Agenda for Regeneration & Economic Development Scrutiny Panel on Tuesday, 12th July, 2022, 7.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Room, Civic Centre, Silver Street, Enfield, EN1 3XA. View directions

Contact: Email: Democracy@enfield.gov.uk 

Items
No. Item

1.

WELCOME AND APOLOGIES

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed members to the first meeting of the Regeneration and Economic Development Scrutiny Panel in the new municipal year.  The Chair also welcomed the Leader of the Council, Councillor Nesil Caliskan, who was participating remotely, Executive Director – Place, Sarah Carey and Brett Leahy, Director of Plannig and Growth who had recently joined the Council. 

 

Councillor Nicki Adeleke substituted for Councillor Mahmut Aksanoglu, from whom apologies had been received.

 

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members of the commmittee are invited to identify any disclosable pecuniary, other pecurinary or non-pecuniary interests relevant to the items on the agenda.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

3.

INTRODUCTION-PURPOSE OF THE MEETING

The Chair to introduce the purpose of the meeting.

Minutes:

The Chair explained that the purpose of this meeting was to receive details of priorities for the coming Municipal Year including key issues and then for the members to discuss the work programme for the Regeneration and Economic Development panel.

 

 

4.

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING pdf icon PDF 79 KB

To agree the minutes of the Regeneration & Economic Development Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 16 March 2022.

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 16 March 2022 were agreed.

5.

TERMS OF REFERENCE pdf icon PDF 84 KB

To note, for information, the attached Terms of Reference for the Regeneration and Economic Development Scrutiny Panel.

Minutes:

The Terms of Reference were noted.

6.

LOCAL PRIORITIES FOR 2022/23

The Scrutiny Panel will hear the priorities and areas of challenge.

 

Cabinet Members and Officers will be asked to leave the meeting at this point.

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Nesil Caliskan, thanked the Panel for providing an opportunity to present the Council’s local priorities for 2022/23 and apologised for not attending the meeting in person.  The Leader explained that she was joining virtually from the LGA Conference, where she had had a long-standing commitment.  It was her intention, however, that she would attend all future meetings of the Scrutiny Panel in person.

 

It was important for the London Borough of Enfield’s growth agenda that as much direct inward investment and resultant delivery was made within the Borough as possible from a wide range of sources, such as grant funding, the Mayor of London, private sector and central government.  Including investment in the high streets across the Borough.

 

Housing Delivery – Provision of 3500 homes, focusing on the key strategic projects.

Draft Local Plan - A key focus of the administration and its link to key housing projects

Strategic Industrial Land - Develop links with the draft Local Plan, the mapping out of the strategic plan and ownership, prioritising on housing provision

Town Centres - Injecting resources into all the Borough’s the town centres whilst recognising they were all very different to each other and needs were very

Broad Skills Agenda - Provision of two skills academies, one for film and one construction, to increase the number of Special Educational Needs (SEN) places in mainstream schools

 

The Executive Director – Place, Sarah Carey made the following contribution.

 

Financial Challenges - Regarding the delivery of the regeneration projects in the wider context of finance.   Significant increases in construction costs together with housing and land prices.  The private sector construction companies were reconsidering continuing with a development, even those with planning permission due to the increase in associated costs.  The Council and the private needed to support and work together

 

Social Economic Outcomes/Objectives - In relation to the multiple successes related to the developments of the Council’s own projects, the private sector and procurement and planning obligations and gains and resulting S.106 and Council Infrastructure Levy (CIL).  The Council’s overview of the corporate governance procedures surrounding investment in key strategic projects.

 

The Executive Director – Place, responding to a number of questions from the Scrutiny Panel Members explained that an Equalities Impact Assessment was required when all planning applications were made to the Council.  They looked at the project as a whole and across the board.  Their importance was recognised by the Council and an officer Equalities Board had been formed to act as an internal monitor of the management of projects of capital investment and construction programmes.  To ensure that the social economic provision was achieved, and that good, sustainable employment were created, for local people where possible, there were special procurement regulations placed on developers to deliver apprenticeships, employment, and local procurement suppliers to source locally, which, by use of planning conditions were monitored and enforced.  Where the developer or contractor were unable to meet the conditions, financial compensation was paid to the Council,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

PLANNING THE WORK PROGRAMME FOR 2022/23

To agree and prioritise items for the Work Programme 2022/23.

Minutes:

Members of the Regeneration and Economic Development Scrutiny Panel, during the discussion which ensued, AGREED that:

 

The presentations on the 2022/23 Local priorities received from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Nesil Caliskan and the Executive Director – Place, Sarah Carey be welcomed and noted;

 

Topics identified for scrutiny be those which was the Council’s direct responsibility and not that of/for the Mayor of London or central government;

 

Three items be considered at each scheduled meeting as agreed at Annual Council on 25 May 2022;

 

An additional meeting be held dedicated to the progress of the Draft Local Plan and the implications on regeneration and economic development within the Borough;

 

Following the meeting, the draft 2022/23 work programme for the Regeneration and Economic Development Scrutiny Panel, as attached as Appendix A, be circulated to all Panel Members, who will, through the Chair, provide further clarification on the specific area and questions to be asked of the Leader and officers directed and addressed in the comprehensive, yet succinct report; and Specific areas to be scrutinised by the Panel and identified/referenced be in the report; and 

 

The draft 2022/23 work programme for the Regeneration and Economic Development Scrutiny Panel, as attached as Appendix A, be circulated to the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration with all the work programmes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Scrutiny Panels to ensure there is no overlap or duplication of topics.

 

Subject to the agreement of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee all the draft 2022/23 work programmes be referred to Cabinet on 14 September 2022 and Council on 21 September 2022.

 

8.

DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS

To note that the dates of future meetings are as follows:

 

Thursday 13 October 2022

Wednesday 01 February 2023

Wednesday 26 April 2023

 

These meetings will commence at 7:00pm and will be held in the Conference Room at the Civic Centre.

Minutes:

Noted tand one additional meeting in Dec/Jan