Minutes:
The Leader and Portfolio Holders gave brief updates on current issues not reported elsewhere on the agenda:
· The Leader welcomed the recent Pride in Surrey event which had been held in Godalming town centre at the end of September. It had been well attended by over 8,000 and he thanked the Waverley staff and Councillors who had supported the event. The event had emphasised the values held by the Council and provided an economic boost to the town centre. The Leader also thanked the staff involved in supporting the forthcoming by-elections in Cranleigh East and Dunsfold Parish and the Haslemere Neighbourhood Plan referendum.
· Councillor Peter Clark, Portfolio Holder for Business Transformation and IT advised that a recent attack on the server by “bad bots” had brought the Council’s planning portal to a standstill. As a result a new layer of protection had been purchased in the form of software which could detect IP addresses of bot attacks and block them instantly.
· Councillor Andy MacLeod, Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy, Services and Brightwells advised that the consultation on LPP2 had opened on 1 October. The Planning Policy team were currently working on two important supplementary planning documents, one for Dunsfold Park and one for Climate Change and Sustainability and it was hoped to get these out to consultation in November and February/March respectively for adoption in the Spring/Summer 2022. The Brightwells development was due for a grand opening in 2022 and the South Street car park upgrade had been delayed to early next year to avoid interfering with Sainsbury’s Christmas shopping period.
· Councillor Mark Merryweather, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Assets and Commercial Services advised that on 7 September the Government had announced a new health and social care levy which would take the form of a 1.25% increase in national insurance contributions which are paid by both employees and employers. The Council had been assessing the impact of the levy on its own finances, which was likely to be around £130,000 annually before inflation. This was equivalent to a 1.2% increase in Council Tax or the entire budget for apprentices and trainees. There had been no additional funding from the Government announced and therefore the burden would fall on the Council to identify further efficiency savings. It was noted that Surrey County Council’s national insurance liability was expected to be around £2.4m, Surrey Police’s around £2m and there would be an impact on parish and town councils.
· Councillor Kika Mirylees, Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Culture advised that local company had been engaged to carry out an options appraisal on the museum.
· Councillor Anne Marie Rosoman, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Safety advised that Bracknell Forest Borough Council would be the Council’s new out of hours contractor. They were currently running the out of hours service for Guildford Borough Council and therefore had geographical knowledge of Surrey. The new contract went live on 1st October and the Business Transformation team was working on having one number which would switch automatically at the end of the working day to the out of hours service.
· Councillor Liz Townsend, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Parks and Leisure also welcomed the Pride event in Godalming which promoted the area commitment to equality. Use of leisure centres was increasing and people returning to previous activities. Vacancy rates were around 6.5% which were well below the national average of 14.1%. Funding was continuing to be distributed to those businesses most impacted by the pandemic and free business support and advice was being offered. The Economic Development team was working on a number of projects to promote the high streets and boosting the leisure centres. There was a concern over the impact of the rising cost of living on residents on lower incomes, particularly the cost of energy and fuel and the removal of the additional £20 a week on Universal Credit which represented a significant reduction in income to these families. It was noted that over 50% of those on Universal Credit were families with children. Arriva had announced the closure of their Guildford depot which would affect bus services in the rural areas of the borough, although it was hoped that another provider would take over and the Council was working with Surrey County Council on this issue.
· Councillor Steve Williams, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability advised that all waste collection services had been maintained despite challenges experience elsewhere through the pandemic. However there was pressure in the system and officers were working hard with the contractor to maintain the services and build a level of resilience in the service. The Climate Change and Sustainability SPD was being developed and the first meeting of the Climate Emergency Board had been held on 22nd September. Procurement, planning and housing had been identified as three main areas of focus. The Council was working closely with environmental groups in respect of holding local events to raise awareness around the COP26 summit in November. The Council was engaged in the consultation on the Guildford to Godalming greenway. Work was being carried out on the Godalming gateway and the Hale trail which would promote active travel in the borough. Cycle storage would be constructed in Godalming, Haslemere and Cranleigh and suitable locations were being explored for Farnham. The Council was working with Surrey County Council on the provision of electric vehicle charging.