- From Members of the Public
- From Councillors
Minutes:
Lord Mayor: Can I request that where Members have questions for tonight’s meeting they bear in mind the requirements of the Constitution that questions should be asked and answered without discussion and that supplementary questions must be a question for the purpose of clarifying a reply and not a statement. Please note we have got a very full agenda tonight and if Members continue I will curtail any Member that does not comply with these requirements. Thank you. Councillor Cutkelvin please.
Councillor Cutkelvin: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Can I ask the City Mayor who has oversight of the Using Buildings Better Project where we are at with the Council owned units next to the St. Andrews Estate which have been left empty for over 4 years?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Cutkelvin,City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor. Some time ago I, with some of my colleagues including Councillor Connelly, visited the properties that Councillor Cutkelvin refers to which she rightly says have been vacant for some time. It was our conclusion, very firm conclusion, that the buildings in their current form have no future. They have failed as retail units and the direction of travel towards demolition and reuse of the site is to my mind absolutely inevitable. We, I think, had hoped that the move towards demolition would have been completed by now. In fact I understand there was some discussion about whether, as part of the demolition of those properties, we could look at a wider site with surrounding owners. While those considerations have been taking place the actual demolition of these particular properties has been somewhat put on one side. I think it has now got to the point where it is no longer likely that a wider solution can be achieved, and therefore does seem very sensible that we actually proceed with the demolition as we originally intended. I did ask officers about the timescale because obviously we will talk to Ward Councillors about it, but it is our hope that in the New Year we can have some clear proposals with the progress towards the demolition taking place sometime in the early spring.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Cutkelvin do you have a supplementary please?
Councillor Cutkelvin: Yes thank you Lord Mayor. Can I just thank the City Mayor for his comprehensive answer there and whilst I recognise the fact that there was a wider site that has been under discussion, I believe by asking this question here tonight we have sort of tackled some of the apparent inertia of officers in respect of demolishing the units. Can I ask the City Mayor, I understand that the site is too tight for housing, can I ask the City Mayor to seriously consider residents’ calls for the site to be used for public car parking when the demolition is complete.
Lord Mayor: Thank you. City Mayor.
City Mayor: Yes my Lord Mayor. I think it is because it is quite a small site that officers had rather hoped to get something bigger and rather more developable as housing was obviously one of the options for that. I am certainly very sympathetic to the prospect of putting car parking on the site. I have said in my initial response Chair that this is something that I would intend there should be full discussion with the Ward Councillors about, and I intend to instruct officers to have those discussions at an early stage and certainly it may well be that car parking is the best solution for this problematic site.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. CouncillorBarton.
Councillor Barton: Thank you Lord Mayor. I am going to ask the City Mayor, sorry Councillor Clair, “How many former Western Park Golf Club members and users have transferred across to play golf at Humberstone Heights?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Barton. Councillor Clair please.
Councillor Clair: Thank you Chair. Thank you to Councillor Barton for asking this question. I always now believe that this area of golf course was very near and dear to your heart and you were Chair at that time and it is still the same case and your passion. So total 30 members who have transferred from Western Park. But we cannot have a split, the members who come and only pay and play, there may be some members from Western golf course. There may be some members who were not at that time city residents. They may have preferred to go to their convenient golf course in the county. What I can assure you is that from last April to September we have about 11,000 visitors, which are new and that is increased. We have given a commitment to a modest investment, which is to upgrade those footpaths and to do drainage and to have new signage and also the driving range is now run in-house and the carpet is being replaced. Amongst those 11,000 visitors, I am really glad to say that they are a mix and match of new young users from schools and also women members and also very diverse range of non-members. This new modest investment which was to put golf, prepayment of that investment within 3 months, so that is another increase of membership who use this golf course now, and also we have some money now to refurbish those changing rooms – ladies and men’s toilet and changing room – and also new carpet and decoration. So I hope this golf course is really thriving and there are more members who are coming and playing. Thank you my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Clair. Councillor Barton do you have a supplementary question relating to your answer?
Councillor Barton: Just to thank Councillor Clair for his very thorough answer. I am pleased that people are making use of the facilities over at Humberstone Heights for golf. I have not really got another question but I am just thanking you for the answer that you have given and also for the refurbishment, which I know I asked for several years ago.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Barton. CouncillorClair did you want to respond. No. OK. Question 3, Councillor Riyait.
Councillor Riyait: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Following representations from Abbey Councillors, Liz Kendall, MP, and a petition by parents of Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School, can the City Mayor say when measures to ensure children’s safety around the Avebury Avenue area will be taken?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Riyait. Councillor Master please.
Councillor Master: Thank you Lord Mayor. Thank you Councillor Riyait for the question. As I am sure all of the Ward Councillors will agree, we have a number of schools across the City and it is something that the volume of schools and the volume of traffic and the volume of young people that are going to these schools has presented some issues around school parking and speeding priorities, and due to that we have created within the Highways Team a scheme around school parking priorities, 20 miles an hour zone priorities and also try to link in through our local environment works programme your top three Ward priorities and whether any schools are captured within those. We are introducing the speeding action plans and school parking plans as well, but with the particular school that Councillor Riyait mentions, Alderman and Richard Hallam, who are 22nd on this list of schools in terms of work or actions as being needed. Now there is no scientific formula to this matrix that we are putting together, but it just gives us an indication of where we are and where we need to go with it, but I am more than happy to discuss with the Ward Councillors for that area if we have missed any information that needs to be brought forward sooner rather than later, so we can look at that as part of what we need to do and prioritise going forward.
Lord Mayor. Thank you Councillor Master. Councillor Riyait do you have a supplementary question please?
Councillor Riyait: Yes thank you for that Councillor Master and I would like to, you know, further discuss how we potentially look at the priority of that school and how we potentially could raise that. Thank you.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Riyait. I don’t suppose you want to respond to that do you? No. Question 4 Councillor Riyait please.
Councillor Riyait: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Despite discussions with Highways over 12 months, public meetings with residents and parents of Belgrave St. Peters School, there is still no firm plan for traffic calming and junction improvements of Wesley Street and Thurcaston Road. Can the City Mayor say when a concrete plan to ensure children and resident safety in this area will be brought forward?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Riyait. Councillor Master please.
Councillor Master: Thank you Lord Mayor. Again I just reiterate on the point I have just made. This is also being built into those strategies that we are putting together around 20 miles an hour zones and school parking and also looking around hazardous markings on the floor to ensure that I guess we can try and keep as many cars away from the school entrances and gates as possible are ongoing. There are some bits of work that are ongoing at this moment in time – traffic regulation orders have been put in place around Wesley Street and then hopefully to increase double yellow lines around that area of the school as well to help enforcement with people that are parking illegally and inappropriately, especially around school time. But as I mentioned, building into the other schemes that we are operating. Again happy to look at this school in particular if there are issues that you need to address.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Masters. Councillor Riyait supplementary question at all? No, thank you. Moving on to question 5, Councillor Riyait please.
Councillor Riyait: “Will Assistant Mayor, Councillor Kirk Master, please urgently consider implementing the recommendations by the Police Crime Prevention Officer who visited the Tudor Centre shortly after the public meeting with the PCC, Lord Willy Bach, which raised serious concerns around ASB around the community centre?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you. Councillor Osman please.
Councillor Osman: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Can I thank councillor Riyait for his question. I know we have been working quite actively in order to bring about some of the changes from the visit where certain recommendations and actions have been taken, especially around lighting has been improved around the Tudor Centre where possible and especially around the winter evening months, and also the Community Safety Team and the Youth Services have been pulling together a programme of action in relation to some constructive activities for young people. Over and above anti-vandal paint that has also been pointed out in relation to some of the climbing points andaccompanying signs are also to be restored, and we are also looking at how we communicate much better with our staff in relation to our monitoring the CCTV cameras in relation to the Tudor Centre, and we are also considering to have installation where it is possible of CCTV cameras in and around at the front door and the alarm boxes of the buildings. Other arrangements have been made with the Ward Members for a patch walk and I am more than happy also for myself and for yourselves and the other Ward Members to attend that in order to attend to some of the other issues that we may be able to pick up.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Osman. Councillor Riyait a supplementary question?
Councillor Riyait: No.
Lord Mayor: Thank you. Moving on to question6 please, Councillor Riyait.
Councillor Riyait: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Can the City Mayor say when the Council and Bloor Homes will come to an agreement for the play area on Oakwood Road to be adopted by Leicester City Council so that the play area can be reopened for the enjoyment of local children and families?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Riyait, Councillor Clair please.
Councillor Clair: Thank you my Lord Mayor. The Oakwood Road play area was constructed by Bloor Homes as part of their development of the former Marconi site. I know for a fact that since then this area was not adopted because there has been some health and safety risk. So officers are negotiating with Bloor Homes. They have agreed to create a cost to refurbish this play area and are asking the Council to immediately adopt that. They are now negotiating with the City Council officers if legal if our own Council landscape services could carry out the work and because I am alerted that as you are aware Councillor Riyait, that soon from the refurbishment and the installation of this play area that the rubber mat started to come off, and its starting to shrink from the sides. The foot panel they used was not up to the specification and proper layout was correct and also there has been some issue regarding landscaping and tree planation in that area. So having in mind all those issues, the City Council is now willing to take their own initiative to restore that play area and that negotiations are hopefully concluding. So once the landscaping officer and department do that job they are hopeful that work will be completed by March, and this area of play area which would be adopted by April. So I am hopeful that through those negotiations it is on progress and it will happen now given the timescale. I really recognise the way in which local children and residents have already suffered and I am following your trail of email with officers reminding them from last two weeks so I hope it will come to a conclusion as soon as the issues are sorted.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Clair. Councillor Riyait a supplementary?
Councillor Riyait: Yes my Lord Mayor just one question. Thank you for that very positive reply and for following that up Councillor Clair. My questions is, we have asked for a communication plan so that residents can know what is actually happening because at the moment they don’t really know why the play area has been closed.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Clair.
Councillor Clair: Absolutely Chair, I will ask officers to liaise first with the Ward Councillors and agree the communication plan as you have already spoken to officers that you are planning to do some leafleting so that people know that, but that is on hold because they want to have this legal dealings sorted out. I hope that will soon happen and once the process is on for rolling round to refurbishment and reinstall this play areaso they will negotiate and work with you to have a proper communication plan so that you can print those leaflets and remind residents.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Clair. Councillor Cleaver please.
Councillor Cleaver: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Can the Deputy City Mayor inform Council what he has done to raise concerns about the under-funding of adult social care?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Cleaver. Deputy City Mayor.
Deputy City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor and I am grateful for Councillor Cleaver raising this important issue at Council this evening. In doing so, she has succeeded where the Chancellor of the Exchequer miserably failed yesterday. We have a £4b spending gap by 2020 in adult social care. The LGA estimate that this is now a national emergency which the government cannot ignore. So for the government yesterday to publish a 72 page autumn statement which does not mention the NHS or social care once, is beyond outrageous. I have consistently raised concerns with central government over the past two years about the underfunding of adult social care, the pressure that is putting on local authorities up and down the country, including here in Leicester. Last week I was giving evidence to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee in Parliament, who are currently doing an enquiry on adult social care funding. We can only hope that government ministers perhaps listen to MPs of all parties in the House of Commons more than they appear to be listening to politicians of all parties in local government who have been raising this now for a number of years and will continue to do so. This is a problem the government cannot ignore and it was just beyond outrageous that the government did not bring forward any solution or ideas of how we solve this funding challenge in social care yesterday.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Deputy City Mayor. Councillor Cleaver do you have you a supplementary question please?
Councillor Cleaver: Well I would have, but Councillor Palmer has given such a long answer I can’t now ask my supplementary question, but there you go. What I would like to just say…
Lord Mayor: Can I say it is a question please not a statement, just a question, you can ask a question…
Councillor Cleaver: I just wanted to thank the Adult Social Care Department. They have been working very hard.
Lord Mayor: Thank you. Question 8, Councillor Singh please.
Councillor Singh: Thank you Lord Mayor. “Some of us are aware that NHS England has instigated a new approach to health and care services with the introduction of sustainability and transformation plans, the so-called STPs. The indications are that STPs will charge local Council Health and Wellbeing Boards to support the shortfall in services from NHS delivery provisions. Will the Deputy Mayor inform Members of this Council of how imminent are these STP footprints and the implications to the Council, with a particular reference to its finance, in view of the massive cuts imposed to our budgets by this Tory government?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Singh. Deputy City Mayor please.
Deputy City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. I would hope now that many of us, not just some of us, are aware of STPs, which are going to be very important plans going forward. The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland STP in draft form is now published and that is a very important step recently because we in this Council and local government more broadly have a very important job to do to scrutinise those plans, to bring challenge to them, probe the detail of them. What I suspect we will find in the STPs, there are some areas of those plans which will be consistent with the public policy now for a number of years, particularly around prevention, particularly around the need to invest in primary care – a very pertinent issue here in Leicester. But we will also find things that will cause alarm and concern and which we will want to understand more about the true implications of. There are plans set out in our local STP around reconfiguring the hospital estate in the city, there are plans around the future of maternity services. We have a very important job now through our democratic structures, something the NHS seems to lack in this area, to scrutinise and challenge those plans. It is my intention that our next full Council meeting in the New Year wewill debate the local STP and formalise our position in that way in open, in public, and ensure that NHS colleagues shaping these plans understand our concerns and respond to them. Just in terms of the precise wording the question, STP guidance is largely silent on the role of Health and Wellbeing Boards, just like it is entirely silent on the role of local government and local democracy generally. I think NHS England have many lessons to learn from this process and I think we, all of us across this chamber and across local government, have an important job now to ensure those lessons are articulated to NHS England clearly and robustly.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Deputy City Mayor. Councillor Singh do have you a supplementary question please?
Councillor Singh: Yes I am very grateful to the Deputy Mayor. Can I also ask that in the debate that he has alluded to could we also have some indication of predicted shortfall, the deficits in budget provisions, which again this Council may need to consider in order to adequately fulfil our duties and obligations which we will, I assure you, we will be charged with because that it the intention of the STPs?
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Singh. Deputy City Mayor.
Deputy City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Briefly, look we have a perfect storm across health and care. We have £400m proposed to come out of our local NHS system, we have adult social care budgets falling, that is a perfect storm and, you know, I repeat in many ways what I have just said in response to Councillor Cleaver’s question. You know we can do as much reconfiguration and service redesign and as much jargonated sort of approaches to this as the system wants to throw at us, but there is one very simple fact we cannot avoid across health and care at the moment, there is simply not enough money going into the system.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Deputy City Mayor. Councillor Singh question 9 please.
Councillor Singh: Thank you Lord Mayor. “Will the Assistant Mayor for Leisure, Culture and Sports inform this Council of the cost benefit analysis involved in supporting this year’s Diwali celebrations?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Singh. Councillor Clair please.
Councillor Clair: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Although there are no formal assessment has been carried out regarding Diwali celebrations, what the formula which is commonly used in tourism industry for visitor spend, is about £32 per visitor per day, and also there is a formula which on the basis of overnight stay, is £126 for overnight stay. Assuming that 70,000 people who attended both days Diwali switch-on and Diwali day – and over the period of 2 weeks celebration, including city centre, on that basis that all has only day spent, that would be around about £2.2m. It is a conservative figure on the daily basis used, but we don’t know how many people would have come nationally and internationally, which is many people come from abroad and nationally whether they stay with their relatives or they stay in hotels, and overall if I can say that this is a good return on the investment which local authority do on Diwali festival. But the point on the social benefit, although Hindu, Sikh and Jain are only 20% of the total population of Leicester city as a whole, it has become such a diverse and multicultural event from over many years that we all have seen the person from different culture and religion, they come and enjoy and share the value of each other’s culture, and this is not alone the social value or economic value, what we have is city as a whole, the media attraction and how many articles in nationally, internationally, hash tag, Facebook, they have actually made Leicester internationally known and there is no doubt Leicester is one of the biggest city who celebrate Diwali outside India. It is something known for that, but however Lord Mayor the aim in charge of festival programme as a whole, it is not only Diwali festival who bring economic benefit as a number of people in Belgrave Road City centre, as we can look back how popular it was the Kasabian event in Victoria Park. How many people has come as Leicester from wide raised internationally to Richard III internment, how many people has come and enjoyed and seen Leicester what we can deliver to the nationalevent, like three rugby world cup matches and we were really put on world map when we won the premier league trophy and especially the victory parade which we were expecting possibly maybe only 100,000 people but quarter of a million people came to Leicester. So this is the vibrant overall of a festival programme, which actually brings a lot of economic benefit, along with the Diwali to the City. So I hope that if funding is still remains as it is, always I cannot undertake, hope this is worth doing.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Singh for that expansive answer … sorry Councillor Clair. Councillor Singh do have you a supplementary question?
Councillor Singh: Thank you my Lord Mayor. I am very grateful to the Assistant Mayor. Can I also say that £2.2m is not just good it is exceptional and therefore I would urge Councillor Clair to actually do some kind of detailed analysis and publish that analysis, because the success of that 2 week period has been absolutely phenomenal and I do hope that he will take that on board.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Clair did you want to respond? Say no.
Councillor Clair: Possibly, I will endeavour to see.
Lord Mayor: Question 10, Councillor Singh please.
Councillor Singh: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Can the City Mayor confirm the change in the business rate retention scheme in the financial period 2020. Will he give a commitment that the areas which will benefit most from continuing support will be business based to boost job creation and maximise employment opportunities for the people of Leicester?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Singh. City Mayor please.
City Mayor: Thank you Lord Mayor. I think for all the talk of devolution and localisation, it is important to remember that the scheme of which Councillor Singh is referring is essentially a government scheme, it is not the Council’s scheme. Under this scheme we keep 50% of the business rates raised in the City, but of course we don’t really influence the way in which it works. It is the government that sets the rules. We do know the government intends to change the scheme by 2020 when authorities will be able to keep 100% of the rates raised, but sadly thedetails of how that will work and whether we will have any flexibility under it are not yet available. My concern actually is that the review of individual authorities needs will be taking place at the same time and the outcome of that will be uncertain, particularly for the way in which the government has consistently drained deprived authorities, such as ourselves, of resources every time they have changed the local government finance scheme, and they have changed it a lot of times. Always it is those who have the greatest need who have been the greatest losers. So while I would like to be able to give a more positive response to Councillor Singh about the way in which he would wish to direct these new freedoms, I am afraid the reality is that, while the government’s record has been very strong on freedoms and local discretion, the reality has been very different.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Singh do have you a supplementary, thank you? Moving on to question 11 please, Councillor Willmott.
Councillor Willmott: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Please can Councillor Master tell me why he has decided to reprieve the Cossington Street building housing Belgrave Library, for which we are all grateful of course, from closure but not Rushey Mead Library?” Thank you.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Willmott. Councillor Master please.
Councillor Master: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Could I thank Councillor Wilmott for his question and also for the Rushey Mead participants that again contributed very constructively to the consultation process. The principle again is bringing in fewer buildings into an area and having two buildings located close together with a smaller number of users in comparison to obviously Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre and Belgrave library. It is not as simple as comparing apple and pears but it was a lot easier to look at alternatives in terms of service provision. So looking at the scoping exercise and potentially working with some of the groups that are in there, it was felt from officers, and some of the feedback that we had, that some of the proposal would work better being fitted into one building which would be the recreation centre rather than the library and that was the proposal that potentially we may put forward.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Master. Councillor Willmott do you have a supplementary question please?
Councillor Willmott: I do, I mean I am not sure if he has been to Rushey Mead library and the recreation centre but he would see that they are as close as Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, if not closer than Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre and Belgrave library. So I can see the same reply. I would ask him to really consider not closing Rushey Mead library, but actually investing in it, as we discussed at the meeting with City Mayor, and now consider a new building for the library which would incorporate the community centre, because I think that would be excellent value for money. Would he agree to do that my Lord Mayor?
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Willmott. Councillor Master please.
Councillor Master: Thank you my Lord Mayor. I think there has been interest shown from a number of groups within that area and in regards to the Rushey Mead library and recreation centre that have some ideas about how they would like to put some proposals forward of what may benefit community groups and local users and I am more than happy to meet with them and Ward Councillors to see what proposals can be worked up.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Master. Question 12, Councillor Willmott please.
Councillor Willmott: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Please can I ask Councillor Palmer to explain why it has taken from the 8th August to the 17th November to tell me that my 92 year old constituent whose request for a downstairs toilet has not even had an assessment yet? And why it was never explained to me that it would so far take 14 weeks for exactly nothing to happen”? Since tabling the question I have had a flurry of emails and am grateful for that information. It shows that this process works, I think, if nothing else works. Thank you my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Deputy City Mayor please.
Deputy City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Let me endorse Councillor Willmott’s praise of this process – it did indeed alert me to this unfortunate issue. But let me seriously reinforce the apology that Councillor Willmott received from the department this week, because of course Councillor Willmott should have received a response much sooner within the usual deadlines. I have asked the department to ensure that systems in that regard are robust and functioning properly so this is not repeated. Now, clearly looking beyond the administrative element of this, there is a waiting list for OT assessments. There always has been and sadly probably always will be a waiting list of some description, and your constituent’s case I think as you have now been informed is initially assessed as being non-urgent and now I clearly understand that my language sometimes feel blunt, does seem blunt. I would probably think that if this was a relative or constituent of mine. Clearly cases are judged to be urgent where people are reaching end of life are prioritised through the system. The current waiting list for non-urgent OT referrals is between 15 to 20 weeks, which is about the period your constituent has been waiting. I understand an appointment has now been arranged for the 29th November. You should have been informed of that and I hope the OT assessment can therefore be carried out smoothly and any necessary arrangements made and confirmed. I would just in many ways want to refer back to previous answers that I would want a social care system funded and resourced in such a way that waiting lists are not of that lengths, whether they be for OT assessments or any other assessments. But again, I am sorry that Councillor Willmott did not receive a timely response, which prevented him from communicating this effectively to his constituent.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Deputy City Mayor. Councillor Willmott do you have a supplementary question?
Councillor Willmott: Yes my Lord Mayor, thank you. I do indeed thank Councillor Palmer for his apology and that received from the officers of the department. My supplementary really is about the substantive issue that Councillor Palmer has referred to. Whilst we understand the situation we are placed in with the funding of social care, I still think it is unacceptable that we have 3 month to 4 month waiting times for an assessment, so that somebody who is 92 years old does not even know if they are going to get a “no” as an answer to having a toilet downstairs, which might mean they can put in….
Lord Mayor: Councillor Willmott can you put a question please…
Councillor Willmott: Yes I will but I need to explain.
Lord Mayor: No we need a question please Councillor Willmott.
Councillor Willmott: Sorry, if they don’t get an assessment my Lord Mayor they can’t even get the answer “no” which might lead them to make some alternative provision. So I would ask Councillor Palmer to review this situation to see what resources he has at his disposal to try and speed upthe assessment process to at least get answers to the questions, because it might lead to no toilet being installed of course and I think Councillor Palmer understands what I am getting at. Thank you Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Willmott. Deputy City Mayor.
Deputy City Mayor: Thank you my Lord Mayor and thank Councillor Willmott for the supplementary because that is exactly what we are doing. We are looking at the OT pathway, very similar to other area of social care whether it be adults or children have been particular recruitment challenges for occupational therapists, we have had some success recently in recruiting more occupational therapists so I would hope that we are allocating our resources appropriately to start bringing those waiting times down. You know I expressed regret in my initial answer that I would not want a relative or a constituent or anyone else to wait for that amount of time for an initial assessment as you rightly identify. The assessment is the first part of this process and there is of course often uncertainty beyond that. I absolutely understand that. We are allocating and moving our resources across social care in terms of the demand challenges across all different areas, and I think as you have alluded to and probably would not disagree with me that in many ways at the moment is an impossible circle into square, but we will continue to do our best and bring those waiting times down.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Deputy City Mayor. Question 13, Councillor Willmott please.
Councillor Willmott: Thank you my Lord Mayor. “Please would Councillor Andy Connelly explain what help the Housing Department have been able to provide to my homeless constituent Mrs. S. since I requested help for her on the 28th September?” Thank you my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Connelly please.
Councillor Connelly: Thank you Lord Mayor. Housing Options have been helping, or attempting to help, this constituent since July 2014 and since Councillor Willmott’s interventions in September, Housing Options have continued to try and help this constituent, but they have been unsuccessful I am afraid, due to continuing refusal to engage directly with Housing Options. Unfortunately, to complicate matters further, in order to comply with the Data Protection Act we need her written authorisation permitting Housing Options to engage with either Councillor Willmott or her daughter in order to help find her suitable accommodation as quickly as possible.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Willmott do you have a supplementary please?
Councillor Willmott: Yes I have my Lord Mayor. I am very disappointed really at the Department’s response to this issue and I would ask Councillor Connelly to look at the systems whereby a letter has been handed in, it is not particularly well signed I agree, because I have seen a copy of it, but it does give authorisation to this lady’s daughter. I think that I would expect him to review the systems, because one of the answers I got from the officers was that they cannot contact her because she is homeless. We have made her homeless because she won’t be allowed to go into the Dawn Centre because she is on the street, they only write to her at her previous address so clearly there is no contact established. I think that there is something really, really badly wrong when myself and Councillor Connelly cannot get the system to help somebody who is homeless. Please will he review the systems my Lord Mayor. Thank you.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Connelly please.
Councillor Connelly: Yes, unfortunately this is an extremely complex case but I am quite happy to give Councillor Willmott the assurance that we will look to review the case, because clearly, you know, we don’t want to see his constituent continuing to sleep rough and being homeless, although I understand at the moment she is stopping at a family member’s property.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Willmott. Thank you. After the next question I will be taking a 10 minute comfort break. Councillor Question 14, Councillor Bhatia.
Councillor Rae Bhatia: Thank you Lord Mayor. “The housing estate developers leave their site normally by putting a management company in charge of maintaining it. The City Council does not take the ownership of certain provisions of maintenance at the formal adoption of such estates. There have been lots of complaints due to the degraded maintenance provided by these maintenance companies to which the City Council has no legal authority to challenge or intervene and as a result the residents have suffered. May I ask the City Mayor that the City Council consider introducing fool-proof contractually binding measures in the planning process and when granting the development rights to the builders so that the developers fulfil their maintenance obligations? Thank you”
Lord Mayor: Thank you. City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I have very considerable sympathy with the concerns that Councillor Bhatia has expressed on behalf of the residents of such areas, and I am concerned that contracts entered into between house buyers and developers are not always being honoured by the developers or their agents in delivering the services that for instance we can reasonably expect from those who have built their houses. I am afraid though that in terms of planning permission the Council’s hands are tied in these matters and the Council is not in a position to require the developer to contract with the Council should the developer choose to take the alternative route of appointing its own management company, and they do take that choice, as is their right. Similarly with planning permissions we can’t seem to control and enforce matters which are separate, legally binding contractual issues between the developer, or the person selling on the developer’s behalf, and the potential occupier the owner of the property. It really is between the two parties to resolve and indeed there is the risk to the Council of were it to get involved in this way we would find ourselves with possible legal claims against the Council from one or other of the parties involved. It is a very complex issue and one where I am afraid I don’t have any particular reassurance to give to Councillor Bhatia. I can say it is possibly one that we may have both wished to talk with local Members of Parliament about to see whether matters can be changed in national legislation to enable purchasers or potential purchasers of properties to have something that is rather more effective in terms of recourse to the developers than is the case. I know the development that Councillor Bhatia is particularly concerned about, but I know that it is not the only one.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Bhatia do you have a supplementary question?
Councillor Rae Bhatia: Yes my Lord Mayor. Just I thank you City Mayor for explaining the complexities around that and I am very happy that we can work with him to meet the MPs for that. My question is that can I seek some reassurance from City Mayor that where we have the existing problems in Beaumont Leys, for example, and New Parks and Bradgate Heights that the Council will support the residents and the Councillors in making sure that the existing developers and the maintenance companies are brought to justice to actually come to the table to discuss things with us?
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Bhati. City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor, despite the you know limitations that I have talked about, I have already actually requested officers to seek to apply whatever pressure they can in these cases and I know that Councillors, and indeed the local MP, have been involved in those particular areas of development that Councillor Bhatia refers to and have sought to hold meetings and to try and hold the companies responsible to account. It is something that, as I have indicated, we are intensely aware of and we will use whatever pressure, however limited, we are able.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. I now suspend the meeting for 10 minutes please. If you could be back at quarter to. Thank you.
The meeting adjourned at 6.35pm and reconvened at 6.49pm
Lord Mayor: OK back to the questions ladies and gentlemen. Question 15 Councillor Kitterick please.
Councillor Kitterick: Thank you very much Lord Mayor. “Is Leicester City Council opposed to clause 21 of the Bus Services Bill which prohibits Councils setting up their own bus companies?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Kitterick. Councillor Clarke please.
Councillor Clarke: Thank you my Lord Mayor and thank you to Councillor Kitterick for highlighting the Bus Services Bill which is currently making its way through parliament. The Buses Bill, as it is known, has several clauses and provisions within it, one of which being clause 21 that Councillor Kitterick refers to. There are elements of the Bill that I, and I think we, should be cautiouslysupportive of which would potentially give greater levers to local authorities to have at least more involvement in things like fares, timetabling and more knowledge of passenger numbers as well. Obviously these are currently wrapped up in the market economy that is bus services in cities like Leicester. Clause 21 does specifically prohibit local authorities from setting up their own companies. I am pleased to say, and this is not always the case, that we are currently in line with the House of Lords here, who have recently opposed clause 21 and the Executive also does oppose clause 21.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Clarke. Councillor Kitterick a supplementary please?
Councillor Kitterick: Lord Mayor, whilst the City of Nottingham have two football teams that continue to redefine the word “mediocrity”, they do actually have a world class municipal bus service and certainly anybody who goes to Nottingham can only be jealous of what it provides. Can I ask Councillor Clarke, does he believe that actually the prohibition on Councils setting up their own municipal services is because actually there is no market in bus companies, but there is in fact quite a tight 2 or 3 companies across the country? They have got all the bus services tied up and actually municipal bus services raise standards, and the reason why the government wishes to prohibit them is not because they would not do a good enough job, because the job they do is too good.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Clarke please.
Councillor Clarke: Yes I will respond to that. Nottingham is often lauded for Nottingham CityBus and the rest of its bus and public transport infrastructure. I do in my role hear criticisms of Nottingham as well. On Nottingham CityBus you do still have to pay exact fare, if you are paying a fare, and you do have to speak to the driver behind a glass screen, so they are not perfect. However, this goes back a decade in terms of this legislation and obviously, as we move forward sometime in the future, were it appropriate, we would not want to close the door as it were to municipal public transport. Currently it would be impossible in the current circumstances for a local authority to set up a municipal bus service such as the ones that do run in places like Nottingham, but also Oxford and Reading.
Lord Mayor: Councillor Clarke thank you. Councillor Grant question 16 please.
Councillor Grant: Thank you Lord Mayor. “When does the Council believe that there will be sufficient school places for all the children in the city?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Grant. Councillor Russell please.
Councillor Russell: Thank you my Lord Mayor. There are currently sufficient school places for all children in the city, in that the number of places overall exceeds the number of applicants for places. However, the question no doubt reflects the tensions that arise because the places available are not always in the right parts of the city, at the schools that people want to send their children to. This will always be the case to some extent, but over the past 2 years we have seen a combination of both the significant increase in the birth rate and also a large volume of in-year applicants coming for school places with people moving into the City for employment and housing opportunities. This is because our City is growing and is successful, but it does mean it creates some challenges for us in planning school places, in that we don’t know on any one year how many children in each year group may be moving in. So whilst we feel we are now comfortable in terms of the provision at Reception year, where we can plan that very comfortably, for some of the later years we are adding in different school provision. Between 2010 and 2015 we created 726 new primary school Reception places. This is equivalent to around 25 new primary schools. We are currently working with our primary schools to create another 895 new places across all year groups, to make sure that that local choice, that people aren’t having to travel across the City and that as far as possible we can keep sibling groups together. With secondary schools it is slightly more complicated. When the Building Schools for the Future programme was brought in there were plans included in each of the initial designs for all of the Building Schools for the Future secondary schools to have additional capacity built in, as well as rebuilding the infrastructure. Sadly although we were successful in retaining our Building Schools for the Future programme when there was a change in Government, unlike many areas around the country they were, I think the terms was “cost engineered”, to be able to be approved, which meant that any additional capacity was removed. Even though we knew we had an incoming increase in the birth rate and that number of pupils coming through. This has meant that just this week we have been able to announce that we are investing initially £920,000 in the design work for the expansion of 8 of our secondary schools in the City with a view to spending £45m on increasing those 8 secondary schools, which will be the equivalent of 2 new secondary schools, which alongside potential free school applications in the City will ensure that we have the right number of high quality school places for all ages of children going forward. Thank you my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Russell. Councillor Grant do you have a supplementary question?
Councillor Grant: Yes, thank you and thank the Assistant Mayor for the full answer. Picking up on the free schools, the Secular Society has made their view clear on who it thinks should be allowed to open schools and who shouldn’t. Does the City Council have an opinion of the prospect of faith groups opening new schools?
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Grant. Councillor Russell please.
Councillor Russell: Thank you my Lord Mayor and I commented on this story in the week. I strongly believe, and it is the positon that I think the majority of us in the chamber believe, that whilst faith schools have a part to play in our city the change in legislation that has been proposed at this stage and is out for consultation and that has been referred to by the Secular Society, was not about justnew faith schools opening, it was about schools being able to choose exclusively on the basis of faith. And that, alongside other segregation in education, I think would be damaging for community cohesion in the city, we want our children to understand to be able to share, to be able to appreciate and to be able to celebrate each other’s faiths, cultures and backgrounds, alongside being able to understand the different needs and different communities that people come from. So we have fairly strong feelings opposing the current proposals for both grammar schools and exclusively single faith schools. Thank you my Lord Mayor.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Russell. Councillor Grant question 17 please.
Councillor Grant: “Does the City Mayor think that including the parking spaces next to the new cycle lane on the stretch along 44-50 Welford Road was a good idea?”
Lord Mayor: City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor, no doubt it seemed a good idea at the time, but the short answer to Councillor Grant is no, I do not think it was a good idea and it was for that reason that on the 19th October I took the decision to begin the process of removing those parking spaces. They do indeed cause an obstruction to the traffic there and while I do understand that they were designed in order to provide some access to the shops, I think that the disadvantages of having them there is far too great to justify any of that gain. I understand that the draft Traffic Regulation Order is now currently being consulted on, as it has to be, with the emergency services and Councillors. It is envisaged it will be advertised in the new year and I very much hope that those parking bays will be out in the Spring of 2017, subject of course to the outcome of that consultation.
Lord Mayor: Thank you very much City Mayor. Councillor Porter do you have a supplementary question please …. sorry Councillor Grant?
Councillor Grant: Thank you. I really welcome the answer from the City Mayor. I thought that the data was designing roads to deliberately frustrate both designers and with the passing of one of the previous senior highways officers who used to like to tell us how proud he was that he did not drive and how frustrated he was. How can the City Mayor ensure that we don’t have such kind of moronic aspects of schemes that he is going to be bringing in in the future which lead to such congestion and pollution and actually rethink over the design?
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Grant.
City Mayor: Chair, I have absolutely no doubt that they were included for very good reason and I think serving the shops is the most likely reason we wanted to include them in there. There had been parking there beforehand and I guess it was felt that that would make a significant contribution to the viability of those shops, which as Councillor Grant will know have struggled over the years and have not been well served by the way in which that pavement along there was designed previously. So I have no doubt that it was done for very good reason, but it is a fact that when we implement traffic schemes we do need to keep them under constant review and when they do need some modification, some tweaking, we show ourselves willing to observe what is happening on the ground, to listen to what is being said to us and to make the necessary changes and that is what we are doing.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 18, Councillor Grant.
Councillor Grant: “As under-estimating the cost of a project makes it easier for an enthusiastic Executive to promote them and also reduces the objections available from Members at scrutiny, it is no surprise few people are shocked by substantial over-runs on Council projects. Should we accept the inevitability and sense of frustration and not be angry that money is then not available for other projects?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Grant. City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor in answer to a previous question my colleague Councillor Russell talked about the extent of our capital investment in schools – just taking that one as an example. I think if Members look back at the scale of that investment, at the amount of money that have been spent on it and the ability of the Council to ensure that those projects are delivered on time and on budget, they have to I think note that we do have a very good record indeed of making sure that we use money effectively and that we invest it appropriately and that we deliver on budget. There are occasional overruns, it is undoubtedly the case with large projects. I think Members will be aware of one particular one that was quite high profile, which was the overrun on the Haymarket Bus Station. Members have seen the photos of that, will understand that it was not reasonably possible in advance to predict the number of basements that had been hidden below the surface there. So it is not surprising that that one over-ran. But that is the exception. The generality is that the Council is pretty good at predicting how much something will cost and very good indeed at getting value for money.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Grant a supplementary?
Councillor Grant: Well, it is interesting that the City Mayor uses the example of the Haymarket Bus Station and not being able to predict the basements, because that is exactly the same problem that caused some of the overrun on the Curve, where we found Victorian basements. Jubilee Square was found blatantly to be a complicated city centre site that nobody had foreseen, with things overrunning it and now Victoria Park has got very similar issues. With Victoria Park we have easily been able to find a half a million pounds from Section 106 money. Should we now consider Section 106 money to be a slush fund for any project that is under costed or badly managed without any transparency?
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Grant. City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor, it is interesting that Councillor Grantrefers to the Curve which was very largely a project undertaken under the control of a Conservative and Liberal Democrat Council. Because he is quite right to point to the fact that more recently examples with basements have led to overruns, half a million pounds he has talked about. The difference is of course is that overruns of half a million pounds are indeed the case occasionally during a Labour administration, under a Liberal Democrat and Tory administration, the overrun on the Curve was £32.4m.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 19 please, Councillor Porter.
Councillor Porter: Thank you Lord Mayor. My question is “What does the Council’s Bus Lane and Bus Gate Order 2011 say with regards to conditions and exclusions?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Porter. City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I am informed that the main exemptions are for the emergency service vehicles and hackney carriages and vehicles undertaking statutory duties.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Porter do you have a supplementary question?
Councillor Porter: Yes, thank you and thank you to the Mayor for the answer there. The question relates to where there are speed cameras around the city there are also legible signs which say speed cameras, I don’t know if you have spotted them round and about. I think it would be helpful if where the bus lane cameras are, there are also signs indicating in words that there are bus lane cameras, so that would be really helpful. But the question is, buses don’t run 24/7, so what is the point in fining motorists who are entering a bus lane say at 5 o’clock in the morning?
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Porter. City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor I think that may be the supplementary to the next question. I will be happy to add to it though. Of course there is a debate about whether bus lanes should operate 24/7. The overwhelming advice of the task group and the scrutiny review of the operation of bus lanes was that they should operate 24/7. I listened very carefully to that advice, on that particular aspect of it, as well as on other aspects of it. It follows a lot of very careful consideration of the merits, and the arguments against, doing it 24/7 and came down very firmly on that side.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Porter question 20 please.
Councillor Porter: Thank you. “How many motorists does the Council estimate will be fined now that there are 24/7 bus lane enforcement cameras on the Lutterworth Road in Aylestone?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Porter. City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor, I am advised that to date 2,972 warning notices have been issued. The number issued on day one, that is the 14th, and to the 20th November have shown a reduction on both sides. I said to this chamber and publicly that we measure the success of bus gates, or bus lane enforcements in this case, by how few actual fines are issued. I would very much expect that we will see on this bus lane, as we have seen on the bus gates, a dramatic reduction of the numbers of fines that need to be issued as people get to understand that when we say buses only that is precisely what we mean.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Porter do you have a supplementary question?
Councillor Porter: Yes thank you. Thank you to the Mayor for the answer there. I am sure that all those drivers who get fined will remember that Labour in Aylestone actually supports that fining of those motorists. So the question to the Council is, I understand, maybe you can clarify this, that Nottingham City Council collects the money from the fines, so what percentage of that money does actually Leicester City Council retain at the end of the day?
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Porter. City Mayor Please.
City Mayor: Lord Mayor, I supposed having used his previous supplementary Councillor Porter had to try and find something that somehow remotely reflected the original question he asked. Actually that one is very remote. I will very happily provide him with the information about the financial arrangements about the collection of fines, which is of course a matter on the public record. I will supply it to him again. I would just say my Lord Mayor that, you know, making sure that buses are able to move effectively through the City is surely a high priority for all of us. They are the major form of public transport within the city, the one that many of our constituents rely on and many beyond the boundaries of the City rely on. I guess that it is also the case that actually the majority of those who are using that bus lane inappropriately and without proper authority are actuallycoming from outside of the City, rather than from within the Aylestone area. I would very much hope that those within the Aylestone area and those coming from outside the Aylestone area coming through that area will understand that it a bus lane designed to enable buses to get in to the city effectively and according to timetable, and it is in everybody’s interest and public duty to make sure they are properly enforced and that people do not get in the way of an effective bus service.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 21, Councillor Porter.
Councillor Porter: “The Council is currently running a public consultation on waste. Can the Council list what factual information is in the consultation report?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Porter. Councillor Clarke please.
Councillor Clarke: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Thank you to Councillor Porter for the question. The consultation on considering charging for bulky and DIY waste is currently ongoing and is due to close on the 27th November this year. Therefore no consultation report has yet been produced. However, I believe Councillor Porter is referring to the report that went to the Scrutiny Commission on the 5th October. Any questions directly relating to the facts within this report, or any queries Councillor Porter has regarding this consultation, can be put to those officers in consultations.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Clarke. Councillor Porter a supplementary question at all?
Councillor Porter: Yes. Unhappily I know you have mentioned about questions not wondering off, but it also does say in the Constitution that you should get an answer to a question so…
Lord Mayor: Can I just remind Councillor Porter that the Constitution actually says the supplementary question must be in relation to the answer just given.
Councillor Porter: Yes. Yes, and if you look at the next paragraph which I am sure you have seen below that, it does mention that you should get an answer to the question. The question is, I mean at the time I submitted this question I looked at the Council’s website, saw the consultation document, with the report, which listed a whole series of different facts but there was nothing whatsoever on there about the Council’s failure to meet its promised 48-50% recycling and composting targets. So why is the consultation report which is on the Council’s website lacking important information so residents, if they want to embark in this consultation, are not fully informed?
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Porter. Councillor Clarke.
Councillor Clarke: Many thanks for that and I have personally have taken that on board and I suggest that Councillor Porter responds to the consultation in the same words.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Clarke. Councillor Porter question 22 please.
Councillor Porter: “Are there any plans to reintroduce the Boundary Road link?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Porter. City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor, the Boundary Road link has been part of the City’s future thinking about its road network for many years and remains so today. The fact is, to the south of the City centre there are really only three river crossings and each is problematic. Furthest to the south of course is Soar Valley Way and we all know that we have the extension to Fosse Park on that and we all know that it is both quite a long way out and often very heavily congested. Further in, to the other extreme, we have Upperton Road and I think those of us that use that occasionally will know that it is very heavily stretched in terms of actually providing an effective link across from Welford Road across to Narborough Road and particularly, coming back to the earlier conversation about buses, one that buses find very difficult indeed and hence the delays that it leads to. Of course, in the middle we have Middleton Street, which residents of Aylestone tell me, and indeed I know Councillor Clarke tells me, is very congested indeed and leads to very significant congestion within Aylestone Village. And of course, although I think it managed to escape after the last heavy rain, is frequently closed by rain by flooding. Taking those three down to only two crossings. It would therefore I think be very irresponsible to rule out the prospect of having another river crossing at some time in the future and although there are no imminent plans for doing that I certainly would not want to take the Boundary Road line, the Eaton Road to Boundary Road line, out of the options for the future. Whether it will be built during my tenure in this office I don’t know, but I think were we to take it out during my tenure others would come to curse me in future, particularly people who represent the Aylestone area.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Do you have a supplementary question Councillor Porter?
Councillor Porter: Yes. Just to be helpful to the City Mayor, maybe nobody has told him, the actual line for that road was revoked, probably about 10 or so years ago, so maybe he is a bit behind the times on that. So if you want to put it back in you would need to stick it in and reverse that decision to revoke the line of the road, but as the Mayor points out there is awful congestion on Aylestone Road and it has got much worse since the bus lanes went in and when you know you try, as he pointed out, you try to get down Middleton Street it is impossible when there is the the level of congestion and also when the roads are flooded. When the proposal was originally put forward for the road line from Newton Road to Boundary Road the traffic officers at the time, I think some of them have probably left, redirected all the traffic along that stretch of Aylestone Road to the motorway ….
Lord Mayor: Can you get to the question Councillor Porter.
Councillor Porter: So the question is, in order to try and relieve some of the congestion in the short term before this road link goes in, could the Council put up some signs to direct traffic to the motorway along Raw Dykes Road and then Upperton Road, which would be incredibly useful especially when Middleton Street is closed off due to flooding. Members are looking confused – you can go down Raw Dykes Road and then that joins into Upperton Road and then you can turn left into Narborough Road and as we all know Narborough Road has got four lanes so it is a much more direct route to the motorway.
Lord Mayor: Thank you councillor Porter the question has been made. City Mayor.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor, I don’t know when Councillor Porter last tried driving down Upperton Road at peak period, but I can tell him it is a major source of congestion in the city and the notion that, even if you did get to the other end of it on to Narborough Road, you are suddenly faced with an urban motorway is actually not a reflection of the real geography of that area of the City, or indeed what you actually get into is a shopping area, and a very heavily congested one at that. I don’t think that the residents of that part, particularly of the West End of the City, would thank me for redirecting things from Soar Valley Way, which is where most of them will be directed at the moment, into a shopping area. I have to say that you know perhaps yet again Councillor Porter’s understanding of the physical geography of the City and the way in which the City works is somewhat defective and decanting problems from his area to the neighbouring wards is not something that I am prepared to do, that I or anybody else would be thanked for.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Porter question 23 please.
Councillor Porter: Right OK. “When will the consultation on the new local plan start?” Hopefully we will get an answer to this one.
Lord Mayor: City Mayor please.
City Mayor: My Lord Mayor, I think it is already in the public domain. The consultation on the Local Plan will start next year following approval at Council, which is anticipated for around February or March. A further stage of consultation on the submission draft plan will then follow later in the year and it will probably inevitably lead to an Inquiry chaired by a government inspector, anticipated to finalise the plan somewhere in 2018.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Councillor Porter supplementary question please?
Councillor Porter: Yes. I am delighted we have finally got a firm date from him that it is going to be early next year. Hopefully we can stick to that. Because at the planning meeting last night a number of committee members were raising issues about the failings in the current Local Plan so it is clearly overdue a public consultation on that. Regarding the site allocation are there any proposals that the City Mayor is aware of for a travellers site in Aylestone Ward?
Lord Mayor: City Mayor.
City Mayor: Lord Mayor, it was you I think earlier who asked Members to put in supplementaries that were somehow relevant to the previous question. I am not sure that one is. However, I will nonetheless give him an answer. And it is that if Councillor Porter has suggestions for such sites in Aylestone I would be very pleased to listen to them.
Lord Mayor: Thank you City Mayor. Question 24, Councillor Porter please.
Councillor Porter: Absolutely hilarious. “Can the Council list the references to zero hour contracts in the Council’s procurement policies?”
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Porter. Councillor Waddington please.
Councillor Waddington: Thank you my Lord Mayor. Thank you Councillor Porter for the question. The answer is as follows. There are no references to zero hour contracts in the Council’s procurement policies.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Waddington. Councillor Porter supplementary please?
Councillor Porter: Yes. Thank you and thank Councillor Waddington for that reply. In terms of zero hour contracts, does the Council, or would they consider, if say for example a business approached the Council to supply a service and they were aware that that business was operating zero hour contracts, and I understand the Labour Party in 2010 campaigned against zero hour contracts, what would the Council’s view be in terms of taking on a supplier or a provider of a service who was blatantly operating zero hour contracts? Would they employ them, take their business on, or refuse to do it.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Porter. Councillor Waddington please.
Councillor Waddington: Yes, there are 2 parts to my answer to this. Should any contractors have previously received convictions for breaches of social and labour laws, and including abuse of zero hour contracts, which are against the Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, or Exclusivity Terms and Zero Hour Contracts Redress Regulations 2015, if they have breached that within the last 3 years they would have to be declared and so they would be considered as inappropriate. However, as Councillor Porter knows, because he is a member of the Economic Development, Transport and Tourism Scrutiny Commission, that Commission has set up a task group, which is looking in depth at a policy which we hope the Council will be able to adopt next year around social value and procurement. And we are looking in detail at the areas that such a policy should include. Councillor Porter has had the opportunity, bearing in mind his interest in zero hour contracts, to join that task group, which has met now on a number of occasions, and has had some very fruitful meetings, but although Councillor Porter has had the opportunity to join that task group he has not in fact done so. So if Councillor Porter wished to make a contribution in respect of zero hour contracts, or indeed any other areas of employment law which we as a Council should be considering in our social value approach to our procurement policies, he has had the opportunity fully to take part, but he has chosen not to do so.
Lord Mayor: Thank you Councillor Waddington and thanks Members for the questions.