Agenda item

1.

Question from Councillor Seacome to Cabinet Member Sustainability

In the light of the shocking state of the cleanliness of some of our streets, can the relevant Cabinet member tell us if there is money for a regular scheduled plan of street cleansing throughout the whole year across the town, but particulary tailored to certain times of the year when accumulated detritus fills gutters, and potentially the drains (autumn for instance)?

Response from Cabinet Member Sustainability

The council will spend £841,200 in 2011/12 to keep Cheltenham’s streets free of litter and refuse. There are no plans to reduce expenditure next year. As part of this service officers work with residents to clear streets of parked cars and, in conjunction with Gloucestershire Highways, thoroughly clean gutters and drains. This is particularly important during the autumn months when there is the most demand for this type of cleaning operation.

In a supplementary question, Councillor Seacome said the key word in the response was “residents” as in Lansdown it was the commuter parking in the vicinity of the station that caused the problem. Did the Cabinet Member have any plans to cleanse these areas on a systematic basis to address the commuter problem?

The Cabinet Member said there were a number of hotspots in the town which included the railway station as well as locations of take-away’s and shopping centres. These hotspots were cleaned more frequently than other streets and if any member thought there were problems in a particular area they should contact officers at the depot so that the problem could be dealt with.

2.

Question from Councillor Duncan Smith to Cabinet Member Sustainability

Can the Cabinet Member confirm how many people have paid up for the new green waste service at the cessation of the previous free scheme on 31st January?  How many households will have to pay up by April 1^st in order for the cabinet to hit the numbers used in the FY 11/12 budget proposals?

Response from Cabinet Member Sustainability

As at 31^st January approximately 5,800 households had paid for the new garden waste collection service. This number has increased to over 6,500, with 50 to 60 orders being received each day, which is in excess of that expected by 31/03/11. The target set for 31/03/12 is 20,000 households.

In a supplementary question, Councillor Smith asked the Cabinet Member how he could be certain that that the assumptions made in the budget about the revenue generated by this scheme will hold true when he has no idea what the usage was on the free scheme, no idea how many properties will sign up and no idea what he is doing? Isn’t this uncertainty the biggest risk factor for the Cabinet’s budget delivering on its promise to balance the books?

The Cabinet Member refuted the suggestions made and said that he was advised by experts. The assumptions on take-up were based on widespread knowledge of other authorities and he had no reason to deviate from the current forecasts.

3.

Question from Councillor Duncan Smith to Cabinet Member Sustainability

What are the implications of no longer providing free doggie bags and what operational changes will be made as a result of this decision?

Response from Cabinet Member Sustainability

The vast majority of dog owners are responsible citizens who will continue to clean up after their pet. Consequently, no significant operational change is necessary other than increased enforcement presence in areas where dog fouling is perceived to be a problem.

In a supplementary question, Councillor Smith asked whether the Cabinet Member accepted that the provision of free doggie bags has encouraged dog owners to pick up after their animals and has helped keep the streets clean? Why hasn’t he brought forward funding for the extra work that will be required by the street cleaning teams and the dog warden as our streets and parks become increasingly covered in dog muck?

In response the Cabinet Member said that the scheme had originally been introduced to encourage dog owners to clear up their mess at a time when this was not common practice.  It is now a very different situation and people were well used to the practice and it was reasonable to expect owners to cover the cost of looking after their own dogs.

4.

Question from Councillor Duncan Smith to Cabinet Member Sustainability

Does the Cabinet Member think that the streets of Cheltenham are cleaner or dirtier than they were 4 years ago?

Response from Cabinet Member

Cleaning the streets of Cheltenham is a significant challenge, particularly with a thriving evening entertainment sector and higher than average footfall compared to other town centres. However, the national performance indicator 195 shows a reduction in for litter and detritus from 12% in 2007/08 to 8% in 2009/10. This therefore suggests that the streets are no dirtier now than they were 4 years ago.

In a the supplementary question, Councillor Smith suggested that may be the case in Up Hatherley but if the Cabinet Member had a good look round the rest of the town, he would that things are much worse than they were 4 years ago – Why has he not put forward proposals to improve the frequency and effectiveness of street cleaning in Cheltenham and does he think the streets will be cleaner or dirtier in 2 years time as a result of his inaction?

In response the Cabinet Member advised members that a retargeting exercise had been carried out in 2010 and as a result resources had been dedicated to town centre areas and other hot spots. Special arrangements could be made to clear streets for cleaning of both residents and commuters cars and this had already been done in the St Paul’s area.  Again he encouraged members to report any problems to officers at the depot.

5.

Question from Councillor Duncan Smith to Cabinet Member Sport & Culture

What is his assessment of the the impact of withdrawing the £109k grant to Cheltenham Festivals at one go rather than phasing it out over 3 years?

Response from Cabinet Member Sport & Culture

In 2010/11 the Council gave Cheltenham Festivals a grant of £109,000 while Cheltenham Festivals gave the Council £101,200 in commission for the Box Office. The Council’s net balance to Cheltenham Festivals was £7800.

The 2011/12 budget proposes to make no grant to Cheltenham Festivals but will receive no income from Cheltenham Festivals for Box Office commission. Thus the reduction in net balance will be £7800.

It is my assessment that the reduction of £7800 will be of limited impact on a successful company with a multi million pound turnover.

In a supplementary question, Councillor Smith asked the Cabinet Member to explain to Council why the request from Sir Michael McWilliam for transitional funding had not been listened to? Does he not understand that the loss of festivals in Cheltenham will impact on local jobs, local businesses and local residents?

In response the Cabinet Member reminded members that the budget did contain a £140,000 investment for improvements in the Montpellier and ImperialGardens which would enable users and Cheltenham Festivals to use the parks more effectively. He was committed to maintaining the high level of all the festivals in the town and not just Cheltenham Festivals and encouraging a wider audience.

6.

Question from Councillor Duncan Smith to Cabinet Member Finance & Community Development

Can the Cabinet Member detail what representations he has personally made to government ministers in relation to the poor financial settlement that CBC has received?

Response from Cabinet Member Finance & Community Development

The council formally responded to the formula grant review in October 2010, the provisional Finance settlement in December 2010 and the final settlement in January 2011.

The responses covered the lack of clarity and timing of the level of cuts, the unfairness of the £1m contribution to formula damping and the removal of the total £2.25m spend on concessionary fares, including the £171k spent on local discretions i.e. 9:00 – 9:30 start and disabled taxi vouchers. We also raised the concern that we have been given a settlement for the next two years, but not for the following two years as originally promised and the difficulty this created in firming up the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

In the interim period myself and the Chief Finance Officer met Cheltenham’s MP on Monday 24^th January to raise the issue of the settlement and how he could help us press our case and, in particular, the way in which concessionary fares had been dealt with. Information used for the meeting was also sent to Lawrence Robertson MP.

The final financial settlement for the coming financial year was £22k better than had originally been the case.

In a supplementary question, Councillor Smith said that heunderstood from the  answer given that the Cabinet Member has made no personal representations to government ministers himself. If I am wrong, can he detail those representations and circulate them to all members as a matter of public record?

In response the Cabinet Member repeated that he had made a formal response but he had not talked personally to ministers who were far more engaged in the national budget.

7.

Question from Councillor Duncan Smith to Cabinet Member Sustainability

Can the Cabinet Member give any advice to the residents and visitors to Charlton Kings as to where they may go for a wee after he has closed their public toilet?

Response from Cabinet Member Sustainability

Negotiations are taking place with other potential service providers in this area.

In a supplementary question, Councillor Smith said that given that Cabinet Members have promised that the council will put together a list of private and community facilities that may be used instead of the closed facilities – How long will they have to hold on until he has worked out what is going to be available for them?

In response the Cabinet Member said negotiations were ongoing but were well advanced.  There would be a report back at Outturn on the public toilet situation and more detailed figures about investment could be supplied at that time. 

8.

Question from Councillor Duncan Smith to the Leader of the Council

Can he confirm which Cabinet Member will be attending the Olympics briefing for SW councils on 14 March?

Response from the Leader of the Council

The council will be represented at the meeting but exactly who will attend will be decided in due course.