To deal with any questions on notice from Members of the Council, in the order in which they have been received.
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.
Minutes:
Questions submitted by Councillor M. Thompson
“What has been the revenue lost from town centre car parks since the opening Lidl and Aldi?”
The Leader responded by advising that Aldi opened on 9th August 2018 and Lidl opened on 11th October 2018. Comparison of 3 months’ figures to October 2018 showed that there was a decrease year on year of approximately £8,000. The largest decrease was in August, although the Leader noted that this might be as a result of a lack of signage or policing on the Aldi site. The Council would continue to monitor those figures closely, alongside the wider economic and commercial factors like new jobs and businesses in the town.
Question submitted by Councillor S. Peters
“Can the Leader of the Council inform me whether any artefacts belonging to Bromsgrove Museum are still in storage at the Council’s premises and, if so, is a charge being levied for such storage?”
The Leader responded by informing Members that the museum had a license with the Council for 3 years which required a nominal fee of £1 per month. This was only ever intended to be a temporary situation. There was no risk to the local authority from an insurance perspective as the requirement was for the Trustees to ensure cover and the Council had expressly excluded any liability for loss or damage to the items in storage. The Leader confirmed that the storage was not causing any difficulties, though the agreement would soon be up for review.
Questions submitted by Councillor S. Shannon
“With news of the dangers of obesity and the diabetes ticking time bomb appearing daily the threat of a collapse of the NHS is emerging as a real possibility. Examining BDC Local Plan Health and Wellbeing Policy sections BDP 25.6 and 25.7 related to % numbers of hot food takeaway shops and distances from schools, parks, or youth centres and recognising that this councils policies, although only ratified in 2017 are nowhere near strong enough to control the siting of hot food takeaway shops close to schools etc.
Does the Leader of the Council agree with me that this Council should examine and modify policy parts BDP 25.6 and 25.7 relating to % numbers of hot food takeaway shops and where they can be sited, this Council needs to play its part in reducing the national obesity and diabetes crisis.”
The Leader referred the answer to the Portfolio Holder for Planning Services and Strategic Housing who responded by explaining that the position in respect of fast food outlets was addressed in planning policy documents. The Strategic Planning Steering Group had been reviewing planning policies and it was suggested that the points raised in Councillor Shannon’s question could be added to the consultation responses along with any other points that Councillor Shannon might want to add.
Question submitted by Councillor R. Jenkins
“In relation to the Issues and Options Public Consultation which Council recently ran from 24th September to 19th November, having spoken to a large number of residents who informed me that they were not aware of the Issue and Options Public Consultation, even though the consultation had been advertised; might it not have been better to extend the Issues and Options consultation time period to include a leaflet drop to every household to ensure everyone has at least had the opportunity to respond, as there is only a self-imposed time limit to the first part of this consultation as set out by government guidelines as a fact-finding and evidence gathering stage.
Can the Portfolio Holder for Planning confirm that the way in which the consultation was run complied fully with the Council's Statement of Community Involvement Policy, and detail the various ways in which the consultation was advertised including in which local newspapers and guarantee that any potential shortcomings in the thoroughness of the public consultation process will not leave this Council open to any legal challenge on the basis of a potential lack of public engagement at a later date of the District Plan process?”
The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regeneration responded by saying that the Council was compliant. The document had been developed by those councillors who had attended meetings of the Strategic Planning Steering Group. The local authority had consulted with interested stakeholders in as many ways as possible and had advertised the consultation in the local press, had consulted with Parish Councils and had placed adverts in local libraries and on social media. Council representatives had also visited schools and had undertaken a planning for real exercise, which had both informed young people about the consultation and highlighted what a career in planning might involve. Councillor Taylor concluded by suggesting that it would be impractical to circulate information in leaflets but many alternative methods of communication had been used.