Minutes:
67.1 The Leader opened his announcements by noting the sudden increase in Covid-19 infection rates in the south-east, and the emergency decision to move London into Tier 3 restrictions. The Leader was continuing to lobby for Waverley to be considered separately to the rest of Surrey, given that the borough consistently had had the lowest infection rates in Surrey. The council would continue to do everything it could to support businesses and residents, and he encouraged everyone to continue to be vigilant in their behaviour to reduce the spread of Covid.
67.2 The council remained concerned about the uncertainty of Brexit arrangements and their impact. The Surrey County Council bid to become a single Surrey unitary had also been extremely unsettling and wasted considerable time and effort. The report commissioned by the eleven Surrey districts and boroughs would be published shortly, and would encourage all to explore ways to work more loosely together. Waverley had already begun discussions with Guildford to see if there were opportunities to achieve economies of scale and improve services.
The Leader then invited Executive Portfolio Holders to give brief updates on current issues:
67.3 Cllr Steve Williams, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability
· Work had progressed on the Carbon Neutrality Action Plan, that had now been approved by the Executive. It incorporated a range of areas including organisational emissions, active travel and air quality, and the development of the green economy in Waverley.
67.4 Cllr Anne-Marie Rosoman, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Safety:
· The Borough Commander, Inspector Sam Adcock, had been meeting regularly with Community Safety Officers and there were now Neighbourhood Specialist Officers in Waverley’s four major towns in addition to two youth engagement officers and a number of PCSOs.
· Work would begin shortly on the new Housing Strategy, and discussions were beginning about Waverley’s involvement in the affordable housing provision at Dunsfold Park.
· The Homelessness Team continued to support a number of families in finding emergency accommodation and then moving on, and funding had been secured for two one-bed modular housing units which would now go through the planning process.
· The Housing Operations Team continued their engagement with residents and tenants during the pandemic, and in the last quarter the number of repairs completed had gone up and the number of void properties had gone down. Rent arrears had also declined and were within the budgeted margins.
67.5 Cllr Andy MacLeod, Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy and Brightwells:
· There were two public consultations underway, one for the Chiddingfold Neighbourhood Plan, which closed on 11 January 2021; and one for the Local Plan Part 2, which would close on 29 January 2021. Details of both were on the Waverley website.
· Work was starting on a climate change sustainability supplementary planning document. This would follow a formal process including public consultation, and the council was exploring options for capitalising on similar work that Guildford Borough Council had done in this area.
· With regards to the Brightwells Yard development, Crest Nicholson were still expressing confidence about being able to launch next July, although it was obviously a very challenging time to be securing commercial tenants.
67.6 Cllr Nick Palmer, Portfolio Holder for Operational and Enforcement Services:
· Whilst car park use had surged as a result of the partial relaxation of lockdown, but it would fall back in the coming weeks as restrictions were again tightened.
67.7 Cllr Liz Townsend, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Leisure and Dunsfold Park:
· Click it Local was operational and growing, with nearly 30 shops taking online orders through the website.
· The Economic Development Team had also helped set up the Farnham and Godalming Job Clubs on line, and these were operating with the help of dedicated volunteers who were supporting people back into employment at this difficult time.
· The council’s leisure centres had re-opened and the Leisure Team had been working hard to support Places Leisure. Based on previous experience, attendance was expected to recover quickly.
· Waverley Training Services continued to support all of their learners and a number of successful apprentices had been highlighted on the Waverley website.
67.8 Cllr Michaela Martin, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Health and Wellbeing:
· Discussions concerning the future of the Farnham Museum and Wilmer House were ongoing, and the Montagu Evans report on options for Wilmer House was expected imminently.
67.9 Cllr Peter Clark, Business Transformation, IT and Customer Service:
· The recently discovered hack of a number of the US government’s IT systems by overseas state-sponsored hackers highlighted the need for vigilance in protecting Waverley’s data, and that of the council’s residents.
67.10 Cllr Paul Follows, Deputy Leader:
· The Communications and Engagement Team continued to keep residents informed on the latest Covid arrangements, and also the increasing amount of information on Brexit arrangements in the event of ‘no deal’. Also, information on the Christmas waste collection timetable, and promoting the work of volunteer organisations providing vital community support during this time.