Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To take any questions or statements from members of the Public.

No questions or statements were received from members of the public.

To receive declarations of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or other registrable or non-registrable interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.

Councillor Christine Cleveland declared that she held an allotment in the Borough.

The Committee is asked to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 21 January 2025 (attached) and to authorise the Chair to sign them.

The Committee confirmed as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 21 January 2025 and authorised the Chair to sign them.

This report provides an annual update and a 5-year overview on the progress of the Council’s first Climate Change Action Plan.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Consider and note the progress made on the delivery of the Council’s first Climate Change Action Plan over the past year and over its 5-year term.

The Committee received a report providing an annual update and a 5-year overview on the progress of the Council’s first Climate Change Action Plan.

The Committee considered the following matters:

a)            Clarification of ‘fleet’. In response to a question from a Member, the Environment and Sustainability Officer explained that the term ‘fleet’ within the Action Plan referred collectively to all of the Council’s operational vehicles, whether owned by the Council directly or leased.

b)            Public Drinking Fountains. In response to a question from a Member, the Chair explained that the installation of the drinking fountains in the borough was considered as a climate change initiative in order to reduce people’s use of single-use plastic water bottles by providing people with a means of filling their refillable bottles.

c)            Wi-fi in the Town Centre. In response to a question from a Member, the Environment and Sustainability Officer explained that, since the genesis of the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan, it had been identified that providing Wi-fi in the town centre was not a climate change initiative and would not be included within the next Climate Change Action Plan.

d)            Communication to Residents. In response to a question from a Member, the Environment and Sustainability Officer stated that multiple press releases had been carried out with respect to a number of the Council’s climate change initiatives, such as the recent tree planting project and the solar panel installation projects at the leisure centre and Bourne Hall. He stated that an upcoming press release reflecting on the achievements of the five years of the Council’s first Climate Change Action Plan was currently being composed. He stated that a home and garden guide was being developed for residents on what actions can be taken to boost and promote biodiversity. The Head of Place Development stated that the ‘Climate Change’ page on the Council’s website, accessible via the ‘Residents’ tab on the homepage of the Council’s website, provided information on climate change and the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Consider and note the progress made on the delivery of the Council’s first Climate Change Action Plan over the past year and over its 5-year term.

To review the annual progress of the Pay to Play Tennis Scheme and to seek permission to offer free Sunday morning sessions at Gibraltar and Poole Road Recreation Grounds and offer free morning tennis sessions during the school summer holidays in 2025.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Note the progress of the Pay to Play Tennis Scheme.

(2)          Approve the proposal to offer additional free Sunday morning tennis sessions at Gibraltar and Poole Road Recreation Grounds as from 1 April 2025 as set out at paragraph 6.2 of the report.

(3)          Approve the proposal to offer free morning tennis sessions on all tennis courts in the borough from 22 July 2025 to 29 August 2025.

The Committee received a report reviewing the progress of the Pay to Play Tennis Scheme and seeking permission to offer free Sunday morning sessions at Gibraltar and Poole Road Recreation Grounds and to offer free morning tennis sessions during the school summer holidays in 2025.

The Committee considered the following matters:

a)            Typing Error in the Report. The Chair highlighted a typing error at paragraph 4.2 of the report. She explained that Alex Rec had unintentionally been listed twice, and that one of the instances of Alex Rec should have instead said Court Rec.

b)            Additional Information Provided to the Committee. A Member had submitted a series of questions in respect of the Pay to Play Tennis Scheme to the Interim Assistant Head of Service (Streetcare), to which a written response was provided to the Committee, prior to the meeting. The Interim Assistant Head of Service (Streetcare) provided a summary of the information set out in the written response at the meeting. The Committee considered that the questions and the written response should be made publicly available subsequent to the meeting*.

*The questions and the written response, as minuted above, were published subsequent to the meeting as an addendum to the report.

c)            Publicity and Communications. The Committee considered the importance of promoting and advertising the scheme in order to boost awareness of the scheme and increase uptake. The Chair stated that information about the Pay to Play Tennis in the Borough was available on the Council’s website, and advised that the Communication team would soon be producing an advertisement for the scheme.

d)            Member Rate of Usage. In response to comments from a Member, the Interim Assistant Head of Service (Streetcare) stated that, based on the rate of usage data for scheme members over the current year, it was her prediction that members of the scheme would renew their memberships for the following year.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Note the progress of the Pay to Play Tennis Scheme.

(2)          Approve the proposal to offer additional free Sunday morning tennis sessions at Gibraltar and Poole Road Recreation Grounds as from 1 April 2025 as set out at paragraph 6.2 of the report.

(3)          Approve the proposal to offer free morning tennis sessions on all tennis courts in the borough from 22 July 2025 to 29 August 2025.

This report recommends Street Trading and Pavement licence fees and charges for which this Committee is responsible, which were omitted from the Fees and Charges 2025/26 report presented to Environment Committee on 21 January 2025. These fees will be effective from 1 April 2025.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Agree the fees and charges for 2025/26 as set out at section 2.4 in this report.

The Committee received a report recommending Street Trading and Pavement Licence fees and charges, with the fees and charges to be effective from 1 April 2025.

The Committee considered the following matters:

a)            Differentiation between Pavement Licence and Street Trading Licence. In response to a question from a Member, the Chair and the Interim Assistant Head of Service (Streetcare) clarified that a pavement licence permits a business to place furniture on the public highway for the serving and consumption of food and drink sold by said business, whereas a street trading licence permits a business to sell any article or offer a service on the public highway, not including market stalls which are treated separately.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Agree the fees and charges for 2025/26 as set out at section 2.4 in the report.