Venue: Committee Room 1 - Civic Centre, Swansea. View directions
Contact: Scrutiny 636292
No. | Item |
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Apologies |
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Disclosure of Personal and Prejudicial Interests Minutes: · None |
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To approve & sign the Notes of the previous meeting(s) as a correct record. Minutes: · Add notes about grazing rights on Council land and the legislation around it |
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Legislation Session An opportunity to hear from agencies how legislation relevant to the natural environment and biodiversity is interpreted and enforced · Welsh Local Government Association · Future Generations Commissioners Office · Natural Resources Wales Minutes:
1. What are the long, medium and short term legal and financial consequences of not meeting the requirements under the act? 2. How will you measure success (or lack thereof) of Councils under the Act? What do the performance measures look like? 3. How are these requirements linking in with England and wider to contribute to overall improvement of the natural environment and biodiversity? 4. Will success or failure of meeting the act requirements mean enhanced or limited access to grants? Will grant applications be success dependant? 5. What do you see as the main barriers going forward for Councils and how can Councils overcome barriers taking into account austerity? 6. Is there anything you think individual Councillors can do in their wards to contribute to success and maintenance and enhancement of the natural environment and biodiversity?
Neville Rookes - Welsh Local Government Organisation
Q. Do you think there will be conflict between policies e.g. planning and development?
Christian Servini – Future Generations Commissioners
Office
Q. What about housing associations?
Q. Planning inspectors are not representing the resilience goals. They are misinterpreting it and not achieving the goals aim
Q. Simple things and quick wins are important but we must not think we have solved issues this way, the answers are deeper and each ward needs a local level approach. The quick wins are just the start of the journey · If we don’t meet the requirements under the acts organisations could be subject to judicial review via the FGC or the WAO, the ombudsman, Welsh Government potential Welsh Government interventions and called to the assembly Q. s.22 of the WBFGA says the Commissioner can issue advice and guidance, publish it and explain non-compliance · The role is supportive but not policing Kerry Rogers – Natural Resources Wales · There are a range of frameworks in relation to the environment – WBFGA and Environment Act · The 5 ways of working and the 7 goals underpin everything the public sector does · Regarding the requirement to report under the duty there needs to be a plan on how public bodies will report on the duty, how all council duties respond to the s.6 requirement · Look at ‘Vital Nature’ by NRW and ‘Making Time for Nature’ by Dwr Cymru · Must find way of building biodiversity into everything the Council does – right across the organisation · The SONARR report, the Green Infrastructure Report, LDP strategic assessments should all be considered · The final s.6 report should pull all of this information together · Want Swansea to look widely not just as a biodiversity duty · There needs to be a top down approach · Find new and innovative ways to get around barriers · This work will be fundamental to how services are delivered from now on · Swansea was at the forefront of industry for many years but it came at an environmental cost · These new laws have been called the ‘legislation of hope’ Q. The s.6 duty should be across all Council functions. It is easy to see links with some services but there are others like social services where it is more difficult to see how they fit in. do other local authorities have ideas and good practice to share? · Need to bring best examples together. Senior managers need to buy in e.g. safe green spaces to play in/allotments and gardening projects have shown positive impacts for people with mental health problems Q. Many people are members of Community Councils, how do these fit in? · Community Councils will be vital. Like many other community groups, they will be delivering and on the ground. Councils can put the projects in place but people will live them · Also community projects like selling local fruit and veg in local shops, selling local honey, having community spaces hold information about biodiversity to involve residents · Community farms and gardens also play a huge role – social prescribing is important · The answers for good health don’t always lie in the health sector · Statistics show that Welsh children are really disengaged from nature Q. The word ‘seek’ seems weak in the legislation · Seek is a positive word and encourages action – it isn’t passive · Planning may look functional but there are acts and regulations which need to be applied by developers
· Swansea have an example of successful project-the sand fencing, dune creation and marram grass planting project saved money, solved the issue and was a green solution · The Council needs to move forward and take some risks |
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Minutes: · Discussed remainder of work plan · Next meeting will review the evidence so far which will form the recommendations |