Agenda item

1.

Question from Councillor David Willingham to Cabinet Member Finance, Councillor Rowena Hay

Covid-19 recovery revised budget 2020/21

In section 3.38 it has been mentioned that some properties have been reassigned from domestic council tax to business rates, can I seek a confirmation that regulatory and counter fraud checking will be done to ensure that such changes are legitimate and have appropriate regulatory approvals where those are required?

Response from Cabinet Member

The property owners/leaseholders appealed to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to have the properties reassigned to business rates and where the VOA was satisfied the requirements were met the change was made by the VOA.  The properties are being monitored but ultimately only the VOA can make the decision to move properties between council tax and business rates and vice versa. 

Supplementary Question

Councillor Willingham wished to ensure that any changes made by the VOA were made aware to the planning enforcement and licensing teams to ensure they had all the relevant approvals.

Response from Cabinet Member

The Cabinet Member replied that as far as she was aware there were no structural changes to the buildings that would require a planning application, just a change from residential to business use.  Should it be a change of use then planning or licensing approval would be needed.

2.

Question from Councillor David Willingham to Cabinet Member Finance, Councillor Rowena Hay

Covid-19 recovery revised budget 2020/21

In section 4.25 it has been noted that certain assets could be disposed of; while not wishing to obstruct disposal of assets, I note that the BT phone boxes outside the Ambrose Street public conveniences seem to be mainly used for antisocial behaviour such as drug dealing, and that BT appear to be reluctant to address this.  Could I seek an assurance that the conditions on disposal of this asset will not make it any more difficult for CBC and our partners to try to tackle this ASB?

Response from Cabinet Member

I believe that if the decision is made to dispose of this asset then once it is sold or the site redeveloped, the daily activity around the property is likely to deter anti-social behaviour, This is an important site with potential to be an attractive space connecting the two parts of the high street. Any development should make it easier to deal with any ASB should it still occur.  In the meantime, further attempts will be made to persuade BT to remove the phone boxes,

3.

Question from Councillor David Willingham to Cabinet Member Cyber and Safety, Councillor Andrew McKinlay

In the Borough Council’s car park strategy, Malvern Walk was proposed to be used to accommodate overflow staff parking to facilitate the use of space for the Minster Innovation Exchange.  The residents I represent in the Taylor’s Yard development have some concerns about ensuing that parking on the ramp doesn’t impact on them.  In light of more staff working from home, can I seek clarification of the current status of Malvern Walk car park in light of the changes to the current budgets?

Response from Cabinet Member

In light of the significant and on-going impact which Covid-19 is having on car park patronage, the works to provide bespoke arrangements for staff parking at Malvern Walk have been put on hold, pending further consideration of the required future capacity for car parking to support access to town centre shops and other businesses/services.

There may well be a permanent change in the demand profile, especially if home working patterns established during the pandemic become long term. If this proves to be the case and in light of the council’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030, it may no longer be appropriate to invest in the proposed parking scheme at Malvern Walk.