Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from Members.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors David Brown and Hayley Whitaker. Councillors James Pratt and Liz Wardlaw were present as substitutes.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests, other registerable interests, and non-registerable interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To provide an opportunity for Members to declare the existence of a party whip in relation to any item on the agenda.

As per paragraph 4.35 of the Council’s Constitution (Overview and Scrutiny Committee Procedure Rules - The Party Whip), it is generally accepted that the Party Whip should be suspended in respect of scrutiny matters. However, when considering any matter in respect of which a member of an Overview and scrutiny committee is subject to a formal party whip, the member must declare the existence of the whip, and the nature of it, before the commencement of the committee’s deliberations on the matter. The declaration, and the detail of the whipping arrangements, shall be recorded in the Minutes of the meeting.

There were no declarations of the Party Whip.

A total period of 15 minutes is allocated for members of the public to make a statement(s) on any matter that falls within the remit of the Committee.

Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes, but the Chair will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned, where there are a number of speakers.

 Note: In order for officers to undertake any background research, it would be helpful if members of the public contacted the Scrutiny Officer listed at the foot of the agenda, at least one working day before the meeting, to provide brief details of the matter to be covered.

There were no public speakers registered.

To consider a report that sets out the Committee’s Terms of Reference for formal noting and consideration as the basis for the Committee’s future work.

The committee considered a report which set out the committee’s Terms of Reference for formal noting and consideration as the basis for the committee’s future work.

 Members noted that the Terms of Reference were lengthy and complex, reflecting the committee’s wide-ranging remit, and highlighted the potential for greater use of plain English. Officers advised that the Overview and Scrutiny arrangements were already subject to review through the Leader and Cabinet Task and Finish Group, with recommendations due to Council in October 2026.

Members considered the breadth of the committee’s remit and the limited number of formal meetings during the municipal year, and how Task and Finish Groups could be utilised in order to increase the impact of the committee.  Members were advised that Task and Finish Groups should be time-limited, with clearly defined objectives and scope, and that standing groups could risk creating ongoing structures rather than targeted scrutiny reviews.

Members were advised that committee’s statutory powers were to scrutinise decisions, performance, policy development and forthcoming Cabinet decisions, and reviewing performance and benchmarking information to assist future work programming. It was suggested that developing a structured committee Work Programme and “skeleton agenda” for future meetings to ensure both prospective and retrospective scrutiny of key Place services and Cabinet decisions, would be beneficial.

RESOLVED:

That, having scrutinised the report, the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

1.    Note the Terms of Reference and Responsibilities of the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee as set out in the report.

2.      Agree to consider potential Task and Finish Group topics under the subsequent Work Programme agenda item.

To consider whether or not the committee wishes to offer advice to the decision maker in response to the Call-In received.

The committee considered the response to the Call-In received.

Members were updated that the original decision to implement and amend the HWRC booking system had been delegated to the Director of Planning and Environment by the former Environment and Communities Committee in January 2026. It was noted that there had been an increase in usage at the Crewe HWRC following the closure of Middlewich HWRC, there were highway safety concerns arising from traffic queues extending onto the public highway, there was no evidence to suggest that there was a direct correlation between the booking system and fly-tipping levels in the Crewe area.

It was also noted that the Crewe HWRC tonnage had increased by approximately 20% since the closure of the Middlewich HWC, the changes were intended as a pilot arrangement, with a suggested review after six months, and the Call-In had also prevented the implementation of the proposed changes at the Knutsford and Alsager HWRC sites, which was to remove the booking system altogether.

Councillor Brian Puddicombe provided a statement as a Visiting Member, which was read out by Councillor Mary Brooks. The statement highlighted concerns regarding traffic congestion and highway safety at the Macclesfield HWRC, with vehicles queuing onto the A536 and surrounding highway network and the need for urgent mitigation measures and engagement with local ward members and parish councils.

Councillor James Pratt and Allen Gage, the lead signatories of the Call-In stated that their concerns related to the continued long-term growth in fly-tipping across Cheshire East, potential barriers to access created by the booking system, accessibility difficulties for residents without internet access and concerns that telephone booking arrangements were not available at weekends.

RESOLVED:

That, having scrutinised the report, the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommend to the Decision Maker to:

1.    Pause the implementation of the seven-day booking system at Crewe HWRC until further engagement with Members regarding alternative traffic management and site layout solutions had been discussed on site.

2.    Remove the booking system at the Alsager and Knutsford HWRC sites.

The decision-maker shall consider the advice but shall not be bound to accept it in whole or in part. The decision-maker shall have sole discretion to decide on any further action to be taken in relation to the decision in question, including confirming the original decision, with or without amendment, or deferral pending further consideration, or making a different decision. There are no further rights to enable a member of the Council to submit a Call-In notice. The decision may then be implemented immediately.

To receive a verbal update on missed bin collections in Cheshire East.

The committee received a verbal update on missed bin collections.

The committee noted that significant disruption to waste collection services occurred during June and July, resulting in delayed, partially completed and missed collections across parts of the borough.

Members were updated that analysis had identified that staffing shortages, vehicle reliability issues and collection route design and operational inefficiencies had been the principal causes of missed bin collections. However, it was noted that performance had begun to improve, supported by the recruitment of additional loaders, drivers and supervisory staff, ongoing induction programmes throughout August and targeted recovery work to clear outstanding collections.

It was noted that officers were also developing a robust recovery and stabilisation plan, including additional recruitment and workforce planning, HGV driver pay benchmarking, review of sickness absence and staff welfare arrangements, collection route redesign, the development of a five-year fleet replacement programme, planning for the new food waste collections and simpler recycling requirements and improved customer communications and service updates. A wider service transformation review was already underway to consider longer-term changes to waste collection operations and future legislative requirements.

Members were advised that around 99.8% of collections were completed successfully (approximately 13 million annually), although around 991 properties experienced four or more missed collections in the previous year and would receive targeted attention. Improvements were being introduced to resident and Member communications, customer service capacity, contamination notices and waste education resources. It was also noted that collection vehicles were fitted with cameras to assist in investigating collection issues.

Members welcomed the invitation to visit the Environmental Hub at Middlewich to gain a better understanding of waste service operations.

RESOLVED:

That the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

1.    Note the update on missed bin collections and service recovery actions.

To scrutinise the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 in year revenue and capital position, savings delivery, forecast pressures and mitigating actions / end of year outturn, as presented to Cabinet on 2nd July 2026.

The committee received a report on the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 in year revenue and capital position, savings delivery, forecast pressures and mitigating actions / end of year outturn, as presented to Cabinet on 2 July 2026.

The committee noted that the report reflected the former committee structure, with future reporting to align more closely with the new Cabinet and Leader arrangements. It was noted that officers were reviewing reporting arrangements to provide more timely and relevant financial information to Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

A significant improvement in the outturn position had occurred between the final forecast period and year-end, highlighting the need to strengthen forecasting accuracy across services. It was noted that the outturn reflected a combination of workforce management measures, additional income received, grant funding carried forward where expenditure had not occurred within the financial year, and that capital programme budgets remained attached to multi-year schemes and were carried forward where projects were continuing.

Councillor Rachel Bailey addressed the committee as a Visiting Member and requested future scrutiny of the highways capital programme, including prioritisation processes, stakeholder engagement, funding arrangements and communication of changes to approved schemes. Particular reference was made to the implications of major infrastructure projects and the potential impact of future funding decisions on the wider highways programme.

Members noted the need for greater scrutiny of the highways capital programme and how investment priorities were determined and communicated, the implementation and effectiveness of camera enforcement schemes outside schools, details of the special parking account, details of resident permits associated with extended parking charging hours, and whether parking charge increases should continue automatically where there is evidence of declining car park usage.

RESOLVED:

That, having scrutinised the report, the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

1.    Note the Quarter 4 End of Year Finance Update.

2.    Considers further scrutiny of highways capital programme matters through its Work Programme.

To consider the Cabinet Forward Plan and identify any likely pre-decision scrutiny items.

The committee considered the Cabinet Forward Work Programme and potential opportunities for pre-decision scrutiny of forthcoming Cabinet decisions.

Members discussed the forthcoming Handforth Garden Village decision, scheduled for Cabinet consideration in December. It was noted that officers had requested scrutiny input, but the timing of committee meetings may limit opportunities for pre-decision consideration unless a mechanism was established to undertake work between meetings.

Members discussed the potential role of task and finish groups and supported the creation of a flexible process enabling focused scrutiny activity where required. A number of key topics were raised by members of the committee for potential Task and Finish Groups to be established. Due to the number of areas put forward, it was agreed that officers would, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair, review and prioritise the requests.

Officers emphasised the importance of developing a well-planned scrutiny work programme aligned to the Cabinet Forward Plan. Members were encouraged to identify priority areas for scrutiny in advance, allowing officers sufficient time to provide relevant information and support effective scrutiny.

Members requested greater access to information and informal briefings between meetings to support informed scrutiny. Officers confirmed that arrangements for member briefings existed and could continue to be utilised to provide early sight of significant proposals.

RESOLVED:

That, having scrutinised the report, the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

1.    Note the Cabinet Work Programme.

2.      Delegate authority to the Statutory Scrutiny Officer, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair (and subject to appropriate officer input), to establish Task and Finish Group arrangements prior to the next the next scheduled meeting of the Committee.

To give consideration to the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Work Programme.

The committee considered potential additions to the Place Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme and discussed how future scrutiny activity could be managed through Task and Finish Groups and informal briefings.

Members identified several areas requiring further scrutiny and agreed that several topics would benefit from more detailed investigation outside formal committee meetings before being reported back to the committee. Officers noted that proposed topics should be appropriately scoped to ensure scrutiny activity remains focused and productive.

Members highlighted concerns relating to car parking policy, highway safety, active travel, flooding, planning and highway adoption issues, and the management of the highways capital programme. Members also raised issues concerning Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 contributions; however, it was noted that Audit and Governance Committee was already overseeing ongoing work in this area and further scrutiny should avoid duplication.

It was noted that future work may include consideration of a new Waste Strategy once development of the policy reached an appropriate stage, which was likely to be within the next municipal cycle.

RESOLVED:

That, having scrutinised the report, the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

1.    Note the Place Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme and update it to include further scrutiny of parking, road safety, highways capital programme and flooding-related matters, with detailed scoping work and Task and Finish Group arrangements to be developed under the delegated scrutiny process.</AI10>