Regulatory Services Committee - 16 October 2013

Councillors:-

Pam Hames (Chairman)

Les Mead (Vice-Chairman)

Terry Dos Ramos

James May

Steve Drury

Len Tippen

Chris Hayward

Martin Trevett

Barbara Lamb MBE

Keith Williams

Chris Lucas

The Regulatory Services Committee welcomes contributions from members of the public to its discussion on agenda items.  Contributions will be limited to one person speaking for and one against each item for not more than three minutes.  Please note that, in the event of registering your interest to speak on an agenda item but not taking up that right because the item is deferred, you will automatically be given the right to speak on that item at the next meeting of the Regulatory Services Committee.  Details of the procedure and the list for registering the wish to speak will be available for a short period before the meeting.

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2.

MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Regulatory Services Committee held on 5 June 2013 (circulated separately to Members of the Committee).

13 06 05 RG mins (doc)

13 06 05 RG mins-app (doc)

3.

NOTICE OF OTHER BUSINESS

Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 31 to be announced, together with the special circumstances, which justify their consideration as a matter of urgency.  The Chairman to rule on the admission of such items.

4.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

To receive any declarations of interest.

5.

CHANGE TO THE SCHEME OF DELEGATION TO OFFICERS IN RELATION TO COVERT SURVEILLANCE UNDER THE REGULATION OF INVESTIGATORY POWERS ACT 2000 (RIPA) AS AMENDED

To substitute the post of Head of Community Services for the post of Chief Environmental Protection Manager among the officers authorised to approve covert surveillance.

13 10 16 RG i - (05) scheme of del - ripa (doc)

13 10 16 RG i - (05) scheme of del - ripa-app 1 (doc)

6.

SCRAP METAL DEALERS ACT 2013 AND FEES

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 (the 2013 Act) received Royal Assent on the 28 February 2013, delivering much needed reform of the scrap metal sector. The 2013 Act will provide effective and proportionate regulation of the sector, creating a more robust, local authority run, licensing regime that will support legitimate dealers yet provide the powers to effectively tackle unscrupulous operators. It will raise trading standards across the whole sector.

The 2013 Act will allow local authorities to decide who should and should not be licensed, allowing them to refuse a licence upon application or to revoke a licence at any time if they are not satisfied that the applicant is a suitable person to carry on business as a Scrap Metal Dealer. The Act also creates closure powers for unscrupulous dealers who operate without a licence. It extends the record keeping requirements placed upon Scrap Metal Dealers and requires the verification of the people Scrap Metal Dealers are transacting with. The Act will integrate the separate regulation for motor salvage operators with the scrap metal sector and bring to an end the cash exemption given to some collectors under the 1964 Scrap Metal Dealers Act.

Finally, the 2013 Act creates a fee raising power, to allow local authorities to recover the costs stemming from administering and seeking compliance with the regime.

13 10 16 RG i - (06) scrap metal dealers act 2013 - fees (doc)

7.

ANNUAL CANVASS 2013

To update Members in respect of the annual canvass.

13 10 16 RG i - (07) annual canvass 2013 (doc)

8.

INDIVIDUAL ELECTORAL REGISTRATION (IER)

To update Members on the present position concerning the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER).

13 10 16 RG i - (08) individual electoral reg (doc)

9.

REVIEW OF POLLING DISTRICTS AND POLLING PLACES

To note the action to be taken to review Polling Places and Districts following the Boundary Review.

13 10 16 RG i - (09) review of polling districts (doc)

10.

REGULATORY SERVICES COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME

To consider and make necessary changes to the Committee’s work programme.

13 10 16 RG i - (10) work prog (doc)

11.

OTHER BUSINESS – if approved under item 3.

12.

EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

If any confidential business is approved under item 3, it will also be necessary to specify the class of exempt or confidential information in the additional item(s) and a resolution to be passed in the following terms:-

“that under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined under the relevant paragraph of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act”.  It has been decided by the Council that in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

1.

OTHER BUSINESS – if approved under item 3.