To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies from members of the cabinet.

To receive declarations of interests in respect of Schedule 1, Schedule 2 or Other Interests from members of the committee in respect of items on the agenda.

None.

To receive questions from members of the public.

Questions received and responses given are attached as appendix 1 to the minutes.

To receive questions from councillors.

Questions received and responses given are attached as appendix 2 to the minutes.

The leader of the council reported that NMITE had received validation from the Open University and would be able to take on its first cohort of students from March 2021. He commented that the council looked forward to supporting the project going forward and that this was good news amid the current difficult times.

To approve the development of a local framework for supported accommodation for care leavers.

The cabinet member children and families introduced the report. She highlighted typographical errors in the recommendations in the report which were noted and corrected. The cabinet member noted that as a result of the feedback received from the children and young people scrutiny committee the launch of the proposed framework would be more gradual.

The head of community commissioning and resources presented the report. He highlighted that the proposed new framework would be part of a wider range of provision for care leavers. Although the new framework would take time to introduce and there was no guarantee as to how it would work in the market it was hoped that it would have a positive impact on both quality and price.

In discussion of the report cabinet members noted that:

•               The current framework was often not able to supply the required accommodation resulting in ad hoc arrangements so while there was no certainty that the new approach would increase capacity it was considered worthwhile to try and stimulate the local market;

•               The council was also working to source its own accommodation and in the longer term would not rely on the framework for accommodation but more for the support services;

•               The council already worked with local suppliers and hoped to provide more business to local companies, although it was noted that local charities and voluntary organisations might need help to understand how they could work with the council;

•               The increased in county supply would allow young people more opportunity to remain in the county if that is what they wanted.

Group leaders were invited to give the comments and queries of their groups. The proposals were welcomed and it was noted that:

•               There was disappointment that social housing providers seemed increasingly reluctant to provide this kind of support although there were signs of greater interest;

•               There might be situations where an out of county placement was appropriate but this should be a choice and increasing in county options would reduce reliance on out county providers;

•               The framework would cater for young people with a range of needs, including some providers who can support those with complex needs.

In the concluding discussion it was proposed that reference to ‘looked after children’ in recommendation (a) be amended to ‘care experienced’, in line with agreed new terminology.

(Recommended by the cabinet member environment, economy and skills, seconded by the cabinet member commissioning, procurement and assets)

It was resolved that:

(a)          a local framework be established for arranging and purchasing support and accommodation for care leavers and 16 plus care experienced children; and

(b)          confirmation of the detailed terms and operating arrangements for the framework to be approved by the director for children and families, in consultation with the cabinet member for children and families.

To consider the Herefordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan (MWLP) development plan document for pre-submission publication, in accordance with regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (as amended), prior to its consideration at Full Council on 11 December 2020; and

To report the recommendations of General Scrutiny Committee on 28 September 2020 in relation to the MWLP; and

To refer the MWLP to Council, with a recommendation that, following the completion of the pre-submission publication period and consideration of duly made representations, it be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent testing, in accordance with section 20(3) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and regulation 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012.

The cabinet member infrastructure and transport introduced the report. He thanked officers for their work, members of the general scrutiny committee for their feedback and recommendations and those councillors and members of the public who had responded to previous consultation on the plan.

The cabinet member noted the requirements of national policy and the need for statements in the plan to be worded positively. He also outlined the process moving towards adoption of a final plan.

The senior planning officer and the council’s appointed consultant gave a presentation on the development of the plan and recommendations for consideration at the meeting.

The two supplementary public questions were reviewed and it was suggested that paragraph 5.5.15 be amended to refer directly to the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 and any subsequent amendments to that order so that it would always be up to date. In relation to policy W3 wording would be reviewed to make the policy more robust.

In discussing the draft plan cabinet members noted that:

•               the plan contained policies to guide applicants and planning officers, they would then seek the necessary information to make decisions against the background of that policy;

•               the plan linked to the council’s core strategy through the spatial strategy;

•               the plan focused not only on waste management but resources management so that waste was not generated in the first place, this would include a focus on strategic employment locations so that waste could be dealt with on site supporting a circular economy;

•               the plan set objectives rather than targets which could become quickly out of date;

•               the policy on extraction of unconventional hydrocarbons was as strongly worded as possible in light of national policy and it was felt very unlikely that any such activity would take place in Herefordshire;

•               care should be taken in the language used in the plan, for example be clear and consistent on use of word will, shall or may in policies, and ensure that use of words permitting or permitted do not give the impression of assumed consent;

•               policies were still open to comment and change during the next stages of preparation and the planning inspector could make recommendations for further changes to make the plan sound;

•               the wording of policy SP1 would be tightened to emphasise the requirement for developers to submit a resource audit and to include reference to embodied carbon and lifecycle costs;

•               the wording of paragraphs 3.3.25 and 5.5.17 would be updated to reflect the council’s commitment to net zero carbon;

•               in relation to anaerobic digestion units the wording of policy W3 would be amended to emphasise it would only be intended to manage natural wastes generated primarily on the unit where it is situated;

•               it was noted that the policy would need to be supported by evidence and that there would potentially be locations where sharing a unit between more than one site would be beneficial;

•               policy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.