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
53.1 Councillor Haigh (Leader of the Labour Group) noted a recent court case and asked the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources whether there had been any Housing Benefit appeals that disputed the application of an under-occupation reduction because of a disabled child or a panic room.
53.2 Councillor D. Norman (Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources) stated that he was not aware of any such issues being raised, but undertook to provide a full written response.
53.3 Councillor Haigh asked the Cabinet Member to also provide details of the number of discretionary housing payments made to cover hardship caused by the under-occupation reduction.
53.4 Councillor D. Norman undertook to provide the information requested.
53.5 Councillor Haigh asked the Leader of the Council whether the City would step up and find homes for refugee children in Europe and make a formal offer of help to the Government.
53.6 Councillor James stated that Gloucester was a welcoming City; offers of help to refugees had previously been made in partnership with the County and neighbouring District Councils and he was sure the Council would continue to take whatever steps it could to help.
53.7 Councillor Hilton (Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group) asked the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources how the devolution bid was progressing and what the likelihood was of receiving a good deal from the Government.
53.8 Councillor D. Norman reported that the process was ongoing and that it was important to be a part of that process. A significant amount of work had been carried out very quickly, but it was not yet at a stage where a statement could be made because a draft deal had not yet been received.
53.9 Councillor Hilton asked the Leader of the Council whether he would continue to object to any suggestion that Gloucestershire should have a directly elected Mayor.
53.10 Councillor James advised that there was no appetite on any side for a directly elected Mayor.
53.11 Councillor Hilton asked the Leader of the Council how confident he was that a planning application from Stanhope in respect of the Kings Quarter scheme would be submitted by the deadline of 31 March 2016.
53.12 Councillor James stated that he was not prepared to comment on commercial matters in an open Council meeting. He advised that Phase 1 of the scheme would commence shortly with the redevelopment of the bus station and he was confident that Phase 2 would be ready to begin on completion of Phase 1.
53.13 Councillor Hilton asked whether the anchor store tenancy has been agreed and for confirmation of the tenant.
53.14 Councillor James referred Councillor Hilton to his previous response and advised that he would not discuss commercial matters in an open meeting.
53.15 Councillor Pullen asked the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods what discussions the Council had had with the County Council regarding proposals to exclude private hire drivers from bus lanes in the City.
53.16 Councillor Dallimore stated that the she was not in favour of the proposals and that a formal response to the consultation may already have been submitted. She undertook to provide Councillor Pullen with details of the Council’s response.
53.17 Councillor Pullen asked if the Cabinet Member could also confirm whether drivers would continue to be given stickers to authorise their use of the bus lanes.
53.18 Councillor Dallimore undertook to include the information in her response.
53.19 Councillor Hampson asked the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning what interim measures the Council had put in place in respect of the statutory out of hours homelessness service since the County Council withdrew the emergency duty team, what the long term plans were and what budgetary provision had been made.
53.20 Councillor Organ (Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning) advised that the Council was working with St Mungos to make provision as they were very experienced and were familiar with many of those sleeping on the streets in Gloucester. He explained that there were very few genuinely homeless individuals in the City, however, there were a significant number of individuals with complex needs who slept rough despite having accommodation available to them. He stated that preventing people from getting to the point of sleeping on the street was a key priority and the Council worked with a number of agencies on this. He noted the importance of being aware of all the facts so that each case could be dealt with in the right way.
53.21 Councillor Hampson asked the Cabinet Member to confirm the rate payable to on call staff during the interim measures.
53.22 Councillor Organ advised that he did not get involved in staff pay matters and undertook to provide a written response.
53.23 Councillor Lugg asked the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods why Members of the Licensing and Enforcement Committee were led to believe that a number of Councils were implementing a policy of requiring all private hire drivers to retake their driving test every 10 years, as opposed to only applying it to new applicants, when in fact only one other Council had done this.
53.24 Councillor Dallimore stated that she appreciated the views of the GHCA, but noted that the matter had been well-debated and approved with cross-party support. She advised that other Councils were implementing the same policy for the same reasons of public safety. She noted that a number of drivers had already taken the test and that she hoped others would follow suit.
53.25 Councillor Williams asked the Cabinet Member for Environment if he agreed that the Clean for the Queen scheme was a positive initiative and a good way of involving communities in the life of the City.
53.26 Councillor Porter (Cabinet Member for Environment) stated that the Clean for the Queen scheme was an excellent idea and he congratulated Ismael Rhyman, Neighbourhood Manager, for the work undertaken. He reported that Keep Britain Tidy had become aware of the idea and were keen to see it duplicated around the country. He noted that the cleanliness of the City was not only the responsibility of the Council and he encouraged Members and the public to bring any issues to his attention.
53.27 Councillor McLellan (Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group) asked the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning if, in the wake of recent floods around the country, he would be asking Planning Officers to look at the issue of building on flood plains and review policies as necessary.
53.28 Councillor Organ advised that the Joint Core Strategy was under review by the Inspector and the Council awaited the feedback. He stated that the matter of flooding was discussed frequently and that officers were very aware of the relevant concerns.