Agenda and minutes

[To receive any apologies for absence]. 

An apology for absence was received from Cllr Valerie Evans.

[To receive any declarations of interest]. 

Cllr Philip Bateman MBE declared an interest as a Director of Birmingham Airport, the Chair of Ashmore Park Nursery Governing Body and a Governor of the Ashmore Park and Phoenix Nursery Schools Federation. 

[To approve the minutes of 12 October 2022 meeting as a correct record.]

Resolved:That the minutes of the meeting held on 12 October 2022 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

[To approve the minutes of the 1 November 2022 meeting as a correct record].

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 November 2022 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair. 

[To consider the WMCA Scrutiny Annual Report].

The Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Cllr Cathryn Bayton, introduced their Annual Scrutiny Report.  She stated that all the Constituent Authorities and Non-Constituent Authorities nominated an elected Member to sit on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  She was on the Committee as one of the Association of Black Country Authorities representatives.  The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, constitutionally had to be of the opposing party to that of the Mayor of the West Midlands.  Additionally, the Chair of the Transport Scrutiny Sub-Committee had to be a Member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and be of an opposing party to the Mayor.

The Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee stated that there were six meetings a year of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the same applied for the Transport Scrutiny Sub-Committee.  There were also two question and answer sessions with the Mayor on Policy and Finance.  The Annual report outlined the deep dives that had been conducted during the municipal year, which included a review on housing.  The planned skills review had been carried forward to the next municipal year due to work load demands on the housing review.  Sessions had taken place with Portfolio Holders that covered Housing and Land, and Air Quality. 

The Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee referred to the briefing note which had been circulated with the agenda.  This detailed the work to date of the Scrutiny Committee in the current municipal year.  Much of the work of the Committee had been considering the Trailblazing Devolution Deal.  This work had included having five separate workshops.  A report following the workshops would be submitted to the WMCA Board the following week.  This report would form part of the Combined Authority’s submission to Government, if it was ratified at the Board.   

The Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee commented that the Committee were undertaking a skills deep dive this year.  The work was underway and was expected to be reported in March 2023.  She also Chaired the Transport Scrutiny Sub-Committee.  They had considered the Commonwealth Games and the lessons learnt. Walking, cycling and automated mobility had featured as part of the Committees work.  They had recently considered the Bus Service Improvement Plan.  Next year, Scrutiny would be looking in detail at the expected Bus Franchise Report.

A Panel Member referred to the suspension of the Midland Metro Service which was detailed within the report.  He asked if there had been any conclusions from the Scrutiny work that had taken place and if there were any plans to follow up on the work.  His second question related to the extensions of line one on the Metro and the delays that had been occurring in Wolverhampton for a short stretch of track.  He hoped the WMCA Committee would take note of the impact of the delays on the City,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

[To provide an integrated finance and performance update against the Relighting Our City Priorities.  Report received by Cabinet on 16 November 2022 is attached]. 

The Head of Data Analytics and the Director of Finance presented the report on Performance and Budget Monitoring 2022-2023.  They summarised the key points contained in the report.

The Vice-Chair noted that in relation to performance, Wolverhampton based businesses supported by the Council was not improving.  Businesses in the City Centre had commented to him that they had felt abandoned and that the Council were not interested in their experiences or listening to them.  He asked the Director of Finance if the Council was working on an assumption of a 5% Council Tax increase for next year’s budget.  The Director of Finance responded that it was currently at 3%, they were looking at the modelling for 5%, but no decisions had yet been made.

A Panel Member asked for clarity on which were the six performance indicators which had shown a decrease in performance.  The Head of Data Analytics responded that he would send the documentation to him. 

A Member of the Panel highlighted the attractive survival business data (1 year) in the City.  The Director of Strategy responded that the business support data could be part of a deep dive report going to the relevant Scrutiny Panel. 

A Panel Member commented that some residents were waiting long times for customer services to answer calls.  She also asked for the business survival rate for 2 and 3 years.   The Director of Strategy responded that the average call response time had improved and was now down to five minutes.  She would ensure the business survival data for 2 and 3 years was sent to the Scrutiny Team Leader for onward circulation after the meeting. 

A Panel Member asked for further information on the Bert Williams Café, which was no longer open and therefore an income of £225,000 had been lost.  He asked for more details regarding the installation of an air pump at an expenditure of £30,000.  He believed there should be a focus on occupying the empty site.  The Chief Operating Officer responded that they would consider the questions about the air pump and the Café in due course after the meeting.

A Panel Member raised a concern about key senior vacant posts at the Council.  He asked if these posts had been recruited to, whether there would have been a larger overspend.  The Director of Finance responded there would have been an additional budget pressure, but it was recognised that not every post would always been filled year round and this was factored into the budget.  The process of how they managed vacant posts from a budget perspective was something they kept under review.  The Chief Operating Officer added that the Council were continuously looking at how to improve recruitment to ensure vacant posts were filled in a timely manner. 

A Panel Member referred to a Member of her family who had received an invoice, which stated that the Council due to Covid restrictions was not open to the public.  She asked for letters and invoices that were sent  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

[To receive a presentation on the Levelling Up agenda and investment zones].

[Report is marked: To Follow]. 

The Director of Strategy gave a presentation on Levelling Up, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes.  She remarked that the Levelling Up White Paper had been published in February 2022.  The White Paper set out ambitions for a full system change in how Local Government would work going forward, alongside local Leaders and communities to decentralise power and to close the gap on inequalities.  The White Paper set out five pillars to guide the reform around Levelling Up.  These were better co-ordination, reducing silo working across government, the importance of devolution and local empowerment, data monitoring and evaluation to inform evidence based decision making, the criticality of transparency and accountability and longevity of activity (medium and long-term).  There were 12 mission statements referenced in the White Paper.  These 12 national missions had specific targets for the Government to achieve by 2030.  They covered areas such as productivity, healthy life expectancy and skills. 

The Director of Strategy stated that Wolverhampton had been specifically referenced in the White Paper as a place with strong local leadership and ambition.  The Government had committed to work with local leaders, the private sector and across Government departments to increase local prosperity and social mobility.  With reference to Levelling Up in Wolverhampton, the Government had endorsed the Our City: Our Plan as the strategic framework for Levelling Up in Wolverhampton.  The Council’s Cabinet had endorsed the approach in July 2022. 

The Director of Strategy explained the five work streams as part of the Levelling Up Wolverhampton aim.  These were: -

·       Levelling Up Governance

·       Levelling Up – Key Asks

·       LEP Integration

·       UKSPF

·       Trailblazer Devolution Deal

The Director of Strategy commented that Levelling up bids were up to £20 million pounds and had to be sponsored by a Local MP.  Over the Summer, the Council had submitted two further bids for Levelling Up Round 2.  A health, care and wellbeing Hub for Bilston proposal had been submitted, this had been sponsored by Pat McFadden MP.  The second bid that had been submitted was sponsored by Jane Stephenson MP and was for Phase 1 of a Green Innovation Corridor.  It would link Wolverhampton’s key assets at the Springfield Campus with those at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park. 

The Director of Strategy stated that Wolverhampton had set out five cluster areas as part of an expression of interest in the Government proposals for Investment Zones.  There had however been a change of direction by the Government following the appointment of a new Prime Minister.  The Green Innovation Corridor remained part of the City’s plans and was set out in the Investment prospectus which set out comprehensive proposals for the City Centre. 

The Director of Strategy remarked that the Levelling Up White paper announced significant change for the delivery of economic development functions across the country.  It proposed that Local Enterprise Partnerships should integrate into local democratic structures.  Consequently, as of the 31 March 2023 the economic development functions of the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

[To receive a briefing note on graffiti].

The Director of City Housing and Environment introduced the item on graffiti.  He commented that graffiti was both a local and national problem. 

The Environmental Place Based Development Manager commented that compared to some service requests, the number of those relating to graffiti was quite low.  303 enquiries had been logged since 1 January 2022.  244 items of graffiti had been removed following the enquires.  They were looking at a sustainable approach to the removal of graffiti to prevent it reappearing.  They were taking a more proactive, rather than a reactive approach.  A Logistic Support Officer was now employed by the Council.  There was an issue with graffiti on utility boxes.  Utility boxes were not the property of the City Council and without the owner’s permission or exhausting all efforts to determine the ownership, they couldn’t just remove the graffiti.   A prevention approach was now part of the strategy.  Anti-graffiti paint made graffiti easier to remove. 

The Vice Chair commented that the people living in the Ward he represented cared about the area and consequently reported graffiti.  Graffiti could sometimes be a sign of gang activity and therefore removing “tags” he believed should be a priority before the issue escalated.  He did wish to put on the record that when he reported graffiti on Council owned property it had been quickly actioned.  He wanted more proactivity in dealing with graffiti on privately owned property.      

A Panel Member asked if the Council were working with the Police to identify tags placed by Gangs.  The Environmental Place Based Development Manager responded that they were forming an electronic database so there could be an evidence base around the tags and then they could engage with enforcement colleagues.  They had not had the means to carry out this activity in the past.    

A Panel Member commented that tagging having decreased in Wednesfield was now starting to rise again.  He felt there was benefit in bringing the education sector, the business sector and the Council together to help combat the issue at Ward level.   If the taggers could be identified then the Police and enforcement teams could be utilised.   

A Panel Member suggested approaching Schools was a good place to start in identifying tags.

[To receive a briefing note on grass verges]. 

The Head of Environmental Services presented a report on grass verges.  He outlined the main points covered in the report.  The Environmental Place Based Development Manager and the representative from Transport Services detailed the legislation that could be used in enforcement activity on grass verges. 

The Vice-Chair displayed some photographs he had taken of grass verges damaged by vehicles.  The photos were from Buttons Farm Road in Penn, Henwood Road in Compton and Pool Hall Crescent.  He felt specific solutions were needed for specific areas, such as defined parking spaces.   

The Director for City Housing and Environment responded that creating car parking space could be expensive, particularly if there were services in the grass verge.  It was important to look at grass verges on a case-by-case basis, considering finance and taking into account any road safety issues.

A Panel Member expressed a concern of costs in changing grass verges.  Finding a solution in one area would raise expectations that all of them in the City could be rectified.   She did express a concern that when utility companies carried out works on grass verges, they only used grass seed, which tended not to grow.  Some grass verges, she was aware suffered from extensive weeds or overgrown grass which was not attractive.  The Head of Environmental Services asked for the place details to be passed onto him by the Councillor, so he could investigate the issue.  If the details were passed onto him, where the utility companies had not made good the grass verge, he would contact them and ask them to re-seed or returf the area.  

A Panel Member commented on the importance of enforcement.  The Environmental Place Based Development Manager responded that the Council could enforce, the problem was the burden of proof. 

A Member of the Panel commented that the majority of their case work related to parking and housing.  In the cul-de-sac where she lived there was one person who had 12 vehicles parked outside their house.  She had seen some residents place boulders on grass verges to deter parking.  This caused her some safety concerns, such as people walking home in the dark who could stumble on the boulder.  She felt a good solution was for people to have their own driveways where possible.

The Director for City Housing and Environment referred to Bushbury TMO which had supplied some off-road car parking for residents.  Clearly the Council would not be able to afford installing driveways at people’s homes.  

There was a discussion about what entailed an obstruction on the footpath and the legal position. 

A Panel Member commented on the transition of cars to electric power and the need for this to be taken into consideration when addressing grass verges in the future.  Electric charge points on residential streets could be the future.  The Director of City Housing and Environment responded that 80 new electric charging points were about to be installed in Wolverhampton. 

A Panel Member commented on the green agenda and the importance of green  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

[To consider the Scrutiny work programme for future meetings.]

A Panel Member asked if Scrutiny Board Members could be invited to the intended site visit to the National Brownfield Institute, which was listed on the Economy and Growth Scrutiny Panel. 

A Member of the Panel asked if there could be an in-depth study on fly tipping in the future at a Scrutiny meeting.  The item could consider what other Cities did to combat the problem. 

A Panel Member asked if there could be more regular items on the WMCA Interface.  He also asked if there could be an item on Levelling Up, which involved speaking to people working in the Department.  A Panel Member added it would be good to have a site visit to the Department if possible, to view the new Offices. 

[To consider the forward plan of key decisions].

The Forward Plan of Key Decisions was considered and noted. 

[The date of the next scheduled meeting is 24 January 2023 at 6pm].

The date of the next Scrutiny Board meeting was reported as Tuesday, 24 January 2023 at 6pm.