Minutes:
Question submitted by Councillor H. J. Jones
Can I ask the Leader as Portfolio Holder for Health will she be stepping in to do all she can to bring back maternity services to the Alexandra Hospital as soon as possible and do we have confidence that there are ambulances to cope with the extra strain caused by mothers not being able to get to other hospitals to give birth?
Councillor C. B. Taylor responded on behalf of the Leader that everything possible was being done to ensure Maternity Services were re-established at the Alexandra Hospital and that stable and safe Health services were available in North Worcestershire.
Question submitted by Councillor P. M. McDonald
In light of Worcestershire County Council withdrawing Trading Standards from Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) how does this affect the future of the service?
Councillor P. J. Whittaker responded that the County Council’s decision would have no long term impact on the viability and sustainability of WRS. Worcestershire Shared Services Partnership had invested considerable time and effort in reviewing the business model to meet the financial challenges and ensure the long term future of WRS. A new partnership had been set up comprising the six Worcestershire Districts which would work with the County Council under a Service Level Agreement.
Transitional financial arrangements had been put in place to ensure that the loss of income from the new partnership undertaking would not impose any additional burdens upon Districts. The changes would not affect the role of this Council as the host Authority of the new partnership.
Question submitted by Councillor L. C. R. Mallett
To ask the Leader, further to the requests made by Members at the last three Council meetings and the failure of her administration to provide the answer despite promises to the contrary. What is the full cost of the months of delay in moving to Parkside including staff costs, additional meetings and the delay of the promised annual savings Parkside would accrue (previously claimed as £200k per annum), what steps has she taken to recover this loss from WCC and the Contractors and does she agree with me that this huge delay represents a significant failure of project management?
On behalf of the Leader Councillor G. N. Denaro responded that there was a saving of £250,000 included in the budget projections for a full year from the move to Parkside and it was anticipated that some of this saving would be realised following the move in December. A reserve was currently set aside for £105,000 from last year to fund any office moves which would be used to offset the reduction in savings for 2015/16.
Councillor Denaro added that having reviewed the financial position at the end of October and projecting this forward, it was anticipated that the year end position would be £25,000 overspent. This excluded any potential rebate in relation to the delays.
Councillor Denaro reported that this Council was working with the County Council to ensure that where appropriate any costs of the delay were recovered in accordance with the contract. Whist the delays were regrettable, there were often various delays and complications when managing large listed building projects and it was rarely one person’s responsibility to manage the delays.
Question submitted by Councillor S. P. Shannon .
Can the Leader of the Council confirm that the new council offices building at Parkside will have incorporated lifts to the first floor that will be fully accessible to all wheelchair users including powered models?
On behalf of the Leader, Councillor G. N. Denaro responded that the lifts all conformed to the required accessibility standards.
Question submitted by Councillor C. A. Hotham
In view of the Planning Inspectorate’s latest letter (2/11/15) in which he stares “I must re-emphasise the importance of being able to demonstrate a five year housing land supply” and “any failure to be able to demonstrate such a supply would amount to a serious soundness concern”; please can the Portfolio Holder explain how Bromsgrove expects to achieve this five year requirement?
Councillor C. B. Taylor responded that up-to-date information would be supplied as required by the Inspector’s letter.
Question submitted by Councillor M. Thompson
The new railway station is well anticipated by commuters. The building of the new train station is, however, causing disruption for commuters currently using the existing one. In order to find a parking space commuters are now turning up hours in advance and waiting in their cars. Inevitably, commuters with other commitments who cannot do this are resorting to parking on streets some distance away, despite having already paid for parking through their season ticket. To make matters worse, the alterations around the island on the approach to the station will soon take away further parking spaces. In view of this disruption and the unwillingness of the Council to financially compensate , or find alternative parking arrangements for these residents, will the Council review their policy of £4 per day parking to a more realistic and affordable price for real working families?
Councillor P. J. Whittaker responded that he shared some of the concerns regarding parking at Bromsgrove Station, however there was no evidence that the car park construction was affecting parking on side streets as this had been on going for a number of years due to the success of the station.
The new car park was a joint venture between Centro and the County Council. In the New Year, planned highway alterations which had been allowed on appeal would have further implications and officers were working with the County Council to try to progress any improvements and mitigate the impact of this.
In relation to the costs of parking, Councillor Whittaker referred to the cost of a season ticket which would equate to £1.42 per day.
Question submitted by Councillor S. R. Colella
I read with interest that our MP and the Leader of the County Council only seem to have grave concerns with the traffic congestion in Bromsgrove Town.
Does the Leader agree with this Group that there are traffic problems with other areas across the District and whilst we appreciate that discussions are taking place in respect of Whitford Road and other town centre problems, the whole of the Districts road infrastructure require urgent immediate review?
On behalf of the Leader, Councillor C. B. Taylor responded that it was acknowledged there were problems with traffic in other parts of the District as well as within Bromsgrove Town . High level talks had commenced between a Group which had included the MP and senior officers and Members at County and District Authorities together with representatives of the Bromsgrove Society. Over the forthcoming months the Group would be discussing a range of potential options.