Agenda item

To receive members’ questions under procedure rule no.11.  The procedure rule provides that any member may ask the chairman of a board or group any question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties which affect the District, provided that three clear days’ notice in writing has been given to the Head of Legal and Support Services.

Two questions had been received.

The Chairman invited Councillor Legrys to ask his question addressed to Councillor Woodman. 

“At its meeting on the 27th February 2018 I once again placed a question to the then Portfolio Holder about using the Council’s Environmental powers to insist that the surrounding landowners remove overgrown vegetation on Mantle Lane Coalville.

Whilst regular cleaning is carried out by the Council’s cleaning teams, overgrown vegetation on structures and land belonging to Network Rail continues to be an unkempt eyesore that spoils this key entrance into Coalville Town Centre.

When will the Council use its powers under law to insist that Network Rail tidy up their property to the benefit of road users, pedestrians and shoppers?”

The Chairman invited Councillor Woodman to respond.

”Enforcement Officer, Ian Webster, has visited the site and confirms that the level of

overgrown vegetation constitutes issuing of a Community Protection Warning. This is the first stage of the formal process leading to the issuing of a Community Protection Notice if the problem persists. In line with our Procedures and Policies, Network Rail have been contacted and advised of the vegetation issue. Ian has received notification today (5.9.19) that Network Rail have logged his request and that contact will be made to address the issue. If we do not receive further communication within a reasonable time frame we will progress with the first level of action.

The Business Focus Team recognises that Mantle Lane is an important gateway into Coalville Town Centre and a link to the new Leisure Centre. Consequently we are looking at ways in which the Future High Street Fund bid and Regeneration Framework might bring forward improvements. Business Focus have contacted Network Rail about working with them to improve the appearance of the bridge and are awaiting a response”.

The Chairman invited Councillor Legrys to ask a supplementary question.

Councillor Legrys supplementary question was “Can I have a timeline?”

Councillor Woodman agreed to supply this to Councillor Legrys.

The Chairman invited Councillor Benfield to ask his question addressed to Councillor Ashman. 

“As contingency planning continues for the increasing likelihood of a no-deal Brexit, much of the Nation's focus has been on implications at the Channel Ports.

However, as host to one of the largest air freight terminals in the UK, it would seem obvious that congestion at sea ports could be alleviated by increasing operations at East Midlands Airport. Such preparations have not been publicly discussed.

I am concerned that the Airport has no restrictions on volume of traffic either by day or night, (although I am aware of the slightly tighter noise limits required at night).

Could the Leader therefore provide the Council with detailed information on the expected increases in: air and road traffic, noise, particulate pollution, and CO2 in the event of a no-deal Brexit?”

The Chairman invited Councillor Ashman to respond.

“The Council is fully engaged in the contingency planning for a no deal Brexit with the chief executive being the nominated Brexit Lead officer. Our role and responsibility under the Civil Contingency Act is to ensure that working with the Leicestershire Resilience forum (LRF) we plan for the potential disruption that a no deal exit could have. The LRF is made up of a wide number of partners from police, health, fire, ambulance, armed forces, district and County council, Highways England, Utilities and the voluntary sector.

One element of the contingency planning relates to the potential impact of traffic disruption around the airport as a result of any delays at the border. The Chief Executive is also a member of the National Border Control Sterling group that considers and plans for the impact of changes at the port, ensuring the council’s port health authority role continues to run smoothly and effectively.

Plans have been developed to manage traffic disruption and there are a series of meetings with members and local communities over the coming weeks. The council has also developed a robust communication plan for communities, businesses and stakeholders linked to the national communication plan ‘Get Ready for Brexit’.

However the contingency planning in respect to the management of air freight movements at East Midlands airport is outside the local authority’s remit and control. Airport Co-ordination Limited is responsible for slot allocation scheduled facilitation and schedule date collection across the UK. They would be responsible for modelling ensuring efficient use of capacity and operational performance taking account of operational restrictions.

It is not possible at this time to estimate whether there would be a need for additional freight to be taken through East Midlands airport, but there are legislative restrictions that are in place and would need to be adhered to. The airport has an environmental policy, continuous air quality monitoring for key pollutants set within the wider context of the Air Quality Strategy for England and Wales. The strategy sets limits for nitrogen dioxide, benzene and particulates. These results are publicly available monthly on the East Midlands airport website.

East Midlands airport also operate within the limitations of Noise Action Plan which is a statutory five year document recently the subject of public consultation and runs from 2019 -2023. The plan assesses, considers and manages aircraft noise at the airport and is a legal requirement under the European Union Directive 2009/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise. The Civil Aviation Authority and DEFRA have a role in ensuring compliance with the Noise Action Plan and the detailed plan and legislative context are set out on the East Midlands airport website.

We will continue to work closely with all key partners of which the airport is a key stakeholder to ensure that if there are changes these are considered by the Local Resilience Forum and we engage and communicate with our community through this period of uncertainty”.

The Chairman invited Councillor Benfield to ask a supplementary question.

Councillor Benfield’s supplementary question was “will the Council make available noise monitoring equipment to residents so that the varying degrees of noise levels around the airport can be measured?”

Councillor Ashman advised that he would liaise with the Chief Executive on this matter and get back to Councillor Benfield outside the meeting.