Agenda item

Standing orders were suspended to allow full discussion for this item. 

Members asked questions of Portfolio Holders in accordance with Procedure Rules 8.1 and 8.2 as follows:

·         Councillor Booth asked Councillor Mrs Laws if she could confirm the actions planned to improve the planning processes involving Parish and Town Councils following the PAS review, and when will these actions be delivered? Councillor Mrs Laws advised that further training has commenced with more to follow. The Town and Parish Councils have been provided with information and instruction on how to receive direct notifications of new applications and appeals and the decisions on these. Access to the online planning file enables the councils to view any consultee comments which can help them form comments on the applications. In addition, they will be able to view the officer or committee report which will explain how the decision on the application was arrived at. It is proposed that a web page will be created where larger applications will be listed together with a regularly updated progress report, which will enable the Town and Parish Councils to track these proposals. With regard to the Local Plan, any new plan will be prepared through a thorough engagement process with the councils.  Also, a continual programme of planning training for all members has been made available. Councillor Booth added that the parish councils are aware of the reports available to them but they are frustrated not to hear directly from planning officers. An automated message stating reports are available is not in the spirit of better engagement envisaged, resulting in parish councillors feeling ignored and that their local knowledge is not being utilised.

·         Councillor Mrs Bligh asked Councillor Murphy if more enforcement patrols could be committed to the villages?  Councillor Murphy replied that there are fewer patrols because less is happening in the villages than the towns, but he will arrange a further patrol of the villages in this instance. 

·         Councillor Mrs Bligh stated that there is still an issue with dog fouling and asked if Councillor Murphy would consider anti dog fouling stencils to be spray painted on pavements?  Councillor Murphy responded that this method was used about five or six years ago and did not work. 

·         Councillor Bligh noted that the Council has committed investment to markets in the Fenland towns and requested a breakdown of the investment amount per town. Councillor Murphy agreed to provide this. 

·         Councillor Tibbs asked Councillor Oliver for updates on Wisbech Vehicle Exchange and the abandoned building at the top of Petts Close? Councillor Oliver advised that although he currently had no update on Petts Close, he will obtain one.  In relation to Vehicle Exchange, the owners have recently applied for a restoration order and have been instructed to sell the property within a certain timeframe, therefore, the Council does not want to take any enforcement action based on that but if there is no further development, then notice will be served to clear the site. 

·         Councillor Tierney advised Councillor Oliver that a business in Wisbech was visited by the Police this week and told no action could be taken because the Council had reversed a PSPO no drinking ban. This is not the case, and he asked if Councillor Oliver would ask the Police, if they did give this advice, not to give incorrect information in future? Councillor Oliver confirmed the matter is in hand.

·         Councillor Mrs Bligh noted that the M11/A47 link could impact Fenland and asked if it could be confirmed where, and in future will the affected ward members be informed when they do know? Councillor Seaton advised that there would be an impact but this is a long way off.  He confirmed that anyone affected by any extension to the M11 will be fully informed.  

·         Councillor Garratt asked Councillor Oliver whether anyone from the Community Safety Partnership had been linked to the IRM coordinator in Fenland. Councillor Oliver replied in the negative. 

·         Councillor Booth asked if Councillor Mrs Hay could confirm how to determine the measure that 93.9% of enquiries to the Council are dealt with at first point of contact and what is the accuracy of that figure?  Councillor Mrs Hay stated that all Customer Service staff undertake an extensive induction programme to ensure they are able to deal with the diverse nature of customer queries and continue to receive regular training and updates. The percentage of calls resolved at the first point of contact is automatically measured directly from the telephony software. Any calls that require a transfer to any other internal or external number are deducted from the number of calls received and answered. The figure that remains is the number of queries that are resolved. Furthermore in order to further validate these figures staff maintain a post call record of the nature of the call and any outstanding issues to ensure that the telephony statistics match manual records. This helps to identify any service areas where issues arise that are unable to be resolved as this will inform any future training plans. Councillor Booth thanked Councillor Mrs Hay for the explanation but his concern is that the metric is having the unintended consequence of customer service staff stating they are resolving issues at the first point of contact without this always being the case and stated two examples.  Councillor Mrs Hay stated she would take this up with the staff concerned if Councillor Booth could provide further details; however, she reiterated that the staff are very highly trained and are always trying to provide satisfaction to the customer. 

·         Councillor Owen asked Councillor Murphy when and where a discussion took place to stop planting winter bedding?  Councillor Murphy responded that the Council has cancelled winter bedding this year in order to save money identified during the CSR review and going forwards the annual saving will be just over £9,000 per year. Our supplier has made available a number of plants this week in order that we can plant out a bed at St. Peters in Wisbech for a forthcoming special event. FDC has received one complaint from an In Bloom group, who would have liked to have been given notice so that they could have planted the cancelled bedding or planted specific beds with their own plants, which has been  agreed as a valid complaint and in the future the Council will ensure adjustments are communicated in a timely manner, however, no complaints have been received from the wider community.  Many councils have reduced their bedding programmes and planted more shrubs, and the Council will consider this approach with some of our open spaces to ensure that towns continue to look good but at substantially reduced cost as it recognises the importance of well-maintained green spaces to the community and how they contribute to health and wellbeing, with volunteer groups continuing to receive support through our Street Pride Co-Ordinator. Councillor Owen asked if he was correct in his understanding that some of the cancelled plants had already been acquired and paid for? Councillor Murphy stated this was not correct, summer plants had been purchased and planted, but winter plant orders were cancelled.  Councillor Mrs French also raised her concern that the groups were not informed sooner and that the Town and Parish Councils were also not consulted on whether they would like to contribute.  Councillor Booth stated that the villages already do not get a fair share and with further cut backs how is that fair to the villages who also pay their council tax, making the point that services need to be applied proportionately across the whole district.  Councillor Tierney reminded everyone that all areas had been cut but, although the CSR was a strategic level document which guided members to where they may make savings in the future, that does not mean that members do not need to be informed of decisions in good time, and in the instance of winter bedding it is communication where we have let ourselves down as talking to everyone can help mitigate some of the more problematic outcomes. 

·         Councillor Sutton stated that about a year ago Councillor Mrs Bucknor received a dossier regarding the damage caused by Japanese Knotweed, with some actions being taken on Council owned land, but at the time it was unaware of some trials being undertaken by Leeds University.  He asked Councillor Murphy if officers were aware of this dossier and that it held a contrary view stating that no evidence was found to suggest the plant causes significant damage to buildings; he suggested that officers read this report and put out a press release to show there are opposing views to what has been said locally.  Councillor Murphy was not aware of the trial but agreed to look into it. 

·         Councillor Garratt stated that a key worker from St Giles Trust, an agency supporting the homeless, had told him she receives more help and support from officers at this Council than any other council throughout Cambridgeshire. Councillor Mrs Laws thanked Councillor Garratt and confirmed she would relay this to the housing staff; they work tirelessly and the comment was appreciated. 

·         Councillor Owen stated that the Government is making assisted provision of vehicle electric charging points to local authorities and asked how many of these the Council has bid for and been awarded, and at which locations? Councillor Murphy responded that the local MP had made a similar enquiry in March 2018, for which members at the time were consulted and the response was conveyed to the MP by Councillor Oliver. The key sentiments of the note responds to some of the issues raised by Councillor Owen, but he stressed there has been no request from the community for such points so the demand is not there. Apart from the cost of these points in our car parks, the use is difficult to manage without increased management and enforcement of parking to ensure no-one parks in the bays all day. Councillor Owen is correct about the Government scheme, which provides up to 75% of capital costs but it does not provide ongoing revenue costs of power, maintenance and management of the facilities.  This Council is not the highway authority, therefore, it has no powers to allocate space on streets for residents to charge their own vehicles.  Taking all the factors into account, it is felt that the Council is unable to justify the provision of such facilities. 

·         Councillor Mrs French asked Councillor Murphy when the trees removed from West End Park due to disease or vandalism will be replaced?  She also asked if he was aware that every time the County Council remove a tree, they supply two further trees in the district, so he may be able to request replacements from them. Councillor Murphy was not aware of this and will make enquiries; mature trees are very expensive to replace, unfortunately there is not enough money in the budget to replace them all. 

·         Councillor Mrs French stated that there is now a defibrillator outside Fenland Hall supplied by Councillor Skoulding due his fundraising efforts and asked if the Council would consider reimbursing the cost? Councillor Mrs Hay conveyed her thanks to Councillor Skoulding and advised she will be talking to him and officers regarding this. 

·         Councillor Count stated that as a March resident he would like to formally register that he is putting in a call on the car parking spaces to be looked at for an electric charging point. Councillor Booth added that the Parish Councils have recently been written to by the County Council asking if they want to participate in a pilot, so there is work underway regarding this. 

·         Councillor Booth asked Councillor Oliver for an update on FACT and the investigation undertaken by this Council.  Councillor Oliver confirmed he would have an update for the next meeting. 

·         Councillor Garratt asked if it the Council would agree to send a letter of congratulations to Jordan Gill on the success of his boxing career? Councillor Buckton agreed to do this.