Agenda and minutes

Councillor Patrick Kitterick was appointed as Chair for the meeting.

The procedure for the meeting was outlined to those present. At the invitation of the Chair, all Councillors and officers present at the meeting introduced themselves.

Apologies were received from Councillor Paul Westley. Apologies were also received from Caroline Trevithick, Executive Director of Nursing, Quality & Performance LLR CCGs.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business on the agenda.

Members were asked to declare any interests they had in the business on the agenda.

Councillor Joshi declared an Other Disclosable Interest in that his wife worked for the Reablement Team at Leicester City Council.

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, the interest was not considered so significant that it was likely to prejudice the Councillor’s judgement pf the public interest. Councillor Joshi was not, therefore, required to withdraw from the meeting during consideration and discussion of the agenda items.

The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation submits a presentation on the draft Leicester Local Plan (2020 – 2036) public consultation.

Members are recommended to accept the presentation and make comments and observations to the Director of Planning, Development and Transportation, the Strategic Director Social Care and Education, and to the Executive.

A link to the plans and supporting documents can be accessed online at consultations.leicester.gov.uk

There will be no public questions section at the meeting. However, the Chair has indicated a willingness to accept questions from members of the public relevant to the consultation on the draft Leicester Local Plan as it relates to Adult Social Care and Health.

The deadline for questions to be submitted to the Special Joint Adult Social Care / Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Commission Meeting is 12Noon on Thursday 22^nd October 2020 to Committees@leicester.gov.uk.

Persons who have submitted a question will then be contacted with regards to joining the meeting to present their question.

The Chair outlined the format for the evening’s meeting and also that a number of questions had been submitted by members of the public, who were informed they would be allowed one supplementary question based on their original question.

The Head of Planning gave a presentation, a copy of which had been circulated with the agenda papers.  During the presentation, particular attention was drawn to the following points:

·         Adult Social Care and Health was a cross-cutting agenda. There were a range of policy areas in the plan, including the nature of housing design of quality, accessibility, looking at active travel, public transport, the health aspects of climate change such as air quality, and employment, jobs and training.

·         The Government had issued a consultation which proposed radical change to the local plan process. The consultation, which was due to finish the week of the Scrutiny Meeting, had substantial implications but might take some time for it to be clear as to how and when it would be brought forward.

·         The consultation included a whole range of things including 3 different land designations, nationally set development management policies so there would be no local planning polices in local plans, extension of permitted developments, permission in principle, looking for more of a focus on design and design codes with less scrutiny in the form of planning committee and shortened local plan processes. They were also consulting on a new housing methodology which might set different housing targets.

·         It was proposed to carry on the process of consulting on the Local Plan which had been delayed due to Covid-19, the document for which had been approved at Full Council in March 2020. It was believed there would be a transition period put in place should the new system be put forward following consultation on the White Paper.

·         The government encouraged councils to continue consulting on their local plans, and the authority had taken advantage to consult on two elements of additional evidence and were interested in people’s views on them. That evidence had not informed the current draft plan but would be used to support the drafting of the next version of the plan.

·         The Government expected councils to adopt 15-year plans. The plan included specific policies when considering planning application. It was important to evidence the plan as viable, deliverable and achievable, and it was noted planning inspectors would be looking at that aspect closely.

·         The plan of Leicester showed a tightly drawn boundary which gave problems in how the development of the city was managed, along with delivery of infrastructure to support the growth of the city.

·         The Council had been working in partnership with adjacent district councils in the form of a strategic growth plan which looked longer term to 2050 and was a vehicle to try to agree how the districts could help meet some of the housing demands generated by the growing city. There was in principle a tentative agreement that around a third of the city’s growth may  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Chair had not been notified of any other urgent business.

·         The Chair informed Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Members that a meeting would be convened to look at the General Hospital plan for disposal.

The meeting closed at 7.13 pm.