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RESOLVED that: 1. Members undertake pre-scrutiny on the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy Annual Monitoring Report attached at Appendix 1 to this report, thus providing Scrutiny with an opportunity to contribute to this matter; and 2. The Climate Change, Frontline Services & Prosperity Scrutiny Committee provide comment on the report which will form part of the reported feedback to Cabinet, at its meeting to be held on the 20th November 2024.
RESOLVED to: 1. Scrutinise the update on highways infrastructure within the County Borough with particular reference to the asset management strategy and investment strategy; and, 2. Scrutinise the expenditure required to maintain the highway infrastructure asset
The Chair welcomed Members and Officers to the hybrid Climate Change, Frontline Services & Prosperity Scrutiny Committee and he introduced those Members present in the Council Chamber for the benefit of those Members attending virtually.
The Scrutiny Officer referenced the research facilities that were available to Members within the Council Business Unit. Members were advised that if they have any specific queries to email them to the Council’s scrutiny team.
In accordance with the code of conduct, there were no declaration of interest pertaining to the agenda.
The minutes of the virtual meeting held on the 16th September 2024 were approved as an accurate record.
The Scrutiny Officer referenced the consultation links, which were available through the ‘RCT Scrutiny’ website. Members were reminded that information is provided in respect of relevant consultations for consideration by the Committee, which are circulated on a monthly basis and updated on a fortnightly basis.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that: 1. Members undertake pre-scrutiny on the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy Annual Monitoring Report attached at Appendix 1 to this report, thus providing Scrutiny with an opportunity to contribute to this matter; and 2. The Climate Change, Frontline Services & Prosperity Scrutiny Committee provide comment on the report which will form part of the reported feedback to Cabinet, at its meeting to be held on the 20th November 2024.
The Planning Manager presented the report of the Director of Prosperity and Development which set out the contents of the CIL Annual Monitoring Report and the proposed changes to the Regulation 123 List for 2023/24. He reminded the Climate Change, Frontline Services & Prosperity Scrutiny Committee that their comments following pre-scrutiny of the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy Annual Monitoring Report would form part of the reported feedback to Cabinet, at its meeting to be held on the 20th November 2024. The Planning Manager referred Members to the Appendices A, B and C, appended to the report which set out the CIL Annual Monitoring Report, the Regulation 123 List and the proposed minor amendments to the Regulation 123 List (Appendix C). The Scrutiny Committee received the above-mentioned report for consideration and provided its feedback and comments in respect of the Community Infrastructure Levy Monitoring Report 2023/2024. Members undertook a constructive discussion in respect of the content of the report, associated appendices and specific issues raised. In summary, the following points were noted: Members were fully briefed on the Council’s role as a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Authority and understood the concepts of both the CIL and Section 106 practices and how their approaches and implications differ; Members sought clarification on whether the communities of RCT could benefit from CIL expenditure as a result of larger developments in neighbouring Local Authorities. Members cited developments in Cardiff West as being potentially financially beneficial to RCT given the impact of the development on local traffic and parking, but in respect of this point, Members understood that CIL is not a ‘prescriptive regime’; Members were pleased to hear that an ‘open dialogue’ exists between the Community & Town Councils and the Local Authority in terms of potential projects to benefit from CIL expenditure at a local level; Members were encouraged that advance notice of CIL income (twice a year) is provided to the Community/Town Council clerks to support them in their ability to develop a payment structure and survey potential projects; Members also explored the importance of equity of access for all communities to the provision of local infrastructure improvements that support development in the local area as a result of CIL income; Members understood the historic reasons for implementing the original charging policy, particularly for Zone One, but were concerned that there are areas that could have benefitted from CIL income as a result of the large developments that have been implemented in the Rhondda and areas of the Cynon Valley; Members raised a number of concerns regarding the relevance of the Council’s charging schedule (adopted on 31st December 2014) which sets out that Zone One equates to £0 sqm and that their concerns regarding the equity of income received are mitigated. Therefore, they recommended that should Cabinet be minded to progress with the proposal to approve the report, the authority undertakes a review of its charging schedule (to include the inspection process and consultation with Planning & Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW)) to ensure the figures for all zones are still appropriate (particularly for those wards set out in Residential Zone one); Cabinet were asked to consider the recommendation of the Climate Change, Frontline Services & Prosperity Scrutiny Committee that the financial balance for areas where there is no Community/Town Council should be considered by a number of geographical wards rather than one, in the interests of transparency and in view of the implications on traffic/highway issues on the wider area and other local communities impacted; A Member queried the frequency with which the Regulation List 123 is updated as Members pointed out that some of the content may benefit from further review to ensure that all highway and education projects are current; Members sought clarification on how they can influence the Regulation 123 List; they concurred with the transparent process following its agreement and the recommendation that notification of the consultation of the Regulation 123 List is circulated to ‘all elected Members, Town and Community Councils…’ Members suggested that the CIL is reviewed in line with the LDP and joining up the process would make sense; A Member referred to the social housing builds in the Rhondda, such as the development in Penrhys, and raised a concern regarding the additional pressure these can have on the surrounding local infrastructure and local communities with no gain to the residents. In response the Planning Manager advised that a developer can apply for an exemption to avoid paying the CIL and he also commented that the perceived impact is difficult to demonstrate. Members were pleased to hear that their views would continue to be sought on the Council’s CIL Annual Monitoring report. Following consideration of the report it was RESOLVED that: 1. Members undertake pre-scrutiny on the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy Annual Monitoring Report attached at Appendix 1 to this report, thus providing Scrutiny with an opportunity to contribute to this matter; and 2. The Climate Change, Frontline Services & Prosperity Scrutiny Committee provide comment on the report which will form part of the reported feedback to Cabinet, at its meeting to be held on the 20th November 2024.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to: 1. Scrutinise the update on highways infrastructure within the County Borough with particular reference to the asset management strategy and investment strategy; and, 2. Scrutinise the expenditure required to maintain the highway infrastructure asset
The Director, Highways, Streetcare & Transportation introduced his report to Members and advised that it presents an opportunity for Members to scrutinise the update on the condition of work related to the highways infrastructure in RCT and how the asset management strategy and investment strategy is affected by the expenditure required to maintain it. He added that the highways infrastructure is the Council’s largest asset, valued at just under £3.5billion and includes bridges, streetlights, pedestrian crossings, carriageways, footbridges, surface water sewage systems and traffic signals. The Director advised that it is worth noting that the asset can be subject to much public criticism and to social media attention due to the inevitable disruption that takes place when work or replacement work is being undertaken. The report also updates on the current condition of the highways infrastructure, recognising the extensive investment over the last decade and the need for the continued investment and it also highlights scenarios forecasted subject to what levels of investment are maintained. In conclusion, the Director stressed that the report reflects the investment in general rather than reflecting the details in scheme. The temporary Head of Infrastructure Asset Management highlighted the key points from the detailed report to Members in respect of the Highways Investment Scheme in RCT and Members were also provided with a Power Point Presentation to demonstrate examples of the recent carriageway resurfacing, footway repairs, footbridge repairs, the A4119 Dualling, bus stop enhancements, the Rhondda Fach active travel phase 2 and Hawthorn Comprehensive School walking route. Following the presentation, Members had the opportunity to ask questions. A Member raised a concern regarding recent resurfacing work in his ward which has resulted in the increased height of the carriageway and a reduction in the height of the curb and is subsequently having an impact on the water run off into resident’s properties. The Director assured the Member that he would consider the details following the meeting to address the specific issue. With regards to the section in bold within the report which set out that “The aim is to increase the scope of this inhouse work (Structures Team) in future years” the Chair asked how this would be managed given that the service area is understaffed. The Director Highways, Streetcare & Transportation stated that the service area does look to increase its staff resources through the Council’s Graduate and Apprenticeship schemes to ‘grow their own’ and retain staff in house to ensure longevity and consistency amongst staff such as engineers. He also referred to joint venture partners for other work where required. The temporary Head of Infrastructure Asset Management added that in respect to structures and inspections, there have been digital improvements, with the use of tablets making this area more efficient and more improved data management. Also, recently, there have been additional posts particularly within those teams dealing with the asset management. A Member sought clarification on the proportion of class A and B roads in poor condition which is higher in RCT than the rest of Wales and asked what is the cause and what is being done to tackle this particular issue. The temporary Head of Infrastructure Asset Management responded that the figure is higher than the Wales media in 2021-2023 and the overall strategy has to balance the A and B roads, the classified and unclassified roads and the high risk strategy in respect of the preventative treatments against the repair treatments. She added that RCT works with the CSSW group to attain its data to compare Wales wide. A Member asked if the Power Point presentation could be circulated following the meeting. He alluded to the recent works undertaken by Virgin Media and the damage caused by them in the wake of their poor workmanship. He added that the pavements now require works to them. In response to a query regarding the Welsh Government grants application process, the Director explained that the asset management strategy and data informs the Council’s applications for Welsh Government grants. The Chair requested a further report to the Committee regarding the implications of the Fibre roll out across the county borough specifically explaining how this has affected the highways across RCT following the work. A Member sought clarification on the proportion of class A and B roads in poor condition which is higher in RCT than the rest of Wales and asked what the underlying cause of these conditions is and what is being done to tackle this particular issue. The temporary Head of Infrastructure Asset Management responded that the figure is higher than the Wales media in 2021-2023 and the overall strategy has to balance the A and B roads, the classified and unclassified roads and the high risk strategy in respect of the preventative treatments versus the repair treatments. She added that RCT works with the CSSW group to attain its data to compare Wales wide. A Member asked if the Power Point presentation could be circulated following the meeting. He alluded to the recent works undertaken by Virgin Media and the damage caused by them, he added that the pavements now require improvements in the wake of poor workmanship by the media company. Following this query, the Chair requested a further report to the Committee regarding the implications of the Fibre roll out across the county borough specifically explaining how this has affected the highways across RCT following the work. In response to a query regarding the Welsh Government grants application process, the Director explained that the asset management strategy and data informs the Council’s applications for Welsh Government grants. There followed a discussion regarding the street lighting levels and how different areas are lit differently such as footways. The Director responded to a query regarding progress of the Rhondda Fach Active Travel and advised that there is an online active travel map which identifies the current initiatives (it was agreed that the link would be made available within the minutes of the meeting). Following a discussion it was RESOLVED to: 1. Scrutinise the update on highways infrastructure within the County Borough with particular reference to the asset management strategy and investment strategy; and, 2. Scrutinise the expenditure required to maintain the highway infrastructure asset
The Chair thanked Officers for providing such detailed reports and Members for their contribution to the meeting particularly to the pre scrutiny item. He reminded Members that the next meeting will be held on the 18th December 2024.
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