Agenda item

Question submitted by Councillor R. J. Laight

Will the Portfolio Holder for Finance please confirm that Bromsgrove District Council only pays 50% of the Senior Management’s salaries, with the other 50% being paid by Redditch Borough Council? The reason I ask this is because when at the last Full Council meeting Members opposite discussed salaries, they failed to mention this. Therefore if I am correct with the 50% cost, Bromsgrove residents may have been misinformed and were wrongly advised that stated salaries were double the actual cost to this Authority.  

Councillor M. J. A. Webb responded that the costs associated with the Senior Management Team referred to at the last Full Council meeting were shared 50% with Redditch BC. In addition any other staff who were providing a service across Bromsgrove and Redditch Councils had costs shared.

Question submitted by Councillor H. J. Jones

As Councillor for the Catshill Ward I would like to know about the Conservative Council’s initiative of “Place Teams” . This initiative I believe was started in other Wards and I have heard that it has been very successful.

 I would like to ask the Portfolio Holder responsible about it and if other areas will receive the benefit.

Councillor M. A. Bullivant referred to the principles of the operation of the  “Place Teams” which were working very well in areas such as Wythall and Alvechurch. It was anticipated that the initiative would be rolled out across the District by the end of the Spring period in 2015.

Question submitted by Councillor R. J. Shannon

With the official opening of the High Street now some time ago, please can the Portfolio Holder let the people of Bromsgrove know when the newly installed electric gate will be operational and have/if the relevant Traffic Orders been granted that will put a stop to the continued use by cars, vans and lorries which are damaging the new stonework?

Councillor R. L. Dent responded that the new electric gate had been installed and tested. Councillor Dent stated that the existing Traffic Regulation Order remained in force and restricted vehicles entering the High Street between 10.30am and 4.00pm. An order had been placed with BT to install a line at the CCTV Control Room to enable them to operate the gate remotely. Once the line was in place the gate would become operational with the aim being that it would be closed during the restricted hours and opened via the CCTV Control Room to allow access in accordance with the Traffic regulation Order.

Councillor Dent stated that she had been advised that the new High Street had been designed by County Highways to  cater for all vehicles and as such she was not aware of any damage to the stonework other than some marks from oil from vehicles which would be addressed through regular cleaning.

Question submitted by Councillor P. M. McDonald

How much has this Council spent on the Spatial programme and costs since related to it?

Councillor D. W. P. Booth responded that the project costs were £4.9m. The project was approved in 2006 and closed in 2008. The project was a fixed price to ensure the Council’s IT system was fit for purpose and future proof.

Question submitted by Councillor M. T. Buxton

How many officers currently work on behalf of Bromsgrove residents and how many officers will be permanently based in the new Parkside hub?

Councillor M. J. A. Webb responded that there were currently 422 staff on the Bromsgrove payroll of whom 121 were solely working for Bromsgrove and the majority of these were based at the Depot. The remainder were working within a shared service environment with salaries apportioned accordingly.

Councillor Webb stated there would be 55 officers permanently based at Parkside with up to 10 other officers there on a rota basis to ensure the presence of teams at the facility. There would be a further 8 “hot desks” available.

Question submitted by Councillor E. M. Shannon

Can the Leader confirm if she, or the Economic Development or Town Centre Portfolio Holders have met in person with the Worcestershire Farmers Market organisers and if so when will they be back in the High Street?

Councillor R. L. Dent responded that there had not been a meeting at present. The current position was that the Worcestershire Farmers Market couldn’t continue to be held in the High Street during the recent works and had relocated to Webbs. Officers were investigating options for re-establishing the Market in the High Street and as Portfolio Holder she was ensuring every effort was made to achieve this as soon as possible.

Question submitted by Councillor B. Lewis

Please would the Portfolio Holder for the Town Centre give a summary of the structural and environmental integrity of George House?

Councillor R. L. Dent responded that she understood that the building appeared to be structurally sound although there were some issues including water ingress from the flat roof and the presence of asbestos. The building was empty and was part of one of the sites identified for regeneration  so expenditure on maintenance  had not been at the usual level. Councillor Dent stated that the future of the site was being investigated again by officers following the decision by Opus not to proceed with the purchase and a report including future options for George House would be considered by the Cabinet in December.

Question submitted by Councillor S. P. Shannon

Can the Leader confirm if any Cabinet Member has met in person with the Market Hall site potential food retailer or cinema developers since the deal was pulled in September and the Cabinet Members reported that they were keen to talk to the relevant parties and try to “save the deal” and what can residents expect to happen next with the Market Hall.

The Leader responded that as mentioned previously, the current position was that officers had been working to explore all options for the site going forward.  It was anticipated a report would be considered by Cabinet in December. All meetings were with agents and not direct with developers.

At this point the Chairman declared that the time allowed for questions and answers had elapsed. The final question received therefore stood unanswered.