Agenda item

The following written question has been received:

 

Councillor Colin Clark has submitted a written question to the Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Assets attached.

Questions to the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member (Health, Wellbeing and Leisure).

 

Councillor Alan Ogilvie asked the Cabinet Member if he could provide an update on the safe and secure parking arrangements for the Leyland Festival.

 

In response, the Cabinet Member assured the ward member that he had due regard to residents when considering any proposals relating to car parking in his role on the Leyland Festival Committee and that he hoped to have a detailed proposition soon that he will be able to share with the local councillors.

 

A member of the public asked the Cabinet Member what view the Council would be taking at the Lancashire County Council Health Scrutiny Committee meeting on 4 February at County Hall on the Our Health Our Care proposal for a complete closure of a viable A&E department at Chorley and South Ribble hospital.

 

The Cabinet Member responded to say that he was not the Council’s representative on the Lancashire County Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee so was unable at this stage to share the Council’s view, however, he added that he was deeply concerned about the proposals and urged all Members to fully consider the implications of such a decision.

 

 

Questions to the Cabinet Member (Community Engagement, Social Justice and Wealth Building).

 

Councillor Karen Walton asked the Cabinet Member, that when she writes out to the Chairs of the Neighbourhood Forums, if they replied to request a change to the boundaries, would this go to Council for approval?

 

The Cabinet Member responded to say that the changes to the boundaries of the Neighbourhood Forums had already been determined at the first Council meeting of the 2019/20 municipal year and the Deputy Monitoring Officer confirmed that this had been the case. Any subsequent amendments to the delivery of the Forums would be considered by Governance Committee and then taken to Council for approval.

 

Councillor Karen Walton also asked the Cabinet Member how many Neighbourhood Forums and Parish Councils the Community Involvement Task Group had attended and consulted upon.

 

The Cabinet Member commented that Councillor Walton was a member of the cross-party working group so already knew this information and that the officers who supported the meetings had the full details.

 

Councillor Michael Green asked the Cabinet Member how she intended to change the standing orders of the Parish Councils to allow members of the Neighbourhood Forums to participate in their meetings as they were quite stringent. Councillor Green also asked the Cabinet Member if she was aware that the Western Parishes had four parish councils in its neighbourhood area, so any changes to standing orders or terms of references would be a formidable task.

 

The Cabinet Member responded to say that it was the intention of the Working Group to write to all the Chairs of the Neighbourhood Forums to ask for their ideas on how the Forums and Parish Councils could better work together for the benefit of the communities they serve and that the administration was prepared to work with the Forums for a trial 12 month period before any permanent changes were worked through and constitutionally changed.

 

All the Parish Councils had been invited to a meeting and two representatives had attended from most, a mixture of Chairs and Clerks. The meeting had been well received and feedback had indicated that the relationship between the borough and the parishes could be greatly improved upon.

 

Councillor Paul Wharton-Hardman asked the Cabinet Member if she knew the differences between the many parish councils and whether the Group had consulted LALC.

 

The Cabinet Member committed to providing a written response.

 

Councillor John Rainsbury asked the Cabinet Member if every parish council was represented at the meeting held between the Cabinet Member and the Parish Councils, as part of the Community Involvement Review. It was his understanding, that the Clerk had attended on behalf of Hoole Parish Council but had no mandate to speak on the subject, as it had not been discussed at the Hoole Parish Council meeting. He was also under the impression that most of the people in attendance were Parish Clerks and not Councillors.

 

Councillor Margaret Smith asked the Cabinet Member if she was aware of what takes place currently between the Western Parishes Neighbourhood Forum and the four parish councils, stating that the Borough and Parish Councillors are in regular attendance at both meetings.

 

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Assets interjected to say that he thought that the there was a general misunderstanding by members of the opposition on what the cross-party working group were trying to achieve and asked Members to engage with the proposals around the Neighbourhood Forums, as this was an opportunity to do things differently and make much needed improvements.

 

Councillor David Howarth also spoke in support of the proposals adding that not every Town and Parish Council worked in the same way and that there was an urgent need to review the current format of Neighbourhood Forums.

 

The Cabinet Member finished by explaining that whilst she accepted that she was not the most knowledgeable Councillor on the subject of parish councils, she did realise that there are conflicts and just wants to explore different and better ways of working over the next 12 months for the benefits of residents.

 

 

Questions to the Cabinet Member (Finance, Property and Assets).

 

Councillor Colin Clark submitted a written question to the Cabinet Member as follows:

 

The Conference and Business Centre project was designed in 2 phases.

Phase 1 was designed to modernise and improve the existing facilities in the Council Chamber and address the need for an additional meeting room to replace the Oaks Room.

 

The proposals for Phase 2 were formulated with the intention of creating a traded and commercial service, encompassing the existing kitchen and Coppice restaurant, and including a new secured access at the rear of the building.

 

The delivery of Phase 1 was scheduled for April to May 2019 with Phase 2 following on later during 2019/20.

 

Whilst Phase 1 has now been completed, Phase 2 has yet to be implemented.

 

What is the current position on this project?

 

During the interim period the refurbishment of offices on the south side of the Centre has taken place, with additional fixtures and fittings being provided, but this work did not feature in either of the 2 phases.

 

How was this work approved and how was it financed?

Were the new fixtures and fitting justified and what were their costs?

What was the total cost of this additional work?

 

The Cabinet Member gave the following response:

 

Considerable work has now been completed as part of the planned phased 1 work to the Civic centre. This has included

 

Work is now taking place on refurbishing the South Wing of the building. The cost is £47,000 and this is been funded out of existing repair and maintenance budgets which were underspent. The work is long overdue with some areas having had no redecoration for 25 years plus. The work is been welcomed by staff who will have a much more pleasant work environment.

 

From an environmental point of view, we are also committing funds to improve the efficiency of the building notably through the introduction of Solar Panels and LED lighting with a view to reducing our energy costs. This has been funded through capital funds and approved through the delegated decision process as the amounts involved are less than £100,000

 

On the question of phase 2 there was no actual final Cabinet decision to carry out the remodelling of the Canteen and Kitchen and to introduce a second entrance to the Business and Conference part of the Civic Centre. However, this work has now been reactivated and a proposed sum of Capital money has been put in the draft Capital programme for 20/21. A report will be brought to Cabinet on this scheme soon.

 

Finally, it is worth noting that external income for the Civic Centre this financial year has risen by 40%. This is partly down to the number of elections held but also an increase in external bookings. Through existing resources, we have also restructured the Facilities team to provide more resilience and support to the Civic centre and provide more capacity to properly market and promote our Conference and business facilities to South Ribble and beyond.

 

 

Questions to the Cabinet Member (Environment).

 

Councillor Alan Ogilvie asked the Cabinet Member what actions she would be implementing to improve the parking issues on the Worden estate around Runshaw College. Although aware of the recent focus campaign by the Council, the situation had not improved. Councillor Ogilvie also enquired if the parking enforcement officers could assist in this issue and why the overflow car park was open at the weekend but closed in the week when the college was open.

 

The Leader of the Council responded to say that parking was a top priority for the Cabinet Member and that she intended to work with Councillors Ogilvie and Moon on the issues on the Worden Estate and that they were also looking to develop a Car Parking Strategy for the Borough.

 

The Council had shared enforcement powers with Lancashire County Council and the Cabinet Member was currently looking into how this could be better managed, the Leader urged Members to lobby their fellow County Councillors regarding this matter.

 

The overflow car park at Worden Park had been severely damaged by students of Runshaw College at a cost of £120k. Once fully repaired the Council would be looking to reassess its future use.

 

 

Questions to the Cabinet Member (Planning, Regeneration and City Deal).

 

Councillor Phil Smith asked the Cabinet Member to provide an update on the Leyland Town Deal, particularly in relation to the Leyland Town Board.

 

The Cabinet Member reported that the Board had held its first meeting at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland on 28 January. The makeup of the Board was prescribed by government and was business focused. The meeting was very well attended with many local businesses represented and following discussions, they had chosen to concentrate on improvements around the Market area of the town. The next step would be appointing a Chair form within the group, in the meantime the Council would continue to provide support and advice.