In accordance with paragraph 1.18 of the Council Procedure Rules, opportunity is provided for Members of the Council to ask the Mayor, the appropriate Cabinet Member or the Chairman of a Committee any question about a matter which the Council, the Cabinet or the Committee has powers, duties or responsibilities.
At Council meetings, there will be a maximum question time period of 30 minutes. Questions will be selected by the Mayor, using the criteria agreed by Council. Any questions which are accepted, but which cannot be dealt with during the allotted period will be answered in writing. Questions must be brief, clear and focussed.
Minutes:
Cllr G Hayes sought reassurance on the Council’s commitment to support local businesses and asked why the authority was holding procurement events outside of the Borough. Cllr Sam Corcoran, Leader of the Council, responded that he did wish to support a ‘buy local’ policy. He agreed to provide a written response on the specific example and asked Cllr Hayes to forward him the details.
Cllr S Gardiner stated that the Strategic Planning Board had been asked to consider a Supplementary Planning Document for land in Middlewich. The Document had been a very large and he asked if, in future, these types of documents could be issued before agenda publication to allow more time for consideration. Cllr Toni Fox, Portfolio Holder for Planning responded that she would raise this with Officers.
Cllr L Wardlaw referred to a question she had asked at the October Cabinet meeting on inconsistencies in the financial figures in the EASR annual report. Cllr Wardlaw stated that she had not received the promised written response. Cllr Warren, Portfolio Holder for Communities stated that he would ensure that she received a response.
Cllr M Simon stated that the annual Nantwich Food and Drink Festival brought in a huge amount of income into the local economy and asked why the Council was not approving the use of Love Lane and Bowling Green car parks for the 2020 festival. Cllr N Mannion, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regeneration undertook to provide a written response.
Cllr P Groves referred to the Flexi Bus service, stating that there were concerns about the availability of the service between 10 am and 2 pm each day and asked when this would be reviewed. Cllr C Browne, Deputy Leader, responded that that a review would be carried out in the new year and that all Members would be briefed on this.
Cllr Kolker stated that the venue for today’s meeting was not satisfactory due to the acoustics and that he, for one, had struggled to hear what was being said, He suggested Wilmslow Leisure Centre as a suitable venue.
Cllr L Gilbert referred to his Notice of Motion at the last meeting asking the Council to rescind the requirement for Holmes Chapel Health Centre to pay a fee for access through the Library car park. This had been referred for Portfolio Holder decision. He had been advised of the procedure for Portfolio Holder decisions, but this had not been followed and the decision had been taken in secret with no communication with the Proposer and Seconder of the Motion. Cllr Gilbert asked what had gone wrong. Cllr N Mannion, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regeneration stated that it was an unusual matter to come forward as a notice of motion and this may have been why it had not been dealt with in accordance with procedure. He stated that he would be happy to sit down with the two Ward Councillors and officers to go through the decision.
Cllr A Moran asked the Leader of the Council if he would work with the five conservative MPs for Cheshire in the best interest of the people of Cheshire East and the Council. Cllr Sam Corcoran, Leader of the Council responded that he had already emailed all five MPs to congratulate them, and looked forward to working with them productively for the benefit of all residents of the Borough.
Cllr D Marren asked how much the Council had spent on consultants in the latest recruitment exercise for a new Chief Executive and how much the Council had spent on recruitment consultants since it came into being. Cllr J Rhodes, Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Corporate Services undertook to provide a written response.
Cllr A Gage stated that a resident of his ward had asked if they would plant a tree on adjacent public land to their property to help improve air quality and were informed by Highways that it could not be done because it would be an inconvenience to grass cutting. He asked just how much inconvenience was too much inconvenience to promote eco policies and for permission to be given to the resident to plant the tree. Cllr Sam Corcoran, Leader of the Council responded that he did want to be looking at more places that trees could be planted and that he wished to see a change in policy to tackle climate change better. He asked that details of the matter be forwarded to him.
Cllr J Buckley raised concerns about the venue and acoustics of the meeting room. Cllr Sam Corcoran, Leader of the Council reminded Members that the Council had earlier in the meeting voted to hold the Council meetings in Sandbach Town Hall.
Cllr J Clowes asked that the Administration reinstated the regular collective meetings the five MPs who represented the Borough so that the Council could effectively lobby central government in the interest of Cheshire East Residents. Cllr Sam Corcoran, Leader of the Council, responded that he had invited the MPs to meet with him and the Deputy Leader but that there were questions as to whether he or the Deputy Leader would meet with them individually or collectively.