Agenda, decisions and minutes

To take any questions from members of the Public.

Please note: Members of the Public are requested to inform the Democratic Services Officer before the meeting begins if they wish to ask a verbal question to the Committee.

No questions had been submitted or were asked by members of the public.

No questions had been submitted or were asked by members of the public.

Members are asked to declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests in respect of any item of business to be considered at the meeting.

The following declarations of interests were made by Councillors in relation to items of business on the agenda for the meeting:

Voluntary Sector Grants and Funding 2020/21

Councillor Peter Webb, Other Interest: In the interests of openness and transparency Councillor Peter Webb declared that he is an advisor for the Citizens Advice Bureau.

The following declarations of interests were made by Councillors in relation to items of business on the agenda for the meeting:

Voluntary Sector Grants and Funding 2020/21

Councillor Peter Webb, Other Interest: In the interests of openness and transparency Councillor Peter Webb declared that he is an advisor for the Citizens Advice Bureau..

The Committee is asked to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 21 January 2020 (attached) and to authorise the Chair to sign them.

The minutes of the meeting of the Community and Wellbeing Committee held on 21 January 2020 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

This report considers the continued future support of voluntary organisations in 2020/21.

Following consideration, it was resolved:

(1)      That the Community and Wellbeing Committee approved the proposed support for voluntary organisations in 2020/21, as detailed in Annex 1 to the report.

The Committee received a report proposing support for voluntary organisations in 2020/21.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Increase in notional grants for accommodation. The Committee noted that new licence agreements for Town Hall accommodation would be issued to the relevant voluntary organisations this year following the expiry of the existing three-year agreements. The notional grant value of these agreements had been increased to reflect the current market value of the accommodation provided.

b)           Parking arrangements. Officers informed the Committee that the grant/subsidy provided for parking was based on historic agreements and that additional parking permits for Hook Road car park were available to the voluntary organisations at a subsidised cost of £120 per annum. The full cost of permits was £630 per annum.

Following consideration, it was resolved:

(1)      That the Community and Wellbeing Committee approved the proposed support for voluntary organisations in 2020/21, as detailed in Annex 1 to the report.

A report on progress during 2019 in implementing the Epsom & Ewell Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2010-2020.

Following consideration, it was resolved:

(1)      That the Committee noted progress during 2019 in implementing the Epsom and Ewell Local Biodiversity Plan.

The Committee received a report detailing progress during 2019 in the implementation of the Epsom & Ewell Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2010-2020.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Progress made throughout the last business year 2019-2020. The Committee noted the number of positive actions and activities achieved as a result of the Action Plan during the last year, including the increased input from voluntary groups.

b)           Environmental Stewardship Agreement. The Committee noted that the current 2010-2020 Environmental Stewardship Agreement had provided nearly a quarter of a million pounds in funding for the Borough in the past 10 years, but was due to end in 2020. Officers were working with Natural England and the Forestry Commission to confirm a future Scheme.

c)            Climate Change Action Plan. The Committee noted the strong links between the Borough’s Biodiversity Action Plan and Climate Change Action Plan. The Borough performed very well in terms of tree cover in comparison to other parts of the Country (43% coverage in the Borough’s parks and open spaces in comparison to the national average of 13%). The Committee noted that increased tree planting was not necessarily beneficial to biodiversity as it might not be possible without the destruction of other, more diverse habitats. Increased tree planting would also not significantly improve CO2 absorption and would require the repayment of significant habitat protection grant funding if carried out in some areas of the Borough.

d)           Green corridors and integration of the Biodiversity Action Plan with the Local Plan. The Committee was informed that the Council’s Countryside Management Service worked closely with its Planning Officers. The Biodiversity Action Plan and provision of ‘Green Corridors’ was integrated with the previous Local Plan. Officers would ensure that the link between the two services continued in the future.

Following consideration, it was resolved:

(1)      That the Committee noted progress during 2019 in implementing the Epsom and Ewell Local Biodiversity Plan.

This report considers the consultation response on Improving Heathcare Together 2020-3030 and a Council Position Statement on the consultation.

Following consideration, it was resolved:

That the Committee

(1)      agreed the Position Statement relating to the future location of the new specialist emergency care hospital as set out in Annex 1 to the report.

(2)      agreed the consultation response to Improving Healthcare Together 2020-2030 as set out in Annex 2 to the report.

The Committee received a report proposing a response to the Improving Healthcare Together 2020-2030 NHS consultation and a Council Position Statement on the consultation.

The Committee received a presentation from the Chief Operating Officer highlighting the proposals set out in the Improving Healthcare Together 2020-2030 public consultation. The Committee noted the following matters:

·         The provision of £500 million in Government funding to improve existing buildings at Epsom and St Helier hospitals and the provision of a new specialist emergency care hospital in Epsom, St Helier or Sutton. A minimum of £80 million of this investment to be in Epsom and St Helier Hospital buildings.

·         85% of services would remain at Epsom hospital in the event of the new specialist emergency care hospital being sited in St Helier or Sutton.

·         The provision of 24 hour, 365-day-a-year Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Epsom Hospital in the event of the new specialist emergency care hospital being sited in St Helier or Sutton. A UTC would support 2 out of 3 cases which would normally be served by an Accident and Emergency Department.

·         The investment and changes in services would be made in the context of very significant financial challenges being faced by the local Healthcare Trusts. The proposals put forward in the consultation intended to reduce ongoing building maintenance costs and the Trusts’ dependency on agency staffing.

The Committee considered the following matters:

a)            Needs of Borough residents. The Committee considered the varying needs of residents within the Borough. It was considered that residents’ preferences on the location of a new Emergency Care Hospital might depend on where they lived in the Borough, and their access to the proposed sites. The Committee noted that the Council was one of a number of bodies likely to submit a response to the consultation, and that its response should support an outcome that best met the needs of the Borough as a whole. The Committee also noted that the Epsom site was centrally located (geographically) in the NHS Trust and well positioned for access from East Surrey, whilst the other two proposed sites were very London centric and had neither of these benefits.

b)           Position statement and consultation response. The Committee noted that the proposed Position Statement and consultation response strongly recommended that the proposed specialist emergency care hospital be located at the Epsom site, and that if this were not the case, the Council’s second preference was for the Sutton site as outlined in the consultation documentation.

Following consideration, it was resolved:

That the Committee:

(1)      Agreed the Position Statement relating to the future location of the new specialist emergency care hospital as set out in the Annex to the report.

(2)      Agreed the consultation response to Improving Healthcare Together 2020-2030 as set out in the Annex to the report.