Agenda and minutes

There were apologies for absence received from Councillors P M Brivio, G Cowan and N Dixon.

It was noted that, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4, Councillor M I Cosin was appointed as a substitute for Councillor P M Brivio.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members in respect of business to be transacted on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest made by Members.

To confirm the attached Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 18 January 2017.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 18 January 2017 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Please note that in accordance with the agreed Protocol for Public Speaking at Overview and Scrutiny, the right to speak does not apply to any items on the agenda.

The right of the public to speak does not apply to the following agenda items: Apologies, Appointment of Substitute Members, Declarations of Interest, Minutes, the Forward Plan, the Scrutiny Work Programme, any agenda item that is not accompanied by a written report and items that are exempt business.

There were no items of business to consider.

(a)    Items placed on the agenda by a Member of the Committee or any individual Non-Executive Member

       Any individual Councillor may request that a matter is placed on the agenda of one of the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

       There are no items for consideration.

(b)    Call-In

       Executive Decisions may be called-in by the Chairman or Spokesperson of the Scrutiny (Policy and Performance) Committee or any three non-executive members. Call-Ins are heard by the Scrutiny (Policy and Performance) Committee unless it decides to refer the matter to the Scrutiny (Community and Regeneration) Committee.

       There are no items for consideration.

(c)    Public Petitions

       There are no items for consideration.     

There were no items of business to consider.

The Team Leader – Democratic Support presented the Notice of Forthcoming Key Decision to the Committee for its consideration.

RESOLVED:   That the Notice of Forthcoming Key Decision be noted.

The Team Leader – Democratic Support presented the Scrutiny Work Programme to the Committee for its consideration.

RESOLVED:   That the Work Programme be noted.

To consider the responses of Southern Water to the Key Questions set by the members of the Committee.

The Committee welcomed Chris Perkins (Network Performance Manager), Andrew Adams (Asset Manager Wastewater Infrastructure), Sarah Feasey (Stakeholder Engagement Manager (Kent)) and George Csatlos (Senior Project Manager) from Southern Water to answer key questions set by members of the Committee.

Water Meters

Q1.      Can you please advise the number of complaints in the last 12 months in respect of water meter readings in the Dover District and how has this figure changed from the previous year?

            A written response was provided prior to the meeting and published as a supplement to the agenda.

Councillor T A Bond was aware of a constituent who had made numerous complaints regarding their water meter. It was possible that the constituent may not live within the jurisdiction of Southern Water and that the water meter could be the responsibility of Affinity Water. Councillor Bond would contact Sarah Feasey direct with the constituent’s details.

Infrastructure           

Q2.      The literature given to residents states that the householder is responsible for the pipe connection between the water meter and the house. How can the resident be responsible for a pipe between the water meter and the house holders boundary? The householder does not own the land, did not lay the pipe under the land and had no say as to the position of the water meter.

            A written response was provided prior to the meeting and published as a supplement to the agenda.

            Members requested that a copy of the Water Act 2011 which identified the responsibility of the pipework be provided by Southern Water and forwarded to all Members.

            Councillor P I Carter advised that there were issues with the water supply in Dover Road, Sandwich and that he had concerns over the impact of a new housing development nearby. In response, Southern Water advised that a capacity check would have been conducted in advance of any housing development.

Flooding in Deal

Q3.      Can Southern Water give an assurance that since the suspected cause of the flooding in Albert Road Deal is known and the money that has been spent on the pumping station that there will be no flooding in this area as a result of their drainage system?

            A written response was provided prior to the meeting and published as a supplement to the agenda.

            On the main, remedial work to prevent further flooding had been completed. A Tide Flex Valve had been installed to prevent coastal drift shingle blocking the outfall and removed the need to remove shingle daily. There were now three sewer level monitors to give an early warning of potential flooding which would allow time to enable Southern Water’s emergency plans and the capacity of the pumping station was based on a 1 in 50 year event.

            Members expressed concern that Quinn Estates residential development would be built before all measures to prevent further flooding had been tested. Furthermore, Members queried the maximum capacity of the model in place and should more houses be built, including the Quinn Estates development, whether the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89.