To receive a presentation by the Cabinet Member (Economic Development and Community Services) informing the Committee of policy issues affecting this programme area and the main priorities.

The Cabinet Member for Economic and Community Services presented his report.

The Cabinet Member took the Committee through his report, and highlighted the following areas in particular:

·         The scope that the portfolio covered;

·         The twenty three achievements that were summarised in the report.  He said that now that the Rotherwas Relief Road had been completed, it was expected that employment in the area would increase, and that those companies who were already on the Estate would be encourage to stay there.  The Completion of the Museum Resource and Learning Centre, which had been opened by HRH Princess Alexander in April, would be a valuable asset for the County. 

·         The success of the Herefordshire Business Conference, which had shown that the County had more to offer than the strengths of its rural economy.  The conference would be held biannually in the future, in order to keep the issues current.

·         At the Hereford International Youth Conference that had been held in the County earlier in July, Herefordshire had received praise for its work from Rt Hon Michael Meacher MP.

·         The priorities and schemes that lay before the Council.  The Edgar Street Grid project would henceforth be referred to as the Extension of the City Boundaries.

·         The issues that were before Cabinet for decision, which included the reviews of the Tourist Information Centres and the Management Agreement with Halo that had been undertaken by the Committee’s review groups.

·         That the Crime and Disorder PI’s showed that burglary and reported domestic violence had reduced in the County but conversely, poor performance in the areas of violent crime and criminal damage had led to an overall worsening of the crime and safety picture.

·         That although 79% of County residents were satisfied with the local community as a place to live, the 2007 target of 87% had not been met.  He added that the economic climate had put people under pressure, and pointed out that it was likely that the construction industry would cut its workforce.  Kingspan were already laying staff off.

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member for his report, and in the ensuing discussion, the following principle points were made:

·         It was suggested that in the light of the Library satisfaction survey results that the Library, Mobile Library and Home Delivery Services should be re-advertised.

·         That access to genealogy websites should be made more available in Libraries.

·         That consideration should be given to an alternative name for the Extension of the City Boundaries project, such as ‘The Hereford Project’.

·         In reply to a question from a Member, the Cabinet Member said that it was intended that there should be a Central Library in the Extension of the City Boundary project. Discussions around the content of the overall site, such as the proposed Herefordshire University, would centre around the location and the content of the library.  It was intended that the building should be an iconic structure for the City.

·         In reply to a further question, the Cabinet Member said that the County was making every effort to benefit from the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London.  The possibility of involvement in the Paralympic Games would also be explored, and the Principal of the Royal National College for the Blind would be travelling to Beijing in order to lobby the national team to come to Herefordshire.  The Blind Football World Championships would give the County a tremendous boost in 2010, as they would be hosted in Hereford.

·         In reply to a question from a Member, the Cabinet Member said that the Rotherwas Relief Road had been a necessary project, and had proved successful. It had secured at least two thousand jobs, and had increased investment in the site which would lead to a rise in employment by around 100%. 

·         In reply to the Members’ question concerning the Extension of the City Boundaries project, he said that there had been seven public consultation meetings held that had involved Hereford City, and that the team were working closely with the Hereford City Partnership.  It was important to get the correct product mix on the site, and that it was certainly not intended that it should just be a retail centre.  Culture and arts would be included in the project, and would be complemented by the retail offer from the Cattle Market, which would help to increase the footfall to the area.  With regard to the Butter Market, there had been a meeting with the tenants, and there was an ongoing dialogue with the Chairman of the Tenants Association.  They would be an integral part of the critical path toward the regeneration of the City centre.  The Council would research best practice around the country before going forward with the project.

·         A Member expressed concern over the decline in the footpath PI, as he believed that these were one of the Counties best selling points.  A Member concurred, and said that at a recent meeting of their Local Access Forum, it had been reported that the Herefordshire Walking Festival had been a great success, with at least 1200 participants, over half of which had come from outside the City.  Whilst this was good for tourism in the County, concern had been expressed that the current vacancy for a Rights of Way Development Officer post had not been filled.  It had been the feeling of the meeting that the Council were not prioritising this area, and that more resources should be invested.  It had been stated that the backlog of footpath works would not be cleared before 2029.

·         The Strategic Asset Manager reported that there had been a change in management of the Public Rights of Way services, and a suite of new policies was now in place.  This was a complex legal area, with a number of statutory consultative processes, but the fast track system that had been introduced meant that the backlog of cases, where there were no planning objections, had been reduced. It was noted that the Rights of Way Improvement Plan had been instigated, and that there was an engagement process with the Parish Councils with a two stage consultative process.  There were funds of £50k available up to 2011 to undertake improvement works.

Resolved:

That:   (a)     the Committee should receive a report on the situation regarding Public Rights of Way Orders and footpaths at its next meeting;

            and;

(b)    that a Members Seminar on Public Rights of Way and Footpath legislation should be arranged.