The opportunity is given to members of the public to put questions to Cabinet Members or Committee Chairs provided that a question does not relate to:
· Matters which are the subject of current or pending legal proceedings or
· Matters relating to employees or former employees of the Council or comments in respect of individual Council Officers.
Minutes:
51.1 Mr Steve Gower, a Gloucester resident, asked the following question of Councillor Organ (Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning):-
Following the distressing news in Gloucester this week of eight confirmed deaths of vulnerable people in a local bed and breakfast establishment in Kingsholm that is signposted by the Council as suitable accommodation, could you confirm how many other vulnerable people have passed away in 2017 in other signposted establishments recommended by the Council.
Also including suicides of vulnerable people in the City; estimates reach to sixty deaths of vulnerable people.
Do you agree with this estimation and if so what are your plans to reduce the figure this year?
51.2 Councillor Organ thanked Mr Gower for his question and advised that in 2017 there had been 39 deaths by suicide recorded by HM Coroner with a further four with suicide included in the cause of death. He noted that none of these had been homeless people and three were in supported housing and noted that was the only information held by the Council and he did not wish to speculate further.
51.3 Mr Gower stated that the estimate was based on talking to proprietors of the establishments involved, newspaper reports and Coroner’s reports. He asked what plans were in place to reduce the figure this year.
51.4 Councillor Organ stated that there were many factors involved such as drug abuse and there was no single cause. He noted that Government figures for 2017 indicated an increase in rough sleeping nationally by fifteen per cent and regionally by seventeen per cent while rough sleeping in Gloucester had reduced by thirty-seven per cent with fifteen individuals involved. He noted the Council would not be satisfied until, with Government help, the number had reduced to zero.
NOTE: Subsequent to the Meeting, clarification had been received to indicate that the 39 deaths by suicide referred to above at paragraph 51.2 occurred in the period 2013-15, not in 2017.
51.5 James Collett, a Gloucester resident, asked if and how the Council was fulfilling its equalities responsibilities in respect of the consultation on the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).
51.6 Councillor James (Leader of the Council) stated that the matter came within the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods. As Councillor Watkins was not present he undertook to ensure that Mr Collett was provided with a written answer.
51.7 Mr Collett requested that the written response be included in the minutes of the meeting.
51.8 The written response was as follows:-
The draft Public Spaces Protection Order provided with the public consultation was an example to demonstrate what types of conditions could be included in a PSPO for the City centre. Once the consultation was complete the results and comments would inform the creation of an order to implement which would be subject to a Personal Impact Assessment before implementation. It was agreed by Officers and Cabinet in turn that carrying out a Personal Impact Assessment prior to consultation would be premature.