Agenda item

Members are reminded that under paragraph 11.1 of part 4 of the Constitution, questions can be asked of the Leader and Cabinet Members without notice about any matter contained in any address.  Questions shall be limited to five minutes in total for each announcement.

The Leader made reference to the Syrian crisis and the quote in the local news.  He commented that the situation in Syria was unprecedented in our lifetime in Europe, and he had said that the Council would be on standby to help, as he felt it was right to do so.  He added that this matter was being led on by the Government and would need co-operation with the County Council to provide for the needs of any refugees coming into the area.  He added that he would provide updates as necessary.

The Leader referred to his previous announcement in June in respect of the bid to Government in conjunction with the County and City Council to create a combined authority, with a view to bringing about improvements in transport and planning.  He advised that this was work in progress, and the next stage was a public consultation starting in the next few weeks.  He added that more detail would be available to members as this work progressed. 

The Leader reiterated the commitment of the administration to helping businesses grow in the area.  He advised that he had met with three of the major employers in the District since June, and the theme for all three was the same, in that they all felt growth was happening, they were short of key staff, and they wanted to work with the Council to tackle those needs.  They also welcomed the link with the County Council to connect people in Coalville to the jobs in Castle Donington.  He added that they were keen to work with colleges to make sure we produced people that had the skills to help these businesses to grow.

Councillor T Neilson echoed the Leader’s comments in respect of the situation in Syria and stated this was a human tragedy.  He stated that the Labour group fully stood by the Leader’s commitment, should the Council be called upon to assist.  He added that the announcement on the combined authority was welcome and he looked forward to receiving more detail as the work progressed.

The Chairman echoed the Leader’s views on the tragedy in Syria.

Councillor G A Allman sought to make a statement unrelated to the announcements made and was reminded by the Chairman to confine his comments to the matters contained in the address.

The Regeneration and Planning Portfolio Holder made reference to the renaming of the A453 as Remembrance Way and had been privileged to attend the official opening of the new dual carriageway.  He commented that this was a major project, costing £170 million in total.  He highlighted that the project had taken two years to deliver, and had been delivered ahead of schedule, including the provision of 7 new bridges, which was a remarkable feat.  He highlighted the improvements this had brought about. 

Councillor J Legrys welcomed the formal naming of the A453 as Remembrance Way.  He referred to some comments made on Twitter about the number of people killed in Afghanistan, which he found distasteful.  He sought assurances from the Portfolio Holder that the proposal to plant poppy seeds along the route would proceed.

The Regeneration and Planning Portfolio Holder assured members that the planting of poppy seeds along the route had already taken place.

The Housing Portfolio Holder provided members with an update on the Decent Homes Improvement Programme, as promised at the previous meeting.  He reported that of the 608  which had been identified as falling into non-decency, works had already been completed within budget on 374 properties, with an average time of 5.5 days.  It was hoped that the remainder would be completed by the end of 2015 and members would be kept informed of progress.  He added that a customer satisfaction survey had been circulated to those tenants who had had works completed.  The return rate had been exceptionally high at 61% showing a satisfaction rate of 95%.