a) Leader and Cabinet Members’ Question Time (30 minutes)
Any member of the Council may ask the Leader of the Council or any Cabinet Member any question without prior notice, upon:
· Any matter relating to the Council’s administration
· Any matter relating to any report of the Cabinet appearing on the Council’s summons
· A matter coming within their portfolio of responsibilities
Only one supplementary question is allowed per question.
c) Questions to Chairs of Meetings (15 Minutes)
Minutes:
Leader and Cabinet Members’ Question Time
41.1 Councillor Haigh (Leader of the Labour Group) asked the Leader of the Council if he agreed that Gloucester City Council was following the best practice of Conservative Councils by making back office savings and whether he would be writing to the Prime Minister to request a meeting with the No 10 Policy Unit to seek assistance with how best to make those savings.
41.2 Councillor James stated that the Prime Minister expected Councils to deliver more for less and that he did not feel a need to seek any support because Gloucester City Council was already following the approach expected by the Prime Minister by joining up back office services.
41.3 Councillor Haigh asked if the Leader was unwise not to seek advice from the No 10 Policy Unit given that other Councils were doing so, despite having also made savings in respect of back office services.
41.4 Councillor James responded that, while the Council was always open to listening to new ideas, best practice was being followed through the joining up and sharing of services and he was confident that the Council was moving in the right direction.
41.5 Councillor Haigh highlighted concerns about the Housing Bill passing through Parliament and in particular proposed powers to levy councils to provide funding for the right to buy proposals, which would directly impact upon the contractual and financial settlement made by the Council with the government when the Council transferred its housing stock; she asked the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning if he was prepared to write to the Housing Minister and ask him to temper his powers.
41.6 Councillor Organ (Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning) stated that the Bill was in its early stages and that its main objective was to increase the number of new homes built in the UK and to improve the passage of home ownership, standards, and availability in all sectors and in all tenures. It was important for all areas to have their own strategies in place to focus on the needs of their communities. Gloucester needed new homes of the right quality and in the right locations and the right to buy should be extended to all those who wished to do so. He explained that the move was towards home ownership and new homes being built on brownfield sites and that the money coming from the proposals would be put into affordable homes and would hopefully increase the City’s housing stock.
41.7 Councillor Haigh stated that the ability to build affordable and social housing would be damaged by the Bill and asked the Cabinet Member if he would write to the Housing Minister and ask him to protect the abilities of Councils and registered social landlords to build affordable housing.
41.8 Councillor Organ stated that he would not be writing to the Housing Minister at the present time and it was necessary to understand the details and full implications of the Bill, but that the Council would seek to make the right decisions for Gloucester as outlined in the Joint Core Strategy.
41.9 Councillor Hilton (Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group) asked the Leader of the Council if he could confirm the details of the anchor store for the Kings Quarter scheme and whether they would be a new retailer to the City.
41.10 Councillor James advised that Councillor Hilton had recently been briefed on progress with Kings Quarter and was fully aware that it was not appropriate to disclose the details in a public meeting at the present time.
41.11 Councillor Hilton asked the Leader of the Council whether it was now time to begin looking at alternative options in the event that the proposed scheme could not be progressed.
41.12 Councillor James stated that all Councillors knew that they should refrain from commenting on commercially sensitive matters because of the risk of litigation.
41.13 Councillor Hilton asked the Leader of the Council if he agreed with the recent vote by the House of Lords to support giving 16 and 17 year olds the opportunity to vote in the EU referendum.
41.14 Councillor James stated that how the House of Lords voted was not his concern.
41.15 Councillor Hilton asked whether he agreed that 16 and 17 year olds should be permitted to vote as they would be affected by the outcome.
41.16 Councillor James stated that Question Time should be used to deal with matters specifically affecting Gloucester.
41.17 Councillor McLellan asked the Cabinet Member for Environment if he would explore the possibility of bringing in a byelaw to combat the issue of dogs off leads scaring the animals grazing naturally in Barnwood Arboretum.
41.18 Councillor Porter concurred that a byelaw may resolve the matter and agreed to ask officers to look into it.
41.19 Councillor McLellan asked whether the Cabinet Member would consider introducing an appropriate byelaw in all relevant areas of the City.
41.20 Councillor Porter advised that he would look at appropriate solutions for all open spaces where natural grazing took place.
41.21 Councillor Hobbs asked the Cabinet Member for Environment to give assurances that Amey Highways would be in attendance at all scheduled deep cleans in the City.
41.22 Councillor Porter explained that he had only recently become aware that attendance by Highways was not always happening; he advised that officers were exploring the issue to ensure that all parties were working together.
41.23 Councillor Hampson wished to record his thanks to staff at the Coney Hill Crematorium on behalf of himself and his family for they had service received recently.
He asked the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources whether there were any plans to notify and inform residents about the devolution proposals.
41.24 Councillor D. Norman noted that a briefing event had taken place for all Members and that similar questions had been raised. He advised that, as the process gathered pace, there would a range of opportunities to communicate the proposals to residents and he highlighted the role Councillors should be playing in their own communities.
41.25 Councillor Hampson noted concerns about the democratic deficit within the proposed combined authority and asked how much say Gloucester City Council would have in devolved services.
41.26 Councillor D. Norman explained that the question would be answered as the process moved forward, but that he hoped that elected Members would be the driving force.