Venue: Virtual Meeting - Live link below
Contact: Administrator, Adele Taylor Tel. (01252) 398831, Email. adele.taylor@rushmoor.gov.uk
No. | Item |
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To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 27th Janaury, 2021 (copy attached). Minutes: The Minutes of the Meeting held on 27th January, 2021 were
agreed as a correct record. |
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Southwood Woodland Management Plan PDF 8 MB To receive a report on the Southwood Woodland Management Plan 2021 to 2031 from Tim Mills, Head of Economy, Planning and Strategic Housing and Debbie Salmon, Ecology and Biodiversity Officer (copy attached). Minutes: The Board
welcomed Tim Mills, Head of Economy, Planning, and Strategic Housing and,
Ecology and Biodiversity Officer, Debbie Salmon who were in attendance to
present the Southwood Woodland Management Plan, 2021-2026. The Plan covered a
five year period, after which a review would take place, followed by a further
five year plan. It was
noted that a survey of the site had been carried out to assess what was present
and the condition of the site. A number of habitats had been found, these
included: ·
Birch
woodland – classed as secondary woodland and required some maintenance ·
Veteran
Oaks – over 400 years old ·
Heathland
– glade created by Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership ·
Bog
habitats – Head waters of the Ively stream, currently
an underground culvert ·
Wet
woodland – valuable and rare habitat, birch present in this area required
thinning ·
Ditches
– required thinning and re-profiling Several
animal species had also been identified on the site, including, badgers, deer, bats, birds,
reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. The invertebrate population had been
exceptionally good, 675 different species had been spotted in the Woodland and
combined over the two sites (the Woodland and the Country Park) 952 species had
been identified. The requirement to gain SSSI status for invertebrates was 1000
different species. The vision
for the Southwood Woodland Management Plan was to: ·
manage
the site to increase its biodiversity value whilst enabling access to nature
for all visitors ·
re-create the habitats that were
present in the 1800’s when the site had been open fields with areas of
heathland and moorland by removing the majority of the birch from the woodland
allowing the wooded heath to regenerate naturally ·
compliment the work proposed
within Southwood Country Park and join up the habitats already present to
create a connected and varied habitat complex for the public to enjoy The key
objectives of the Management Plan were identified as: ·
Clearing
the birch and conifer trees over the five year period ·
Maintain
the wet woodland and ditches by thinning the tree canopy and clearing the
ditches to increase the aquatic invertebrate species ·
Re-naturalising the Ively Brook to
meander through the woodland ·
Health
and safety objectives to include – an annual tree survey and check of
infrastructure, this was supported by the Blackwater Valley Countryside
Partnership who volunteered on site and the newly appointed Ranger on the
Southwood Country Park site ·
Install
replacement directional and educational signage The Board
discussed the Plan and raised a number of issues, including land grabbing, garden
waste dumping, use by cyclists and future plans for the Country Park site. It was noted that both land grabbing by neighbouring residents and dumping of garden waste were an issue on the site and action had been taken, and would continue to be taken, to address this with residents. The garden waste issue raised concerns around the spread of invasive species, such as Yellow Arch Angel. It was noted that the invasive plant was currently being tackled through spray treatment, but the digging up of ... view the full minutes text for item 29. |
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Local Government Association Equalities and Diversity Peer Challenge - Report PDF 80 KB To receive
a report (attached) from Assistant Chief Executive, Rachel Barker on the Local
Government Association (LGA) Equalities and Diversity Peer Challenge (final
report attached) which took place in January, 2021. The Board is asked to
discuss the report and the action plan (attached) which has been prepared to
address the recommendations and is proposed to be presented to Cabinet for
adoption. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Assistant
Chief Executive, Rachel Barker, gave a presentation on the recent Peer Review
carried out by the Local Government Association (LGA) on Equalities and
Diversity. The Board were being asked to endorse the report, action plan and
recommendations prior to it being presented to the Cabinet in April for
adoption. The Portfolio Holder for Democracy, Strategy and Partnerships, Cllr
Adrian Newell, was also in attendance for this item. An overview
was provided on the process of the Review which had taken place in January,
2021. Background documents had been shared with the Review team prior to virtual
meetings being held with elected Members, staff, managers and stakeholders. A
verbal feedback session had been held on 28th January, before the full written
report had been produced. It was
advised that 35 recommendations across 4 headings had been set out in the
report. An action plan had been drawn up to show how these recommendations
could be taken forward through a phased approach. Actions within Phase 1 would
be completed by September, 2021 and those in Phase 2 by March 2022. In
addition, there were a small number of longer term (to be completed by 2022/23)
actions proposed in Phase 3, which included signing up to accreditations and
charters, use of grants to improve participation, community engagement on
careers in the Council and co-design and co-development of Council services. Cllr
Newell, advised that the Plan helped to implement new initiatives and improve
on what was already in place. The Board
discussed the Action Plan and raised a number of issues around the content and
focus of the Plan and the critical path of how each phase connected to the
next. How the actions would be measured was also raised, it was advised that
usually following a Peer Review the LGA would return, around 18 months later,
to assess the Council’s position. The Council’s Service Plans would also give
an indication of whether the actions had been achieved. The action
regarding “celebrating different festivals and events using social media” was
also discussed. It was felt important to celebrate different cultural events
but consideration needed to be given to which would be highlighted to avoid
exclusion of any particular group. In response
to a query regarding data from the recent Census 2021, it was noted that this
data was expected to start being shared from the autumn. Two of the LGA’s
recommendations were around understanding Rushmoor’s
communities and the Census data would provide a real opportunity in achieving a
better understanding of who lived within the Borough. The Board ENDORSED
the report, action plan and recommendations, subject to any comments and
feedback from Members. The Chairman thanked Cllr Newell and Ms Barker for their presentation and it was noted that Members had been encouraged to see that some recommendations had already been implemented and others would be embedded into existing strategies moving forward. Thanks were also expressed to all Members of the Board and stakeholders for their involvement in the Review process. The ... view the full minutes text for item 30. |
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Council Business Plan 2021 - 2024 - Understanding the Strategic Context To receive
a presentation from Assistant Chief Executive, Rachel Barker on the Council
Business Plan 2021-2024. Minutes: The Assistant
Chief Executive, Rachel Barker, gave a presentation on the Council Business
Plan 2021/24 – Understanding the Strategic Context. The presentation showed the
processes taken in developing the Plan, with particular focus on the use of
PESTLE analysis to understand the strategic context. The Board was asked for
feedback to help inform the final stages of the development work. The proposed
approach would be to build on the current plan for April 2020 – March 2023,
covering the period to March 2024. It would incorporate new programmes and
activities that had come into existence over the previous 12 months including, the updated Property, Major Works and
Regeneration Programme, the Climate Change Action Plan, Supporting
Communities Strategy, Covid-19 Recovery Plan and People
Strategy, and the Peer Challenge Feedback on Equality and Diversity. The
process used in developing the approach had involved, workshops with the Cabinet
and the Policy and Project Advisory Board, consultation with the Corporate
Management Team (CMT) and individual Portfolio Holders. A further workshop
would be held with the Cabinet in April, 2021 followed by final approval from
the Cabinet and full Council in June, 2021. It
was advised that the PESTLE analysis looked at external factors that could
influence the Business Plan, these factors were: ·
Political ·
Economical ·
Social ·
Technological ·
Legal ·
Environmental Moving
forward, over the next three years, the strategic context would continue to
change and be reviewed and the PESTLE analysis would be a key tool when
considering the Council’s work over this period. The Board
discussed the presentation and a number of suggestions were made, as follows: ·
better translation of national/international risks at
a local level around areas such as Brexit and Climate Change ·
bundle together the financial issues under one heading
of “financial sustainability” - more detail could be provided on mitigation of
risk in this area ·
Community safety – it was felt that this area was
missing from the Plan ·
Impact on leisure facilities – more specifically
impacts from what remains open and those that are planned to be rebuilt Following a
further discussion it was agreed that this item would be picked up at the
Progress Group meeting on 31st March and Members were welcome to provide
feedback via email. |
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To discuss the Policy and Projects Advisory Board Work Plan (copy attached). Minutes: The Board
noted the current work plan. Cllr
Stewart updated the Board on the work of the Elections Group and paid tribute to
the team for all the hard work during the polling places/station review and the
continued work in preparing for the forthcoming elections on 6th May. |