In accordance with the Council Procedure Rules, all questions –
· Must be relevant to an item which the Council has powers or duties;
· Must not relate to an item which is included elsewhere on the Agenda
· Should be limited to obtaining information or pressing for action; and
· Should not exceed two minutes in duration.
Questions should not divulge or require to be divulged, confidential or exempt information.
Contact:30 Minutes.
Minutes:
In response to a question from Councillor S L Taylor, the Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene, Councillor J E Kerr, advised that Phase 1 of the Riverside project in St Neots had been completed but that work had been paused whilst the redevelopment of Hinchingbrooke Country Park was implemented. It was noted that once this project was in the delivery phase, focus would return to the Riverside project and further funding opportunities would be explored. In response Councillor Taylor expressed disappointment that the projects would not be running in conjunction and expressed concern about impending deadlines for the A428 funding, it was agreed to continue the conversation offline.
Councillor N J Hunt advised that a group of residents had approached both himself and Councillor J E Harvey relating to Huntingdon’s Riverside Park and establishing a group similar to the Friends of Hinchingbrooke Country Park. The Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene, Councillor J E Kerr, advised that this would be something which the Council would be happy to assist in forming and it was agreed to get this underway.
Dismay was expressed by Councillor T Alban in relation to the quantity of fly posters across the district which remained in place after events, in particular he noted those advertising circuses and fairs, he suggested introducing a deposit system for such organisers to be taken when event permission was sought, to encourage posters to be removed following events. The Executive Councillor for Resident Services and Corporate Performance, Councillor S W Ferguson concurred with the suggestion in principle and agreed to explore the potential implementation of this suggestion.
In response to a question from Councillor P Kadewere, the Executive Councillor for Planning, Councillor T Sanderson, advised that the Planning Service continued to make great progress and improvements, in particular it was noted that enforcement figures were half of what they were in January 2024 and that the backlog of cases for June sat at 27.
Following a question from Councillor M L Beuttell, the Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene, Councillor J E Kerr, advised that Civil Parking Enforcement would be a district wide roll out but that it would initially focus on specific areas in order to measure successes and results. Following a further question from Councillor Beuttell, it was clarified that the specific areas had been set to establish best practice and that the areas would be expanded following this to further support parishes in reducing illegal parking.
In response to a query from Councillor R Martin, the Executive Leader Councillor S J Conboy, advised that she had only very recently been made aware that the MPs for North West Cambridgeshire and Peterborough had suggested an alternative option for LGR for a Greater Peterborough. It was noted that Peterborough City Council would consider this and the viability to develop it into a fourth business case, however it was also noted that all such business cases submitted to the Government for consideration must demonstrate financial sustainability, for all Councils involved. In response to a further question from Councillor Martin, the Leader advised that the Conservatives were welcome to put forward an alternative to the business models already being developed, however it was noted that resources to develop the models was already at capacity.
The Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene, Councillor J E Kerr, advised, in response to a question from Councillor J A Gray, that HDC were responsibility for litter collection alongside the A14. The chamber heard that the Councils teams attended both the Brampton Hut and the next roundabout every 2 to 3 months and regularly collected over 150 bags of rubbish from each location. Following a further question from Councillor Gray relating to rubbish, in particular tyres and animal carcasses alongside the carriageway, the Executive Councillor advised that communication with National Highways for teams to access this area safely was ongoing and was also an issue acknowledge by Cambridgeshire County Council. In addition the state of Mill Common Car Park in Huntingdon was noted and would be investigated with the relevant team
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In response to concerns raised by Councillor B S Chapman relating to the omission of notable St Neots residents of the past, in particular Rochard Fitzgilbert, from the inscribed stones in the newly redeveloped St Neots Market Square the Executive Councillor for Economy, Regeneration and Housing, Councillor S Wakeford, advised that the names inscribed had been chosen in conjunction with local stakeholders, however he advised that St Neots Town Council could consider exploring further opportunities to honour historical St Neots residents.
Following a question from Councillor M L Beuttell, the Executive Councillor for Planning advised that the forthcoming report on the Preferred Options for the Local Plan would be expected into the democratic cycle in the Autumn following the completion of the outcomes of the key evidence options.