Agenda item

Report No: OAS/SE/19/001

(This item was deferred from its meeting held on 7 November 2018, due to the meeting being inquorate).

The Committee considered the above report which had been deferred from its previous meeting on 7 November 2018.

Officers had previously been requested to provide a report to assess the challenges of vehicle idling in St Edmundsbury.  This had led to an options appraisal being undertaken to address potential issues for the Committee to consider.

Technical information on vehicle idling was attached as Appendix 1, which included providing details of the impact of vehicle idling (i.e. leaving a vehicle engine running when parked) on air quality and the implications of poor air quality on human health; the role of local authorities in tackling air pollution; understanding how long a vehicle needs to be stationary and idling before the benefits of turning off the engine outweigh the potential negative impacts from restating the vehicle; and a synopsis of enforcement powers available should local authorities decide to use this route as a method of tackling this issue.

The Committee considered the Options Appraisal at Appendix 2, which had been summarised in the covering report.  Three specific options were considered for addressing this issue, as follows:

Option A: Undertake a campaign, initially targeted at schools and expanding as necessary;

Option B: Adopt delegated powers to use Fixed Penalty Notices under the traffic regulations 2002; or

Option C: Introduce road signs.

The Committee discussed the options in detail and asked questions of the officers, particularly regarding implications of exercising enforcement powers, to which comprehensive responses were provided.  These included drawing attention to the Council’s overarching Enforcement Policy, which had recently been harmonised with Forest Heath’s existing policy in preparation for the creation of West Suffolk Council on 1 April 2019, and how this covered the overall approach to enforcement across Council services that exercised enforcement duties and powers.  That policy did not address specific enforcement functions of the Council such as the potential imposition of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) relating to this issue. Such specific enforcement functions needed to be addressed in the context of resources available to undertake potential enforcement action to ensure any action taken resulted in widespread effectiveness in deterring further offences; abiding by legislation such as the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000; and assessing the reasonableness and proportionality of potential fines imposed. 

The Officers’ recommendations provided in the report were supported; however, it was requested that the matter should be reassessed by the Committee within 12 months having considered the success of the proposed public campaign set out in Option A based on anecdotal evidence gathered.

RESOLVED:

That

(1)     the technical information on vehicle idling set out in Appendix 1 to Report No: OAS/SE/19/001, be noted: and

(2)     the relevant Portfolio Holders be requested to progress the proposals to undertake a public campaign in conjunction with other Suffolk Local Authorities where this can be undertaken in appropriate timescales, as set out in Option A of Report No: OAS/SE/19/001, subject to the matter being reassessed by the Committee within 12 months having considered the success of the campaign based on anecdotal evidence gathered.