Agenda item

1.

Question from Councillor Harman to the Leader

Surprisingly the Member of Parliament for Cheltenham is out of step with other political leaders and MPs in his opposition to the proposal for the completion of the A417 (Missing Link). Can the Leader of the Council confirm whether the majority Liberal Democrat Group is supporting or opposing this vital project or whether there is also a link missing between his group and the MP of our Town?

Response from the Leader

I am surprised and disappointed that Cllr Harman is attempting to cause division for political advantage at a time when we are seeking unity for the benefit of Gloucestershire. While Martin Horwood has always had concerns about the environmental impact of the current proposals he is not actively opposing the completion of the A417 (Missing Link). As Cllr Harman well knows my motion supporting the scheme had unanimous support at the last meeting of this Council.

2.

Question from Councillor Chard to Cabinet Member Housing and Safety

In view of the large number of licensed premises which have varied their licenses so as to avoid the Late Night Levy could the Cabinet Member for Housing and Safety tell the Council what he now anticipates the Levy will raise on an annual basis?

Response from the Cabinet Member Housing and Safety

As the closing date for free variations is today 31^st March I am unable to produce definitive figures, but the number of licensed premises which have taken up the offer of a free variation is broadly in line with the original estimates, some 52 out of the 218 premises eligible.

The anticipated level of levy revenue which will be collected at £96,000 is broadly in line with estimates although this figure will still be subject to change up or down as new licences are issued, existing licences are surrendered and licence variations’ take place throughout the year.

The levy payments will be collected over a 12 month period starting on the 1^st  April.  Currently, all licensed premises pay an annual fee due on the anniversary of the issue of the license. The levy will be due at the same time as the annual fee. It will not be possible to give a more accurate estimation until nearer the end of the financial year (14/15).

In a supplementary question Councillor Chard referred to the increasing list of establishments who wished to shorten their licensing hours to avoid the Late Night Levy which included Up Hatherley social club. He asked why such venues had not been excluded from the tax.

In response the Cabinet Member Housing and Safety reminded the Member that the Late Night Levy had been a Council decision. He added that only 25 % of premises had applied for a free variation to their licence.

3.

Question from Councillor Hall to Cabinet Member Sustainability

As of yesterday and again today 24th March 2014 at 1030 the only reference that I can find on the CBC website despite repeated searches for Street Cleaning and litter is the following;

    "Contact: Cleansing   Email: cleansing @cheltenham.gov.uk   Tel 01242 262626  Municipal Offices"

Does the removal of all the previous information on Street cleaning and litter policies and processes mean that the policy for street cleansing and litter has changed ?

Response from the Cabinet Member Sustainability

I wish to reassure members that the information is on the website.  I am unsure where Councillor Hall was looking but if you use the website’s search facility and type in street cleaning it brings up a range of options which includes the page setting out the council’s policy.

“Cheltenham town centre is litter picked, mechanically swept and spot power washed every morning on a daily basis including weekends. Litter picking carries on throughout the day until 5pm.

Major routes into the town are swept on a weekly basis or more often if necessary.

All areas outside the town centre are scheduled to be litter picked according to their needs and this can vary from a twice weekly litter pick to a monthly litter pick depending on footfall and the amount of litter that occurs.

Fly tipping is picked up on the day of the litter pick, or if it is reported to Cheltenham Borough Council a ticket will be raised to remove it as soon as practical.

The schedules will be altered during the autumn months as more emphasis will be placed on leaf clearance in the areas most affected until leaf fall is complete.

Inspections are carried out on a daily basis by the street cleansing supervisor who documents 40 random checks each month. Standards are also recorded with 300 NI 195 inspections which are carried out over each four month cycle, these figures are recorded and compared to previous results.”

In a supplementary question Councillor Hall pointed out that on the council’s website there was an alphabetical list of council services and one of her colleagues had also searched under “S” and street cleaning was 23^rd down the list. She asked why such an important service to residents  was so reflected on the website. In response the Cabinet Member Sustainability offered to put in a similar search on the website but believed that there were two different methods to obtain the information. He would raise the issue and report back.