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.

Discussion took place in respect of the expiring legislation in relation to virtual meetings and the different options available for holding meetings going forward including making decisions through urgency powers until 21 June which was the date the Government had provided for relaxing restrictions.

Councillor Jordan left the meeting at this point.

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

The Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping presented his update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report.

It was requested that information in relation to planning appeals should be reported to the Planning Committee so they could be aware of decisions and how applications had progressed. The Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping agreed that this information should be shared with members of the Planning Committee and substitutes.

Discussion took place on the number of consultation responses on the Local Plan. In response to a query concerning past consultations having a higher level of response, it was explained that this may have been down to previous consultations being focused around single issues which may have distorted the responses.

A query was raised in relation to the figure of non-major applications being determined within the statutory period or agreed extensions of time. The Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping explained that the figure for this was just below target however discussions had taken place with officers on how this figure could be improved. It was also noted that there had been an increase on the number of planning applications submitted.

Councillor Cliff Lunn, Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources

The Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources presented his update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report and added that the Government had announced a restart grant on 1^st April and information on how this was paid had been sent to all Councillors. The Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources thanked Council staff for getting the previous grants out on time.

A query was raised on how quickly the Council was responding to grant emails. It was agreed this would be checked.

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

The Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development presented his update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report and add that Eon would be installing electric charging points in Council car parks. Council was also informed of the new shops that would be opening up in Selby.

A query was raised regarding the latest situation concerning the Natwest Bank in Tadcaster. It was agreed a response would be provided to all Members on this.

In response to a query raised following the Places and Movement Study regarding parking in Sherburn, the Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development stated some of the parking in Sherburn had been changed to a maximum stay of two hours which had created a better flow. Additionally, it was stated that a previous report had stated that a long term car park was needed for the area.

A query was raised regarding the Levelling Up Fund and why Selby were not bidding during the first phase. The Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development explained that it was important that Selby achieved the maximum for its area when submitting a bid and that following consideration, it had been decided that Selby would be better submitting a bid in the next round.

In response to a query concerning the national deadline for the Gateway Project, the Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development explained that a current indication of 2023 had been given as the deadline however the Council was lobbying with other authorities to ensure the deadline was more flexible.

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

The Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture presented his update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report and added that following a query raised previously regarding trees, the district had 10% of its area covered by trees and the aim was to increase this to 30% by 2025. It was noted that while the Council did not plant trees directly, they were planted on its behalf by other agencies.

Discussion took place regarding the transfer of waste collection services from Amey plc to Urbaser Ltd. In response to queries raised, the Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture explained that it was the decision of Amey plc to transfer their services to Urbaser and that due diligence had been carried out by the Council prior to the change over. Following a query regarding waste collection complaints since the purchase of Amey by Urbaser, the Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture agreed to update the Council on any complaints received since the takeover at the next meeting.

Following a number of queries raised, the Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture agreed responses would be provided on the following issues;

·       How many flytipping fines issued had been paid.

·       The figure relating to the number of housing repairs being carried out as the covid restrictions are relaxed.

·       Were applications for housing available for residents on paper.

·       Could signs be installed stating there was CCTV to deter fly tipping even if no CCTV was installed in the area.

Following a query regarding urgent housing repairs, the Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture explained that if the repair was an emergency and reported to the Council, then this would be dealt with in 24 hours.

RESOLVED:

To receive and note the reports from the Executive.