Agenda item

To receive a statement by the Leader of the Council on the activities and decisions of Cabinet and items included on the Forward Plan.

 

 

The Leader, Councillor Simon Tagg submitted a report which provided an update to Members on the activities and decisions of the Cabinet, together with the Forward Plan.

 

The Leader thanked officers for their work in preparing for this evening’s hybrid meeting and preparation of the room to create a safe environment.

 

The Statement was taken a paragraph at a time to allow for questions to be asked.

 

Paragraph 2:

 

Councillor Paul Waring referred to the Cabinet meeting of 22 April, 2020,   where a ‘worse case scenario’ of asking the Section 151 Officer to issue a S.114 Notice had been discussed.  Councillor Waring asked the Leader if he could update Council as to what government funding had been received.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Efficiency, Councillor Stephen Sweeney stated that, a few months ago, the Council did not know where money would come from.  Through lobbying MP’s, and other networks, the government listened and responded with an initial £1.292m, with a further £215,000 later allocated on top of that.  There was also a scheme to compensate for lost income whereby, of any income losses made compared to the budget, the Council would bear the first 5% and 75% of the remainder would be paid back by Central Government.

 

A New Burdens Grant of £170,000 had been received from the Government to meet the costs of administering the business support grants and with the prospect of up to £3.5m coming in, the Council’s finances were now on a more stable footing.

 

 

Councillor Hutton stated that the waste collection teams had continued to collect waste throughout the pandemic and asked the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Recycling to thank the teams for the delivery of the new blue bins.  Councillor Hutton asked how Newcastle compared with other Councils.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Recycling, Councillor Trevor Johnson stated that a press statement had been done to thank all of those involved.   The new scheme was several weeks in and the average tonnage was 200 tonnes per week, compared to the old scheme which brought in 160 tonnes per week.

 

Councillor Trevor Johnson stated that garden waste collections had also kept going throughout the lockdown and Newcastle was the only Authority in Staffordshire to do so and with a reduced number of staff.

 

 

Councillor Panter asked about the Council’s Planning function.

 

Councillor Northcott stated that in the last couple of years, the Planning Department had gone through a major transformation with staffing and also, Newcastle was one of the first Authorities to move to virtual meetings during the current pandemic.  The ability to work from home made it possible for applications to continue to be submitted and decisions made and the internet made it possible to continue holding Planning Committees. 

 

In terms of performance, the Council was in the top percentile having achieved 100% in major and minor applications.  The Pre Validation Check Scheme that had been introduced would ensure the quality of applications submitted.  Also, the Local Plan Enforcement Plan had been updated.

 

 

Councillor Jones stated that a number of Borough residents had either passed away or lost a loved one.  He asked if the Leader would commit to a memorial in the Borough.

 

The Leader stated that there were lots of ways to commemorate those who had lost their lives to the virus.  The pandemic was not yet over but once it was, the Council could then look at this further.

 

 

Paragraph 3.1:

 

Councillor Heesom welcomed the investment in the new CCTV System in the town centre and asked if there were any plans to extend the coverage – especially into subways.

 

The Leader confirmed that some of the Town Deal money was for the expansion of CCTV in subways, particularly the sunken roundabout area.  This would help to increase safety.

 

 

Paragraph 3.2:

 

Councillor Brian Johnson stated that it was clear that Aspire were key partners of the Joint Housing Allocations Policy.  However, residents were raising concerns about the lack of family homes available in the Borough.   He asked the Leader if he would work closely with Aspire to streamline services for homes to be found urgently for families.

 

The Leader stated that, through the joint Policy, the Council could work closely with Aspire and there was a close working relationship.  Councillor Johnson was asked to pass the information on to the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Wellbeing, Councillor Helena Maxfield.

 

 

Paragraph 3.4:

 

Councillor Holland welcomed the awarding of the contract for the A53 Bus Retrofit and asked the Leader to confirm that the Council would work with partners to avoid the introduction of a chargeable clean air zone.

 

The Leader stated that the Cabinet wished to avoid a chargeable clean air zone which would be disastrous for the local economy. 

 

This was delivery of a scheme that would get the buses retrofitted.

 

 

Paragraph 3.6:

 

Councillor Hutton had had a number of Planning breaches brought to his attention and asked the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Growth, Councillor Paul Northcott to thank The Head of Planning and his staff for their prompt response to the instances that had been brought to their attention.

 

Councillor Northcott agreed to pass Councillor Hutton’s comments on.

 

 

Paragraph 3.7:

 

Councillor Parker stated that it was good to see people shopping in the town centre and observing social distancing and asked the Leader what the Future High Streets Fund and Advanced Town Deal Funding would be used for.

 

The Leader stated that anyone going into the town centre in the week or on a Sunday will have seen advancement there and the lockdown was helping people to shop local.  With regard to the Future High Streets Fund, a good bid had been put in to redevelop the Ryecroft area and should be hearing from the Government shortly.  It was hoped that the regeneration could be got up and running in the town – getting people living in and around the town centre.

 

 

Councillor Burnett stated that this funding was long overdue and was glad that it had been brought forward.

 

 

Councillor Stubbs asked if the Leader could confirm had received acknowledgement of the Advanced Town Deal Funding and when the funding was expected.

 

The Leader confirmed that this was imminent.  The Council was working on a bigger Town Deal Plan for Newcastle and Kidsgrove and working towards getting the bids in.

 

 

Paragraph 3.8:

 

Councillor Fear echoed Councillor Hutton’s comments about the Council’s Recycling Service and thanked all those working with it.  Councillor Fear referred to the subscription for garden waste collection and asked the Leader if there had been any increase in fly tipping since its introduction.

 

The Leader stated that the whole new recycling system was a great advance.  The new bins and bag had gone down well with residents and it was a much better for the staff collecting the waste.

 

Councillor Trevor Johnson stated that there had been no noticeable cases of fly tipping.  There had been one instance that was a County Highways problem but it had been sorted.

 

 

Paragraph 4:

 

Councillor Brian Johnson stated that when he tried to view the Forward Plan it had looped back so he was unable to view it.

 

The Leader said that when he had tried the link it had given a drop down menu with an option to view the Forward Plan but would check that it was working.

 

Resolved:     That the Statement of the Leader of the Council be received and

noted.