The Committee is asked to note any apologies for absence and substitutions received from Members.

Apologies were received from Councillor VE Guglielmi, with Councillor Ferguson attending as her substitute.

Councillor Newton was absent from the meeting.

To confirm and sign as a correct record, the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee, held on 3 September 2018.

The minutes of the last meeting of the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 September 2018 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Councillors are invited to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Personal Interest, and the nature of it, in relation to any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest made on this occasion.

Subject to providing two working days’ notice, a Member of the Committee may ask the Chairman of the Committee a question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties which affect the Tendring District and which falls within the terms of reference of the Committee.

There were no questions submitted on this occasion.

To enable the Committee to consider the report prepared by the Task and Finish Group on the Tendring Road Rally.

The Committee had before it a report of the Head of Leadership Support and Community which sought to ask it to consider and agree the final report for submission to Cabinet.

Members of the public who attended the meeting were invited by the Chairman to voice any concerns held regarding the Tendring Road Rally; the following issues were raised

·         Marshals – it was discussed that the training of the marshals for the 2018 rally appeared to have been inadequate; during this Road Rally the marshals appeared to have little authority when it came to moving members of the public into safe viewing areas. It was also noted that the marshals took no notice of children and families dangerously crossing over roads and fields in between cars, nor did they act on instances where drivers were seen to be driving without a safety helmet. With regards to the suggested 2019 Rally, the routes have been extended from the previous event – this will mean that the marshals will not have a clear line of sight to one another and poses a safety issue.

·         Wildlife – the 2018 Rally occurred during peak breeding season, with no consideration as to the safety of the wildlife on this day.

·         Insurance issues – it was stated that an insurance company has claimed, if the Tendring Road Rally was a one-off occurrence this would not affect the insurance policy. However, if the rally were to become a regular occurrence, then it would have to be taken into consideration with the insurance policy.

·         Pollution – the pollution level created by the 2018 event was described as dreadful, and claimed that it caused one member of the public to suffer with a cough for around one week. It was also noted to have caused high levels of noise pollution.

·         Speed Levels – residents have stated that since the 2018 Tendring Road Rally, there has been an increase in cars and motor bikes speeding through the area.

Councillor Scott, who was present in the public gallery and spoke with the permission of the Chairman, raised the issue of those who owned and rode horses in the area had voiced their concerns over the dangerous speed of vehicles. Those concerns had also been raised by those who owned cattle, thereby arguing that the speed levels should be restricted.

Councillor Bucke circulated an email from himself to members of the Committee, which raised concerns and queries over the location of the rally, the consultation with local residents, comments from Parish Councils, the perceived limitations and proposals of the 2019 rally, the duties and power of the marshals, health and safety issues, lessons learned from other rallies that had occurred throughout the UK, availability of the cost/benefit data, and the charitable donations of the 2018 rally.

One member of the public requested that Officers provide more information on the complaints that had been received – how were those complaints received? And how many of the complaints were submitted by those who lived  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

To enable the Committee to reconsider the scope previously agreed for a Task and Finish Group on alcohol and to determine whether the Committee wishes to make any amendments to the scope in light of the presentation received on 3 September 2018 from Dr. Mike Gogarty, Director of Well Being, Public Health and Communities at Essex County Council. The previously agreed scope is attached for information.

Following its previous meeting held on 3 September 2018, the Committee had before it the scope previously agreed for a Task and Finish Group on alcohol.

The Committee  was asked to voice any amendments it might have to the scope in the light of the presentation received on 3 September 2018 from Dr. Mike Gogarty, the Director of Well Being, Public Health and Communities at Essex County Council.

The Committee therefore deliberated on the topic of alcoholism,  including that there was a vast number of alcohol related  issues that needed to be addressed, for instance; those that came into the District with an existing alcohol dependency and functioning and non-functioning alcoholics. This needed to be taken into consideration and a decision needed to be reached as to who was going to be targeted and why in the review.

·         Following the receipt of advice from the Officers, it was RESOLVED thatas the issue of alcohol abuse is so vast; it is in the Council’s best interest that the Task and Finish Group begin first by researching further on this issue to gather information and only  then to identify which group or particular area the review  would be focused on.