Agenda item

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

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

·       Councillor French asked Councillor Murphy what is happening with the river in March whereby a number of boats continue to overstay their mooring times, frustrating local residents, and how the situation will be resolved, acknowledging that one side is the responsibility of Middle Level and the other side the responsibility of the Council. Councillor Murphy responded that the Council now has a scheme in place to issue penalties to those who stay longer than 48 hours at our moorings and with more boaters mooring in the better weather, formal monitoring will now take place, with those in contravention of the limit being issued with a fixed penalty notice. Unfortunately, some boaters then move to the opposite bank which is not subject to our scheme. He added that the Council is liaising with Middle Level regarding this practice to prevent it occurring and the Council will also investigate Council Tax evasion with these boat owners. Middle Level has recently taken a bill through Parliament to give them more power regarding our waterways and once a formal structure is put in place, they will be able to insist that boat owners are correctly registered and have insurance and a safety certificate. He feels that with these additional powers, fixed penalty notices will be easier to enforce and this should improve the management of the mooring spaces in March Town Centre.

·       Councillor Mrs Bligh asked Councillor Seaton if, in respect of his position on the Combined Authority (CA), he could provide an update on bus routes. Councillor Seaton confirmed that the CA is currently undertaking a strategic bus review and his understanding is that both the CA and County Council have extended funding for the routes, how long for he is not sure but he will clarify that.

·       Councillor Booth asked how much the audio equipment has cost to date and, although he appreciates the procurement process has to be followed, why is it taking so long to get the new equipment? Councillor Buckton advised he will get back to Councillor Booth on costs as he does not have this information to hand. However, the new equipment will be in place for the first meeting of the new Council in May.

·       Councillor Tierney asked Councillor Buckton how the search is progressing for a new location for the Wisbech Bowls Club. Councillor Buckton advised he has met with the committee and they are liaising with Living Sport to identify alternative venues. One location in Long Sutton was found not to be viable, so they are continuing to look at premises nearer. Help is being given to give the club charitable status which will help with funding, so it is still a work in progress.

·       Councillor Butcher referred to the Surplus Asset Disposal Programme, making the point that he sits on the Staff Committee, but was not aware that interviews had been held to appoint a temporary Disposals Surveyor and that the post had been recruited to. He asked if local members are still being informed and asked for their opinion as agreed by Cabinet last year. Councillor Oliver advised the post is a part-time, interim 6 month contract and confirmed that ward councillors will be notified when assets are put forward for disposal. Councillor Butcher noted that in respect of the Wisbech Port Estate Review, terms have been shared and discussed with the port operator, but have these terms actually been agreed? Councillor Oliver advised discussions are in place, but he will get back to Councillor Butcher with the exact details and confirm if these have been completed. Councillor Butcher also asked if the Council is still receiving the same rents as two years ago on land let or sub-let. Again, Councillor Oliver advised he will check and get back to Councillor Butcher on this.

·       Councillor Booth asked Councillor Mrs Laws how many ongoing planning enforcement cases there are, how old is the oldest case under investigation and what is the average time taken to resolve an enforcement investigation? Councillor Mrs Laws responded that the enforcement service has two full time employees, made up of an experienced senior officer and effectively a trainee. In the calendar year 2018, 296 service requests were received and 321 cases were closed and resolved. 74% of cases where no breach of planning control was found were closed within 56 days of receipt. However, it should be noted that as there is still a legacy of old cases from the pre-shared service era and the figures are slightly distorted. The Council does not currently have an ICT report that gives it an average time from receipt to case closure, but there are currently have 231 active cases in hand, with the oldest case being received in July 2011. In terms of the legacy cases the Council does not automatically prioritise these on the basis of how old they are and takes into account the impact of the breach of planning control.  Prior to October 2015, resourcing in the team was unstable and this caused the build-up of the legacy cases.  For example, the number of incoming cases at that time was 300 to 330 and the case closures were standing at 310 to 330 during 2013 and 2014.

·       Councillor Hoy advised Councillor Buckton she had read with interest about the Wildgoose mobile treasure app running in Wisbech Park and asked if he would provide her with further information as she was keen to promote it. Councillor Buckton confirmed he would.

·       Councillor Connor asked Councillor Murphy if, now that we have a new contract with Kingdom, he could give confidence to the villages that they will not be left behind in terms of enforcement against dog fouling, which is very prevalent in the villages and causing complaints. Councillor Murphy said that there is a two-year framework with Kingdom with an option to extend for a further two years, during which time they will be carrying out enforcement patrols. In addition, 10% of officer time will be dedicated freely to community activities and they will be consulting with local communities, starting with the Town and Parish Councils, to identify what each would like to see from the extra service.

·       Councillor Connor asked Councillor Mrs Laws for an update on the position regarding the unfinished buildings in Newgate Street, Doddington as it is of great concern to the local community and has been going on for a long time. Councillor Mrs Laws advised a site visit has been made and contact is trying to be established with the landowner and building owner. It is a very sensitive situation and although she appreciates the urgency and residents’ concerns, there is a proper procedure that needs to be followed. Unfortunately it does take time, but this situation is ongoing and hopefully will be resolved in the near future.

·       Councillor Booth asked Councillor Murphy for his thoughts on the Look East report regarding Fenland’s reduced recycling rates mentioned earlier in the meeting. Councillor Murphy explained how the figures had been calculated by the BBC to make it look like a 25% reduction, although he is not sure why they calculated them the way they did. Overall less household waste is being collected in Fenland with greater levels of home composting, largely due to the educational work that has been done over the last 2-3 years. The local performance indicator measures the performance of green and blue recycling, but the national indicator also includes waste collected by street cleansing operations and the overall recycling rate for household waste in Fenland from collected waste and household waste recycling sites is 52%. The BBC also compared Fenland with East Cambs who were still using black bags until two years ago, with its recycling rates having increased from 23% to 52% but this is because they have introduced the same system that we have. Councillor Booth suggested that the Council issue a statement explaining the situation as residents will be confused and concerned with the differentiation in figures. 

·       Councillor Mrs French advised Councillor Mrs Laws that a street in March, which was completed three years ago, still has uncompleted footpaths with Clarion Housing continuing to make excuses and it is disingenuous that they are now claiming that a resident is holding this up and are making her sign a S104. As Councillor Mrs Laws is in regular contact with Clarion, could she please ensure this road gets completed; it is not fit for residents, there is no duty of care from Clarion and there also needs to be an apology to the resident. Councillor Mrs Laws confirmed she was aware of this situation; it has been a very contracted and challenging problem and she can understand the frustration of residents. County Council have no issue about bringing the adopted road up to standard; there seems to have been a breakdown of communication between the builders and Clarion, which she hopes to soon have resolved.  Councillor Mrs Laws confirmed she would keep Councillor Mrs French updated.