a)    Hari Sharma of Furze Platt ward will ask the following question of Councillor Haseler, Cabinet Member for Planning, Parking, Highways and Transport:

 

If you have a pure electric car and live in the borough you can get a free parking permit, which is a hugely popular scheme. Can I ask the Cabinet Member how many residents have taken advantage of this and what action this council is taking to create more charging points?

 

b)    Hari Sharma of Furze Platt ward will ask the following question of Councillor McWilliams, Cabinet Member for Digital Connectivity, Housing Opportunity, and Sport & Leisure:

 

As I see cranes and diggers everywhere in the borough, building more homes for our children and grandchildren which is wonderful news for our residents and their children who can live close to their elderly parents, how many developments have agreed to build 30% social and affordable homes to buy or rent, or are paying Council Infrastructure Levy?

 

c)    Lars Swann of Clewer and Dedworth East ward will ask the following question of Councillor Johnson, Leader of the Council:

 

Given the state of the high street in Windsor and the fact that there are now too many hospitality businesses in Windsor Town Centre, what plans do the council have to improve the town centre in particularly the area around the Windsor Yards Area in their own right, or in partnership with 3rd parties?

 

d)    Ed Wilson of Clewer and Dedworth West ward will ask the following question of Councillor Hilton, Cabinet Member for Asset Management & Commercialisation, Finance, & Ascot:

 

Can you advise if Royal Borough made a bid for funding via the UK Community Renewal Fund and what was the outcome of the bid?

 

e)    Ed Wilson of Clewer and Dedworth West ward will ask the following question of Councillor Johnson, Leader of the Council:

 

Can you explain the value generated by the Council's development of its former properties in St Ives Rd, Maidenhead?

(The Council will set aside a period of 30 minutes to deal with public questions, which may be extended at the discretion of the Mayor in exceptional circumstances. The Member who provides the initial response will do so in writing. The written response will be published as a supplement to the agenda by 5pm one working day before the meeting. The questioner shall be allowed up to one minute to put a supplementary question at the meeting. The supplementary question must arise directly out of the reply provided and shall not have the effect of introducing any new subject matter. A Member responding to a supplementary question will have two minutes to respond).

a)    Hari Sharma of Furze Platt ward asked the following question of Councillor Haseler, Cabinet Member for Planning, Parking, Highways and Transport:

 

If you have a pure electric car and live in the borough you can get a free parking permit, which is a hugely popular scheme. Can I ask the Cabinet Member how many residents have taken advantage of this and what action this council is taking to create more charging points?

 

Written Response: At the end of June 2022, there were 76 permits issued for use within resident parking zones and 393 permits issued for off-street car parks.  As set out in our Corporate Plan we will be developing an Electric Vehicle Implementation Plan, which we expect to consult on later this year.  This will set out the plans to deliver more electric vehicle charging points to meet growing demand and our commitments to take action to tackle climate change.  This will build on the pilot project of 29 new chargers delivered in Windsor and Maidenhead as well as new charging facilities being delivered within the new Vicus Way Car Park. 

 

Note: Vicus Way Car Park is a long stay contract parking car park that is only open from 6am to 8pm. A parking permit will not enable you to use these charging points.

 

By way of a supplementary question, Hari Sharma commented that only half a million electric cars were on the road; just 1.2% of 45million cars in the UK. He asked what measures and initiatives were being considered for carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide to improve air quality in the borough.

 

As Councillor Haseler was not present at the meeting, the Mayor advised that a written response would be provided.

 

b)    Hari Sharma of Furze Platt ward asked the following question of Councillor McWilliams, Cabinet Member for Digital Connectivity, Housing Opportunity, and Sport & Leisure:

 

As I see cranes and diggers everywhere in the borough, building more homes for our children and grandchildren which is wonderful news for our residents and their children who can live close to their elderly parents, how many developments have agreed to build 30% social and affordable homes to buy or rent, or are paying Council Infrastructure Levy?

 

Written Response: The Borough Local Plan was adopted on the 8th February 2022 and updated the development plan for the Borough. The objective of policy HO3 is to secure 30% affordable homes on most major residential developments (those containing more than 10 or more units). 40% is sought in some circumstances such as on greenfield sites up to 500 dwellings.? The definition of affordable homes includes social rented, affordable rented and intermediate tenures (such as shared ownership or low cost home ownership).? The evidence in the Strategic Housing Market Assessment shows that there is a high need (45%) for social rented homes and all qualifying schemes since February will need to provide this. The Housing Strategy 2021-26 outlines our clear ambition to give more local people the opportunity to stay in the area they grew up in.  

 

Since the 8th February the Council has received major planning applications proposing a total of 817 private market homes and 429 affordable homes. On average 34.4% of all housing applied for since the adoption of the Borough Local Plan is affordable. (figures correct on 14th July 2022).  

 

Prior to the 8th February applications were determined under a different policy context. The amount of affordable housing completed and secured in previous years is reported within the Authority Monitoring Reports which are available on the Council’s website at: Monitoring | Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (rbwm.gov.uk) 

 

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a levy which is applied to all developments specified within the Council’s Charging Schedule unless the development qualified for an exemption under the Council’s exemption policies. All eligible development must pay the levy. The Council reports annually on the collection and expenditure of these funds and the annual reports are available on the Council’s website at: Community Infrastructure Levy | Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (rbwm.gov.uk). CIL collections are reported through the citizen’s portal: Amount (£) of CIL receipted for the reported year (inphase.com) 

 

The CIL Charging Schedule was examined by an independent examiner before being approved.? The Council keeps its Charging Schedule, which is subject to indexation each year, under constant review. 

 

By way of a supplementary question, Hari Sharma commented that it was excellent news that the council was increasing the supply of affordable housing. The housing strategy clearly outlined the vision of giving more people the opportunity to stay in the area. He asked what tenure of affordable housing did the council want to see prioritised.

 

Councillor McWilliams responded that over the time he had been in the role, it had become abundantly clear that with over 1000 people on the housing register it was critical that the borough started to increase the amount of social rented homes. He referred to a consultation in his ward that would start at the end of the week, He had been very clear with the developer that he expected them to prioritise social rented homes. It was also important to bring forward a new generation of council owned housing to right the historic wrongs of the past that saw housing stock sold off.

 

c)    Lars Swann of Clewer and Dedworth East ward will ask the following question of Councillor Johnson, Leader of the Council:

 

Given the state of the high street in Windsor and the fact that there are now too many hospitality businesses in Windsor Town Centre, what plans do the council have to improve the town centre in particularly the area around the Windsor Yards Area in their own right, or in partnership with 3rd parties?

 

Written Response: A paper was approved by RBWM Cabinet in March 2022 to bring forward a Vision forWindsor.  The project, in partnership with the Princes Foundation, will bring together the views of communities, stakeholders and businesses to shape future investment.  This will provide a unique opportunity to shape a compelling vision for the town.  We encourage as many people as possible to engage in the project which will include a series of workshops to further understand and explore Windsor’s current and emerging opportunities, strengths and constraints, alongside people’s priorities and aspirations for the place.  

 

The pandemic has had a significant impact on the economy and town centres across the country but by working closely with our businesses through partnership such as the Windsor and Eton Town Partnership and Visit Windsor Board we have been able to support the local economy, create jobs and drive investment in the Borough.  This approach has led to the recovery of visitor numbers and footfall in the town back to pre-pandemic levels and vacancy rates are at 13.7%, which is below the national average.   

 

In relation to Windsor Yards, there has been a recent consultation on proposals with a recent two-day consultation in the town on 7th and 9th July with further information being provided online (https://windsorconsultation.co.uk/) as well as being promoted across social media.  The council is investing in a number of projects across the town through its capital programme, as well as considering potential future projects in developing its investment plan for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. 

 

Lars Swann was not in attendance, therefore the Mayor read out his supplementary question:

 

What is the council doing to revive the High Street in Windsor to ensure the town does not become one big food court?

 

Councillor Johnson responded that the council was working with the Princes Foundation to produce a 20-year vision. Work was being undertaken through the economic and business development team to continue to attract a broad range of businesses to the town centres. The administration fundamentally believed in competition and a market economy, and all would agree a business was better than no business on the high street. He understood the concerns about saturation of certain businesses, but he was sure that through the stakeholder engagement work a satisfactory conclusion would be reached. The difficult economic times meant businesses were struggling and he did not wish to impose additional bureaucracy which would undermine viability.

 

d)    Ed Wilson of Clewer and Dedworth West ward will ask the following question of Councillor Hilton, Cabinet Member for Asset Management & Commercialisation, Finance, & Ascot:

 

Can you advise if Royal Borough made a bid for funding via the UK Community Renewal Fund and what was the outcome of the bid?

 

Written response: The Government set out the prioritisation of the Top 100 Places (see link below) and it was felt that across Berkshire there was limited chance of success. RBWM was not in the Top 100 places likely to receive funding.  A bid was therefore not made – we decided that with limited resource we target those funds we are most likely to be successful in securing. 

 UK Community Renewal Fund: prioritisation of places methodology note - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

By way of a supplementary question, Ed Wilson commented that last time he had asked about the treescape fund, and the response had been that the council had not applied. This time he had asked about the community renewal fund and again the response was that the council had not made any application. He therefore asked for details of the government schemes the council had applied for and what were the outcomes of those applications.

 

Councillor Hilton responded that it was an appropriate question, and he would write to Ed Wilson with the details.

 

e)    Ed Wilson of Clewer and Dedworth West ward will ask the following question of Councillor Johnson, Leader of the Council:

 

Can you explain the value generated by the Council's development of its former properties in St Ives Rd, Maidenhead?

 

Written response: The matter remains subject to the confidentiality clause on the Development Agreement (per Propco).

 

By way of a supplementary question, Ed Wilson explained that he was not just interested in the commercial value, the purpose of the question was to ask about the wider value such as social and environmental benefits that could be ascribed to such a development.

 

Councillor Johnson responded agreed that there was more to development than simply money. There was a great deal of social value in the joint venture including new market homes, affordable homes managed by Housing Solutions, the unlocking of new business opportunities, and significant beneficial environmental improvements along the Maidenhead waterways. The social value of creating a vibrant dynamic town centre was not to be underestimated.

f) Mohammed Ilyas of Belmont ward asked the following question of Councillor Carroll, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Health, Mental Health, & Transformation:

 

As a teacher by profession, I have some awareness of the effect of Covid and the lockdowns on children's education over the last 2 years in particular. May I ask the Lead Member for Children's Services to share what initiatives RBWM have taken and investments made to support the life chances of our young citizens following the pandemic to date.

 

Written Response: Thank you for your question Mr Ilyas.  The pandemic has impacted many areas of our resident’s lives and the disruption to education has been significant.  The first response from schools has been fantastic.  They have adapted to flexible ways of teaching, including remote learning, and stayed open for children of key workers or otherwise vulnerable children and continue to focus on helping every pupil learn.  The council have supported schools with a number of interventions which are detailed below, including early years outreach for social, emotional and mental health support; support with emotionally related school avoidance (ERSA); and access to resources like Fantastic Fred. 

 

We also recognise that some young people need additional support outside of school so we have increased the capacity of the early help team to provide both small group and one to one support.

 

I would be happy to provide more information should you need it.

 

School Led Tutoring

School-Led Tutoring is part of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) in 2021/22. Eligible state-funded schools receive a ring-fenced grant to source their own tutoring provision for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils who have missed the most education due to COVID-19.  

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1069886/Updated_School-Led_Tutoring_Guidance_.pdf#

 

Early Years SEMH Outreach.

With the evidence that the pandemic has impacted significantly on children in the formative stages of life resulting in schools and nurseries reporting that there are witnessing issues around;

Speech and Language development, Toileting, Sharing and playing, independence, turn taking, dexterity and mark making as well as Social emotional and mental health issues relating to self-regulation and aggressive outbursts. RBWM and AfC have joined with Manor Green School to develop an Early Years SEMH Outreach service for 2022/2023 to provide support for the most vulnerable children at this key stage and increased capacity for the setting that the children are in prior to an SEMH Hub facility being available through Capital Funding later in the year.

 

ELSA - Emotional Literacy Support Assistants

ELSA is an evidence based school intervention programme which strengthens school capacity to support CYP with mild to moderate social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. As part of the quality assurance process, all new ELSAs attend the annual training programme (RBWM EPS) and are subsequently supervised by RBWM Educational Psychologists on a half termly basis.  Approximately 60 schools in and just outside the borough have an ELSA/s who have been trained and receive continued supervision facilitated by RBWM EPS.

 

Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) became fully operational in RBWM in September 2021.

 

The teams support children and young people in 14 RBWM schools (and the virtual school) who have emerging, mild or moderate mental health difficulties which may be affecting their day to day life.  Depending on the age of the child or young person, The team either work directly with them or with their parents. They also work with school staff and offer support on different levels, with the aim of developing and supporting a whole school approach to mental health.

 

The Attachment Aware Schools Award Through whole school CPD and coaching delivered by Educational Psychologists for Designated Teachers in all RBWM schools, the programme aims to increase the academic progress and wellbeing of young people in care and c/yp with attachment needs.  Attachment and trauma aware schools report less behaviour incidents and improved outcomes for vulnerable children.  This programme enhances relational practice in educational settings and attachment and trauma awareness across the school to facilitate wellbeing and inclusion for all.  

 

RBWM Emotionally Related School Avoidance (ERSA) toolkit.  ERSA has doubled during the pandemic; this was preempted by the Educational Psychology and Wellbeing teams.  A graduated and multi-agency pathway and toolkit guidance produced by RBWM Achieving for Children has been sent to school Attendance Officers.  The guidance and webinar includes information on definitions and causal factors, a universal and intervention levels 1-3 pathway and school-based strategies. We have appointed an ERSA co-ordinator from September to consult with schools and further embed the use of the audit and toolkit to ensure early intervention and support. 

 

The Link Programme  In January 2022 RBWM education settings and partners were invited to engage in The Link Programme (in collaboration with The Anna Freud Centre).  This programme improves joint working in mental health and wellbeing between NHS mental health services, Local Authorities including Public Health, and VCSE services.  This consisted of an introductory session and three further targeted meetings with education leads, health professionals, early help teams in RBWM and voluntary sector organisations.  An action plan has been collated as a result based upon local considerations for further enhancement of policy and practice within the health and wellbeing remit. 

 

Fantastic Fred  

A free preventative and educational mental health resource for primary aged children delivered by a team of actors. It is specifically designed to inform, equip and build resilience. It delivers simple, practical and memorable ways in which children can look after their mental health and provides links to physical health. The performance is based on the acronym FRED - Food, Rest, Exercise and Devices. It includes follow up resources for parents and teaching staff. This programme was developed as part of the Good Health Matters Campaign and has been offered free of charge to all schools (including independent) in RBWM. A secondary programme will also be developed which will be offered on the same basis.

 

Area SENCo/Specialist Teacher Service

·       Continuing to support SENCos through training, clusters and networking

·       Support school leaders with SEND reviews and Inclusion Quality Mark awards

·       EAL cluster formed

·       1:1 and small group SEND and EAL support

 

By way of a supplementary question, Mohammed Ilyas commented that closely connected to the effects of the pandemic on education was mental health support for young people.  He asked what additional provision would be in the budget for next year and ongoing for school children needing support with their mental health and would the Cabinet Member be happy to meet him to discuss the issue further.

 

Councillor Carroll responded that the council had placed significant priority on the issue in the last few years and work continued with the schools to identify what was needed in terms of health, especially mental health. School nurses had been introduced with NHS partners. It was key to have a strategic partnership between health and education. He would be happy to meet with Mohammed Ilyas to discuss the issue further.