Committee details

OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY

 

SCRUTINY PANEL 4 – EMISSIONS STRATEGY

(ACTION PLAN)

 

1.    Purpose/Objectives of the Review

 

• To provide Scrutiny input into the Action Plan for the Council’s Emissions Strategy

 

Key lines of Inquiry:

To increase Councillor and public understanding of air quality issues in Northampton

To understand the causes and impact of air pollution

To understand the actions being taken to reduce air pollution in Northampton

To understand the actions being taken by partners to reduce air pollution in Northampton

To provide recommendations for the production of the Action Plan for the Council’s Emissions Strategy, which will identify ways of improving air quality in Northampton

Examine all current air quality management areas to ensure they are performing. To see if they can be improved and consider all other factors and future factors in moving forward

 

2.   Outcomes Required

 

• To make informed recommendations regarding the production of the Action Plan for the Council’s Emissions Strategy

  

3.   Information Required

 

Background data, including:

 

• Presentation to set the scene:  “Overview of air quality in Northampton”

 

• Relevant national, other background research papers and relevant Legislation

 

• Relevant data:

 

ØHotspots and trends

ØDraft Low Emissions Strategy 2016/17

ØStatistical data, including national comparison

 

• Best practice and successful initiatives in both Northampton and elsewhere
• Case studies
• Witness evidence:

 

Internal

Ø  Cabinet Member for Environment, Northampton Borough Council (NBC)

Ø  Head of Planning (Planning Policy), NBC

Ø  Senior Environmental Health Officer, NBC

 

External

 

Ø  Consultant, Low Emissions Strategies Ltd

Ø  Director of Public Health, Northamptonshire County Council (NCC)

Ø  Residents’ Groups

Ø  Northamptonshire Green Party

Ø  Highways/Transport choices, NCC

Ø  Carbon Management Team, NCC

Ø  Electric Corby

Ø  Stage Coach/Uno

Ø  Freight Transport Association

 

4.   Format of Information

 

·         Background data

·         Background reports and presentation

·         Best practice data

·         Desktop research

·         Evidence from expert external witnesses

·         Evidence from expert internal witnesses

 

 

5.   Methods Used to Gather Information

 

·                     Minutes of meetings

·                     Desktop research

·                     Officer reports

·                     Statistical data

·                     Presentations

·                     Examples of best practice

·                     Witness Evidence:-

 

Ø  Key witnesses  as detailed in section 3 of this scope

 

6.   Co-Options to the Review

 

Representatives from two Residents’ Associations in Air Quality Management areas to be approached to be co-opted to this Review

 

7   Considerations for Community Impact, such as health, equalities and human rights

 

This Scrutiny Review will gather evidence with the aim of providing Scrutiny input into the Action Plan for the Emissions Strategy.    It will seek to put forward informed recommendations to all relevant parties on methods to deal with anti-social behaviour on the town. 

 

The Scrutiny Panel, in having regard to the general equality duty, will be mindful of the protected characteristics when undertaking this scrutiny activity; so that any recommendations that it made could identify disproportionate and unintended potential positive and negative impacts on any particular sector of the community, including any potential mitigation required.  This will be borne in mind as the Scrutiny Panel progresses with the review and evidence is gathered. 

In order that the Scrutiny Panel obtains a wide range of views, a number of key witnesses will provide evidence as detailed in section 3 of this report.

Any recommendations regarding the Action Plan for the Emissions Strategy will consider impact and potential mitigation as appropriate and relevant across all protected characteristics. Impact assessments will be integral to any reports including actions plans.

 

 

 

8      Evidence gathering Timetable

 

Meetings to commence at 6.00 pm

 

             October 2016 – April 2017

 

10 October 2016             Scoping meeting

 5 December                   Evidence gathering

 9 February 2017            Evidence gathering

 9 March                           Evidence gathering

27 April                            Approve final report

 

Various site visits will be programmed during this period, if required.

 

9.           Responsible Officers

 

Lead Officer          Ruth Austen, Environmental Health and Licensing Manager

Co-ordinator          Tracy Tiff, Scrutiny Officer

 

10.         Resources and Budgets

 

Ruth Austen, Environmental Health and Licensing Manager, to provide internal advice.

 

11.       Final report presented by:

Completed by April 2017.  Presented by the Chair of the Panel to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and then to Cabinet.

 

12.       Monitoring procedure:

 

Review the impact of the report after approximately six months  (February 2018)