In accordance with Procedure Rules 11, opportunity is provided for Members of the Council to ask the Chairman, 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.
Questions must be sent in writing to the Monitoring Officer at least 3 clear working days before the meeting.
Minutes:
Councillors Flude and Thorley had submitted the following questions to Council. They requested and Council agreed, that written responses be circulated to all Members of the Council, after the meeting, rather than the questions being answered at the meeting :-
(1) Boundary Committee Report
Question to the Cabinet Member for Democratic Services, submitted by Cllr Flude :-
The Local Government Boundary Commission has completed and published its review of Electoral Arrangements for the Borough of Cheshire East. The Commission recommends that there should be 82 members representing 28 single member wards, 18 two member wards and 6 3 member wards.
When accepted by Parliament, the Borough will be expected to put in place electoral arrangements to carry out the Borough elections of May 2011, based on the new wards.
Given the short time span to introduce these changes will the Cabinet Member;
1. Outline the expected time scale for the introduction of the new electoral system?
2. Exert all legitimate pressure for the Parliamentary Order to be laid and accepted as quickly as possible?
3. Assure the Council and the public that the resources are available to organise the changes?
4. Arrange to publicise the new arrangements to the electorate and all interested parties such as political parties and Town and Parish councils?
5. Ensure there is an appropriate induction process in place for prospective candidates in the 82 wards?
6. Run a campaign to encourage participation in the local elections?
(2) Affordable Housing
Question to the Cabinet Member with responsibility for strategic planning, submitted by Cllr Flude :-
Eric Pickles Secretary of State for Local Government announced that house building targets set by central government are to be scrapped.
There apparently has been established the need for 1200 houses per year to be provided in Cheshire East Borough to satisfy the need for affordable homes in urban and rural areas. Will the Cabinet member responsible.
1. Provide estimated figures for the affordable homes required in each of the 7 LAP areas divided into an urban category and a rural category for the next 5 years?
2. State how many affordable homes have been provided in Cheshire East in 2009/10 and where they have been provided?
3. State the planned provision of affordable homes in the LAP urban and rural areas for 2010/11 to 2014/15?
4. State what is being done by the Borough in partnership with other organisations to close the gap between estimated need and provision?
5. State how the newly formed service run by the Borough for the allocation of social housing will help those in need for that provision?
6. What encouragement is being given to Town and Parish Councils to work with housing associations to meet the need for affordable housing in rural areas of the Borough?
(3) Secondary Education in Macclesfield
Question to the Cabinet Member responsible for Children and Families, submitted by Cllr Flude :-
Parents and teachers are deeply concerned about the state of secondary education in the Macclesfield area of Cheshire East. One week the local newspaper highlights the shortcomings of a particular school, the next week describes how two schools will amalgamate and the following week announces the amalgamation is cancelled and there will be a long and complicated review lasting until October 8th. 2010 considering a wide variety of options many of which have never been heard of before a further 6 weeks of review. All this at the time when parents of Year 6 pupils need to be choosing their secondary school.
Will the Cabinet member ensure?
1. A clear timetable is set out for decision taking so uncertainty can be brought to an end as soon as possible?
2. Require officers and schools to reorganise to provide a fair and stable system of secondary education in Macclesfield by September 2011.
3. Ensure that the admission system to Macclesfield secondary school is fair to all parents in the area and that it does not require parents to move pupils during their primary schooling in order to exercise choice of secondary school as happens at present?
4. Ensure that whatever secondary school is chosen by parents in the Macclesfield area the education provided will be of the highest quality to meet the need to realise the full potential of our children?
And more controversially
5. Ensure that the admissions system offers parents with children with special needs and/or receive free school meals have the first choice of secondary school?
6. Ensure that children in the care of the local authority have their first choice of secondary school?
(4) Highways Contract October 2011 onwards
Question to the Cabinet Member responsible for Environmental Services and Transport, submitted by Cllr Flude :-
1. The maintenance of our Highways in East Cheshire is of top concern to those Council tax payers who live and work in Cheshire East. We have a vital responsibility in providing an effective and efficient and responsive maintenance and renewal service to encourage economic development as well as to serve our electors.
2. Will the Cabinet Member explain in detail the arrangements proposed for letting the new Highways Contract commencing in October 2011 and in particular describe:-
a) The expected cost savings to be achieved by the new contract outsourcing all Highways responsibilities?
b) The impact on the employment of highways staff by the Council proposed outsourcing?
c) How many staff are employed in the highways division/department?
d) How many staff will be asked to take voluntary severance be made redundant or be offered redeployment?
e) How many staff will move from the Borough into proposed new employer /contractor?
f) The full range of services that will be included in the contract to be outsourced to the private sector?
g) The arrangements for ensuring that the contract will be monitored effectively by Council staff including the costs of such monitoring?
h) The reporting system on highways maintenance to relevant responsible committees?
i) The way in which local Members will be able to monitor highway maintenance in their local areas?
j) How local Councils will be informed of road maintenance in their areas, road cleaning in their areas, gritting schedules in their areas and pothole repair in their areas?
k) How local Councils and local Members will be able to hold the contractors to account for work done?
l) The expected benefits of such a completely outsourced contract to Cheshire East residents?
m) What role will the contractors play, if any, in the Councils strategic planning of the road network?
n) How will the Council provide for traffic management requirements throughout Cheshire East as residents parking is introduced?
o) What is the cost to the Council for the legal advice to be given by Bevan Britten?
p) How much will be paid to Happold Consulting for their advice?
q) Has consideration been given to an alliance with other authorities?
Does he agree with me that it is vitally important that the Council retains the expertise to monitor standards of Highways maintenance to ensure that the service is of the highest standard and that there is a serious risk of a loss of control and accountability in the model of a fully outsourced highways Contract that he has chosen to recommend?
Question’s to the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Environmental Health, submitted by Cllr Thorley
(5) Wasp nests
What is the cost to a resident for the removal of a wasp’s nest?
Does the Council offer a free service to pensioners and other residents who have a low income?
(6)Noise Nuisance
What services are offered to residents, by the Environmental Health Department, in relation to excessive noise from nuisance neighbours Department?
How many staff are employed in this department whose responsibilities are for noise abatement?
What assistance is available from this department for residents at weekends, evenings and during the night?
Is there full cover for staff holidays?
Question to the Cabinet Member for Highways, submitted by Cllr Flude :-
(7) Highways Contract
On the Thursday the 8th of July, at 10.24, I emailed Mr John Dodd, Highway Repairs Crewe to request the replacement of a kerbstone, which had been removed by children [they had gone prepared with a shopping trolley!]
On Tuesday the 13th July at 2pm Mr Dodd e-mailed to inform me that the repair had been completed.
The work had been completed in lass than 4 working days and I received a polite response from Mr Dodd.
Can the Cabinet Member assure this Council that when the Highways Department has been contracted out, this Council will receive the same excellent standard of service from the new contractors as we at this time receive from our outstanding highways staff?
Questions to the Leader of the Council, submitted by Cllr Flude
(8)One County
Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Local Government, is encouraging local authorities to consider sharing one Chief Executive with their neighbour authorities. He also called on authorities to save money by merging planning, lawyers and other teams across boundaries.
Are there any plans to put Cheshire back to one County?
(9) Outsourcing of Council Services
When the Schools are Trusts or Academies, the highways are privatised and the residents who need social care have a direct payment or an individual budget to spend in the community and if the rumours are right, many other Council services will be outsourced, will there be any need for a Council?
Question for the Cabinet Member with responsibilities for Personnel , submitted by Cllr Thorley
(10) Redundancies and Severance
How many staff have been made redundant or have taken voluntary severance from 1st April 2009 to the 22nd July 2010?
What is the total cost of those redundancies and severances?
How many staff who have been made redundant or who took voluntary severance have been re-employed on temporary contracts?
Question to the Cabinet member Children and Families, submitted by Cllr Flude :-
(11) Educational Psychologists
How many Educational Psychologists are employed by Cheshire East?