Agenda item
Member Questions
A Member of the Council may ask the Chair, the Leader, a Cabinet Member or the Chair of any Committee a question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the Cotswold District. A maximum period of fifteen minutes shall be allowed at any such meeting for Member questions.
A Member may only ask a question if:
a) the question has been delivered in writing or by electronic mail to the Chief Executive no later than 5.00 p.m. on the working day before the day of the meeting; or
b) the question relates to an urgent matter, they have the consent of the Chair to whom the question is to be put and the content of the question is given to the Chief Executive by 9.30 a.m. on the day of the meeting.
An answer may take the form of:
a) a direct oral answer;
b) where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication; or
c) where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to the questioner.
The following questions were submitted before the publication of the agenda:
Question 1 from Councillor David Fowles to Councillor Mike Evemy, Cabinet Member for Finance
Over the weekend of 7th and 8th September, a severe leak resulted in a huge amount of rainwater entering Trinity Road causing extensive damage to ceilings, storage rooms, paper files and the electrical system such that neither the heating nor security systems were operational.
To my knowledge, over the 20 years I have worked in Trinity Road there have been several very heavy rainfalls (particularly the floods of 2007) but no significant leaks or damage.
Why has rainwater caused such extensive damage just after £1 million plus has been spent on major works to the roof? What steps are being taken to identify the cause and who is liable for the costs?
Question 2 from Councillor Tony Slater to Councillor Mike Evemy, Cabinet Member for Finance
The recent flood at Trinity Road caused significant damage to the building, critical IT infrastructure and stored documents, and had a seriously detrimental impact on the ability to work effectively from the building.
Please can you confirm that all critical data and records, whether stored digitally or in paper hard copy, were safely recovered and not compromised in anyway and what control measures are in place to ensure the resilience of CDC infrastructure in the future?
Question 3 from Councillor Len Wilkins to Councillor Joe Harris, Leader of the Council
Following the recent cyber-attack on neighbouring Tewkesbury Borough Council, please could you confirm that discussions will take place with Tewkesbury and other specialist external bodies involved in resolving the matter, to fully understand the causes and any lessons that can be learnt?
Are you satisfied that member and staff training on cyber security is sufficient and there is a policy of continual improvement in this area to battle this ever-evolving threat?
Question 4 from Councillor Julia Judd to Councillor Mike Evemy, Cabinet Member for Finance
Missed waste collections in Ermin Ward and other parts of the district over the last three months have been prolific, happily I can report that they have abated, but not yet ceased. However, throughout this period some residents have been unable to use the CDC website missed waste collection reporting tool, because a missed collection in their area had already been reported. This caused great frustration and concern, not only because missed collections could not be logged, but they could not tell what type of waste had already been reported, so people were left in the dark. Furthermore, many villages who had reported missed collections were not included in the published list. Is the reporting tool being redesigned to make it more accessible, accurate, transparent and easy to use?
Question 5 from Councillor David Fowles to Councillor Joe Harris, Leader of the Council
Given the Deputy Prime Minister’s enthusiasm for a nationwide introduction of a 4-day working week, could the leader confirm that the Liberal Democrat administration have no plans to introduce a 4-day working week for staff at CDC?
Question 6 from Councillor Daryl Corps to Councillor Joe Harris, Leader of the Council
Your intention to build more, much needed, social-rented homes in the District is well publicised.
What steps has this administration taken since May 2023, and what plans do you have in place, to build more social-rented homes and how many new units do you envisage these plans will deliver by 2030?
Question 7 from Councillor Gina Blomefield to Mike Evemy, Cabinet Member for Finance
Having recently looked at the freshly renovated parts of the Trinity Road building which Watermoor Point are now marketing as office space on behalf of the council I was amazed at how big an area it is when also taking into account the various side offices on two floors off the main atrium. As I understand it there has been some interest, but no tenants are yet signed up.
How attractive are the rents compared to those in Watermoor Point itself and is consideration being given to lower them should the market dictate, to attract tenants and much needed income from this asset?
Supporting documents:
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