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 S Corcoran had read in the press that the Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures did not have the required qualifications. He asked what were the implications and what mitigation measures had the Council put in place. At the Chairman’s request, the Director of Legal Services confirmed that a person had been appointed as Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures without the qualification required by the Weights and Measures Act 1985 but that person no longer occupied the role and a person with the relevant qualification had been appointed. The Director confirmed that none of the work carried out under the previous, unqualified post holder had been invalidated and he was confident that there would be no adverse consequences to decisions in this area.

Councillor D Flude referred to a study by Brighton University which had found that there had been a decline in local authority compliance with equalities duties under the Equality Act 2010. She asked what the Council was doing to improve its compliance with the Act. The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Policy and Legal Services replied that currently he was reasonably satisfied that the Council was complying with its responsibilities under the Act but would now seek further confirmation and confirm in writing.

Councillor R Fletcher commented that a number of years ago, Network Rail had announced that it was going to replace all half barrier railway crossings across the country. He referred to the response by Network Rail in relation to the half barrier crossing at Nantwich as referred to in the Available Walking Routes report which stated that the crossing complied with Network Rail’s risk assessment and that no further action would be taken. He asked if the Council would write to Network Rail to ascertain its intentions with regard to the crossing as he felt that the response received previously was not correct. At the Chairman’s request, the Executive Director for People replied that the officers had ensured that the correct individuals at Network Rail had been contacted about the crossing in Nantwich and the response had been as outlined in the report. However, Network Rail had indicated that it had a programme of reassessment of its crossings and the Executive Director would be able to confirm over what period the reassessment was undertaken. The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Highways and Infrastructure undertook to raise the matter in his role as Director of Rail North and would reply in writing to Councillor Fletcher.

Councillor Fletcher also referred to street lights that had been re-lit on the Alsager/Church Lawton boundary. When the Council recently removed lights which had become surplus to requirements at this location, they also removed lights that had been re-lit. He asked if the technicians who were removing redundant lights around the Borough could be made aware of lights that had been re-lit so that those lights were not removed.