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 G Baxendale asked if the timeline for the commencement and finishing time of the Congleton link road could be published in a local paper. The Leader agreed to circulate details to members.

Councillor Rhoda Bailey referred to the sum of £200M available for improving Broadband and asked if some of this could be used to improve connectivity in rural areas. The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Communications responded that this fund was to be used to support innovative approaches to deploying full fibre Internet into rural areas, starting with primary schools and the Cabinet was considering was of tapping into this opportunity as well as looking at other innovative ways of delivering Broadband to rural areas for which funding might be available. The Portfolio Holder for Integration and Social Care added that fibre may not be the most appropriate option for rural communities and that other options such as 4G and 5G would also be considered.

Councillor D Flude referred to a letter she had written to the Council in October in relation to the trees in Lunt Avenue, Crewe. The Leader undertook to review the correspondence and respond.

Councillor B Roberts referred to the condition of the trees in Gainsborough Avenue, Crewe which were causing damage to the footpaths and blocking out light from the street lights. Councillor Roberts also referred to the condition of Hightown and Wistaston Road in Crewe and asked when they would be fully reinstated. The Leader undertook to provide a written response in relation to the Highways question.

Councillor S Corcoran referred to a member of the public at the last Council meeting who had said he had received an email from the Leader of the Council to the effect that all creditors of EU Solutions Limited had been paid in full. Councillor Corcoran commented that this was not the case and he cited a sum owed to Trafford Borough Council. The Leader responded that the matter had originally been investigated in 2016 by the then Monitoring Officer. Following the public question at the last Council meeting, she had asked for the matter to be fully reviewed.