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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 member questions have been submitted for response:

 

Question 1:

Cllr Gina Blomefield to Cllr Mike Evemy, Leader of the Council

As the second phase of the transition from Publica to CDC was completed earlier this month it would be useful to have an organogram showing the different officers, their roles and lines of command so that as members we can better understand the shape and staffing of the new CDC.

When I first became a District Councillor I was given printed organograms of both Publica and CDC which were enormously helpful. Why can these not be provided now preferably in an online format which can be accessed through the CDC portal and can be updated when required?

 

Question 2:

Cllr Julia Judd to Cllr Mike McKeown,  Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Digital

I attended the excellent Retrofit Roadshow on 22 May, held in Kemble Village Hall where I met Justine Mallinson, a talented CDC officer to be proud of, she has extensive knowledge and expertise on retrofit and climate change mitigation for housing. Back-up support from Redbridge was also illuminating. Retrofit in the Cotswolds is a subject for the whole district. We have already corresponded on this subject, but I would like to expand the proposal. Please could district-wide presentations be held in CDC Council Officers in Cirencester and in Moreton-in-Marsh and streamed to make it available to all Members and residents in both the North and South of the district? Furthermore, could such a roadshow be extended to other corners of the Cotswolds such as Chipping Campden, Tetbury and Stow-on-the-Wold?

 

Question 3:

Cllr Gina Blomefield to Cllr Patrick Coleman, Cabinet Member for Finance

From my observations the take up of tenants in the space at Trinity Road managed by Watermoor Point is still very poor measured against the capacity available.

Now that it is highly likely that CDC will be dissolved and its functions moved to a new Unitary in the next few years, how is this affecting the appeal of the location as well as the terms and conditions of the letting arrangements of these office facilities at Trinity Road bearing in mind that new tenants will be aware that the future of the building has not yet been decided and so they may only have use of these offices on a relatively short term basis?

 

Question 4:

Cllr Laura Hall-Wilson to
Cllr Tristan Wilkinson, Cabinet Member for Economy and Council Transformation

Following the recent announcement regarding the £120k UKSPF grant awards across the district. Please can you confirm whether the scheme was oversubscribed and if so, what was the total value of the applications received, and how many applications missed out on funding?

 

Question 5

Cllr Len Wilkins to  Cllr Mike Evemy, Leader of the Council

Now that the Publica Phase 2 transition is complete, it is a good time to reflect on our agile working arrangements. Please could you confirm what percentage of overall staff time is spent in the office or on site versus working from home?

Question 6:

Cllr Tony Slater Cllr Tristan Wilkins Cabinet Member for Economy and Council Transformation

Following the completion of the second phase of the Publica transition, can the member confirm that no further integration work (phase 3) will be undertaken on this project until the outcomes of the local government reforms (LGR) have become clearer, and that there is ongoing discussion between the partner councils to this effect?

 

Question 7:

Cllr Corps to Cllr Juliet Layton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning

The Moreton-in-Marsh working group has now been postponed twice and most recently cancelled on 10th June without any notice to members, residents, or local Town and Parish councils.

Can you give the residents of Moreton and the surrounding villages a new confirmed date for the first meeting — and ensure that all relevant parties are properly informed this time?

 

Question 8:

Cllr David Fowles to Cllr Andrea Pellegram, Cabinet Member for Environment and Regulatory Services

Several years ago the Lib Dem administration made the decision to remove waste bins in lay- bys across the district to save money

The rationale was twofold. Firstly, it was cheaper for Ubico to periodically remove discarded litter left in lay-bys and secondly, people would take their waste home rather than throw it out of a car window.

The neighbourhood watch group which operates across the Coln valley and Chedworth/ Churn valley wards either side of the Fosseway monitor the road and report that waste is regularly strewn across lay-bys and in fields. This they feel is a poor advertisement for visitors to the Cotswolds.

Could you confirm how regularly the lay-bys are swept and whether this approach is saving money?

 

 

Minutes:

Members’ written questions, written responses, supplementary questions and supplementary responses can be found in Annex A attached.

Supporting documents:

 

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