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 Mark Crane, Leader of the Council

The Leader of the Council presented his update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report.

Concern was raised regarding the co-location of the Police at the Civic Centre and in particular the lack of privacy when discussing personal issues at the front reception desk. It was stated that the problem would increase further when the customer contact centre moved into the building. Further concern was raised regarding District Council staff having to speak to members of the public regarding police issues when the police receptionist was not present. The Leader of the Council stated that if the Police had invited someone to the Civic Centre, they should be provided about clear instructions of what to do and where to go. He added that he would raise the issues mentioned.

Concern was raised regarding the moving of the customer contact centre and the effect this would have on elderly and infirm people who would have further to travel to visit the civic centre. The Leader of the Council explained there had been a 50% decrease in visitors to the customer contact centre. He stated that the civic centre was serviced by a bus and had free public parking on site including disabled parking. He added that the move would not result in a decrease in service.

In response to a query concerning the amount of time required to get vacant council properties back into use, the Leader of the Council explained that it had to be ensured the property was fit to be habitable and the necessary work carried out before it could be re-let.

A query was raised regarding Barlby Swimming Pool who had previously received funding from the Council however was now closed. The Leader of the Council stated he would ask officers to have a look as to why the pool was closed.

Councillor Richard Musgrave, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping

Councillor Musgrave, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping, provided an update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report. Council was informed that the Executive had recommended approval for the writing of a new local plan and that this would be discussed at a forthcoming Council meeting.

In response to queries relating to his visit to Roeselare, the Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping explained that the trip had been paid for by sponsorship and that Roeselare had made excellent progress in revitalising the high street. In response to a further query on lessons learnt from the trip, the Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping explained that one of the key factors for the improvement was leadership which had resulted in positive renovation for the town centre.

In relation to staffing, officers were praised for winning five out of six recent planning appeals and a query was raised regarding how much interest there had been on the recruitment open day. The Director of Economic Regeneration and Place explained that open days were very effective in the recruitment process and that there had been a fair degree of interest for roles and following that, some successful interviews had been undertaken.

In relation to Olympia Park, a query was raised on when the planning application for the access road would be submitted and what would be the cost of the application. In addition, it was queried, who would be paying for the application. The Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping explained that the planning application would be submitted by the developers with the cost being the standard cost for such applications. Council was informed that the money for the application would be paid out of the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) funding received by the Council.

In response to a query concerning the timescales for the work to be undertaken in Sherburn in Elmet, the Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping stated that the work would be undertaken around the whole district commencing in Sherburn and it was hoped there would be a report on this in September.

In response to queries about the delivery and funding for Olympia Park, the Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping stated that the site was a key part of the district and was closer to be delivered then had previously been. In relation to funding, Council was informed funding for the scheme came from the Council’s Programme for Growth and the HIF funding.

Councillor Cliff 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.

A query was raised regarding a breakdown of the money in the Council’s reserves and the different categories the money came under. The Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources agreed to provide these figures. In response to a further query on reserves, the Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources explained that it was up to each authority in respect of how much funding they placed in reserves.

Councillor David Buckle, Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development

Councillor Buckle, Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development provided an update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report.

In response to a query concerning parking in the town centre, the Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development explained that this was something the Council was looking and were in discussions with Chris Wade who had written a report concerning the town centre.

A query was raised regarding the amount of businesses that had interest in the Council’s business sites. The Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development explained that the aim of the site was to attract business to the area and the Council received considerable interest in relation to the sites.

Concern was raised regarding the condition of Audus Street Car Park and specifically the first exit about which several complaints had been received. The Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Developmentagreed to look into this.  

A query was raised regarding the membership of the stakeholder group for the M62 Strategic Development Zone Study. The Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development informed Council that the membership for this group include representatives from Hull City Council, East Riding Council, Selby District Council and North Yorkshire County Council. In response to a further query regarding whether the Council was speaking to Leeds City Council, the Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development explained that a cross border working group had been set up to look at jobs in the area and the transport issues for these jobs.

In response to a query the use of the old civic centre car park, the Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development explained that the car park had been rarely used and that there was a proposal by Legal and General Homes to build modular homes on the site.

A query was raised regarding better transport for employees working at the business sites. The Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development explained that work was being done to look at the rail transport and discussions had taken place with employers to allow flexible work to align with transport times.

Councillor Chris 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.

Queries were raised around the figures relating to income generation for the Tour de Yorkshire. The Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture that the figures relating to the income generated had been published by Welcome to Yorkshire.

A query was raised with regard to why the speed bumps had to be removed where they did not have to be for similar races in Europe.  The Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture informed Council that the speed bumps had to be removed due to there being a sprint finish.

With regard to council house buy backs, it was queried whether the Council brought these properties back at full market value and whether the occupant could purchase another property from the authority at a discounted rate. The Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture explained that the property would be brought back at the market price however the occupant could not use the discount again on another property.

RESOLVED:

To receive and note the reports from the Executive.