Councillor Josh Cook – other Council business

Councillor Mohammed Saghir - illness

None.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 7 February 2018

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 February 2018 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Report of Head of Legal and Governance

Sara Ball, Environmental Health and Safer Places, delivered a presentation on air pollution and health, smoke control areas and clean air zones, highlighting the following:

(a)  natural and human activities emit gases and particles into the air which affect our health and the environment. The most damaging of these are nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide and particulates;

(b)  elevated levels or long term exposure to air pollution can lead to serious symptoms and conditions affecting human health such as cancer and heart disease. In the UK air pollution is estimated to shorten life expectancy by an average of 7 months. Air pollution is often invisible and goes unnoticed by most people, but is estimated to cause early death for 40,000 people worldwide annually;

(c)  the UK consistently misses the EU objectives for air quality, which were originally intended to be met in 2004/5 and then extended to 2010;

(d)  the Clean Air Acts of 1956, 1968 and 1993 introduced smoke control areas, including Nottingham City. This reduced levels of sulphur dioxide and made the air visibly cleaner;

(e)  the Environment Act 1995 identifies areas where the nitrogen dioxide annual mean air quality objective will not be met. Two of these were identified in Nottingham, one at Lace Street and a larger one covering the city centre. These Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) are contained in the Local Transport Plan. Since 2012, the Lace Street AQMA has consistently met the objectives and is likely to be revoked although there are now other areas where levels are exceeded;

(f)  the Nottinghamshire Air Quality Strategy is being reviewed, and the new strategy will be launched in summer 2018. The Local Transport Plan includes the ‘Go Ultra Low’ programme for promotion of electric vehicles, and the Workplace Parking Levy which funds public transport improvements;

(g)  DEFRA has identified two Clean Air Zones (CAZs) in Nottingham on the ring-road and Lower Parliament Street/London Road, where clean air targets will not be met by 2020 unless there is no intervention. In these areas consultants have been appointed, specialising in traffic and air quality, to model and inform the CAZ so that it can be formalised by the Secretary of State by Autumn 2018;

The following points were raised by Committee members during the discussion which followed:

(h)  air quality recommendations can be integrated into planning applications for new developments, such as parking levels, chimneys and air intake positions;

(i)  citizens should not only use smokeless fuel or approved appliances to heat their homes. Enforcement action can be carried out where this does not happen;

(j)  whilst it would be ideal for all new taxis to be electric, this would be unreasonably expensive for taxi operators and there is low levels of manufacture of electric taxis currently in the UK. The current aim is for taxis to switch to Euro 6 standard engines;

(k)  if approved this year, the Nottingham CAZ would come into place soon after as it is intended to reach required targets by 2020. The Council is already working on procedures and methods for the CAZ;

(l)  Nottingham is one of the UKs exemplar cities for clean transport, and receives high levels of funding. Infrastructure improvements are important but there also needs to be behaviour change amongst citizens;

(m)The Council should set a good example by changing its own vehicle fleet to electric vehicles.

RESOLVED to

(1)  thank Sara for the information provided;

(2)  explore possible changes to Council policy for improving air quality at a future meeting.

Report of the Head of Legal and Governance

Councillor Brian Parbutt introduced the report updating the Committee on the response to the recommendations it made at its meeting on 6 December 2017 regarding fly-tipping in Nottingham.

RESOLVED to

(1)  approach Area Committee Chairs with a view to considering an item on the next agenda to look at individual ward needs/issues in regard to waste management;

(2)  investigate the possibility of fly-tipping hotspots being available in NOMAD to inform Councillors.

Report of the Head of Legal and Governance

Councillor Brian Parbutt introduced the report asking Committee members to identify suggestions for reviews during 2018/19.

The Committee identified the following possible areas for review:

(a)  revisit the outcomes and impact of the previous scrutiny review resulting in in-sourcing of bailiffs and council tax collection;

(b)  property management and the potential for a property asset register;

(c)  homebuilding targets in Nottingham in the public and private sector;

(d)  homelessness;

(e)  support for young people on the edge of crime, including knife crime and grooming for drug dealing, who are disengaged from mainstream services.

Report of the Head of Legal and Governance

RESOLVED to note the work that is currently planned for the remainder of the 2017/18 municipal year.