Issue - meetings

A period of 20 minutes is allocated for questions to be put to Cabinet Members by members of the Council. Notice of questions need not be given in advance of the meeting. Questions must relate to the powers, duties or responsibilities of the Cabinet. Questions put to Cabinet Members must relate to their portfolio responsibilities.

The Leader will determine how Cabinet question time should be allocated where there are a number of Members wishing to ask questions. Where a question relates to a matter which appears on the agenda, the Leader may allow the question to be asked at the beginning of consideration of that item.

Councillor Sam Corcoran asked if the Leader and Cabinet would join him in declaring the use of off-shore companies to avoid paying tax as morally repugnant. The Leader agreed that investing offshore to avoid tax was morally wrong but that for people living offshore this was very different. Councillor Peter Raynes, Portfolio Holder for Finance, added that whilst he agreed with the sentiment of Councillor Corcoran’s question and felt it was a cross-party issue, there were some legitimate reasons for having an offshore company and therefore it was important to be careful when discussing the issue.

Councillor Mo Grant asked where the funding would come from to build new social housing if existing housing association houses were sold off under a new right to buy scheme. The Leader replied that people living in housing association houses should have the right to buy them and that it was a matter of aspiration and choice. He hoped the income from such sales would enable housing associations to build more houses.

Councillor Laura Jeuda referred to an urgent report to Cabinet on Macclesfield town centre which had been copied to local members the evening before the Cabinet meeting. She asked why it was being considered by Cabinet just 16 days before the election of a Macclesfield town council. The Leader replied that the intention of the report was to start the process of consulting local people.

Councillor Steve Hogben referred to a requirement for Cheshire East to provide 1,400 affordable homes every year and asked how the Council was going to meet that target, particularly in light of the proposed right to buy scheme for housing association houses. In replying, Councillor Raynes reserved his position on the figure quoted for affordable housing but commented that the Council set a policy for what percentage of new housing should be affordable, and therefore the way to provide more affordable housing would be to increase the overall house building rate.

Councillor Ken Edwards sought clarification of where the Council had got to with its review of the Local Plan Strategy Submission. He asked if the work done to date would be published so that Members could consider it before a decision was taken on whether or not to go back into the submission process. The Leader replied that the Council was currently consulting neighbouring authorities and that discussions would not be concluded until after the pre-election period. He was confident that the right process would be delivered on time and would come forward to Members.