Venue: Exe Room, Phoenix House, Tiverton
Contact: Julia Stuckey Member Services Officer
Link: audio recording
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APOLOGIES AND SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS To receive any apologies for absence and notices of appointment of substitute Members (if any). Minutes: Apologies were received from Cllrs Mrs A R Berry, Mrs C P Daw, Mrs B M Hull and Cllr N A Way. |
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PUBLIC QUESTION TIME To receive any questions relating to items on the Agenda from members of the public and replies thereto.
Note: A maximum of 30 minutes is allowed for this item. Minutes: There were no questions from the members of the public present. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING PDF 89 KB Members to consider whether to approve the Minutes as a correct record of the last meeting of the Committee.
The Committee is reminded that only those members of the Committee present at the previous meeting should vote and, in doing so, should be influenced only by seeking to ensure that the minutes are an accurate record.
Minutes: Subject to adding a bullet point at Minute 109 to read ‘Cllr Mrs J Roach requested that the assistance of Mel Stride MP in ensuring the process continued with the new Government be noted’ the minutes of the last meeting were approved as a correct record and SIGNED by the Chairman. |
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CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS To receive any announcements that the Chairman of Scrutiny Committee may wish to make. Minutes: The Chairman had no announcements to make. |
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MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT NEIL PARISH The Committee to welcome the MP and put questions.
Minutes: The Chairman welcomed Neil Parish MP to the meeting.
The Committee put questions to the MP.
What is the position in terms of controlling the input and export of material into open slurry pits, especially when neighbours complain of damage to health?
The MP replied that he had spoken with Sir James Bevan, the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency (EA), asking for more regulation. He considered that there was a problem with what was being put into pits and spread on land, especially from bio digesters. He had been informed that the EA were looking at rules and in particular they were looking at the site at Crossparks where they had been making investigations regarding both the pit and the spreading on land. They may be taking action and it had reached legal stages, the matter was being taken seriously. He considered that if a farmer was spreading slurry there shouldn’t be a problem, it was mixing it in open slurry pits and spreading it that caused problems, and only a certain amount per season should be spread, which could also be an issue. The EA were checking and testing the land and the pit. They had apparently found something in the pit that they didn’t like and were checking to see if the land was saturated. This matter was being taken seriously but the EA could only work within the rules that they had.
How will the government address the need for better infrastructure to counter the pressures on existing roads and hospitals caused by the growth in house building?
The MP replied that both himself and Mid Devon District Council were trying to deal with this matter by saying to developers that they must pay more infrastructure costs ‘up front’ so that roads came before the development. They were also looking for funding up front from the Garden Village scheme. The MP also considered that given the uplift from the value of agricultural land to building land some of the extra value could contribute towards infrastructure.
With regard to hospitals, there was extra demand and he considered that the closure of beds in community hospitals such as Honiton and Seaton had contributed to this problem. He felt that figures quoted where questionable, that the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital at Wonford (RDEW) was overstretched and that local hospitals could take some of the strain. He informed Members that he had made strong representations but that the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) had the final say. Social care services had been looked at again by Government to try combining the delivery of social care and looking after people in their own homes but resources were needed in order to do so. This appeared to be working but some people would still require care in hospital.
The MP considered that care packages in his constituency were currently providing services well and he had been assured that there would be improvement. He asked that incidents of care packages not being put ... view the full minutes text for item 117. |
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IDENTIFICATION OF ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING Members are asked to note that the following items are already identified in the work programme for the next meeting:
Note: - this item is limited to 10 minutes. There should be no discussion on items raised.
Cabinet Member for Planning Whistleblowing update Establishment RIPA update
Minutes: HR and people having to work longer. |