In accordance the Council Procedural Rules, a total period of 30 minutes is allocated for members of the public to speak at Council meetings. Individual members of the public may speak for up to 2 minutes, but the Chair will have discretion to vary this requirement where they consider it appropriate.
Members of the public wishing to speak are required to provide notice of this at least three clear working days’ in advance of the meeting and should include the question with that notice. Questions should be submitted to: katie.small@cheshireeast.gov.uk or brian.reed@cheshireeast.gov.uk.
Petitions - To receive any petitions which have met the criteria - Petitions Scheme Criteria, and falls within the remit of the Committee. Petition organisers will be allowed up to three minutes to speak.
Minutes:
Mr Stuart Redgard referred to planning application 15/0064M - Peat Farm, Moor Lane, Wilmslow and stated that he had informed the Council of potential breaches to the conditions 4, 7 and 33 attached to this application, and that he had not heard back from the Council. Mr Redgard asked what conditions had been breached, how they had been breached and what action the Council had already taken or intended to take in the future to enforce these conditions.
In response, Councillor B Puddicombe, Chair of Strategic Planning Board, stated that following receipt of complaints from local residents regarding potential breaches of conditions 4, 7 and 33 of permission 15/0064M, these matters were investigated by the Planning Enforcement team, who had agreed a set of timescales with the applicant for the submission of the outstanding information that was required to discharge these conditions. Cllr Puddicombe reported that Condition 33, which concerned the community liaison scheme had been submitted to the planning department and the scheme was considered acceptable and that this condition had been discharged. Condition 4 required the detailed design of each compartment to be submitted to the planning authority for approval. A range of dates had been agreed with the applicant for each scheme to be submitted and the first three round of designs had been submitted to the Council, most recently on 3rd June. Following submission of the detailed designs, the Council was in the process of liaising with a range of technical consultees and representatives of Transition Wilmslow to ensure the compartment designs created the conditions necessary for the re-establishment of the peat bog. Further detailed designs would be submitted going forward for the remainder of the compartments in accordance with the timescales that had agreed with the applicant. Condition 7 required the development to be carried out in accordance with the approved plans. Cllr Puddiocmbe was not aware that there were any outstanding complaints with respect to compliance with the approved documents aside from the matters detailed above. The site would be subject to periodic monitoring to ensure that the works were progressing in accordance with the approved designs.
Mr Alan Butler asked about the trial of the acoustic camera on Pendleton Way in Wilmslow and why no steps had been taken to implement a Public Space Protection Order during the trial period.
In response Councillor MWarren, Chair of Environment and Communities Committee, stated that the trial of the noise camera on the A34 had been funded via the Police and Crime Commissioner and that it was intended to gather the evidence necessary to inform a decision as to whether a Public Space Protection Order could be legally implemented. The Council continued to work with the Police and Crime Commissioner and their officers to review the data gathered during the trial and would make a decision around future implementation of a Public Space Protection Order once this due diligence had concluded. This was also subject to securing funding from the respective local councils for the permanent acquisition of the camera equipment.
Sue Helliwell referred to the recommendations of the Corporate Peer Review report which she said stated that the Council needed to streamline current decision-making arrangements to avoid working in isolation across committees and reduce confusion and lost capacity caused by the current system. She asked whether, if the financial powers were given to the Corporate Policy Committee this wasn’t the cabinet system under another name? She said that it would be essential that the Leader, Deputy Leader, and Chief Executive were visible in the organisation, championing the Council’s improvement and transformation, and that for this to happen it was time for the Leader of the Council to step aside.
In response Councillor S Corcoran stated that most of the matters raised would be covered in the agenda of the meeting. He stated that there did need to be a look again at the committee system. The present scrutiny committee was an external facing committee and that there was a need to improve internal scrutiny of the Council’s decision making.
Laura Turner referred to the Fight for Middlewich campaign and the response received from the Council. She stated it had been a frustrating and challenging experience and that she had experienced poor customer service, inaccurate documents, and resistance from elected members. She stated that it was now time for the Council to make changes and elect a new Leader of the Council.