Agenda item

In accordance with the Council Procedure Rules (Section 8.3) of the Council's Constitution, to receive oral questions from Members of the Council

In accordance with Council Procedure Rules (Paragraph 8.3 of the Rules) the Chairman proceeded to conduct a period of oral questions addressed to Executive Councillors and Panel Chairmen as follows:-

Question from Councillor J J Dutton to the Executive Councillor for Planning Strategy and Transport, Councillor D B Dew

In response to a question as to when the Council would begin work on producing a Conservation Statement for Hartford, Councillor Dew replied that although this was regarded as a priority, a shortage in staff resources had meant that work on the statement could not be commenced. An assurance was given by Councillor Dew that work would begin once the staffing issue had been resolved.

Question from Councillor J D Ablewhite to the Executive Councillor for Planning Strategy and Transport, Councillor D B Dew

In response to a question concerning a proposal to build a large scale housing development in Godmanchester east of the A1198, it was confirmed by Councillor Dew that the Development Management Panel responsible for determining applications for planning permission would be the appropriate body to consider such a plan.

Question from Councillor P D Reeve to the Leader of the Council, Councillor I C Bates

In response to a question regarding the level of financial and staffing resources expended by the Council over the past 10 years and forecast over the next 5 years on the adoption of the euro currency by the Government,  Councillor Bates reported that, to the best of his knowledge, no resources had been spent in this way, nor were there any plans to do so.

Question from Councillor A N Gilbert to the Leader of the Council, Councillor I C Bates

In response to a question regarding the timing of the counting of votes for the Huntingdon Parliamentary Constituency when the General Election was held in 2010, Councillor Bates undertook to reply to the questioner in writing.

Question from Councillor A Hansard to the Executive Councillor for Housing and Public Health, Councillor K J Churchill

In response to a question regarding the impact on smaller communities of the impending Neighbourhood Forums in Huntingdonshire, Councillor Churchill replied that the Democratic Structure Working Group would be reviewing the outcome of a pilot that had taken place in St Neots in September and that consideration would be given to concerns which had been raised at the meeting for discussions to be inclusive and not focused exclusively on the Towns.

Question from Councillor D Harty to the Leader of the Council, Councillor I C Bates

In response to a question concerning the increasing number of partnership arrangements entered into by the Council, and the requirement for Members to scrutinise such arrangements, Councillor Bates concurred that such arrangements were increasing. He drew attention to a number of successes already achieved through Cambridgeshire Together, particularly in terms of engaging with a wide variety of partners, including those from the voluntary sector. Additionally, Councillor Bates reported upon the current "Making Cambridgeshire Count" initiative which was seeking to change the way public services were being delivered across the County. Comment was also made upon the positive approach towards engaging with the community through the Neighbourhood Forums and the importance for the Council in continuing to grow and develop its partnership arrangements for the benefit of Huntingdonshire. 

Question from Councillor R S Farrer to the Executive Councillor for Environment and Information Technology, Councillor J A Gray

In response to a question concerning the level of capital expenditure required and the priority accorded for improvements to Huntingdon Bus Station, Councillor Gray replied that whilst continuing to be open minded about the scheme in light of the Council's current financial situation, he currently was investigating other cost effective means of improving the current facilities.

Question from Councillor Ms M J Thomas to the Executive Councillor for Planning Strategy and Transport, Councillor D B Dew

In response to a question regarding the potential for a Master Plan for St Neots to be produced, Councillor Dew replied that consideration for producing Master Plans for certain areas across the District was already underway.

Question from Councillor R J West to the Executive Councillor for Operational and Countryside Services, Councillor C R Hyams

In response to a question regarding the potential to extend the CCTV service to other services/businesses in the local area, Councillor Hyams replied that discussions were currently ongoing in this respect.

Question from Councillor P L E Bucknell to the Executive Councillor for Planning Strategy and Transport, Councillor D B Dew

In response to a question concerning the adoption of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Submission Plan by Cambridgeshire County Council and the subsequent impact of an industrial compost site being proposed in Warboys, Councillor D B Dew undertook to investigate the situation.

Question from Councillor P A Swales to the Chairman of the Development Management Panel, Councillor P G Mitchell

In response to a question concerning the receipt and expenditure of Section 106 Agreement income, Councillor Mitchell indicated that he would be requesting the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Social Well-Being) to investigate the matter further. 

Question from Councillor P G Mitchell to the Executive Councillor for Housing and Public Health, Councillor K J Churchill

In response to a question regarding the findings of The Place Survey which had identified activities for teenagers as being in need of improvement in Huntingdonshire, Councillor Churchill replied that there currently were a number of initiatives in place which offered activities to teenagers. These included the Fusion holiday scheme, the recently launched Stukeley Skate Park facility, the Yaxley Youth Project and Street Sport activities in anti-social behaviour hotspot areas.

Question from Councillor R J West to the Executive Councillor for Planning Strategy and Transport, Councillor D B Dew

In response to a question enquiring about the impact of the Local Development Framework in encouraging local businesses to relocate within the District, Councillor Dew replied that efforts were being made to engage with local businesses on a routine basis.