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:
It was observed by Councillor N J Hunt that recent comments by the national Leader of the Conservatives suggested that the target of net zero by 2050 was unachievable and asked the Executive Councillor for Climate, Transformation and Workforce whether the joint administration remained fully committed to the Council’s Climate Strategy and that the Council remains on track to being net zero by 2040. Councillor L Davenport-Ray responded that the Council remained committed and on target for 2040 and added that whilst getting the Council to net zero may seem like a small drop in the ocean it was an important step for the Council to influence others and lead the way. Following a further question from Councillor Hunt, Councillor Davenport-Ray advised that she believed in a thriving not growing economy and that net zero presents the Country with opportunities for growth nationally not just within our District.
The Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene, Councillor S L Taylor, responded to a question from Councillor M L Beuttell who questioned the contingency plans in place should a power outage affect the Councils IT system and thus affect the in-cab refuse system identifying green bins to be collected. Councillor S Taylor advised that this was a risk identified by Internal Audit and that hard copies of the rounds were available for crews in the event of such an outage.
Councillor K P Gulson queried when the results of the November Peer Reviews for Development Management Committee would be shared, to which the Executive Councillor for Planning, Councillor T Sanderson advised that this was due to be published imminently.
In response to questions relating to the installation of solar panels at the One Leisure St Ives site from Councillor N Wells, the Executive Councillor for Communities, Health and Leisure, Councillor S A Howell, advised that due to the embedded carbon of the panels there would be an expected payback of 5 to 6 years against a life span of 25 years. The Council heard that the panels had been part funded by Sports England and that power generated was going towards heating the pool and centre. The potential for EV chargers to be installed would be investigated in the future but not planned for at this point in time. It was noted that the removed trees from the area had been diseased, and that work was being done to remove the stumps with replanting planned for Autumn.
Councillor B S Chapman stated that St Neots has the highest identified flood risk in Cambridgeshire, resulting in flood prevention being very important, in particular he identified an area of land covering 44 acres by the Willow bridge as a flood plain, and advised that over the last 12 months this area had flooded on five occasions. He asked the Executive Councillor for Planning, Councillor Sanderson, to provide more formal protection for this area, particularly given the proposal to encourage planting in the area to create further flooding protection. Councillor Sanderson advised that this land had not been identified by the St Neots Town Council in the recent call for sites despite a significant number being submitted. It was advised that it would be more prudent to include the area in the forthcoming neighbourhood plan refresh. It was also noted that a report relating to the Call for Sites would be brought before the Overview and Scrutiny Panel in April 2025 where further discussion on the matter could be heard and that additional conversations and clarification with the Council’s Planning Team could be held should they be required.
Councillor R Martin observed that an increase in car parks fees had been identified within the 2025/26 budget upon the introduction of Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) but that Cabinet had also stated that there would be no changes to car parking charges for the first year of CPE and asked the Executive Councillor for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene which was correct. Councillor S Taylor advised that following the implementation of CPE the Council would wait for up to a year before implementing any price rises in order to gather data and make an informed decision. It was noted that the Parking Strategy would be key in establishing this. The Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, Councillor B A Mickleburgh, advised that the agreed budget was a best estimate of the year ahead, with rises to car park fees identified, however it was anticipated that the introduction of CPE would bring about behavioural changes on car park usage and that an informed decision would be made once the impact of this was known. The Corporate Director of Finance and Resources clarified that an in-year variation to the set fees and charges could be dealt with by budget management via the Section 151 Officer and that the detail on this was regularly reported through the democratic process in the form of quarterly reports.
In response to a question from Councillor J A Gray, who requested an analysis from the Leader on the weaknesses in value for money arrangements for governance identified by the Annual Audit report, Councillor S J Conboy advised that the Council were keen to strengthen governance and were robust in that challenge. It was noted that investment into the audit function had been made and that interim internal audit processes had been employed to bolster our resources. The report heard by the Corporate Governance Committee was a very thorough report and that there had been concern previously as this had not been as robust as needed. She welcomed the opportunity to develop the Council’s governance arrangements and that the Council could continue to challenge themselves. It was noted that the process had not fundamentally changed since the previous administration but that the current administration were working hard to work out what changes were required going forward. The Executive Councillor for Governance and Democratic Services, Councillor J E Harvey, further advised that there was an awareness of challenges within the audit department, but that new measures had been brought in to correct this and to improve the service going forward.
Councillor J Neish expressed concern about the known delays experienced for post via Royal Mail in the District and questioned the Executive Councillor for Resident Services and Corporate Performance, Councillor S W Ferguson, whether leniencies would be applied for residents who had not received their Council Tax bills in a timely manner. Councillor Ferguson advised that it would be possible to move customers direct debits from the 1st of the month to the 15th, however this could only be done at the customers’ request. He would endeavour to liaise with the Communications Team to ensure that as many residents as possible were able to be made aware of this fact.
The Executive Councillor Economy, Regeneration and Housing was questioned about apprenticeships by Councillor Hunt and how they could be used as a route into employment. Councillor S Wakeford advised that the Council undertook a range of activities to promote apprenticeships including partnering with local businesses to promote the benefits, working with schools for career events and tailoring apprenticeships programmes to align with market demands. It was also noted that the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority were supporting training providers and partners. It was agreed that the Councillors would meet to establish how Councillor Hunt could further support and promote apprenticeships. Councillor C A Lowe identified a company in St Ives, Oxford Energy Academies, who had created apprenticeship opportunities but were struggling to fill the vacancies. Councillor Wakeford advised that this was something which the Council were aware of and were supporting but was happy to speak to Councillor Lowe to follow up on the situation.