Agenda, decisions and minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be found here.

Please note that if any changes are made to this minute at the point of approval, these will be outlined in the subsequent minute and this document will not be retrospectively altered.

The Committee had before it the minute of the previous meeting of 16 September 2021, for approval.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)              to note that Councillor McLellan advised that in relation to his declaration of interest, that it should have stated Fairer Aberdeen Fund Board and not Fair Trade Board; and

(ii)             to otherwise approve the minute as a correct record.

The Committee had before it the committee business planner as prepared by the Chief Officer – Governance. 

The Committee resolved:-

(i)              to note that the two reports on Child Poverty due to be reported to this meeting had been delayed due to data not being available and it was hoped that the data would be available in late November, therefore it was proposed that the reports would be presented to the January 2022 Committee;

(ii)             to note that in relation to item 18 on the planner (Duties to Brother and Sisters – new legislation), that this report would be presented at a future meeting of the Public Protection Committee rather than this committee and would be removed from this planner; and

(iii)            to otherwise note the planner.

That the Council instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to report to the Operational Delivery Committee on the next steps following discussions with Podback (which is operated and financed by the coffee pod manufacturers at no cost to this authority) with a view to Aberdeen City Council becoming the first local authority in Scotland to introduce the recycling of coffee pods.

The Committee had before it a notice of motion by Councillor Reynolds in the following terms:-

That the Council instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to report to the Operational Delivery Committee on the next steps following discussions with Podback (which is operated and financed by the coffee pod manufacturers at no cost to this authority) with a view to Aberdeen City Council becoming the first local authority in Scotland to introduce the recycling of coffee pods.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)            instructs the Chief Officer – Operations and Protective Services to assess the viability of installing collection points at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC’s), and if appropriate instructs the installation of collection points;

(b)            approves the promotion of the “Podback” Coffee Pod recycling scheme to inform householders and the general public about the scheme and provide further information about coffee pod recycling; and

(c)             agrees that, at this time, adding coffee pods collection to the kerbside recycling collections is not considered viable due to logistical limitations, operational impacts and environmental sustainability considerations.

Councillor Reynolds spoke in furtherance of his notice of motion.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)              to approve recommendations (a) and (b); and

(ii)             to agree that officers continue to engage with Podback and allow the necessary time to consider and plan for the future waste service challenges and requirements that this may impact on and to better understand the carbon impact of this service.

The Committee had before it a notice of motion by Councillor Stewart, the Depute Provost, in the following terms:-

That this Committee instructs the Chief Officer – Operations and Protective Services to submit a report to the next appropriate committee and refer it to the budget process  concerning the alternative options of installing another pedestrian crossing on King’s Gate in the vicinity of the Atholl Hotel from the south side to the north side of King’s Gate and installing such a crossing on Forest Road near its junction with King’s Gate and any other options which are considered by the Chief Officer to be appropriate.

This motion is made on pedestrian safety grounds, addressing the needs of local people, particularly of families living within the King’s Gate/ Forest Road West End area, wanting to walk children safely to local schools, mainly Mile End Primary School and to match the pedestrian crossing provisions for local schools on the Queen’s Road corridor.

Councillor Stewart spoke in furtherance of her Notice of Motion.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the Notice of Motion subject to the inclusion of other local schools in the area, other than Mile End Primary. 

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Customer Services, which presented Committee with the status of key performance measures relating to the Operations (non-Education) and Customer functions.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee provide comments and observations on the performance information contained in report Appendix A.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)              in relation to the indicator for % of foster carers and adopters approved within a timescale of 6 months from the time of application, to request that the Chief Officer – Integrated Children’s and Family Services, provide more narrative around this indicator for future performance reports;

(ii)             to request that the Chief Officer – Customer Experience, investigate the possibility of producing an awareness campaign in relation to dog fouling, which might assist the public and alleviate pressures on staff; and

(iii)            to otherwise note the information provided in the Performance Report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning, which presented the annual report of the Operational Delivery Committee to enable Members to provide comment on the date contained within.

The annual committee effectiveness reports were introduced in 2018/19 following a recommendation from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) as part of the Council’s work towards securing that organisation’s accreditation in governance excellence. 

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)            provide comments and observations on the data contained within the annual report; and

(b)            note the annual report of the Operational Delivery Committee.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)              to request that officers look at Term of Reference 1.1.6 (receive reports on inspections and peer reviews in order to ensure best practice and note any actions arising from those inspections and reviews), noting that no reports had been presented to committee under this Term of Reference, and to investigate what other local authorities were doing in relation to inspections and peer reviews and whether any reviews should be presented to this committee in future; and

(ii)             to otherwise approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Integrated Children’s and Family Services, which introduced the Scottish Government’s Plan to #KeepThePromise and provided information and proposals on the Council’s implementation of it.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)            notes the national Plan 21-24 to #KeepThePromise;

(b)            notes the local response to Plan 21-24;

(c)             requests that the Chief Officer of Integrated Children & Family Services provides an annual report to this Committee on the Council’s progress in delivering Plan 21-24; the first of these being in June 2022; and

(d)            agrees to refer this report to the next meeting of Public Protection Committee on 7 December 2021 for information.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Operations and Protective Services, which considered objections and comments received during the statutory consultation period with respect to two proposed Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) associated with the South College Street Junction Improvements (Phase 1) Project.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)            acknowledge the objections received as a result of the public advertisements for the proposed Traffic Regulation Orders;

(b)            approve “The Aberdeen City Council(South College Street Area, Aberdeen) (Controlled Parking) Order 202_” be made prior to completion of the new “South College Street Junction Improvements (Phase 1)” road layout, relevant to that section of South College Street between its junctions with Palmerston Place and Queen Elizabeth Bridge roundabout, and be brought into effect when the construction is complete; and

(c)             approve “The Aberdeen City Council(Off-Street Car Parks, Aberdeen) (Amendment) Order 202_” be made prior to completion of the new “South College Street Junction Improvements (Phase 1)” road layout, relevant to that section of South College Street between its junctions with Palmerston Place and Queen Elizabeth Bridge roundabout, and be brought into effect when the construction is complete.

Members asked a number of questions in relation to the TRO’s and it was noted that the operation of the car park would be kept under review following the implementation of the project and should an issue exist of unauthorised parking in private residential bays, there would be a couple of potential options that could be explored with the residents/building factor.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations. 

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Customer Services, which presented the Cluster Risk Registers and Assurance Maps in accordance with Operational Delivery Committee Terms of Reference to provide assurance that risks were being managed effectively within each Cluster.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the Cluster Risk Registers, Cluster Assurance Maps and Cluster Risks Grouped by Category set out in Appendices A, B and C.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)              to note that the Chief Officer – Integrated Children’s and Family Services, would provide a written response to members in relation to the education demographic demand and why the number was set at 12; and

(ii)             to otherwise approve the recommendation. 

-        Councillor Philip Bell, Convener