 10.6 of this report and the future growth for subsequent years

 VII.          An additional one-off cost of £40,662 to Waverley Council which is a 50% contribution towards the cost of two interim Governance Officers for 6 months and offset against existing salary budget;

VIII.          A supplementary estimate of £220k for Waverley Council to cover the ongoing growth and the short term cost of the interim resource will need to be funded by the repurposing of reserves;

   IX.          To delegate authority to the Monitoring Officer to amend the current inter-authority agreement between Guildford Borough Council and Waverley Borough Council to include the new joint roles as set out in this report.

     X.          To note that the implications of these proposals have been considered in the context of restructures already concluded in GBC and WBC Legal Services and work about to commence in Waverley Democratic Services.

The Executive RECOMMENDS to Council

       I.          That Full Council approve the making of all necessary arrangements for the discharge of functions through joint arrangements between Waverley Borough Council and Guildford Borough Council, by officers of Waverley Borough Council, as set out in this report, and for such arrangements to be included in the inter-authority agreement in accordance with s113 Local Government Act 1972.

The Portfolio Holder for Organisational Development and Governance, introduced the report. The Leader of the Council praised the collaboration between Guildford Borough Council and Waverley Borough Council and commended the recommendations that had been put forward. Executive members supported the recommendations noting that a strong Legal and Democratic Services team was essential to effective governance.

The Executive RESOLVED to approve:

       I.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to create a role of Joint Executive Head - Legal as set out in para 15.1 of this report;

     II.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to create a role of Joint Executive Head - Democracy & Governance as set out in para 15.1 of this report;

    III.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to create a Joint Executive Advisory and Support team as set out in para 6.4 of this report to include two new posts of Joint Executive Advisory and Support Manager and Joint Executive Advisor.   The Joint Executive Advisory and Support Manager will provide advisory support as well as management of the existing Joint Executive support team;

   IV.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to create a new post of Joint Head of Governance as set out in para 15.2 of this report;

     V.          The Joint Head of Paid Service’s proposal to amend the existing three Waverley Borough Council posts of Senior Governance Officer, Senior Corporate Governance Lawyer and Monitoring Officer assistant to be joint roles operating across Waverley and Guildford Councils

   VI.          The increase to the Waverley Legal & Democratic Services salary budget for 24/25 of £179,329 as set out in para 10.6 of this report and the future growth for subsequent years

 VII.          An additional one-off cost of £40,662 to Waverley Council which is a 50% contribution towards the cost of two interim Governance Officers for 6 months and offset against existing salary budget;

VIII.          A supplementary estimate of £220k for Waverley Council to cover the ongoing growth and the short term cost of the interim resource will need to be funded by the repurposing of reserves;

   IX.          To delegate authority to the Monitoring Officer to amend the current inter-authority agreement between Guildford Borough Council and Waverley Borough Council to include the new joint roles as set out in this report.

     X.          To note that the implications of these proposals have been considered in the context of restructures already concluded in GBC and WBC Legal Services and work about to commence in Waverley Democratic Services.

The Executive RECOMMENDS to Council

       I.          That Full Council approve the making of all necessary arrangements for the discharge of functions through joint arrangements between Waverley Borough Council and Guildford Borough Council, by officers of Waverley Borough Council, as set out in this report, and for such arrangements to be included in the inter-authority agreement in accordance with s113 Local Government Act 1972.

Reasons:

a)     As set out in section 3 of the report

The Executive are recommended to make the resolutions set out in the report at agenda item 12.

Portfolio Holder for Customer Services and IT.

The Executive RESOLVED to adopt the new charter for implementation.

The Portfolio Holder Customer Services and IT introduced the report. Executive members endorsed the adoption of a new charter for implementation but acknowledged concerns that many customer interactions that residents had were actually with contractors, rather than the Council.

The Executive RESOLVED to adopt the new charter for implementation.

Reasons:

a)    It is important that we have a customer charter in place that supports our customers and ensures that we are able to clearly manage expectations for our residents when they contact us.

b)    The current one is no longer fit for purpose and needs to be updated.