In accordance with the Council Procedure Rules, all questions –
v Must be relevant to an item which the Council has powers or duties.
v Must not relate to an item which is included elsewhere on the Agenda.
v Should be limited to obtaining information or pressing for action; and
v Should not exceed two minutes in duration.
Questions should not divulge or require to be divulged, confidential or exempt information.
Contact:15 Minutes.
Minutes:
Following a request for further information from Councillor S Bywater regarding any contingency plans that the Council had established for the storage of electric vehicles, the Executive Leader undertook to circulate a written response to all members after the meeting. Details of any specific training or other risk mitigation strategies for high voltage handling were also requested.
With reference to the resident concerns regarding the recent felling of willow trees in Coneygear Park in Eynesbury, Councillor A Jennings sought clarification from the Executive Councillor for Climate and the Environment Councillor L Davenport-Ray as to the permissions which had been granted and how this had been monitored. In response to which, Councillor L Davenport-Ray undertook to establish further details and respond in writing.
Following a request for an update from Councillor M L Beuttell as to the reasons for the delay for the planning application at Hinchingbrooke Park, the Executive Councillor for Leisure, Waste and Street Scene Councillor S L Taylor explained that the timescale for delay was likely to be in the region of a year. Members were informed that the application would need to comply with biodiversity net gain planning legislation and the application would be re-presented with this information as soon as possible. An update would be provided to Overview and Scrutiny in March 2024 and further information on the cost of the delay and the cost of the consultants would be provided directly to Councillor Beuttell in writing.
In response to a question from Councillor C Gleadow regarding the uptake for the Early Bird Offer for Green Bins, the Executive Leader reported that the latest figures suggested that since the launch of the initiative on 5th December 2023, a total of 3,436 households had signed up thus far which represented 4% of households within Huntingdonshire.
In response to comments made by Councillor D J Shaw regarding delays to planning applications relating to tree works, the Executive Councillor for Planning, Councillor T D Sanderson explained that there although there had been an increase in applications in recent weeks, the staffing issues had now resolved and the backlog was starting to clear.
With reference to the development at the Loves Farm in St Neots, Councillor M Pickering sought an assurance from the Executive Councillor for Planning that the District Council were committed to learning lessons from previous developments and to ensuring that the planning for new developments included a financially sustainable model for the maintenance of public spaces. In response to which, the Executive Councillor for Planning Councillor T D Sanderson explained that whilst he could not comment upon specific planning applications which had already been approved, he did understand the problems regarding commuted sums where developments were handed over. He undertook to investigate the matter regarding Loves Farm further and respond to Councillor Pickering directly in writing as soon as possible.
With reference to the Workforce report which was considered at the November meeting of the Employment Committee, Councillor S Cawley drew attention to the underspend on employee pay costs and the overspend on contractor and agency staff which had result in an overall net over spend of £285,500. Clarification was requested as to which of the services were causing this overspend and what plans were in place to bring these budgets back on track. Having agreed to provide a detailed response in writing, the Executive Leader Councillor S Conboy explained that inevitably there would always be times when consultants would be required within an organisation however, she also took the opportunity to draw Members attention to the development of the Workforce Strategy which was being developed to look at how the Council attracts new employees and rewards and retains existing employees within the organisation.
In response to a request for from Councillor J Neish, the Executive Councillor for Leisure, Waste and Street Scene Councillor S L Taylor acknowledged that there would be a delay to the implementation of Civil Parking Enforcement within the District, due to factors beyond the Council’s control. A comprehensive report was scheduled to be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny (Environment, Communities and Partnerships) Panel in January 2024. Having reiterated her continuing support for the initiative, Councillor Taylor confirmed that as far as she was aware it was still running to budget and was unable to comment on South Cambridgeshire being ahead of Huntingdonshire within the programme.
In response to a request for an update on District Council support to Community Hubs and Health Inequalities work, the Executive Councillor for Community, and Health, Councillor B Pitt reminded the Council that Huntingdonshire had adopted a different approach to the delivery of Warm Hubs to other parts of the County. This had enabled funding from the Integrated Care Scheme to be utilised for other schemes. Going forward, the Council would continue to support Community Hubs through the Community Chest Grants scheme and work was ongoing to develop a Community Spaces Handbook, to revamp the We Are Huntingdonshire website as a source of support to attendees and to offer Making Every Contact Count training to attendees.