Agenda item

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer that sought the views of the Committee on the Work Programme for 2024/25; the identification of potential topics for scrutiny reviews to be undertaken by informal meetings of the Committee; the identification of any items for pre-scrutiny by the Committee from the Key Decision Forward Plan; seeking formal approval of decisions taken at the informal meeting of the Committee in respect of the provision of housing for former looked after children who are now care leavers; and which updated on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Members of the Committee asked questions/commented on the following matters:

·       The potential for holding an informal meeting to review the cleansing service and which could also include recycling operations. Councillor Harvey, Cabinet Member – Cleansing and Street Scene advised the Committee that a review of such a wide-ranging topic may be premature at this point in time due to the current vacancy for the post of cleansing service manager and that a new post of waste minimisation officer was shortly to be filled. It was suggested that further consideration be given to this mater in Spring 2025 

·       Information was sought on the review of weed control that took place in 2021/22 by a Member Refence Group

·       Information was sought on the Effectiveness of the Council’s Enforcement Activity Working Group

·       Updates on the closure of the White House, located in Southport’s Municipal Golf Links; and work on the Marine Lake Events Centre

In respect of the cleansing/street scene issues referred to above, the Senior Democratic Services Officer advised that the Work Programme included a number of associated reports that would be submitted to the Committee prior to March 2025. These reports related to:

·       Methods to increase Sefton’s recycling rates; the introduction of communal bins; and wider waste containment issues

·       Investigation of measures that could be introduced as part of the Selective and Additional (HMO) Licensing Schemes to compel landlords to have a level of control over their tenants to alleviate the anti-social actions of littering and dumping rubbish in rear entries

·       Investigation of the inclusion, within the Local Plan, of the need to provide recycling/community recycling facilities in development proposals

·       Presentation from Liverpool City Region Strategic Waste Partnership Manager about the changes in waste legislation and what that will mean due to the statutory requirement for the collection of food waste in 2026

RESOLVED: That