Agenda item

The opportunity is given to members of the public to put questions to Cabinet Members or Committee Chairs provided that questions do not contravene the provisions set out Council Procedure Rule 10.01.

To ask a question at this meeting, please submit it to democratic.services@gloucester.gov.uk by 12 noon on Friday 12 July 2024 or telephone 01452 396203 for support.

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

14.1    In relation to question 2, Mr Mahoney asked why residents’ referrals could not be redirected to the relevant department or organisation by the Council. The Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Wilson, noted that he was aware of GDPR issues in this area and reiterated that the Council had responsibilities around managing personal data. He asked Mr Mahoney to provide further information to him directly so that he could look into the issue.

14.2    In response to a supplementary question from Mr Mahoney in respect of question 3, the Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Field, advised that City Centre Enforcement Officers would issue fines for deliberate littering, however there had to be some level of practicality around accidental littering. He further commented that Waste and Recycling Operatives at Ubico had to undertake a physically demanding job at great speed, and that he hoped any litter dropped inadvertently as part of the waste collection was minimal. Councillor Field advised that the Council did monitor standards and that he would be regularly meeting with Ubico and the Waste, Recycling and Streetscene Manager.

14.3    Mr Mahoney referred to question 4 and asked whether the Cabinet Member would consider consolidating recycling into a single bin so as to avoid issues with recycling boxes being blown around. Councillor Field confirmed that he intended to review how recycling services were delivered going forward but changing to a single bin was not something he could commit to at that point, noting that such a change would likely be very costly to deliver.

14.4    In respect of a supplementary question from Mr Redgewell on question 5 and the difficulties that he and other pedestrians were experiencing with accessing the railway station from the city centre while the walkway was closed, Councillor Wilson noted that he was sorry to hear of Mr Redgewell’s experience and confirmed that he would look into the issue as a matter of urgency.

14.5    In response to a supplementary question from Mr Redgewell regarding question 6, the Leader of the Council, Councillor Hilton, noted that the former Leader of the Council had signed an agreement with Gloucestershire County Council on its bid for devolution prior to the local elections. He  agreed that any devolution deal should focus on transferring powers from Westminster to local government, both at County Council and District Council level. Councillor Hilton advised that he was awaiting further information from Central Government, and confirmed that the Council would continue discussions around this with the Members of Parliament representing Gloucester and the other district Councils.