Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, reminding everyone that this was a virtual meeting, as permitted under Section 78 of the Coronavirus Act 2020, to enable meetings to take place whilst observing social distancing measures.

At the invitation of the Chair, Members and officers present at the meeting then introduced themselves.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Joel, who was absent on Council business.

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

Councillor Broadwell declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in relation to agenda item 6, “Draft Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan”, in that she had previously undertaken work for the Nuclear Industry Association and had spoken on climate change on that Association’s behalf.

Councillor Broadwell also declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in relation to agenda item 6, “Draft Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan”, in that she ran a business restoring and refurbishing electric bikes.

Councillor Porter declared for openness that he had concerns about the Climate Emergency that he previously had made public, (agenda item 6, “Draft Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan”, referred), and had submitted a representation to a previous investigation in to practices in the textiles industry, (agenda item 10, “Leicester Textiles Sector (Modern Slavery & Labour Exploitation”, referred).

Councillor Sandhu declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in relation to agenda item 11, “Draft Local Plan – Public Consultation”, in that his wife owned a property in the city’s Cultural Quarter.  Councillor Sandhu advised that, if the Cultural Quarter was discussed during this item, he would remove himself from the meeting for that discussion.

Councillor Sandhu also declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in relation to agenda item 10, “Leicester Textiles Sector (Modern Slavery & Labour Exploitation”, in that his wife worked in the textile industry.  Councillor Sandhu advised that he would remove himself from the meeting during consideration of this item and would take not part in the discussion on it.

The minutes of the meeting of the Economic Development, Transport and Tourism Scrutiny Commission held on 9 July 2020 are attached and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record

Further to minute 70, “Task Group Review of Economic Development at Local Level”, the Chair advised the Commission that the Task Group’s report had been warmly received at Overview Select Committee.  The Chair would be presenting the report to the Executive next week.

In relation to the same minute, the Director of Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment advised Members that the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership was in the process of developing an economic recovery plan, which would be considered by the Partnership’s Board of Directors on 6 October.  Members expressed the hope that the plan could be shared with members of this Commission, to help in the development of proposals for projects relating to employment and in any future submissions to central government for funding towards such projects.

The Head of Economic Regeneration also advised Members that to date there had been no change in the national position in relation to returning any remaining allocation from the European Social Fund, but monitoring of this would continue.  In the meantime, the Recovery Plan would set out the Council’s strategic intent and how it would ensure that it was in a position to respond to any offers of funding.

Some concern was expressed that minute 70 did not fully reflect the discussion at the meeting, particularly in relation to the use of public funds in the city, but the Commission decided not to amend that minute.  However, some changes were suggested to minute 71,”Economic Recovery Plan”, in order to clarify the position reported at the meeting.

AGREED:

1)    That the Chief Executive of the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership be asked to provide copies of the Partnership’s Economic Recovery Plan to all members of this Commission; and

2)    That the minutes of the meeting of the Economic Development, Transport and Tourism Scrutiny Commission held on 9 July 2020 be confirmed as a correct record, subject to the second paragraph of minute 71, “Economic Recovery Plan”, being amended as follows (new wording in italics):

“The Director noted that the city’s economic recovery had barely started before the city was placed in local lockdown.  Although this increased the challenges faced, it was stressed that the city’s investment development pipeline was strong still in place, with and that investors such as the universities, this Council and major other developers were still planning committed to do work major schemes such as those on site now at the Space Park, Waterside and the old Fenwicks building.  It therefore was important not to let this stall “

The Monitoring Officer to report on any Petitions received in accordance with Council procedures.

The Monitoring Officer reported that no petitions had been received.

The Monitoring Officer to report on any Questions, Representations and Statements of Case received in accordance with Council procedures.

The Monitoring Officer reported that no questions, representations, or statements of case had been received.

The Director of Estates and Building Services submits a report presenting a draft three-year strategy for addressing the Climate Emergency declared in February 2019, along with a draft of the first iteration of a three-year action plan. 

The Commission is recommended to:

a)    Consider and comment on the drafts of Leicester’s Climate Emergency Strategy 2020 – 2023 (Appendix 1) and Leicester City Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan 2020 – 2023 Version 1 (Appendix 2) to inform the completion of their development prior to their formal implementation through an Executive Decision by the Deputy City Mayor for Environment and Transportation;

b)    Note the extensive consultation and engagement undertaken in preparing the Strategy and the Plan, and the resulting mandate for an ambitious response to the Climate Emergency;

c)    Note the intention to actively encourage and support organisations in the city to join with the Council in taking action, including developing their own action plans; and

d)    Note the commitment made in the strategy to monitoring and publicly reporting on progress.

The Director of Estates and Buildings submitted a report presenting a draft three-year strategy for addressing the Climate Change Emergency declared in February 2019, along with a draft of the first version of a three-year action plan.

Councillor Clarke, Deputy City Mayor – Environment and Transportation, introduced the report, welcoming the development of the strategy and action plan. 

The Service Manager – Sustainability reminded Members that, following the declaration of the Climate Emergency in February 2019, ideas for a strategy had been developed in-house.  Consultation on these had run from November 2019 to March 2020, during which time over 4,000 individual responses had been received to the proposals in the plan.

The Council had first set targets to help address climate change in the early 1990s and currently was exceeding its target to reduce its carbon production by 50% by 2025.  However, due to the Climate Emergency, the ambition now was to be carbon-neutral by 2030, which would be a steep reduction. 

Councillor Clarke expressed disappointment that the Council’s ambition did not appear to be matched by national policy, as the latter was needed in order to help meet the aspiration to be carbon neutral by 2030.  The Service Manager – Sustainability confirmed that lobbying government on the issues outlined in the Strategy and Action Plan was critical, as the Council could not achieve its targets without national government intervention in policy and funding schemes.

The Service Manager – Sustainability drew attention to the actions for the first year of the strategy and advised Members that actions for the following two years now were being developed.  This included accessing as much funding as possible and linking the strategy to other work, such as the Economic Recovery Plan that was being developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Members welcomed the report and congratulated officers on producing the Strategy, which was ambitious, but set out a clear way for achieving the required outcomes.

The following comments were then made in discussion:

·           How did this Strategy differ from previous ones?

Response from the Service Manager – Sustainability:

Although the city had achieved a lot since the 1990s, the Council now needed to drive a substantial step change that provided innovation in every aspect of people’s lives.

·           The government could be asked to fund district heating schemes, to help reduce emissions from housing, although it was recognised that these could be expensive to set up.  It was noted that, as the national grid decarbonised, carbon savings from gas fired district heating schemes were falling and alternative energy sources for district heating would be required.

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·           Some renewable forms of energy were not acceptable.  For example, biofuels drove a lot of deforestation.  The Strategy therefore could be more specific about which forms of renewable energy were considered appropriate.

·           37% of households in Leicester not having access to a car created a potential to encourage use of alternative forms of transport.  For example, people did not have to be physically fit to successfully use electric  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

The Director of Estates and Building Services submits a report summarising key findings of Accessibility Audits carried out in May 2020 for City Hall and Town Hall. 

The Commission is recommended to:

a)     note and comment on the contents of this report;

b)     ask Estates and Building Services to commission further accessibility audits of Council sites and develop a planned approach to support this with its in house team in the future;

c)     ask Estates and Building Services to share the findings of Appendices A and B to this report with the Disabled Workers Group for comment and assign a member of its Facilities Management team to be part of this group; and

d)     ask Estates and Building Services to seek to include the priority works at City Hall into the next appropriate capital programme for commencement as soon as possible.

The Director of Estates and Buildings submitted a report summarising key findings of Accessibility Audits carried out in May 2020 for City Hall and the Town Hall.

The City Mayor introduced the report, reminding Members that, although these were flagship buildings, they were not the only Council buildings with public access.  Access at both City Hall and the Town Hall needed to be improved, but it was important to ensure that the right work was being done.  Comments from the Scrutiny Commission on the proposals therefore would be welcome.

The Head of Operations and Facilities Management noted that when City Hall was refurbished, it had been done so as to be as compliant as reasonably possible with The Building Regulations Approved Document Part M 2006.  Over time it had become apparent that this was insufficient, as set out in the report, resulting in the recommendation that various works be undertaken to improve accessibility.  Details of these also were set out in the report.

As an employer, the Council was required to make reasonable adjustments to improve accessibility, as far as possible.  The recommendations in the report in relation to the Town Hall therefore reflected its age and listed status.  Consideration was being given to how these works could be done in parallel with clearing the backlog of maintenance work, but replacement of the platform lift to the Council Chamber would be progressed now, with the work being done in November 2020.

The Head of Operations and Facilities Management advised that it was proposed to consult the Council’s Disabled Workers Group on the suitability of the proposed works.

At the invitation of the Chair, Maureen Peberdy, representing Labour Disability, provided feedback on the report, making the following points:

“I welcome the opportunity to talk to you today and the proactiveness of the Council and the Mayor to undertake this audit of the 2 main Council buildings in the City, the Town Hall and City Hall. Both buildings are currently unsuitable for disabled people.

I also appreciate his willingness to engage with disabled individuals and groups and thank him for the time he has taken to talk to me personally.

I have expressed my concerns about the ethos under which the audit has been undertaken. Oakland Group are not specialists in disability and the audit seems to have been undertaken not with disabled people in mind, but with the bare minimum to comply with the legal requirement required and cost influencing the recommendations.

Most of the recommendations are only “considered REASONABLY appropriate under the Act” and to quote from Oaklands Audit report they have undertaken a “snap shot” view – not a long-term view which is needed.

Their recommendation that remote IT access via an intranet would provide an acceptable solution if it allows access to a service without the need to physically alter the premises is both discriminatory, offensive and not in the spirit of the Act.

They state that the Act requires physical barriers should be removed but  ...  view the full minutes text for item 82.

The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation submits a report outlining the revised timetable for the Local Plan, including provisions for consultation and scrutiny.  The Commission is recommended to note public consultation for this stage of the replacement Leicester Local Plan, as set out in the report, and the revised timetable, and to comment as appropriate.

The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation submitted a report outlining the revised timetable for the Local Plan, including provisions for consultation and scrutiny. 

Members were reminded that an additional Special Meeting of this Commission would be held on 12 October 2020, at which the full Draft Local Plan would be scrutinised.

The Team Leader (Generic Planning) reminded Members that consultation on the Draft Local Plan had been due to start on 23 March 2020, but had been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Instead, the consultation period had started on 14 September 2020, using the same documents as would have been used for the consultation in March.

The Team Leader (Generic Planning) and the Head of Planning drew attention to the following points:

·           Additional evidence completed since March would be consulted on in parallel with the Draft Plan.  However, it did not inform policies and strategies in the Draft Plan and would be considered at the next stage of the Plan process;

·           The White Paper “Planning for the Future” raised the possibility of substantial changes to the planning system, including proposals to abolish the duty to co-operate with other local authorities in the preparation of Local Plans.  However, the Council needed to continue to work with neighbouring authorities, particularly in relation to its unmet housing and employment needs;

·           The final Local Plan was due to be ready by autumn 2021.  There would be further consultation before its adoption in summer 2022;

·           Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it had been necessary to change the way in which consultation was undertaken.  Information on this was set out in the report; and

·           The government was encouraging Planning authorities to not pause preparation of new Local Plans.  This Council did not see any advantage in delaying preparation of a Plan for two years pending adoption of the proposals in the White Paper, so was continuing the process.

Members noted that further consultation would be undertaken on the Submission Plan produced in autumn 2021.  All comments made on the current consultation would be forwarded to the Planning Inspector as part of that submission.  It was noted that individuals could make representations for consideration at the subsequent Examination of the Plan, but it was the Inspector’s decision on who was called to speak.  This was a change in procedure since the last Local Plan was adopted.

Some concern was expressed that people without internet access would not be able to engage in the consultation.  In reply, the Team Leader (Generic Planning) advised that the consultation process had been adapted in response to restrictions imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  As well as web-based consultation, officers were happy to discuss the contents of the Draft Plan by telephone, or print hard copies of relevant parts of the Draft Plan for people, as it was recognised that many people did not have access to the internet. 

In addition, notices had been put up in libraries advising of the consultation and hard copies of response questionnaires would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 83.

The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation will give a presentation on the recent consultation on the Strategic Transport Plan.  The Commission is recommended to receive the presentation and comment as appropriate.

The City Transport Director gave a presentation on the recent consultation on the Strategic Transport Plan (STP).  A copy of the presentation is attached at the end of these minutes for information. 

The Director advised that responses to the consultation had been collated by Leicestershire County Council and a redraft of the STP was underway in response to these.

Some disappointment was expressed that the STP did not appear to have been revised to take in to account the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.  For example, a lot of people were now working from home and the opportunity could be taken to ensure the city benefitted from this.  This included reconsidering how mass transit was provided, in view of the lower numbers of people now travelling in the city.

The City Transport Director agreed that ideas and tools developed needed to be flexible and of an appropriate scale.  This could mean that more focus was given in the future to walking and cycling, (including the use of electric bikes), as these were all measures that could be scaled to what was appropriate for an area.  However, at present it was not possible to predict what levels of congestion would be when the Covid-19 pandemic was over and whether they would have the same patterns as previously, (for example, peaks in the morning and late afternoon).

Elements of work currently being undertaken were in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, such as pop up cycle ways and changes to footway widths.  A review of pop up measures would be starting shortly, in order to consider if there were opportunities to keep some of the measures for longer, or if some should be made permanent.  The Council wanted to be innovative and use the situation as a catalyst for changes in the future.

Members felt that cycling in the city was improving steadily, but the provision of longer-distance routes could still be improved, (for example, through using old railway track beds).  This would improve commuting and leisure opportunities.  The City Mayor welcomed this suggestion, noting that the County Council could be encouraged to consider co-operation with longer-distance routes that went beyond the city boundary.

In response to a question, the City Transport Director explained that affordability was considered to be very important.  For example, multi-operator flexi tickets were available and it was hoped that increased use could be made of mobile phone platforms in the future, which would help reduce overheads. 

In addition, a consultation was being undertaken on the possible introduction of a workplace parking levy.  If this was introduced, it could provide longer-term income that could be reinvested.

AGREED:

1)    That the Strategic Transport Plan be welcomed; and

2)    That the City Transport Director and the Director of Planning, Development and Transportation be asked to consider the comments recorded above in developing the Strategic Transport Plan further.

The meeting adjourned at 6.09 pm and reconvened at 6.14 pm

During the adjournment, Councillor Sandhu left the meeting in accordance with his declaration of interest, (see minute 77, “Declarations of Interest”, above)

The Director of Neighbourhood and Environmental Services and the Director of Tourism, Culture and Investment submit a report briefing members on the city’s proactive work around modern slavery and labour exploitation, particularly in Leicester’s garment/ textiles sector, and highlighting key areas that the Council and partners such as the police have identified as further areas for development and the steps being taken to address these.  The Commission is recommended to note and comment on this work and identify any additional steps that can be taken to address the issues.

The Director of Neighbourhood and Environmental Services and the Director of Tourism, Culture and Investment submitted a report briefing members on the city’s proactive work around modern slavery and labour exploitation, particularly in Leicester’s garment / textiles sector.  The report also highlighted key areas that the Council and partners such as the police had identified as further areas for development and the steps being taken to address these.

Councillor Clarke, Deputy City Mayor – Environment and Transportation, introduced the report, noting that the sector and supply chain problems experienced were not unique to Leicester.  He reminded Members that the Council had no legal powers to stop labour exploitation, but had a strong role in working with enforcement agencies to address the issues.

The Community Safety (Labour Market) Co-ordinator then introduced herself to the Commission and Councillor Clarke explained that this was a unique post nationally.

The Head of Community Safety and Protection explained that:

·           The Council worked with key agencies, for example doing factory visits and assisting where possible.  However, enforcement agencies did not always have a full understanding of each other’s roles, so Council officers had compiled a handbook explaining these;

·           Communication and engagement work was important and the Council was fully engaged with its community leadership role.  It therefore was endeavouring to create a list of resources that were available, provide clear explanations of what exploitation and modern slavery were and identify easily understood pathways for reporting concerns;

·           The Council hoped to launch work it was doing with the Crimestoppers organisation around exploitation and modern slavery at the Leicester Business Festival;

·           Ongoing work included working with employers, to ensure they understood the law, and with employees, to ensure they were aware of their rights and knew what “good” looked like;

·           It was hoped that Council front-line workers could be trained to spot signs of exploitation; and

·           Officers also worked with organisations such as Hope for Justice, which had now agreed to have a base in the city.  It was proposed that front line officers from Hope for Justice, who spoke community languages, would be available to discuss issues with anyone who had concerns about exploitation.  Council officers also were working in communities with Citizens Advice, (for example, at schools), and visiting local safeguarding boards.  Meetings were being held with Trades Unions and had resulted in an invitation being received to address the Trades union Congress General Conference in November 2020 on labour exploitation and modern slavery.

The Head of Economic Regeneration advised the Commission that work also was ongoing in relation to supporting the growth of the sector.  Councillor Clarke chaired engagement with textile manufacturers and many of them had offered to help identify how the situation could be improved.  This included discussing how good practice could be showcased and identifying how procurement opportunities and skills could be developed, and training provided on key issues. 

Engagement also was ongoing with retailers, to find ways in which the manufacturing base in the city could grow, and with local universities  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Investment submits a report updating on the work to develop an initial economic recovery plan for the city.  The Commission is recommended to note the contents and comment on this report.

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Investment submitted a report updating the Commission on work to develop an initial economic recovery plan for the city in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  He noted that:

·           The plan had been delayed by the extended local restrictions imposed by the government on Leicester and a lack of information from the government;

·           The plan would be co-ordinated with the Council’s partners and with the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership’s plan, which had recently been released for consultation;

·           Resources would be committed to improving the city’s image and actively encouraging new investment in the city;

·           A focus of the plan would be youth unemployment, which was expected to get worse, as well as unemployment in other vulnerable groups.  Ambitious targets would be set, through which the Council would provide leadership in addressing these issues;

·           Space at the Adult Education Centre or other city centre facilities would be used to co-ordinate support for the “Kickstart” project and other initiatives to address youth unemployment, working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions;

·           Consideration would be given to how the Council could improve its spending power, for example through the procurement process;

·           A lot of work already had been done to support businesses.  The Council had been very proactive in ensuring that grant aid reached businesses;

·           Central government resource was critical.  Approximately one-third of Leicester’s work force, approximately 50,000 people, was directly supported by the government’s furlough scheme or small business assistance programme;

·           Conversations were being held with the Council’s Sustainability team and other interested parties about how the city’s economic recovery could support work being undertaken to address the Council’s declared Climate Emergency.  This included considering how “green jobs” could be provided;

·           The Covid-19 situation continued to provide both challenges and opportunities.  The Council therefore would continue to look at what could be done differently and to work with others to identify a “new normal” and how this could be achieved quickly.  This included consultation with bodies such as the local universities; and

·           It was hoped that the economic recovery plan could be published in October 2020.

Members agreed that the current emergency situation needed to be addressed.  The city had a higher number of young people than some comparable cities and would face very significant problems when the government’s furlough scheme ended.  For example, demand for help from food banks already was very high and was increasing.  Production of an economic recovery plan therefore should not be delayed.

The City Mayor advised the Commission that the Council would continue to make representations regarding the ending of the furlough scheme and the three city Members of Parliament also were making representations.

The Commission agreed that central government support was vital to the city’s recovery and expressed concern that the ending of the furlough scheme could destabilise the economy.  It was recognised that the Council’s resources were limited, but Members felt they should be used as strongly as possible.  For example, it was possible that property prices  ...  view the full minutes text for item 87.

The City Mayor will answer questions raised by members of the Commission on issues not covered elsewhere on the agenda.

No questions were submitted.

The meeting closed at 7.32 pm