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 L Jeuda referred to a matter she had raised at the previous meeting regarding the treatment of staff and an alleged culture of bullying and in particular to the response given by the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Policy and Legal Services that a group had been set up under the Chief Operating Officer’s chairmanship to ensure that staff were treated properly and fairly. Councillor Jeuda asked what progress had been made by the Group and when it was likely to submit its report on the outcome of its work. She also asked specifically about how many complaints had been received from members of staff over the last year, how many members of staff had been off due to stress, how many were facing disciplinary action and what HR was doing to support staff.

The Chairman repeated her comments of the previous meeting that the Council’s staff were highly valued and that the Council was committed to their wellbeing. The matter was properly one for the Staffing Committee and she undertook to ensure that the matter would be considered at the Committee’s next meeting.

Councillor S Corcoran invited Cabinet to join him in congratulating all those who had been elected to Parliament for Cheshire East constituencies. He also drew attention to the record number of women MPs, both generally and within Cheshire East.