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:
Councillor D Keane sought clarification from the Executive Councillor for Planning Services regarding planning decisions which were the subject of appeals to the planning inspectorate. In response to which Councillor T D Sanderson encouraged all interested parties to review the Government’s online advice on the appeals process. Further advice was also available from the planning team and the Chief Planning Officer and Members were encouraged to speak directly with the respective case officers concerning specific cases. In terms of the factors that influenced the Council’s position through the course of appeal, Members were reminded that each appeal was considered on its own merits and matters could evolve through the course of that appeal in accordance with appeal guidance. In terms of the numbers of cases, Council were advised that the Authority had received in the region of 2700 planning applications during the previous 12 months, during which time 53 appeals were lodged with the planning inspectorate, 10 of which were upheld.
In response to a question from Councillor A Jennings as to whether there were any plans to offer incentives for parking within the market towns at Christmas, the Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene Councillor S Taylor explained that there were no plans at present, but she was happy to discuss the matter further outside of the Chamber. In response, Councillor Jennings made reference to the disruption in St Neots market square over the course of the past year and suggested in light of the receipt of additional interest income it might be a nice to incentivise the use of the high street at Christmas.
In response to a question from Councillor K P Gulson regarding future likely build requirements within the District, the Executive Councillor for Planning Services Councillor T D Sanderson reiterated that he did not believe that the development of the new Local Plan was being progressed with undue haste. Although the Development Strategy had not yet been decided, 369 sites had been submitted as part of the Call for Sites under the Local Plan such that the District Council would be in a good position to consider and respond to the numbers required under the National Planning Policy Framework. He also outlined his appreciation to those members who had sat on the Local Plan Advisory Group for their contributions to those documents which were now out for consultation.
With reference to the recent flooding incidents in the area, Councillor R Martin congratulated the District Council on their flood response in comparison to other agencies. In response to his question as to what extent the District Council would be reviewing the lessons learnt from the incidents and encouraging other agencies to do the same, the Executive Leader explained that the District Council will always undertake a review following a major incident. She made reference to her involvement in the review following the flooding in 2020 which had been cross party, involving ward members and all organisations. She went on to explain that following the flooding in 2020, the Councils website had been significantly updated with information to help householders understand how to prevent flooding and what to do should they be unfortunate enough for it to happen. Members were also reminded that there would be a briefing next month with a focus on flooding and providing emergency responses. She encouraged those councillors with any experience of dealing with flooding in their wards to share their experiences.
In response to a supplementary question regarding the difficulties which had been experienced with bin collection by residents in areas where streets were flooded, the Executive Leader reiterated some of the challenges faced by the Operations Team when undertaking collections in these areas, particularly when roads had been closed by County Council Highways. She undertook to discuss the matter further outside of the meeting, but in the meantime urged local councillors to provide any local intelligence regarding difficulties with collection or water levels to the Operations Team. The Executive Councillor for Resident Services and Corporate Performance, Councillor S W Ferguson also took the opportunity to explain that he sat on the Regional Flooding Coastal Committee which was the interface between the Environment Agency and the principal authorities and was scheduled to meet the following day. He suggested that Members with specific concerns should provide those to him in advance of this meeting, to enable him to put pressure on the Agency.
In response to a request from Councillor N Hunt for an update on the latest planning service statistics and the current status of the Local Plan consultation, the Executive Councillor for Planning provided an update for the Council. In doing so, Members noted that over the course of a year the backlog for major application had reduced from 180 to 60 as at March of 2024, whilst the backlog for non-major applications had reduced from 140 to 100 in the period from September 2023 to September 2024. Whilst the Planning Enforcement Team had now cleared their backlog they now had in the region of 400 live cases. With regards to the Local Plan, it was reported that the Exhibitions around the District had been well received and would continue throughout October 2024.
With reference to the recent partnership between social enterprise Hey Girls and Huntingdonshire District Council to provide residents of Huntingdonshire with free reusable period products to help with period poverty and reduce waste within the District, Councillor D Shaw requested further information regarding the uptake of the initiative. In response to which the Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene, Councillor S Taylor provided some statistics on the levels of menstrual waste generated nationally and in Huntingdonshire each year and explained that by offering reusable alternatives the District Council was seeking to tackle this growing environmental problem. The Council were informed that the reusable products had been well received and that the team were currently seeking to source more funding to try and continue the programme.
In response to a request from Councillor M J Burke for an update on the latest financial performance of One Leisure in light of the significant deficit projected in 2022, the Executive Councillor for Communities, Health and Leisure, Councillor B Pitt provided an update for the Council. In doing so, the Council were informed that One Leisure had in the six months to September 2024 for the first time seen total monthly income exceed expenditure, at a figure of 9%. Since August 2023 there had also been a 39% growth in memberships and a 71% increase in the Active Lifestyles programme. Work was now ongoing to consolidate this position through the investment of facilities including new gym equipment in St Neots and St Ives, increasing the availability of exercise classes and updating the website. Councillor Pitt thanked all those involved in helping One Leisure to reach this position over the course of the past two years and also took the opportunity to outline the human benefits achieved from getting an increasing number of people active in the district.
With reference to the Saturday freighter green waste collection service, Councillor T D Alban enquired as to what performance measures were going to be used to assess the success of the initiative and when that information would be made available. In response to which, the Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene, Councillor S Taylor reminded the Council that the freighter collection service was only one of a range of garden waste initiatives. Whilst the service had now concluded for the season, the data which had been collected would now be assessed before making a decision on the impact of the service and its future provision. In responding to this, Councillor Alban sought and received a reassurance that the performance data and any decision on the future of the service be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environment, Communities and Partnerships).
As the Chair drew questions to Cabinet Members to a close, Councillor J A Gray expressed his disappointment that the meeting was operating to a timed schedule.