Agenda and minutes

The Minutes of the meeting on 23 September 2010 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Environment and Economy on the Strategy and Implementation of Halton’s Local Transport Plan (LTP3), approval for a period of consultation.

The Board were reminded that Local Transport Plans (LTPs) were initially introduced by the Transport Act 2000, which set a statutory requirement for local transport authorities to produce a LTP every five years and keep it under review.  Since then, the Local Transport Act 2008 had been introduced, which retained the statutory requirement to produce and review LTPs and supporting policies, but changed aspects of the statutory framework including giving local authorities the flexibility to review and update the LTP as they considered appropriate.

Halton Borough Council as a Unitary Authority, was the transport authority for the area of Halton and as such was required to produce a LTP.  The current LTP (LTP2) would run until March 2011, with the third LTP (LTP3) due to commence in April 2011. Members were advised that  LTP3 would be in two parts; the first would set out a long term strategy to 2026 and the second would consist of a short term (3 year) Implementation Plan, setting out in detail how the strategy would be delivered.  Separating strategy and implementation allowed the two parts of the LTP to be renewed (when necessary) on different timescales. 

Although Halton would produce an individual LTP3, it had been recognised that working in partnership with the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority (Merseytravel) or ITA, which was statutorily obliged to produce the LTP on behalf of itself and the Merseyside Districts, would be beneficial for the sub-region.  As a result, Halton and Merseyside had synchronised the preparation of their evidence bases and there was impetus to produce a similar long term vision and strategy across the sub-region.  However, the production of Halton’s rolling implementation plan would be separate from Merseyside’s and would be based on Halton’s specific characteristics.

RESOLVED: That

1)     the LTP3 Strategy and Implementation document be approved for the purposes of a seven week period of consultation; and

2)     further editorial and technical amendments that do not materially affect the LTP3 Strategy and Implementation document be agreed by the Operational Director – Highways, Transportation and Logistics in consultation with the Executive Board Member for Transportation as necessary, before the document is published for consultation.

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Resources, on the adoption of controls relating to sex establishments.

            The Board were reminded that before 1982, there was no control over the operation of sex establishments (defined as sex shops and sex cinemas). In 1983, the Council adopted the provisions of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, and confirmed its policies and procedures in 2000 after consideration by the Council’s Licensing Review Body.

            The Policing and Crime Act 2009 had introduced new controls into the 1982 Act, which related to sex entertainment venues. The approach adopted by the Council to ‘controlled dancing’ under the old public entertainment licensing system as well as under the Licensing Act 2003 was analogous to proposed controls relating to sex entertainment venues. Controlled dancing referred to lap-dancing, striptease or any similar dancing. Details were set out at Appendix 3 attached to the report. Similar controls were proposed for sex entertainment venues.

            RESOLVED: That Council be recommended to

1) adopt Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 as amended by the Policing and Crime Act 2009 – Control of Sex Establishments; and

2)    adopt the consequential amendments to the Council’s Constitution as set out in Appendix 2 attached to the report.

MINUTES ISSUED:  20 October 2010

CALL-IN:   27 October 2010

Any matter decided by the Executive Board may be called in no later than  5.00pm on 27 October 2010