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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED – (i) That a report on the role of Tenancy Enforcement be added to the work programme and scheduled for the Meeting in June 2024. (ii) That subject to the aforementioned amendment, the work programme be agreed.
AGREED – (i) That details of the action plan to deliver the strategy and progress against this be included in a future update report. (ii) That information in respect of Pubic Rights of Way in the County Borough be provided to Members to allow them to identify possible related improvements in their areas. (iii) That details about the Local Access Forum be provided to Members to allow for them to further publicise them. (iv) That the relevant points made during today’s discussion be fed into the Decarbonisation Programme Board. (v) That a regular maintenance plan be prioritised as part of the delivery of the strategy. (vi) That further details of the delivery of the Tiny Forest Scheme be included in the future report to this Committee.
Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Paul Pemberton and Fred Roberts.
AGREED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 March 2024 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – (i) That a report on the role of Tenancy Enforcement be added to the work programme and scheduled for the Meeting in June 2024. (ii) That subject to the aforementioned amendment, the work programme be agreed.
The Chief Officer Governance and Customer submitted a report (COGC/34/24s) asking Members to consider the revised work programme. The Scrutiny Facilitator presented the report and highlighted the main points contained within it. Paragraph 4.2 detailed the changes made to the work programme at the March Meeting. Attention was drawn to Appendix 2, which was a Topic Selection Form regarding the role of Tenancy Enforcement. It was suggested that if agreed, the report could be scheduled for the June Meeting. AGREED – (i) That a report on the role of Tenancy Enforcement be added to the work programme and scheduled for the Meeting in June 2024. (ii) That subject to the aforementioned amendment, the work programme be agreed.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – (i) That details of the action plan to deliver the strategy and progress against this be included in a future update report. (ii) That information in respect of Pubic Rights of Way in the County Borough be provided to Members to allow them to identify possible related improvements in their areas. (iii) That details about the Local Access Forum be provided to Members to allow for them to further publicise them. (iv) That the relevant points made during today’s discussion be fed into the Decarbonisation Programme Board. (v) That a regular maintenance plan be prioritised as part of the delivery of the strategy. (vi) That further details of the delivery of the Tiny Forest Scheme be included in the future report to this Committee.
The Lead Member for Environment submitted a report (COET/16/24S) to provide an update on the work undertaken on open spaces and biodiversity following the adoption of the Open Space Strategy in December 2023. The Lead Member presented the report and highlighted the main points contained within it. Officers gave a presentation to Members which highlighted the work done since the adoption of the Strategy. The following points were discussed: · Tree Planting · Tree Management · European Tree of the Year · Wrexham Forest Partnership · Canopy Cover 2021-2023 · Local Places for Nature Funding – Engagement events and community workshops · Traditional Skills – Hedge Laying · Wellness walk · Campfire cooking · Help a Ranger Days A detailed debate ensued, and the following points were raised: · Confirmation that the next stage of the process would be to create an action plan which would feed into delivering the objectives of the Strategy. · Members collectively agreed that Scrutiny could add value in terms of monitoring the Strategy and measuring whether the targets were on track. · Recognition that there were various challenges, particularly in urban areas, relating to litter and discarded needles being left in wooded areas. Officers advised that they had been working with the Alcohol and Substance Misuse Team to try to devise a plan to monitor such instances and consider whether needle exchange points could be increased in these areas. It was acknowledged that this wasn’t an issue that could be resolved easily, and would need partners to work together. · Members requested further information regarding the Local Access Forum, which was a group that came together to look at local access and consider ideas for encouraging and improving the use of open spaces. It was noted that volunteers were encouraged to attend. · Clarification sought regarding the Fenns Moss carbon collection scheme. Officers advised that they would share further information as soon as it was received. · In response to a Member’s question, Officers gave an update on Tiny Forests. She advised that this was a new concept which originated from Japan, and involved the planting of 600 trees within an area which was the same size as a tennis court. These tiny forests mimicked native woodland and were ideal for urban areas where space was limited. There were currently two Tiny Forests in the County Borough – one in Cefn and one in Borras. · Confirmation that Officers wanted to engage with as many people as possible regarding the use of open space. · Clarification requested regarding the removal of metal cages that were positioned around previously planted trees in order to protect them. Officers advised that the cages were mapped on the computer system, and there was a programme in place for removing them once the tree was established enough to no longer need them. · Importance of ensuring that Officers liaised with colleagues in the Planning Department regarding tree work on Council maintained land. · Suggestion that fines imposed on Housing Developers for cutting down trees should be increased in order to discourage this from happening. · Confirmation by Officers that there was a scheme in place to replace fallen or damaged trees. · Officers gave an update on a database which had been created which included information on suggested areas for tree replanting, which covered schools and open spaces. · Agreement by Officers that communication with local members regarding tree planting would be improved in the future. · Suggestion that ideas and comments raised today could be forwarded to the Decarbonisation Programme Board who looked at Streetscene and decarbonisation issues as part of the Council’s priorities. AGREED – (i) That details of the action plan to deliver the strategy and progress against this be included in a future update report. (ii) That information in respect of Pubic Rights of Way in the County Borough be provided to Members to allow them to identify possible related improvements in their areas. (iii) That details about the Local Access Forum be provided to Members to allow for them to further publicise them. (iv) That the relevant points made during today’s discussion be fed into the Decarbonisation Programme Board. (v) That a regular maintenance plan be prioritised as part of the delivery of the strategy. (vi) That further details of the delivery of the Tiny Forest Scheme be included in the future report to this Committee.
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