In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No 9.2 to allow Members to ask questions about Council activities. The replies to any such questions will be given by the Chair of the Council or relevant Committee or the appropriate Cabinet Member. Questions must be received in writing or by email to the Monitoring Officer by 12 noon twelve clear working days before the meeting.
The following questions have been submitted:-
Question ‘A’ - Councillor W Jones to Councillor S Pickering, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Place
Will the Portfolio Holder confirm if the new administration will increase fines for fly tipping and littering to the new national maximum amount allowable as recently increased by Government and, if so, when?
Question ‘B’ – Councillor C Cupit to Councillor S Pickering, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Place
Can you confirm whether you will be pursuing a Local Plan review or a new Local Plan, what the timeframe for work on this is and, importantly, what the plans for public consultation with any affected communities will be?
Question ‘C’ – Councillor A Dale to Councillor P Kerry, Deputy Leader of the Council
Will the Portfolio Holder please confirm the financial cost (or provide an estimate if not yet established) of each of the new spending commitments announced by the Leader of the Council in his acceptance speech on 22 May 2023?
Minutes:
The Chairman of the Council confirmed that three questions had been received.
Question ‘A’ – Councillor W Jones to Councillor S Pickering, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Place
A question had been submitted by Councillor W Jones to Councillor S Pickering, Portfolio Holder for Environment & Place on whether the Administration intended to increase fines for fly tipping and littering to the new national maximum. The full text of the question from Councillor W Jones, marked as Question ‘A’, was set out in the agenda for the meeting.
The Portfolio Holder thanked Councillor W Jones for his question. Councillor S Pickering explained that he was committed to seeking out and prosecuting significant fly tipping where possible. In particular, he explained that the Council would continue to prosecute in serious cases, which could result in an unlimited fine or up to five years in prison.
The Portfolio Holder explained that Fixed Penalty Notices were an alternative to criminal prosecutions through the courts. He stated that the existing penalty of £400 was considered to be appropriate and was continuously under review. Councillor S Pickering went on to explain that when fixed penalty notices were last increased in 2021/22 the payment rates dropped from 100% to 80%.
The Portfolio Holder informed Council that fines needed to be proportionate and it was important for residents to be able to afford to pay them if they were to act as an effective deterrent.
Councillor W Jones asked a supplementary question about whether a strategy would be put in place in order to watch fly tipping ‘hot spots’ with targeted surveillance. He enquired as to what other measures would be put in place in order to help combat this issue.
The Portfolio Holder explained Environmental Services do a thorough job and investigate where possible. He explained that there had been significant operations and investigations in West Handley and Ridgeway. The Portfolio Holder praised those staff who had taken part in these.
Question ‘B’ – Councillor C Cupit to Councillor S Pickering, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Place
A question had been submitted by Councillor C Cupit to Councillor S Pickering, Portfolio Holder for Environment & Place on whether a Local Plan review or a new Local Plan would be pursued and what the timeframe for this would be. The full text of the question from Councillor C Cupit, marked as Question ‘B’, was set out in the agenda for the meeting.
The Portfolio Holder explained that these issues would be considered by the Local Plan Review Working Group, there was also new planning legislation to come through from central Government. He informed Members that Officers had already conducted some review work on the local plan and would be using a planning advisory survey toolkit on best practice.
Councillor S Pickering informed Council that the length of time of the review would depend on the scope and scale of the work undertaken by the Group. He suggested that it could take up to four years as they wanted it to be inclusive and there were plans in place for a wider public consultation.
Councillor C Cupit questioned how inclusive the Working Group would be.
The Portfolio Holder explained that he hoped the Group would work collaboratively and collectively decide whether a partial or full review of the Plan would be the most appropriate way forward.
Question ‘C’ – Councillor A Dale to Councillor P Kerry, Deputy Leader of the Council
A question had been submitted by Councillor A Dale to Councillor P Kerry, Deputy Leader of the Council on the financial costs of each of the new spending commitments announced by the Leader of the Council. The full text of the question from Councillor A Dale, marked as Question ‘C’, was set out in the agenda for the meeting.
The Deputy Leader thanked Councillor A Dale for his question. He explained that the budget for the 2023/24 municipal year had been approved in January of this year and was inherited from the previous administration. The current Administration would work within this budget to deliver their services and had incurred no additional expenditure to date. The Administration planned to address their commitments in the Council Plan in relation to community safety and sustainability during the current budget cycle and these would be funded by existing budgets.
Councillor P Kerry informed Members that the Stonebroom regeneration scheme would require further consideration by Council in due course.
Council heard that as part of the annual review of the budget, the financial commitments in the Council Plan would be reviewed. The budget review was currently underway and would be presented to Council for consideration and approval in January 2024 following a robust review by the Joint Scrutiny Committee.
Councillor A Dale asked the Deputy Leader about the costs of the new Council Chamber.
Councillor P Kerry reminded Council that the need for improvements had been discussed and agreed previously.