Agenda and minutes

To receive notification of the appointment of any Substitute Members at the meeting.

There were no substitute members reported.

You are invited to declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests in matters appearing on the agenda, and the nature of that interest.

You are also invited to disclose any dispensations that have been granted to you in relation to any matters appearing on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest or dispensations reported.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2023.

The minutes of the meeting of the sub-committee held on 5 September 2023 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The purpose of this report is to detail the road safety motion that was presented at the Full Council meeting 21 September 2023.

The Head of Highways and Transportation gave a presentation based on the Road Safety motion that was presented at Full Council on 21 September 2023. The committee was asked to note the information provided and invited to give its input into the strategy before officers began to liaise with partners and the public in January.

A discussion took place around the 85^th Percentile methodology (the speed at or below which 85 percent of the drivers will operate with open roads and favourable conditions), its effectiveness and whether this was a measurement that the Authority had to continue to use. Officers stated that this was currently the system used by the Police, so any change would need to be done as part of a wider consultation. Officers were currently investigating other possibilities but were happy to take any suggestions from members.

Officers stated they were in regular contact with the Police about Anti-Social driving and encouraged members to continue to feed any information on hotspots and ASB road issues to Highways.

Members stated that they would appreciate a meeting with the Police liaison officer for Community Speed Watch (CSW) as they felt that information had not been widely shared with them or the wider community they had contact with. Members felt they could have a more direct input into the CSW system (e.g. through volunteers and local intelligence) if they had access to more information. Members were concerned that any current volunteers may not have been given the option to choose either their own or other areas. Officers agreed to add a briefing and FAQ to the members briefing at the earliest opportunity, as well as arranging an in-person meeting with the liaison officer.

Officers agreed to review possible measures of success for the Road Safety plan. Members suggested that alongside statistics like casualty and accident figures that CSW reports, complaint / member enquiries figures and Speed Awareness Course figures for the area could be utilised.

It was stated that in certain areas, Pedestrian Crossings had proved useful in slowing traffic areas, but members stated that they were finding it difficult to contact officers re: these and other traffic related issues. The Head of Highways and Transportation said he would pass these concerns onto the relevant Police team.

Officers made suggestions that convex mirrors could have more widespread use in North Tyneside, and that while the digital Smile/Frown faces were said to have diminishing returns, officers and members believed they were useful visual deterrents.

A discussion took place about the ongoing issue of parking around schools, and what could be done about further encouraging parents and road users to be more considerate in those areas beyond the current methods employed. Officers mentioned that there have been some targeted interventions by Police, and they would continue their engagement with schools to see what action / education could be taken. The Head of Environmental Sustainability agreed that if members make them aware of specific schools, he will look into further  ...  view the full minutes text for item G1323

A brief presentation covering the Authority’s current Waste Strategy to assist the committee in helping to shape a refresh of that Strategy.

The Head of Environment introduced the Environmental Sustainability Manager: Climate and Waste Strategy who gave a presentation to assist the Committee by giving them the option of input into refreshing the Waste Strategy.

The presentation detailed the Authority’s recycling strategy, current plans and future targets, and a discussion took place on the current situation with the recycling of textiles and on the future collection of soft plastics that would come into play by 31 March 2027.

Suggestions were taken by the committee about the forthcoming food waste collections (due to begin by 31 March 2026) and collection ‘caddies’ and how that would work in practice.  Members asked if it was possible to get further information on both the current situation and the strategy to increase Energy from Waste (EfW) in North Tyneside, and if an officer would be able to supply a briefing note for the Member’s Briefing email soon.

Members discussed the possibility of moving forward with the idea of an electrical items ‘re-use’ shop for North Tyneside. The Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency stated that due to current waste and recycling contracts this was currently a difficult proposition to realise but was certainly an ambition for the future.

The committee also talked about whether certain items were shipped abroad by the Authority or its contractors. It was stated that certain items were shipped abroad as part of current contract, and in the future this would be something that would be a factor in sub-contracting decisions.

To consider the priorities for inclusion in the Sub-committee’s work programme 2023-24.

The Chair invited committee members to contact him with any suggestions for forthcoming items they would like to see brought to the Committee or to be added to the Work programme.