Agenda item
Members' Questions
The following questions have been submitted by Members of Council in accordance with the Council Procedure Rules (Constitution Part 5, rule 10). Oral responses will be provided at the meeting. Following receipt of the answer to their question a Member is entitled to ask one supplementary question at the meeting.
Question 1 for Councillor Lidia Arciszewska, Cabinet Member for Environment, from Councillor Norman MacRae:
“The ‘new’ Council have made no secret of their aim to ensure the Water Companies (Thames Water) stop untreated sewage discharge to our rivers. As there is nothing in legislation that allows a District Council to ‘enforce’ against a water company, by what means will they ensure the manifest pledge is honoured; at what cost to this Council and in what timescale?“
Question 2 for Councillor Joy Aitman, Cabinet Member for Stronger Healthy Communuties, from Councillor Norman MacRae:
"The Oxfordshire Playing Field Association have been instructed by this Council to consider what works are required to the play area at Kilkenny Lane Country Park to bring it to a safe and fully usable standard. What progress has there been on this plan; what are the anticipated costs and within what timespan?"
Question 3 for Councillor Carl Rylett, Cabinet Member Planning & Sustainable Development, from Councillor Jeff Haine:
“On housing targets and infrastructure, you have called for more realistic housing targets rather than the "sky-high" ones in the Local Plan and you have also called for infrastructure before development. How are you going to deliver on these?”
Question 4 for Councillor Andrew Prosser, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, from Councillor Alaa Al-Yousuf:
“Climate Change Working Group: Does the Cabinet member for Climate Change intend to bring back the Climate Change Working Group and chair it?”
Question 5 for Councillor Andrew Prosser, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, from Councillor Alaa Al-Yousuf:
“How is our leisure centres operator, GLL, planning to deal with the energy crisis?“
Minutes:
The following questions were asked at the meeting, and below are the recorded answers:
Question 1 - for Councillor Lidia Arciszewska, Cabinet Member for Environment, from Councillor Norman MacRae:
“The ‘new’ Council have made no secret of their aim to ensure the Water Companies (Thames Water) stop untreated sewage discharge to our rivers. As there is nothing in legislation that allows a District Council to ‘enforce’ against a water company, by what means will they ensure the manifest pledge is honoured; at what cost to this Council and in what timescale?“
Answer:
Whilst it is true that recent government legislation places no obligation or clear targets on water companies to reduce raw sewage discharges to watercourses, we as elected representatives of the West Oxfordshire residents need to set the goals and find the solutions to address this dire problem.
This is a good opportunity to update you on the actions that we have asked Thames Water to implement, which are as follows:
1. Increasing sewage treatment capacity - by December 2025, to have increased the treatment capacities of each sewage treatment works (“STW”), which currently has insufficient treatment capacity, so that their capacity exceeds the forecast capacity requirements for December 2028. Clearly capacity should take account of future housing growth, rather than just increasing capacity to catch up.
In the cases of smaller sewage treatment works, Thames Water to review which of these should be closed with the effluent pumped to larger sewage treatment works. Additionally, Thames Water and the Environment Agency to commit to working together to assign treatment capacities to all STWs above Port Meadow which currently have no specified capacities, completing this work by December 2022.
2. Quantifying and communicating the volume of sewage discharged – it is not sufficient only to know how long sewage is being released, we need to know how much sewage is discharged. By December 2022, Thames Water to have fitted volume flowmeters to all STWs with FFTs over 15 litres per second; and by December 2023 to have fitted volume flowmeters to all STWs above Port Meadow. These flowmeters should be linked to real-time open source monitoring which is accessible online, as well as via Twitter and Facebook.
We will work closely with Thames Water, the Environment Agency and other key local organisations such as Windrush Action Against Sewage Pollution and Evenlode Catchment Partnership to drive towards these goals.
In answer to the supplementary Question Councillor Arciszewska confirmed that interactive Water Days were planned and that these would include a wide range of stakeholders.
Question 2 - for Councillor Joy Aitman, Cabinet Member for Stronger Healthy Communities, from Councillor Norman MacRae:
"The Oxfordshire Playing Field Association have been instructed by this Council to consider what works are required to the play area at Kilkenny Lane Country Park to bring it to a safe and fully usable standard. What progress has there been on this plan; what are the anticipated costs and within what timespan?"
Answer:
The Council received the report from The Oxfordshire Playing Field Association on the 30th June. Officers are meeting in July to review the report and assess the recommendations/options and costings.
In answer to the supplementary question Councillor Aitman said she was not aware of a recent site meeting between Councillors and at the Monahan Way pitches but agreed to make enquiries and update Councillor MacRae.
Question 3 - for Councillor Carl Rylett, Cabinet Member Planning & Sustainable Development, from Councillor Jeff Haine:
“On housing targets and infrastructure, you have called for more realistic housing targets rather than the "sky-high" ones in the Local Plan and you have also called for infrastructure before development. How are you going to deliver on these?”
Answer:
The housing requirement set out in the currently adopted West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2031 is based on the District’s then identified housing need as set out in the Oxfordshire Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) 2014. It also includes an agreed apportionment of unmet housing need from Oxford City.
The forthcoming review of the Local Plan provides an opportunity to consider the most appropriate housing requirement through to 2041 taking account of the most up to date evidence on housing need but also taking into account all other relevant considerations in accordance with national policy.
With regards to the delivery of infrastructure, it is anticipated that the Local Plan review will be accompanied by a new Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) the contents of which will be reflected through an appropriate policy/policies within the new Local Plan itself thus helping to ensure timely delivery of supporting infrastructure in accordance with established place-making principles.
In answer to the supplementary question Councillor Rylett confirmed that land supply remains in excess of 5 years.
Question 4 - for Councillor Andrew Prosser, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, from Councillor Alaa Al-Yousuf:
“Climate Change Working Group: Does the Cabinet member for Climate Change intend to bring back the Climate Change Working Group and chair it?”
Answer:
“Plans are being formulated to significantly increase the reach, scale and urgency of climate action through greater partnership working with other councils, and through engagement in the wider community, including businesses, parish and town councils, community action groups, schools, and residents directly. These plans are being developed with a focus on some of the largest impact areas of building retrofit and energy generation, food and land management, and travel. Particular attention will be given to where there are co-benefits of carbon emissions reduction, climate resilience/adaptation, and ecology enhancement (refer to Biannual Report).
What we want to harness in taking forward future plans is a robust consultation process and working group approach, that goes beyond the role of Scrutiny, and actively engages and captures the ideas and energy from local Councillors as well as the wider community in shaping future projects and initiatives. The details for how that happens, and what that forum might look like, is being considered by Cabinet in discussions and planning towards a new Council Plan and list of priorities. It is therefore too early to give a full and comprehensive response to this question, as work is in progress to agree the best way forward. It can however be addressed more fully at the next Full Council meeting, which I propose we do.”
In answer to the supplementary question Councillor Prosser confirmed that a report would be sent to the 29 September meeting of the Climate and Environment Scrutiny Committee.
Question 5 - for Councillor Andrew Prosser, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, from Councillor Alaa Al-Yousuf:
“How is our leisure centres operator, GLL, planning to deal with the energy crisis?“
Answer:
GLL recognise the serious and significant impact of the current fluctuation in Utility Prices and as a National Leisure Group who operate 135 facilities with public pools and multiple Local Authority Partners – the impact of this National Crisis is being felt by GLL across their whole business.
Officers have arranged to start meetings, in addition to the regular monitoring/meeting programme, to specifically monitor the Energy Price Crisis. Any proposals and service changes that are identified to help with the Short Term saving of energy will be put forward to the appropriate channels for consideration and approval – and will be supported as far as possible with extra customer communications where the impacts are likely to be felt by them. It is vital that energy reduction doesn’t lead to a reduction in customer use, but there will likely be impacts in both service delivery and financial cost to customers. During this period of Recovery from the pandemic, the increased costs couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Leisure industry and may lead to increased customer/resident dissatisfaction.
In answer to the supplementary question Councillor Aitman confirmed that Finance and Management Overview Scrutiny Committee would receive a report on this issue.