Agenda item

The Leader of the Council, and other members of the Executive, will report on their work since the last meeting of the Council and will respond to questions from Councillors on that work.

Councillor M Crane, Leader of the Council reported by Councillor J Mackman, Deputy Leader

The Deputy Leader of the Council reported on the work of the Leader recently undertaken as outlined in the report.

In response to a query concerning devolution and the inclusion of the Sheffield City Region, Councillor Mackman explained that it would be better if Sheffield City Region were involved, but that the Sheffield City deal had now gone through. However, Councillor Mackman explained that there was a possibility that they could transfer over if a Yorkshire devolution deal was agreed.

With regards to a question about the Council’s future membership of Local Enterprise Partnerships, Councillor Mackman confirmed that an all-Member briefing would be taking place on the matter on 27 September 2018, at which Members could express their opinions. This would be followed immediately by a special Executive meeting in order for a decision to be taken directly by the Executive on the matter.

A question was raised by Members about the Olympia Park masterplan and when the revised plan would be put out for consultation; Councillor Mackman explained that the new plans included a different access route and covered the whole site comprehensively. It was hoped that new plans would be available by the end of 2018 or early 2019. Members noted that the public could comment on the scheme as part of the future planning application.

In response to a further question about the promotion of devolution in Yorkshire, Councillor Mackman explained that he had attended a recent meeting with the Archbishop of York to discuss the promotion of One Yorkshire, and agreed that any future decisions would need to be communicated widely.

Councillor J Mackman, Deputy Leader of the Council and Executive Lead for Place Shaping

Councillor Mackman, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping, provide an update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report.

In response to a query regarding the deferral of PLAN Selby’s Site Allocations, Councillor Mackman explained that there were still issues to resolve across the district in order to make the allocations viable. Discussions with major landowners were ongoing, and it was likely that further consultation would be required. The revised proposals would then be considered by the Local Plan Programme Board and Executive again.

Councillor Mackman asked the Director of Economic Regeneration and Place to provide a written response to a query from Councillor P Welch relating to the start of work on the Lidl supermarket at Bawtry Road, which had recently been the subject of a judicial review.

Councillor C Lunn, Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources  

Councillor Lunn, Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources presented his update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report.

Councillor Lunn confirmed that no further comments had been received on the Medium Term Financial Strategy which had been considered by the Policy Review Committee the previous week.

In response to a query about the purchase of the former Natwest banks in Tadcaster and Selby, Councillor Lunn confirmed that officers were drawing up plans for potential uses of the buildings, including residential, retail and commercial office space. These options for different uses would be brought before Members when they had been developed.

Councillor C Metcalfe, Executive Lead Member for Communities and Economic Development, reported by Councillor J Mackman, Deputy Leader

The Deputy Leader of the Council reported on the work of the Executive Lead Member of Communities and Economic Development recently undertaken as outlined in the report.

With regard to a query about the provision of small units for businesses to rent in the district, the Deputy Leader asked officers to keep Councillor M Jordan up to date on the availability of such units.

In response to a query about the recent installation of pop-up street furniture in Selby and the accompanying work to test how people use high street space, Councillor Mackman explained that it was hoped the new installations would encourage visitors to the town and lead to further discussions and ideas about how to use such space in Selby.

Members noted that the furniture could be moved around and swapped with other areas and towns in order to see what worked best for different communities; the furniture already installed had already created a talking point and increased engagement with local people on the matter.

Councillor Mackman confirmed that the abbreviation ‘ESF’ in the context of ‘Workforce ESF’ stood for European Social Fund.

With regards to a query relating to the development of a Selby District Development and Transport Prospectus, Councillor Mackman explained that a partnership meeting and workshop between Selby and North Yorkshire Country Council officers would be taking place in October to ensure that the development of infrastructure and transport solutions aligned better with the Council’s economic growth plans. Local businesses would be involved in the development of the prospectus which could also be used as an external lobbying document if required.

Councillor C Pearson, Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture

Councillor Pearson, Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture, provide an update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report.

The Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture also explained that Operation Flyball had been taking place across the district to tackle fly tipping, including roadside checks of suspected vehicles and enforcement.

With regards to the Air Quality Action Plan, some Members expressed concerns about air pollution at Barlby Road, and what was being done to tackle it. Councillor Pearson explained that this would be looked at in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council as part of the solution for New Street; it was likely that the problems were due to the amount of vehicles waiting at the traffic lights and issues with traffic flow.

Members asked officers to look at the placement of page numbering in the agenda packs in order to ensure that words were not obscured.

In relation to a query at the previous Council meeting in July about work undertaken throughout the year at Barlow Common, Councillor Pearson resolved to circulate a response he had previously supplied to Councillor J Thurlow again, and asked officers to ensure this was done.

The development of Edgerton Lodge in Tadcaster was raised by Members who reminded the Executive Member that local Members should be consulted on the future plans for the site; Councillor Pearson resolved to consult local Members when more was known.

Councillor Pearson acknowledged Members’ concerns relating to the time taken to re-let empty homes in the district and stated that there was an officer looking into the issue; Members would be kept informed on the progress of this work.

It was proposed and seconded that the reports of the Executive be noted.

RESOLVED:

To receive and note the reports from the Executive.