Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Man and Pope, for whom Councillors Frost and Xhaferaj attended as substitutes respectively.

It was RESOLVED:

that the Minutes of the meeting held on 24 October 2024 be signed as a true record.

It was RESOLVED:

that the Order of Business be as printed on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

34.1.    Councillor Trenchard noted that a report on Biodiversity had been circulated along with Performance Indicator Data. Councillor C Smart suggested that as all the performance indicators were green the Committee proceed to asking questions.

34.2.    Councillor Hughes asked how many allotments there were in Ipswich and what level of vacancies there was. Lisa Stannard, Head of Parks and Cemeteries, reported that there were approximately 2,100 plots across 18 fields at 16 sites. Councillor Trenchard explained that the proportion of available plots let to tenants was unlikely to increase much beyond current levels as whilst there were very few vacancies, with long waiting lists at many sites, there would always be some churn.

34.3.    Councillor Trenchard also reported that the percentage of plots available for use was also unlikely to rise as there were a number of areas affected by excess water or which had been reserved for wildlife in support of biodiversity. Councillor Blacker asked how meaningful performance indicator LI 089a was if performance was unlikely to change. Councillor Trenchard agreed to review this performance indicator.

34.4.    Councillor Hughes asked whether all allotment sites had a community plot. Councillor Trenchard explained that community plots required volunteers to co-ordinate activity and so whilst there were a number of community plots across the Borough these were by no means a feature of every site.

34.5.    Councillor Frost asked whether the Council did enough to promote the fact that Ipswich was, according to a recently publicised survey, one of the top ten biodiversity destinations in England. Councillor Trenchard said that she always tried to have something positive to communicate to the various groups and people she met in her role as Portfolio Holder and said that she would encourage Officers to promote good news more widely.

34.6.    Councillor Blacker asked, in relation to LI 161, whether action was always taken quickly enough when issues were identified by tree inspections. The Head of Parks and Cemeteries explained that there were often issues with perception of tree works with residents either thinking that works were excessive because the work impacted on the look of the tree, or thinking that works weren’t being done promptly because they weren’t aware that some works could only be done at certain times of the year to protect trees and nesting birds. There were now additional resources in the trees team to ensure work was done and managed efficiently.

34.7.    Councillor Reynolds asked how decisions were made on what works were needed to trees. The Head of Parks and Cemeteries reported that the Tree Officer and Inspector, who assessed work, were in a different team to the Tree Surgeons, which would ensure that decisions were made solely on the basis of what works were thought to be needed. Measures such as fencing and wild-flower planting were being put in place to protect the root systems of older trees and felling was avoided wherever possible.

34.8.    Councillor Reynolds asked whether the Council could work with allotment holders to create wildlife  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

35.1.    Councillor MacDonald noted that a report on inward investment and regeneration had been circulated along with Performance Indicator Data. Councillor MacDonald provided an update on the Portfolio; the key points made being:

-       A new Assistant Director for Place had recently been appointed.

-       The Council’s Cornhill Strategy had been successful in providing a good quality leisure offer and a better overall experience and the Council was working to get vacant buildings in the area occupied.

-       The Town Deal Board had supported the conversion of the old post office into a restaurant, which was now one of the Botanist’s best performing venues. The Net Zero Skills Centre and Care Skills Academy had both also been delivered. There were six live projects with progress being made on all of these. The Pedestrian Bridge over Ipswich Wet Dock was being worked on by Suffolk County Council and Associated British Ports. Improvements to shopping parades had been delivered, and there had been particular success with the community grants element of the project. Designs for improvements to Lloyds Avenue were nearing completion and the Greener Ipswich project would deliver a green corridor from Christchurch Park to the Waterfront, albeit underground services were causing issues in some areas. The Digital Ipswich project was delivering fun interactive trails and improvements to the All About Ipswich website. The largest remaining project was the Regeneration Fund, and proposals for selected developer led projects were now being worked up. The Council as developer element of the project was now beginning.

-       The redevelopment of the former sugar beet processing plant at Sproughton was now nearly complete and the Council would break even on this scheme as well as providing around 1,000 jobs on the site.

35.2.    Councillor Grant noted that the Lloyds Avenue improvements included outside eating areas and asked whether there was a plan to make these suitable for use in winter by adding canopies and heaters. The Director – Operations and Place, James Fairclough, reported that there was no plan to add such canopies or heaters, noting that these would have significant carbon impacts. The benches would however have wooden seating which would make them less cold to sit on than the stone and concrete seating located elsewhere in the Town Centre.

35.3.    Councillor Grant noted that there was a significant imbalance in pay between the genders and asked whether the Council was doing anything to improve this. Councillor MacDonald explained that the Council worked to reduce the gender pay imbalance within the Council but that it had little influence over the decisions of other employers.

35.4.    Councillor Bartholomew noted that there had been a significant fall in the number of visitors to the Town Centre and asked how this was measured. The Director – Operations and Place reported that the figures were based on sensors which used mobile phone data, but that there was concern about the accuracy of the figures; Officers estimated that footfall had actually increased by 7% in 2023/24. New sensors  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35.

36.1.    Councillor Frost introduced the report of the Town Centre Cleanliness Task and Finish Group, thanking Councillors and Officers for their work. Councillor Frost explained that the scope of the Task and Finish Group had been to look at the cleanliness of the town centre and perceptions of this, and that they had received evidence from the Chief Executive of Ipswich Central, Officers from Waste and Fleet, Public Protection and Communications, and Councillors P Smart and J Cook as the relevant Portfolio Holders.

36.2.    The Task and Finish Group had found that generally the town was well cleaned, but that there were issues with areas where there were clusters of vacant shops or where the quality of the public realm was poor which made the Town feel unloved; there were also issues with litter hotspots. The Task and Finish Group felt that more positive messaging about the low level of litter in the Town Centre would be useful. The recommendations of the Task and Finish Group were included in the report.

36.3.    Councillor Hughes asked what the biggest source of litter was. Councillor Frost reported that Trade Waste bags being ripped open by seagulls was the main issue, along with weeds acting as traps for rubbish and members of the public littering. It was noted that more collaborative working with Ipswich Town Football Club, Suffolk County Council and other partners was being done by Officers.

36.4.    Councillor T Lockington commented that education was a key way of reducing the amount of litter created.

It was resolved that:

the recommendations of the Town Centre Cleanliness Task and Finish Group be approved and be circulated to relevant Executive Portfolio Holders for consideration and response.

37.1.    Councillor Grant introduced the report of the Area Committees Task and Finish Group, noting that during the course of the review Executive had decided to cease Area Committees at the end of the 2024/25 Municipal Year. The focus had therefore changed from whether Area Committees should be replaced or changed, to what should happen after Area Committees ceased.

37.2.    Councillor Grant explained that seven recommendations were proposed, as listed in the report. Councillor Grant reported that the Task and Finish Group had felt that monitoring of the implementation of the new Community Engagement Strategy was important and that the members had volunteered to do this.

37.3.     Councillor Long commented that the new model for Community Engagement was likely to be quite dynamic and said that the new funding arrangements would be important.

37.4.    Councillor Hughes commented that Area Committees hadn’t been very good at engaging groups who didn’t traditionally interact with the Council and said that she hoped the new model would do this better.

37.5.    The Assistant Director for Communities, Kate Price, reported that the Communities Team was currently undergoing a restructure to support the resourcing needs of the new Community Engagement model. In the new structure as well as having geographic areas, Officers would be assigned sections of the Community to engage with.

It was resolved that:

the recommendations of the Area Committees Task and Finish Group be approved and be circulated to the Portfolio Holder for Communities and Sport for consideration and response.

38.1.    The Committee discussed the areas in the Housing Portfolio and agreed to request a report regarding Empty Council Homes.

38.2.    There were no changes to the Work Programme.