Issue - meetings

Matter for Decision

This report provides an update for the Scrutiny Committee, Executive Councillor and ward councillors on the current position with the Council’s Environmental Improvement Programme (EIP), considers several options available to the Council, and makes recommendations around future delivery and focus through 2025/26.

 

The report included an outline and critique of how other Councils delivered similar programmes of environmental enhancement, and how Cambridge’s programme might be further adapted to provide additional value to the Council and communities.

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Open Spaces and City Services

Agreed to:

      i.          Support continuation of the Council’s Environmental Improvement Programme (EIP), based on a combination of projects in delivery, those committed and substantially developed, and those committed that still offer value to the Council and will proceed when capacity allows (Appendix A of the Officer’s report, Tables 1 and 2).

     ii.          Support the allocation of remaining available funds to increase budgets for those already committed projects that would benefit from and can be delivered with a funding top-up (Appendix A, Table 3).

   iii.          Support discontinuing with those previously committed projects that were proving difficult to implement or no longer offer good value to the Council (Appendix A, Table 4).

   iv.          Support a further review of EIP delivery, and focus, through 2025/26, identifying where existing committed schemes might be further discontinued; and how the programme might be further adapted to continue to provide good, and additional value to the Council.

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

See Officer’s report.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Projects Officer.

 

The Technical & Specialist Services Manager and Projects Officer said the following in response to Members’ questions:

      i.          Other local authorities had different funding models so could be more flexible in how they delivered EIP projects than Cambridge City Council.

     ii.          The intention was to allocate funding to projects that could be completed. The intention (as per recommendation iii) was to stop projects that could not be delivered.

   iii.          Ward based EIP information could be sent to Ward Councillors to show how projects were progressing.

 

Councillors requested a change to the recommendations. Councillor Divkovic proposed amending recommendation (iii) in the Officer’s report:

 

Support discontinuing with those previously committed projects that were proving difficult to implement or no longer offer good value to the Council (Appendix A, Table 4).
** Officers to review whether N3 – 2023 - Hazelwood Close seating installation should be removed from the recommendation.

 

Reason: Officers to check if seating already ordered and installed. Project to go ahead if so.

 

The Committee approved this additional recommendation nem con.

 

Post Meeting Note: Officers confirmed the amendment was not applicable. The project in question was confused with another EIP project which has since been delivered.

 

The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the recommendations as amended.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.