Venue: Virtual Meeting
Contact: Carole Oliphant Member Services Officer
Link: audiorecording
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APOLOGIES AND SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS To receive any apologies for absence and notices of appointment of substitute Members (if any). Minutes: There were no apologies or substitute Members |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST UNDER THE CODE OF CONDUCT Councillors are reminded of the requirement to declare any interest, including the type of interest, and reason for that interest, either at this stage of the meeting or as soon as they become aware of that interest.
Minutes: Members were reminded of the need to make declarations of interest when appropriate |
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REMOTE MEETINGS PROTOCOL PDF 313 KB Members to note the Remote Meetings Protocol Minutes: The Committee had before it, and NOTED, the *Remote Meetings Protocol.
Note: *Remote Meetings Protocol previously circulated and attached to the minutes |
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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: A Member of the public asked if there was going to any good news on the Wedding Industry reopening being announced.
The Member of Parliament stated that he hoped that there would be more information in the Prime Minister’s announcement due that day but he hoped that when venues opened that they could open with meaningful numbers. |
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MEMBER FORUM An opportunity for non-Cabinet Members to raise issues. Minutes: There were no issues raised under this item. |
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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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NEIL PARISH MP Members to put questions to Neil Parish, Member of Parliament. Minutes: The Chairman thanked Neil Parish MP for attending.
The Member of Parliament (MP) was asked the following questions:
1. Could you open by talking about the just how far behind the District is with regards to access to superfast broadband compared to other areas in England, and the impact that is having on residents?
In response, Neil Parish responded that the District was about 18 months behind and that had a lot to do with Gigaclear who had pulled out of the contract with Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS). He explained that CDS had not put contracts in place in time and that the District needed broadband delivered. He informed Members that a new company, Airband, was now in place to deliver the contract and he had spoken to the owner of the company who confirmed that the right funding was in place and they could deliver. He apologised for the delay and stated it was not something he took lightly.
2. Where do we currently stand with Connecting Devon and Somerset – do they have a workable plan? What is your view on their performance to date, and what more can we do to speed up progress?
The MP confirmed that he did think there was a workable contract. He felt that previously the performance was poor and that the Government should have taken it over, however Airband had very large investment and appeared to be fully capitalised. He stated that he would be putting pressure on CDS and would be monitoring performance and that Members could contact him directly if they had any further concerns.
3. Broadband in Tiverton is a real issue. What progress is being made in getting super-fast broadband here and to those other areas that are being left behind?
Neil Parish (MP) responded by informing Members that schemes were being picked up where places had been left behind. He explained the Gainshare funding and the voucher scheme and he had been given some assurances on flexibility. He stated that Airband would be delivering broadband through fibre optic cables into houses where possible which would be an improvement on copper wire installations.
4. Members were staggered at the number of Anaerobic Digesters in the District and that there appeared to be no cohesive policy between districts to control them. There was a lack of National Policy on Anaerobic Digesters (ADs).
The MP stated he had been in detailed discussions with Sir James Bevan, the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, with regard to the issues. He did not want to hamper local AD plants which did not import material. He was asking for legislation to bring greater powers to the Environment Agency using the national scheme. Whilst he felt that the overall principle was a good thing, many plants were now vast and they were moving material all around the District. He was in the process of collating information on the issues across the country and felt that the Government would ultimately go for ... view the full minutes text for item 174. |