In accordance with paragraph 1.32 of the Council ProceduralRules and Appendix 7 to the rules, a total period of 15 minutes is allocated for members of the public to speak at Council meetings.
Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes, but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned, where there are a number of speakers.
Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given. It is not a requirement to give notice of the intention to make use of public speaking provision. However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours notice is encouraged.
Minutes:
Mr J Crowther spoke in relation to the proposed closure of Mountview Day Care Centre and asked what the Council had in mind for the building’s alternative use. The Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Integration responded that the proposal would be decided at this meeting but Mountview would not close until appropriate alternative provision was made available.
Suzy Firkin spoke on behalf of Mountview Day Care Centre user and carers and asked what was being proposed, and why had it not been discussed with them. The Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Integration responded that the consultation undertaken had been about establishing people’s views. The cost of maintaining Mountview could not be justified in the current financial situation - it was not about a cut in service but provision in other locations. Consultation would take place after any decision today and services users would be involved.
Linda Buchanan asked, as the details of why the Chief Constable of Cheshire had been suspended, when details would be given why the Cheshire East Monitoring Officer, Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer had been suspended. The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Policy and Legal Services responded that in accordance with the Council’s constitution the Investigation and Disciplinary Committee continued to consider the allegations which resulted in the suspension of the three senior officers, one of whom resigned in December 2017. The suspensions were a neutral act taken in the interests of both the Council and the relevant senior officers. If a decision was made to dismiss, then Council would be asked to consider this, and at this point the matter may be heard in public, depending on any exemptions to exclude public access to meetings. The procedures relating to the Chief Constable were laid in the Police Regulations and required that misconduct hearings be heard in public. There were no similar requirement for Councils.
Mrs Charlotte Peters Rock, representing Knutsford and District War Memorial Forum, spoke in relation to the proposed demolition of the Cottage Hospital War Memorial which was built on land that had been gifted and covenanted for that purpose only, and presented a petition to the Council.
Councillor David Kidd, on behalf of Disley Parish Council, thanked the Council for revising the proposal to close Disley Library, which had caused much concern in Disley. The Parish Council had recently moved their officers into the building and would work with library staff to create a community hub. It was hoped that the reduced hours would not reduce the numbers using the library.
Mr David Bilsborough commented on the problem of Bentley Motor employees using local streets and roads to park surrounding the factory in Crewe. The situation was causing distress to residents. He asked that the Portfolio Holder revisit this matter and consider putting full restrictions on the roads.
Caroline O’Brien, Chief Executive of CVS Cheshire East referred to a six month gap between the ending of some early help and prevention service contracts at the end of March and the commencement of the proposed new framework for the commissioning of such services. She asked if the New Homes Bonus funding for 2018/19 could be used to support the delivery of services until the new framework was established so that there was no gap in service delivery. The Portfolio Holder for Health replied that no service users would be left without care or service and the Council would continue to work closely with the voluntary sector organisations.
Sue Helliwell spoke in relation to the revised bus services, and that from April Alsager residents would be unable to travel to Nantwich on a week day and to Congleton on a Saturday. An effective bus service was required to enable residents to get to work, go shopping and attend events in these towns. The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Communications responded that he was happy to engage with Mrs Helliwell and other residents to discuss some form of user-friendly transport, which would meet the criteria for user numbers.
Councillor Jonathan Parry referred to the report of the LGA Culture review. He felt that the problems highlighted were being pushed under the carpet whilst important issues were not being answered. He referred to a report from the Staffing Committee to Cabinet which stated that bullying was not a problem, and asked if it was time for the Chairman of the Staffing Committee to stand down. The Leader of the Council responded that she would cover some of these points in her announcements. The review had been commissioned to cover the last 6 months and therefore the findings were current. The LGA review was clear that an opportunity had been missed to set the culture and tone for the Council when it was formed.
Kate Perkins asked about the Council’s approach to maintaining roads; in particular the issue of potholes. She asked how the Council prioritise potholes and why some get fixed whilst other remain unrepaired. The Portfolio Holder for Environment responded that decisions were taken for engineering reasons, moving from reactive to proactive maintenance and repairing the heavy used areas of road. Whilst every effort was made to find potholes, he requested that the public report potholes.