Health and Environmental Services Committee 9 October 2006
From Nigov
Health and Environmental Services Committee
Monday, 9th October, 2006
Contents |
MEETING OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES COMMITTEE
Members present
Councillor O'Reilly (Chairman); and Councillors Adamson, D. Browne, W. Browne, Campbell, Cunningham, N. Dodds, Kelly, Kirkpatrick, McCann, McClenaghan, Mullaghan and O'Neill.
In attendance
- Mr W. Francey (Director of Health and Environmental Services);
- Mr A. Hassard (Head of Environmental Health);
- Mr T. Martin (Head of Building Control);
- Mr S. Skimin (Head of Cleansing Services);
- Mr T. Walker (Head of Waste Management);
- Mr M. McBride (Business Support Manager); and
- Mr J. Heaney (Committee Administrator).
Apologies
Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Hanna, McKenzie and Mhic Giolla Mhín.
Minutes
The minutes of the meetings of 29th August, 11th, 19th and 25th September, were taken as read and signed as correct. It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 2nd October, subject to the omission of:
(i) the minute of 11th September under the heading “Proposed Revised Bye-Laws Regarding Consumption of Intoxicating Liquor in Designated Places” which, at the request of Councillor Crozier, had been taken back to the Committee for further consideration; and
(ii) the minute of 11th September under the heading “Environmental Health Business Support Structural Review” which, at the request of Councillor Crozier, had been taken back to the Committee for further consideration.
Proposed Revised Bye-Laws Regarding Consumption of Intoxicating Liquor in Designated Places
The Committee deferred consideration of this item, which had been referred back to the Committee by the Council at its meeting on 2nd October, and agreed that a letter be forwarded to each of the Party Group Leaders requesting details of any additional streets which Members might wish to be included in the schedule to the Bye‑Law, in order that the Police Service of Northern Ireland might be consulted prior to the inclusion of those additional streets in the revised Bye-Law.
Environmental Health Business Support Structural Review
The Committee considered further the minute of the meeting of 11th September under the heading “Environmental Health Business Support Structural Review” which, at the request of Councillor Crozier, had been referred back to the Committee for further consideration by the Council at its meeting on 2nd October.
The Director advised the Committee that the matter had been referred back to enable the Review Panel, which had been established to scrutinise the management of the recruitment of staff, to consider whether the wider revision of organisational structures being dealt with by the Policy and Resources Committee would have implications for the restructuring of the Business Support function in the Environmental Health Section.
The Review Panel had confirmed that the wider revision of organisational structures within the Council would not have implications for the restructuring of the Business Support function within the Environmental Health Service. The members of the Panel had confirmed also that they were content that the restructuring of the Business Support function could proceed as planned.
After discussion, the Committee agreed to affirm its decision of 11th September to adopt the recommendations contained within the foregoing report.
Directorate
Eurocities Environment Forum – March 2007
The Director reminded the Committee that the Council was an active partner in the Eurocities Environment Forum and had been involved in six of the seven working groups within that Organisation.
He informed the Committee that the Forum wished to hold its business meeting and conference in the City during the period from 7th till 10th March, 2007, the theme of which would be Health and the Environment.
The Committee was informed that financial provision had been made for the cost of the event and that secretariat support would be provided by Eurocities. Accordingly, he recommended that the Committee agree to host the event and provide hospitality in the form of a dinner for approximately eighty delegates.
The Committee adopted the recommendation and agreed that the Policy and Resources Committee be recommended to grant approval for the hosting of the event in the City Hall.
arc21 Tender Award Results – Contract for Organic Waste Treatment Service
The Committee was reminded that the arc21 Joint Committee had been acting on behalf of the eleven member Councils to procure services in support of the implementation of the arc21 Waste Plan. The Director reminded the Committee also that contracts awarded to date had included the provision of a Materials Recovery service and a Landfill Capacity service, each of which had demonstrated clearly the financial benefits arising from the economies of scale engendered in the collective approach to procurement of such services.
The Director highlighted that the subject of the report submitted to the Committee was the tender process for the provision of “Organic Waste Treatment Services”. He explained that tenders had been invited in June, 2005, through the Restricted Procedure, to process source segregated organic waste collected by arc21 Councils, in accordance with the arc21 Waste Management Plan. He stated that ten tenders had been received from four of the tenderers included on the Select List and that a full evaluation had been carried out of all valid tenders in accordance with the criteria set out in the contract documents relating to cost, quality and technical issues.
Referring to the Evaluation Matrix in the tender report which had been circulated to the Committee, the Director explained that the TerraEco compliant (1) bid was the most economically advantageous tender at an estimated whole life value of £68,462,127. He pointed out that the whole life gate price of this tender was very competitive in the United Kingdom context for contracts of this type and was within the predicted costs in the Council’s Waste Plan Financial Projections. He stated that the principal treatment facility would be at the Council’s North Foreshore site, with a satellite treatment facility at the Down client site and a transfer station at the Antrim client site, and consequently the Council’s transportation costs would be minimised.
After discussion, during which the Director responded to several questions concerning the contract period and the potential implications of boundary changes resulting from the Review of Public Administration, the Committee agreed to adopt the recommendations of the Arc21 Joint Committee as set out hereunder:
(i) the tender be awarded to Terra Eco, in accordance with the offer expressed in their Compliant (1) bid for a fifteen year contract period with optional extensions of one year increments, up to a maximum of five years, being the tender which represented the best economic advantage;
(ii) the award of the tender would be based on the contractual version of the Service Delivery Plan including the written clarifications which had been received; and
(iii) a bond to the value of £100,000 being entered into in accordance with the provisions of the tender, subject to confirmation of cost.
Brighter Belfast – Belfast in Bloom Under-Spend
(The Director of Legal Services attended in connection with this item.)
The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 10th April, it had agreed a budget and Action Plan for the Brighter Belfast Initiative. The Director reported that one project contained within the Action Plan, the Belfast in Bloom scheme, had a budget of £15,000. However, a greater than anticipated involvement by private sector organisations had led to a situation where only £5,000 of this budget was required, resulting in a surplus of £10,000. Accordingly, proposals for the reallocation of the surplus funds had been proposed and submitted for consideration by the All-Party Working Group, at its meeting on 29th September, where it had been agreed that the decision as to which, if any, of the projects to be funded would be made by the Committee. The proposed options for utilising the £10,000 underspend were:
(i) Public Art (more sustainable art pieces at selected sites, £10,000);
(ii) Evening Economy (development of Castle Street area, £10,000); and
(iii) Cleansing and Parks Combination (post-cleaning and winter floral display, £4,055)
The Committee proceeded to vote on the proposals in relation to the preferred option. However, following concerns expressed by the Members in regard to the procedural aspect of the voting and having received advice from the Director of Legal Services, the three options were again put to the Committee whereupon no Members voted for Option 1, eight Members voted for Option 2 and four Members voted for Option 3. Accordingly, the Committee agreed that Option 2, the development of the Evening Economy in the Castle Street area, be approved and that the £10,000 surplus arising from the Belfast and Bloom Scheme be reallocated in this regard.
Building Control
Short-Term Release of Building Control Manager
The Director informed the Members that the Valuation and Lands Agency had requested that the Council release a Building Control Manager, Mr. D. Rogan, on a short-term interim basis, to lead a project implementing a process in connection with the extraction of key building data which would assist in calculating rating valuations across Northern Ireland. He suggested that it was important for Building Control Officers to maintain and develop their skills and that the secondment to the Agency represented a suitable development opportunity for the staff member which would be of benefit also in the development of future Council policy/strategy in this field. The officer had confirmed that he would be willing to facilitate the Agency’s request on a short-term basis, provided that he remained an employee of Belfast City Council during this time. In addition, the Department of Finance and Personnel had agreed to provide funding to cover any arrangements that required to be put in place as a result of this short-term release.
After discussion, during which the Director confirmed that the Department of Finance and Personnel would cover any costs incurred by the Council in relation to the secondment of the Building Control Manager, the Committee approved the request for the release of the officer for an initial period of three months and, if requested, a further period of three months.
Fees and Charges
The Head of Building Control advised the Committee that, under the Financial Provisions (Northern Ireland) Order 1976, the Council had powers to charge for providing services to the public. He pointed out that, whilst original certificates in respect of building regulations and street numbering were provided free of charge, a fee of £30 was levied, in order to cover administrative costs, for the production of subsequent copies. The Head of Building Control informed the Members that, advances in database technology had enabled the information to be moved from the registers, which had required manual searches, to computerised records which enabled staff to generate immediately a printed copy of any certificate or approval without incurring significant costs.
In addition, he reported that the number of requests for copies of certificates had been reduced greatly due to the fact that solicitors tended to apply for the new type of Property Certificates and not for copies of the previous type. Accordingly, he recommended the removal of the current charges for copy certificates, which it was estimated would reduce the income received by the Service by approximately £8,000 per annum.
After discussion, the Committee adopted the recommendation.
Application for the Grant of an Amusement Permit
The Committee considered a report which had been submitted by the Head of Building Control in respect of the granting of an Amusement Permit to premises known as “Gillians” at 89– 93 North Street.
The Head of Building Control pointed out that the application related to premises in respect of which the Council, at its meeting of 1st September, 2003, had previously granted a permit. However, despite a reminder being issued by the Building Control Service, no application had been submitted seeking a renewal of the permit, which consequently expired on 31st May. As a result of this oversight, the permit holder was obliged to submit a new application for the grant of an Amusement Permit in respect of machines with a maximum all-cash prize of £8.
The Committee was advised that no written representation had been received as a result of the public notices of the application and the Police Service of Northern Ireland had confirmed that it had no objection to the application.
After discussion, the Committee agreed that the Council, in its capacity as Licensing Authority, be recommended to grant the application for an Amusement Permit to premises known as “Gillian’s”, 89-93 North Street, subject to the mandatory conditions that the premises were not to be used for an unlawful purpose or as a resort of persons of known bad character.
Waste Management
Tender for the Provision of a Licensed Disposal Facility for Recycled Materials
The Head of Waste Management reminded the Committee that the Council had been conducting a trial re-cycling collection scheme from selected businesses within the City. He reported that the trial had shown that there was a demand from commercial outlets for a recycling collection of paper and card. However, he suggested that, in order to adopt the scheme as a permanent Council service, it would be necessary to identify a suitable licensed facility to sort the collected material for recycling and, accordingly, a tendering exercise in this regard had been instigated.
He reported that, in response to public advertisement, three tenders had been received which had been evaluated against pre-agreed criteria and in consultation with the Council’s Procurement Unit. He recommended that the most economically advantageous tender received, that submitted by WasteBeater, 8a Blackstaff Road, Kennedy Way Industrial Estate, be accepted.
After discussion, during which the Head of Waste Management reported that the cost of collection and disposal of the recyclable material would be factored into the charges applied to each customer availing of the service, thus ensuring that the contract would be cost-neutral for the Council, the Committee adopted the recommendation, subject to form of contract being prepared by the Director of Legal Services.
Northern Ireland Landfill Allowance Scheme and Recycling Rate Updates
The Committee noted the contents of a report (This should be requested under Freedom of Information) in relation to the Northern Ireland Landfill Allowance Scheme and Recycling Rates, copies of the report were available upon request from the Department.
Additional Recycling Points
The Head of Waste Management reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 9th February, 2004, it had agreed that details in respect of lands to be utilised as mini-bring centres be submitted for consideration by the Committee prior to licensed arrangements being signed. Accordingly, he sought the Committee’s approval to locate recycling points at the undernoted locations:
- Ballarat Street, opposite Bridge Community Centre (owned by Laganside Corporation and in agreement with the Bridge Centre)
- Clarawood Tenants Hall, 22 Clarawood Park
- the Horizon Building, Shore Road
The Head of Waste Management reported that, in order to ensure that each recycling point was used effectively and to minimise the potential for vandalism or nuisance, the Waste Management Service had engaged with the public and/or residents in the vicinity to ensure that there was community support. He pointed out that, as glass could not be collected in the blue bin system, it was extremely important that local collection points were provided to assist in the diversion of this resource away from landfill. He informed the Committee that the cost of installing each recycling point was approximately £1,000, provision for which had been made within the Department’s Revenue Estimates.
The Committee approved the location of mini-bring recycling points at the aforementioned locations.
Environmental Health
Emergency Planning Grant-Aid and Recruitment of New Emergency Planning Officer
The Committee considered the undernoted report in connection with grant-aid available for emergency planning and the recruitment of an Emergency Planning Officer.
In response to Members’ questions, the Head of Environmental Health pointed out that, with regard to the three-year fixed term of employment of the Emergency Planning Officer, match funding in the sum of £37,700 had been guaranteed only for the period from 1st August, 2006 till 31st March, 2007. However, given that civil contingencies were a very high priority for the Government, the Local Government Division of the Department of the Environment had expressed optimism that funding would be made available for a further two years.
After discussion, the Committee adopted the recommendations contained within the report.
Consultation on Proposals for Contaminated Land Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 and Statutory Guidance
The Head of Environmental Health reported that the Department of the Environment had issued a consultation document on the draft Regulations and associated statutory guidance for Part III of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997. He outlined to the Members the scope and detailed provisions contained within the proposed Order and pointed out that its primary objective was to provide an improved system of identification and remediation of land where contamination would cause an unacceptable risk to human health or to the wider environment, assessed in the context of the current use and circumstances of the land.
He stated that, whilst the consultation document set out the context for bringing a new regime into operation, it addressed mainly the technical matters associated with the draft Statutory Guidance and Regulations which District Councils would be required to follow. He emphasised however that the likely resource requirements of the regime, which would be substantial, remained unclear and that consequently the Council’s concern about this should be highlighted in a letter accompanying the consultation response. Accordingly, the Head of Environmental Health submitted for the information of the Members a draft response, a copy of which was available upon request from the Department and recommended that it be submitted as the Council’s response to the Proposals for the Contaminated Land Regulation (Northern Ireland) 2006 and Statutory Guidance.
The Committee adopted the recommendation.
Chairman
