A period of up to 15 minutes is allocated for the asking and answering of questions. This may be extended at the discretion of the Chairman with the agreement of the majority of those present.
To deal with any questions on notice from Members of the Council, in the order in which they have been received.
Minutes:
Question submitted by Councillor S Peters
“In the light of the recent closure of care homes in Worcestershire including a number in Bromsgrove district, what steps are being taken by the controlling group to encourage and support the provision of additional elderly care places including the development of homes for the elderly in continuing care retirement communities in accessible and sustainable locations in pursuance of policy BDP10 in the Bromsgrove District Plan?”
The Leader responded that care for our elderly was one of the priorities of the Council and through services such as Lifeline, New Horizons and community exercise sessions, we are doing our best to ensure that the elderly in Bromsgrove are cared for, secure and encouraged to lead full and active lives.
The Leader highlighted that not far from the Council building; new elderly living facilities had recently opened on Recreation Road. This was in response to the needs identified and planned for in the district plan. Also, in accordance with the district plan, it was envisaged that an extra care type facility would also be provided on the Perryfields Road site. Furthermore in discussions with developers, officers highlight elderly accommodation needs and encourage developers to provide suitable accommodation for more elderly residents, such as bungalows.
Question submitted by Councillor M. Thompson
"Did the council release the bank details of existing leisure centre customers, without their permission, to the new provider, Everyone Active, and, in doing so, violate the laws that protect this sensitive data?"
The Leader responded that the information that related to direct debit members of the Dolphin Centre was now owned by the Council as it was the property of the operator at the time. In line with industry best practice, during the change of operator on 1st September 2017 a bulk transfer of memberships would have been undertaken, in line with BACS regulations, so that current members were able to continue to use the services at the centre. When the data was transferred all members were written to and notified of the change of party in this matter.
The Leader confirmed that as far as he was aware the process happened in line with industry best practice.
Councillor Mallett raised concerns that there had been a breach of data protection and it was agreed that the Monitoring Officer look into the matter further.
Question submitted by Councillor S. Shannon
“With news that Worcestershire is to offer shelter and protection for 50 Syrian refugees under the Governments Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.Noting that Bromsgrove did not accommodate any of the 50 refugees that arrived in Worcestershire during 2016/17.
Can the Leader confirm that Bromsgrove will step up to the plate on this occasion and offer a safe refuge to some of these vulnerable and often desperate people?”
The Leader responded that Members were lucky to live where they did, in a safe, first world country without the threat of civil conflict. He welcomed the good news that Worcestershire had agreed to host up to 50 more Syrian refugees across the county in 2018-19. He assured Council that, following the latest announcement, every effort would be made once again to try and locate suitable properties in Bromsgrove. He advised that efforts had been made in the past to secure private sector accommodation in the District for Syrian households. Unfortunately despite this activity none of these properties subsequently became available for the first cohort of Syrians arriving in Worcestershire.
He reassured Council that, following the latest announcement, every effort would be made once again to try and locate suitable properties in Bromsgrove. To achieve this, the Council would be working in partnership with the various agencies engaged in this agenda as they would have a significant role to play in paving the way for families to arrive in the District. The Council needed to do this in the right way as it was dealing with people who had left horrific situations. It was a vitally important issue and he was sure this topic was one which would be raised again in the future and would ensure that Council was kept up to date of any progress made.