Agenda item

a)         Leader and Cabinet Members’ Question Time (45 minutes)

        Any member of the Council may ask the Leader of the Council or any Cabinet Member any question 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

b)         Questions to Chairs of Meetings (15 Minutes)

Questions and responses will be published at least 24 hours before the meeting. Supplementary questions will be put and answered during the meeting, subject to the relevant time limit.

24.1   The Mayor asked for Council’s support for varying the order of Member Questions. He proposed that supplementary questions be taken on a rotational basis to allow as many Members as possible the opportunity to ask their questions. Members agreed that they were content with this approach. The Mayor further reminded Members of the Member Employee code of conduct and asked Members to be respectful and refrain from directly identifying officers when asking their supplementary questions.

24.2   In respect of question 1, Councillor Hilton asked whether the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources agreed that it was unacceptable that the council was asking residents to make appointments for a face-to-face consultation with officers, as it was his view that residents should be able to receive a walk-in service, particularly in times of crisis. The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources disagreed that it was unacceptable and explained that following the cyber incident in December 2021, the IT team had been using the Gateway offices as a hub for recovery. She noted that she was working with the Director of Communities and Customer Services Manager to reopen the Gateway for face-to-face appointments and anticipated that an announcement would be made in October.

24.3    Referring to question 2, Councillor Hilton asked whether a survey could be undertaken to ascertain the amount of time officers were spending at virtual meetings, as he was concerned that a lack of face-to-face contact could impact on their health and wellbeing. The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources confirmed that she was happy for a survey to be carried out and agreed that Councillor Hilton raised an important point regarding officer welfare. She noted that line managers had regular discussions with their teams and some officers found online meetings and working from home beneficial for their health, wellbeing and work/life balance. The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources further noted that even during the Covid-19 pandemic, provision was made for officers who preferred to work in the office for mental health reasons to do so.

24.4    Councillor Pullen referred to question 3 and asked whether market traders had been made aware of possible changes to their terms and conditions. The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure provided assurances that they would be kept informed and that all traders would be treated fairly and equally.

24.5    In response to a supplementary question from Councillor Pullen regarding question 4 and the purpose of moving the City Council’s offices if they were not open to members of the public for drop-in services, the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources explained that the decision to move the City Council offices was largely down to value for money, noting that at the time the City Council was moving out of the HKP Warehouses, it did not own the Eastgate Shopping Centre. She further noted that officers working in the Eastgate office were presenting footfall in the town and expressed the view that the council did not necessarily need to offer front-facing customer services at the Eastgate location in order to fulfil a presence in the city centre.

24.6   Councillor A. Chambers asked how Members could be sure that the information pertaining to the answer to question 6 was correct. The Leader of the Council suggested that if Councillor Chambers have any concerns, he should pass evidence onto the relevant officers who would then be able to investigate.

24.7    In respect of question 18, Councillor Conder asked how many properties per 100 would be randomly selected for the Housing Stock Survey. The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy confirmed that she would provide the figures by written answer in due course.

24.8    Councillor Hilton referred to question 22 and asked when the facility enabling residents to view historic planning application documents would be restored. The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources explained that the reason this facility was not available was because the Document Management system needed to be fully functional. She assured Councillor Hilton that the IT Team were working hard to restore the system and were providing regular updates to the Director of Policy and Resources. She confirmed that Members would be kept updated of any developments.

24.9    In response to a request from Councillor Hilton to provide assurances that the final IT recovery costs to the City Council would not exceed £1m, The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources advised Members that all parties involved with the IT recovery were mindful of the use of taxpayers’ money and were working in the most appropriate and cost-effective manner possible. She provided assurances that all expenditure would be thoroughly scrutinised and that all decisions were based on value for money.

24.10  Councillor Hilton referred to question 24 and asked whether the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources was concerned that 72% of electors had responded to the initial request for postal vote holders to submit a new postal vote application. The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources responded that she was not worried and felt that 72% was a good return for the first write-out. She confirmed that the Elections team would be following up with the remaining 28% of electors and were sending reminders to encourage those who had not yet responded to submit a new application if they still wanted a postal vote.

24.11  In respect of question 19, Councillor Pullen asked why no schedule was available for weed spraying. The Leader of the Council explained that weed spraying was weather dependent, and the schedule was therefore difficult to predict in advance. He advised that engagement work with Ubico was ongoing and that next year, the council might be in a position to provide a schedule for Members to share with their residents.

24.12  In response to a supplementary question from Councillor A. Chambers relating to question 7, the Leader of the Council explained that the redevelopment of the Rose Garden had been completed, however officers had waited for the dry spell to be over before planting.

24.13  Councillor A. Chambers referred to question 9 and asked whether consideration could be given to advertising the empty offices to start-up businesses, citing concerns about best use of taxpayers’ money. The Leader of the Council informed Members that all costs, including maintenance costs were budgeted for accordingly. He explained that the Covid-19 pandemic had brought an unforeseen delay in proceedings, and that while the premises were vacant, the council was constantly looking for alternatives.

24.14  In respect of question 29, Councillor Field asked whether the administration was confident that all deadlines would be met so that the project could go ahead as planned. The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure confirmed that a planning application had been submitted and that he was confident that the project would go ahead as planned.

24.15  In relation to question 10, Councillor A. Chambers asked who the administration held accountable for the cyber incident. The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources confirmed that she was confident in the IT Team and its leadership and stated that she held the people who initiated the incident responsible.

24.16  In response to a supplementary question from Councillor Field on question 30, the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure confirmed that Oval Tennis had not shared the survey with the council.

24.17  Councillor A. Chambers referred to question 11 and asked the Leader of the Council to elaborate on the answer, particularly in relation to additional uses for city centre assets. The Leader of the Council advised that should the council be successful in the Levelling Up Round 2 bid, the council would receive an additional £12.5m to help regenerate the Greyfriars area which would involve significant changes to both inside the Eastgate Shopping area and outside.

24.18  In relation to question 31, Councillor Field asked whether the City Council would be contributing financially towards the Culture Trust’s budget. The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure confirmed that the council would contribute and would also help the organisation develop funding bids. He expressed the view that the council was doing it all it could to support them.

24.19  In response to a supplementary question from Councillor A. Chambers as to whether the Leader of the Council felt it was acceptable to take 2 years to put together a vision for the city centre, the Leader of the Council noted that there had been challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and the departure of the City Centre Commission Chairman. He explained that the Commission were close to reaching a conclusion and that they should have a vision later this year which would be presented to Members.

24.20  Councillor Field referred to question 32 and asked whether there were plans to hold larger events in Kings Square. The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure confirmed that there were events in the planning however he did not want to be prescriptive in terms of its use and wanted the area to be enjoyed by the community. He stated that Members and residents were welcome to contact him with any ideas.

24.21  In respect of question 14, Councillor A. Chambers asked what efforts were being made to improve the retail situation in the city centre. The Leader of the Council advised that the council had already taken some action, such as purchasing shopping centres both in the city centre and on the periphery, including St Oswalds. He provided assurances that all efforts were being made to identify retail opportunities and this work would continue.

24.22  Councillor A. Chambers referred to question 16 and raised concerns about an issue he had been made aware of relating to asbestos waste and fly tipping. He asked what was being done to ensure the safety of the public in this regard. The Leader of the Council noted that the waste Councillor A. Chambers was referring to was well away from public walking routes, and asbestos waste needed careful removal and specialists to undertake the work which the council was arranging.