Agenda and minutes

The Director of Law to report that there are no changes.

1.1      It was noted that Councillor Tim Roca was substituting for Councillor Rita Begum.

1.2      The Chairman welcomed Councillor David Harvey (Cabinet Member for Environment, Sports and Community) to the meeting.

1.3      The Chairman advised that Councillor Richard Holloway (Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Young People) would not be attending the meeting.  Any questions that Members had regarding his portfolio would be placed on the Committee’s Action Tracker.

1.4      The Chairman welcomed Mohamed Awale (Deputy Youth MP) to the meeting who took part in the discussion on the Review of Youth Services and the Young Westminster Foundation.

To receive declarations of interest by Members and Officers of any personal or prejudicial interests.

2.1       No further declarations of interests in respect of items to be discussed were made, other than those noted in the circulated schedule as set out below in paragraph 2.2.

2.2       Table of Member’s interests tabled at the Committee Meeting was as follows:

To agree the minutes of the meetings held on 13 March 2017.

3.1       RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 March 2017 be approved for signature by the Chairman as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

a)    To note the progress in implementing the Committee’s Recommendation and Action Trackers.

b)    To provide comment and input into the Work Programme for 2017/18.

4.1       ACTION AND RECOMMENDATION TRACKERS

4.1.1   RESOLVED: That the Action and Recommendation Trackers be noted.

 4.2      COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME

4.2.1   ACTION

1.    That an item on the Low Emissions Neighbourhood (LEN) in Marylebone be added to the Work Programme.

4.2.2    RESOLVED: That the Committee Work Programme be noted.

Councillor David Harvey (Cabinet Member for Environment, Sports and Community) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

5.1       The Committee received a written update from the Cabinet Member who responded to questions on the following topics:

• the outcome of the Porchester Centre public consultation and the creation of a stakeholder group to engage regular users in the design development.
• the installation of outdoor gyms in appropriate locations throughout Westminster.
• the Council’s commitment to tackling engine idling and improving air quality.
• the possibility of extending the opening hours of St Marys Church Yard.
• the benefits of the new Parks, Open Spaces and Cemeteries contract.
• the benefit of long term tracking of the Team Westminster Do-It local website.
• the Library Commission and its effect on the Council’s future building strategy.
• educating children and adults about healthy eating and exercise.
• waste technology and the problems associated with fly-tipping in the City.

5.2       ACTIONS

1.    That the possibility of extending the opening hours of St Marys Church Yard be investigated.

2.    That a briefing note on future proposals for outdoor gyms including a list of where they are located in Westminster be sent to Committee Members.

3.    That officers contact Councillor Aicha Less to find out which outdoor gyms needed to be repaired. 

Councillor Richard Holloway (Cabinet Member for Children, Families, Young People) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

6.1      The Committee received a written update from the Cabinet Member which covered current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

To review the existing contracts at the one year marker.

7.1       The Committee received a report providing an overview of the changes to Westminster youth provision over the past twelve months along with an update on the establishment of the Young Westminster Foundation.  The Committee noted the key areas of work completed in setting up the Foundation.

7.2       The Committee heard from Will Parsons, Commissioning and Transformation Lead who outlined his role in relation to the Westminster Youth Service and detailed the changes to the way youth services were being delivered across the country, whereby significant reductions in central government funding had meant that local authorities had to reduce or cease funding for non-statutory youth services.  The Committee noted that Westminster’s investment in establishing the Foundation offered a sustainable long term solution to funding services for young people.

7.3       The Committee welcomed Mohamed Awale (Deputy Youth MP) who contributed to the discussion on youth provision in Westminster.  Mohamed considered that maintaining existing leisure areas was really important and that targeted communication about leisure activities was essential in reaching young people.  The Committee noted that a good website and digital access to information was vital for engagement with young people.

7.4       The Committee discussed the establishment and the sustainability of the Young Westminster Foundation and that it would allow businesses and individuals to play a part in providing services for young people in the borough.  The Committee further discussed the value of having a youth trustee and the opportunity to take a fresh look at youth provision and consider the benefits of working with partners to create modern and meaningful activities for young people.  The Committee noted that Westminster had significant sport and leisure areas and that these facilities needed to be utilised and effectively communicated to young people.

7.5       The Chairman thanked everyone who had given up their time to attend the meeting and contribute to the discussion.

7.6       RESOLVED: The Committee made the following comments which would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Young People for consideration:

1. The Committee welcomed the progress that had been made in establishing the Young Westminster Foundation.

2. The Committee looked forward to the Young Westminster Foundation playing a full role in the development of youth provision.

3. The Committee highlighted the need to inform young people of the significant resources already available across the city and importantly engage them to help shape the future innovation of the service.

4. The Committee encouraged engagement with the broader community, including faith groups, about the need and also resources they could offer by way of provision to young people.

To update and review the work and findings of the Air Quality Task Group.

8.1       The Committee received a report of the Air Quality Task Group which was established in response to growing concern from the public, business and other stakeholders about the impact of poor air quality in Westminster.  The Task Group met five times and considered evidence from a range of stakeholders around the three themes of: health impacts of poor air quality, emissions from transport and emissions from buildings. 

8.2       The Committee heard from Muge Dindjer, Scrutiny Manager, who gave a presentation of the work of the Task Group and presented the draft recommendations for comment and discussion by the Committee.  She advised that the final report draws on all the evidence heard including that commissioned from King’s College London. 

8.3       The Committee discussed the growing evidence of the adverse health impact of poor air quality as well as evidence suggesting that poor air quality was bad for London as a business location.  The Committee heard that Westminster was already doing a lot but considered that the Council could be more ambitious through its lobbying agenda and by improving its buildings, vehicles and communication to residents, workers and visitors.  The Committee noted that air quality was now resident’s top concern. 

8.4       The Committee considered the possibility of operating environmentally friendly/electric vehicles, setting out environmentally friendly walking routes, monitoring the air quality near Westminster schools, reducing the number of buses in London and adding technology to caption unfit public vehicles.  Committee suggested making the recommendations stronger regarding the emissions from buildings and that including quotes from stakeholders would give endorsement to all the recommendations.  The Committee further suggested that it was important that the report summary included the next actions to be achieved and to ensure that all the recommendations focused on indisputable targets.

8.5       RESOLVED: That the report be sent to the relevant Cabinet Members for decision, this will be primarily the Cabinet Member for Environment, Sports and Community (but also others for some of the recommendations) for consideration and that a launch be held to inform key stakeholder of the recommendations and act as a call to action.

To review the progress made in its first year.

9.1       The Committee received a report on progress against the Greener City Action (GCAP’s) targets in its first 18 months.  The Committee noted that the GCAP was developed with extensive input from internal and external stakeholders and was a ten year plan focusing on nine priority themes which were outlined in the report.

9.2       The Committee heard from Richard Barker, Director of Community Services and Ceridwen John, Principal Policy Officer, who gave an overview of the Council’s 10 year sustainable strategy and an update on progress against the GCAP’s targets. The Committee noted that the GCAP short-term targets due to be delivered by 2018/19 were on track and that additional actions linked to the City for All actions had been included in the targets.

9.3       The Committee considered how important it was to hold stakeholder events to continuously engage with partners in order to build strong working relationships for the benefits of public health and the environment and noted that working closely with partners reduced duplication of work and encouraged business to participate in creating a greener city.  The Committee considered that the Marylebone Low Emissions Neighbourhood (LEN) pilot project with a central focus on improving air quality was a significant piece of work as air quality was the number one concern for residents and those people who work and visit the area.

9.4       The Committee then discussed the positive progress that had been made already with educating people about the hazards of engine idling and improving the efficiencies of buildings and vehicles. The Committee considered that the Council should focus on areas such as air quality issues where they could demonstrate real leadership in improving public health and the environment.

9.5       RESOLVED: The Committee made the following comments which would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Environment, Sports and Community for consideration:

1. The Committee welcomed the update on progress against the Greener City Action targets.

2. The Committee agreed to receive an annual update on the Greener City Action Plan.  Members requested that the report be aimed at engaging partners in delivering outcomes and sharing best practice with the Council and that it focus on providing details on working partners and how they play a key role in delivering services.

3. The Committee highlighted the need to prioritise issues where the Council could play a real leadership role in delivering solutions.

Verbal Update (if any)

10.1    The Chairman advised that there was nothing to report.