Agenda item

LEADER'S, EXECUTIVE MEMBERS' AND OSC CHAIRS' REPORTS

To receive the written reports of the Executive and Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs, and to receive questions and answers on any of those reports in accordance with Standing Orders 10(2)(a) and 11.

 

Minutes:

The Mayor introduced the summary reports from the Leader, Cabinet Members and Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) Chairs and asked for questions on any of the reports. The time allocated to Questions to Cabinet Members and OSC Chairs expired before all answers could be fully provided to all the questions asked. The Mayor indicated to Council that written responses would be provided subsequent to the meeting.

 

The following responses were provided at the meeting:

 

The Leader, Councillor Phil Davies responding to a question from Councillor Chris Blakeley on the work undertaken in respect of an impact assessment – moving Civic Function from Seacombe to Birkenhead informed that he would provide a written response on the matter.

 

The Leader, Councillor Phil Davies responding to a question from Councillor Brian Kenny on the number of apprentices (a 2/3rds drop) as reported in an article in The Times newspaper informed that the procedures and budget restrictions imposed by Central Government were regressive and counter-productive to the aim of getting young people into employment. He informed that the Council had agreed a £175,000 growth item to help this important project in Wirral, but he would be taking up the matter of the inflexible attitude of the Government regarding the scheme’s operation with the Minister.

 

The Leader, Councillor Phil Davies responding to a question from Councillor David Elderton requesting an update on the discussions with Peel Holdings re the development of Wirral Waters, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and Housing informed that ongoing discussions had confirmed Peel Holding’s intentions for residential development and that further public announcements were expected in coming months. He added that the ITC appeared to be on the back burner at present, but development of the Business Centre was close to reaching an agreement. He added that Members should and would continue to press Peel Holdings if they had any concerns over any elements of the planned project.

 

The Leader, Councillor Phil Davies responding to a question from Councillor Gerry Ellis on whether he was aware that of the developers (the Jack Nicklaus Group) Working Capital and their past history re housing development in Wales, informed that funding had been received from the developer and results of an 8 week assessment would be reported to the Cabinet. Relevant phases of the project would of course include due diligence.

 

The Leader, Councillor Phil Davies responding to a question from Councillor Phil Gilchrist regarding Wirral Growth Company and requesting that Councillors be kept informed as the preferred bidder emerges. He informed that the project had reached the procurement stage and the joint venture provided an exciting model to lever in Capital Funding. He stated that it was expected that a preferred partner would emerge by the New Year, but the matter was currently going through legal process and therefore a confidential matter. 

 

Councillor Stuart Whittingham - Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport responded to a question from Councillor Chris Blakeley regarding the reasons for the delay in a decision to introduce residents parking initially scheduled for the Cabinet meeting of 4 September 2017. He explained that the report had not been pulled, but simply deferred for further information.

 

Councillor Stuart Whittingham - Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport responded to questions from Councillor Lesley Rennie and Councillor Phil Gilchrist on the outcome of the survey comparing unlit streetlights (2016) and the promise that all lights would be repaired by April 2017. Councillor Whittingham informed that Wirral was responsible for 37,470 lighting columns and 4,860 illuminated signs / bollards (totalling 42,330 illuminated assets) along with a few hundred thousand metres of private underground electricity cable which was outside the remit of Scottish Power.

 

The total number of known unlit units at this time was 2,650 which equated to circa 6.3% of the Council’s total assets. The national average was 5%

 

The ‘Unlit’ categories -

 

•  Unlit due to supply faults

•  Road Traffic Collisions (RTC)

•  Vandalism or life expired equipment

 

The above being estimated circa 2,150 - this number would increase exponentially and quantities were unknown due to Road Traffic Collisions, vandalism and the ageing stock.

 

Councillor Whittingham informed that those streetlights identified as unlit via the Council’s night-time inspections regime and member of the public reporting which required attendance this figure was approximately 500 units.

 

Approximately 100 streetlights issued and attended per week (this was managed through a closely monitored maintenance budget, which had seen a significant decrease over recent years). On average 80% of streetlights were repaired and 20% condemned or required follow-up works for example required electricity supply repairs.

 

Reduced maintenance budgets due to austerity cut, created challenges in managing demand pressures and expectations.  However, the Service had secured £500k capital investment which would address a significant number of the condemned streetlights, this street lighting programme commenced early in November 2017. The Service was in the final stage of contract award for the repair and replacement of the long term faults on condemned streetlights, this work was planned to start within the coming weeks and was programmed for completion by the end of March 2018.

 

Officers were also working on a business case for phase two of the LED replacement scheme, which would see a significant number of lights replaced with new energy efficient LED bulbs lighting units across the borough, and huge advances had also been made, over the last few years with regard to ‘phase one’ LED replacement programme which incorporated most of the borough’s main road lighting (7,553 lighting units) and as such dramatically reducing the Council’s overall energy consumption. Not only had energy consumption reduced but the Council’s carbon output had also reduced; thus helping towards meeting environmental commitments. Following from this installation a lot of work was being carried out with the view of securing funding for a ‘phase two’ LED installation project which if successful could incorporate the remaining lighting stock.

 

The Mayor informed that the following questions would receive a written response:

 

Councillor Tom Anderson asked a question of Councillor Phillip Brightmore - Cabinet Member for Environment on the matter of BWB Consultants Library, Leisure Review – Value for Money.

 

Councillor Chris Blakeley asked a question of Councillor Phillip Brightmore - Cabinet Member for Environment on the matter of Dog Fouling and resources allocated to tackling it.

 

Councillor Chris Blakeley asked a question of Councillor Chris Jones - Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health requesting an update on services functions formerly administered at Girtrell Court.

 

Councillor Chris Blakeley asked a question of Councillor Stuart Whittingham - Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport on due diligence and reasons for the deferring of the decision to introduce residents parking at the Cabinet meeting on 4 September 2017.

 

Councillor Stuart Kelly asked a question of Councillor Bernie Mooney - Cabinet Member for Children and Families on the support provided to schools to improve performance in respect of deaf children.

 

Councillor Brian Kenny asked a question of Councillor Janette Williamson - Cabinet Member for Finance and Income Generation on the accuracy of the figure quoted for the Council’s reserves (£94million).

 

Councillor David Burgess-Joyce asked a question of Councillor George Davies – Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety on information included in the Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) re crime (figures down over the past 11 years) and the current actions re Scrambler Bikes to alleviate the problems.

 

Councillor David Burgess-Joyce asked a question of Councillor Matthew Patrick - Cabinet Member for Localism and Engagement on why the promised revenue from third parties advertising in the Wirral View had failed to materialise.

 

Councillor Wendy Clements asked a question of Councillor Chris Jones - Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health on a presentation by Simon Banks, Chief Officer, NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group referring to shortage of Doctors and Nurses – and how a reported additional £1m allocation to Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) in June 2017 was being spent.

 

Councillor Wendy Clements asked a question of Councillor Janette Williamson - Cabinet Member for Finance and Income Generation on budget transparency regarding care leavers council tax exemption and whether this would be considered by the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

 

Councillor Warren Ward asked a question of Councillor Phillip Brightmore - Cabinet Member for Environment on the significance of the Congress Event in Wirral.

 

Councillor Paul Stuart asked a question of Councillor Matthew Patrick - Cabinet Member for Localism and Engagement on information relating to the practice of information sharing across Constituency Committees.

 

Councillor Ian Lewis asked a question of Councillor George Davies – Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety on the maintenance and repair of communal areas in low rise flats – not actioned for 15 years and whether when he next met with Magenta Living would he please enquire about this.

 

Councillor Jean Stapleton asked a question of Councillor Christine Spriggs – Cabinet Member for Delivering Differently for an update on her work as a portfolio holder.

 

Councillor Adam Sykes asked a question of Councillor Stuart Whittingham - Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport regarding the £1.2m allocation for the tree maintenance programme, and when work on high risk trees would be completed.

 

Councillor Gerry Ellis asked a question of Councillor Matthew Patrick - Cabinet Member for Localism and Engagement regarding the planned Golf Resort and the expected date for, and completion of, public consultation. 

 

Councillor Gerry Ellis asked a question of Councillor Matthew Patrick - Cabinet Member for Localism and Engagement on whether he was satisfied with the efforts to date to engage with residents of Wirral West.

 

Councillor Patrick Cleary asked a question of Councillor Mike Sullivan – Business Overview and Scrutiny Chair on Road Safety Casualties (particularly high), the Police and Crime Commissioner’s priorities, overdue strategy and lack of challenge to officers to introduce meaningful measures.

 

Councillor Steve Williams asked a question of Councillor Mike Sullivan – Business Overview and Scrutiny Chair on what actions needed to be taken before the Report into Residents Parking could be submitted to the Council.

 

The paragraph beginning, ‘Councillor Wendy Clements asked a question of Councillor Janette Williamson….’, was subsequently amended by Council at its meeting on 11 December, 2017 (minute 81 refers) to read, ‘Councillor Wendy Clements commented on the Council Tax exemption for care leavers and asked a question of Councillor Janette Williamson - Cabinet Member for Finance and Income Generation on the part played by scrutiny workshops in budget setting.’

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