Agenda

Including any notices of motion and any other items of business submitted as urgent for consideration at the meeting.

Members should declare any financial and non-financial interests they have in the items of business for consideration, identifying the relevant agenda item and the nature of their interest.

If any

Minute of Policy and Sustainability Committee of 17 January 2023 – submitted for approval as a correct record

Work Programme – 21 March 2023

Rolling Actions Log

Business Bulletin

Independent Inquiry and Whistleblowing Culture Review

(a)        Update – by the Chief Executive

(b)        Referral from the City of Edinburgh Council

Health and Social Care Contracts – Report by the Chief Officer, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership

(Note: Councillor Miller has been called for this item.)

Assessing the Feasibility of an Edinburgh Drug Checking Project – Report by the Chief Officer, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership

(Note: Councillor McFarlane has been called for this item.)

By Councillor Day - Re-deployment

“Notes: The advice circulated by Head of Democracy, Governance and Resilience on 03/03/2023, stating that a budget proposal does not change the council’s Managing Change Policy nor the commitment to no compulsory redundancies; and

Further notes: That employees with redeployment status are often doing useful work within the council; and that there is an expectation they should be receiving support towards finding a new role.

Therefore, asks for a report to this Committee in two cycles providing information about the current redeployment arrangements and how they could be made more effective in transitioning employees into appropriate permanent roles.”

By Councillor Parker - Urban Wildlife Management

“1)        Notes that under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act (1949) and Environmental Protection Act (1990), local authorities have a statutory obligation to manage “pests” on their own land and buildings, including rats, mice, and insects.

2)         Recognises that in order to meet these statutory obligations, appropriate wildlife management is required, and that this is important for public health and safety.

3)         Also recognises that there can be a diversity of opinion about what constitutes appropriate wildlife management and for what species, and that some practices can have a significant negative impact on ecosystems, exacerbating the effects of the climate and nature emergencies.

4)         Notes that wildlife management is important for a large number of council departments, services and workstreams including waste, facilities management, environmental protection, parks / greenspace and biodiversity, amongst others, and that a joined-up approach to wildlife management is therefore important.

5)         Further notes with concern the large-scale avian flu outbreak and the threat this poses to bird populations including urban gulls, as well as mammals such as otters and foxes who can contract the virus too.

6)         Therefore, requests a report to Policy & Sustainability committee in 3 cycles which should outline:

a)         Current council practices in relation to wildlife management, including a list of species the Council actively manages in the interests of public health and safety, as well as a list of those it does not but which other, private “pest” control firms may well do;

b)         Details about how the Council adopts an integrated wildlife management approach in this work, including information about how this is managed cross-service / departmentally, also noting how consideration of the impact of wildlife management on biodiversity is considered, and ideas about how all of this could be strengthened;

c)         Information about how the Council approach aligns with the 7 principles of ethical wildlife management, CRRU code and other relevant standards;

d)         Information about how the Council is adapting its approach to urban gull management to reflect the severity of the avian flu outbreak.”

By Councillor Mumford - Edinburgh Community Climate Fund

“1)        Welcomes the many applications submitted by community groups to the Edinburgh Community Climate Fund;

2)         Notes that the fund has been significantly oversubscribed and considers this a testament to its success, and commends the hard work of officers to publicise it and community groups for getting involved;

3)         Requests a report from officers after applications have been judged and awards made outlining:

            a)         The total amount of funding applied for by groups;

b)         The total amount of funding available from the fund, and therefore the level of oversubscription;

c)         The key themes emerging from project applications and successfully funded projects;

            d)         A geographical break down of the submitted and awarded projects;

e)         Consideration of how unsuccessful projects could continue to receive support from the Council to further their community action to tackle climate change;

f)          Proposals for how the fund could be continued and expanded in future years to meet demand.”

By Councillor Parker - Budget Setting Process and Climate Impact Statement

“1)        Notes that on 17th November 2022, Committee unanimously approved an amendment to item 7.3 “Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Report 2021/2022” requesting that “officers provide high level guidance for political groups to complete a climate impact assessment of proposed budgets in the run up to the Council’s budget setting process in February”, and agreed the recommendation that “all budget motions should include an accompanying statement to their proposals which sets out how their spending plans align with the Council’s climate strategies, including this as an appendix”;

2)         Further notes that, despite the guidance and template document being received in December 2022, only one budget put forward at the Council’s budget meeting on 23rd February included a climate impact statement as an Appendix;

3)         Therefore, requests that, as part of the post-budget review processes undertaken by officers, feedback is sought from groups on their experience of using the climate impact statement template. For those groups who did use the impact statement template, officers should explore what was helpful about it and what could be improved about it for future years. For those groups who chose not to use the impact statement template, officers should explore what barriers groups experienced to using it and how they could be supported in future years to make use of the template.”

The Sub-Committee, is requested under Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude the public from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they would involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 8 and 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act.

Four Seasons Healthcare – North Merchiston and Castlegreen Care Homes – referral from the Finance and Resources Committee