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 announced that on 16 January, Cabinet approved the next steps in our journey to deliver a new Marlborough Square in Coalville.  He stated that he was particularly pleased that the redesign had been drawn up alongside local businesses and organisations that use the square including the bus and taxi companies and unanimous support had been received.  He explained that the work formed part of the council’s Choose Coalville project, which aims to regenerate and build confidence in the town.  He added that this development saw North West Leicestershire District Council investing a further £1.1 million in the town.  He referred to the local desire to make Marlborough Square a great place so it could be a central point in the town and a place that people wanted to go to and enjoy.  He stated that the plans would remove the existing clutter and create a flexible space that could be used for many activities including outdoor markets and cultural events.  He reported that Leicestershire County Council had now been commissioned to carry out detailed design work which would lead to a public exhibition and any further refinement of the design proposal.  Once approved it would take up to six months to carry out the work, with the new square expected to be completed by winter 2018/19.

The Leader thanked all those involved in the Planning Peer Challenge Review which took place on 13– 15 February.  He advised that the written report was still awaited but members and officers had had the opportunity to hear face to face directly from the peer team at the end of the three day process.  He emphasised that the Peer Review had been invited in as a critical friend and as a key supporter in the council’s journey of continuous improvement.  He stated that the team had reminded us that many things were working well and we have a lot to build on including our high level of performance, our strategic joint working across the County on strategic growth and having a local plan adopted with a 5 year housing land supply.  He commented that the passion and commitment of ward members to support and make a difference in our communities had also been clearly seen by the Group.  However, several key recommendations were made at the briefing which would provide us with an opportunity to make improvements to our services. This would ensure that the customer experience and perception of planning and transparency of decision making can be of the highest standards. He gave his commitment to work jointly across political groups and with the Chief Executive to develop an action plan which would need to be owned and delivered jointly.

The Leader announced that the business rate pilot bid had not been successful, however it had been indicated that there would be a second round of pilots it was hoped that a future bid would be successful.

The Leader provided an update on the former bus station as Ashby Road.  He reassured members that action was being taken to monitor the current situation and work with the owner of the site.  He added that officers were in regular contact with the owner who had invested a significant amount in the site and wanted to develop a car show room in line with the approved planning permission.  He stated that the current condition of the site was of concern and was being kept under observation, however, there was security fencing around the site and a contractor was being employed by the owner to secure the site.  He added that the Council would maintain a regular dialogue with the owner and keep up the pressure to bring forward this scheme. 

Councillor J Legrys stated that he fully supported the work on Marlborough Square however he commented that there was a long way to go and he was not convinced it would be completed by Christmas 2018.  He thanked and commended the Chief Executive for bringing the peer review team to the council and looked forward to receiving the report. In respect of the former bus station, he stated that lots of people were becoming angry and frustrated.  He referred to the issues with fly tipping at the site.  He understood that the land was not in the council’s ownership however he asked that this matter continue to be pursued. 

Councillor N Smith welcomed the support from Councillor J Legrys on the Marlborough Square development.  Regarding the peer review, he felt that the recommendations should be implemented, as there was no point inviting comments from a critical friend and then ignoring them.  He agreed with the comments made in respect of the former bus station. 

Councillor M Specht thanked the Chief Executive for instigating the peer review.  He commended the team and stated that the recommendations had to be taken on board cross-party.  He commented that most planning authorities undertook a peer review when they were close to special measures.  He pointed out that the council also had the luxury of having the local plan in place. 

The Leader thanked Councillor J Legrys for his support for the Marlborough Square project and felt that Coalville projects had to be supported by the three main political parties.  He thanked the Chief Executive for bringing about the peer review and welcomed the cross-party support.  He added that this matter should not be political. 

The Community Services Portfolio Holder provided an update on the leisure project and reported that the process of finding a partner to build a leisure centre in Coalville and to manage that and Hood Park had begun with interest submissions due this week.  She advised that the project team would assess the submissions and shortlist up to 5 bidders to take forward.  A further member briefing session would take place on 3 April would provide an update on the shortlisting process and an opportunity for members to help guide and shape the key social, health and community outcomes for the next stage of the procurement.

The Community Services Portfolio Holder announced that Hermitage Leisure Centre had been inspected by QUEST, a nationally recognised scheme that assessed how well leisure centres were being managed.  She reported that the score had increased from good in 2004 to very good in 2018.  Of particular recognition was the ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, the learn to swim scheme, the high regard of members for the centre, and team and skills development.  It was evident that the workforce was motivated and she congratulated all leisure staff for improving their score. 

The Community Services Portfolio Holder highlighted the results of the waste satisfaction survey, drawing particular attention to the impressive response rate, the consistently high overall satisfaction rate of 93% and the improvements in satisfaction with town centre cleanliness.  She congratulated the waste team for their efforts especially in the recent bad weather conditions.  She added that a recycling strategy would be developed this year and she hoped to considerably increase the current recycling rate of 46.7%.

Councillor N Clarke asked what plans were in place to increase the recycling rate as this had been at the same level for a number of years and particularly considering the importance of recycling income. 

The Community Services Portfolio Holder acknowledged that the rates had remained static, however she assured members that with a new Chief Executive and Strategic Director of Place now in post, plans were being progressed to increase the rates. 

The Housing Portfolio Holder provided an update on affordable housing provision and announced that this year the council had acquired 26 affordable houses from developments.  He highlighted planned and pending developments which would provide additional affordable housing in Ashby de la Zouch and Measham, and in particular the 6 new affordable houses being built at Linford and Verdon.  He stated that this was the first time affordable housing had been built by the council in a generation.

The Housing Portfolio paid tribute to Pauline Innett, a former tenant who had recently passed away.  She was a very enthusiastic member of several tenants’ working groups.  She was a founding member of the Green and Decent programme which resulted in the selection of air sourced heat pumps as the replacement for solid fuel heating systems in off-gas areas.   He reported that there were 400 houses in off-gas areas which would receive their replacement heating systems from March.

The Housing Portfolio Holder announced that a further 2 families had been housed in the district under the Syrian refugee project.  Both families had settled in with support from the county wide scheme co-ordinator and the children had started school.