Meeting documents

Questions to the Leader or any Cabinet Members must be submitted by 12 noon on Monday 5 December 2016. Questions shall be taken first from the Group Leaders of the political parties who shall be entitled to ask an initial Leader`s question, including the right to adopt another Member`s question form his/her group, of which written notice shall have been given to the Head of Democratic, Legal and Policy Services prior to the meeting.

 

The order of questions shall then permit the first question from each other Councillor to be asked before any subsequent questions from the same Councillor. One question will be taken in turn from the same Councillor unless there are no other questions to be asked.

 

Every Member asking an oral question is permitted to ask one supplementary question without notice provided that it is not substantially the same as a question that was put to a Council meeting during the past six months.

 

The appropriate Member will respond to any questions remaining unanswered at the expiry of 30 minutes in writing. Any question remaining unanswered after 30 minutes will be answered within 10 working days in writing after the meeting by the appropriate Member and appended to the minutes of the meeting.

(a)Question from Councillor R Raja to the Leader of the Council

"The draft Local Plan identifies the need for some 10,000 homes to be built in Wycombe District area yet there is real concern over the ability of the over-subscribed schools, choking road network and a struggling sewage system, (especially the ability of the Little Marlow Treatment Works) to cope with thousands of new homes, should the draft Local Plan be approved.

Can the leader reassure the council that well before the extra houses are built the council will liaise with and seek commitments from the County Council, where it has the responsibility, to upgrade the sewage system, repair and improve the road network and have sufficient school places available with the increased numbers, so that all the planned development is fit for purpose and helps to improve the lives of the residents of WDC and not further increase residents discontent in this Tory administration?"

 

Response from Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of the Council)

 

"I agree with you that delivery of infrastructure to accompany the housing growth proposed in the Local Plan is very important. That is why, as we have been working up the housing proposals in the Local Plan we have also been working very closely with all the relevant infrastructure providers, not just the County Council, to ensure that the infrastructure impacts of new development are properly addressed. When we published the draft Local Plan for consultation early next year, we also published a draft infrastructure delivery plan setting out the various infrastructure improvements required.

 

We have liaised closely with the County Council Education Department on the need for additional school places and the draft Local Plan sets out specific proposals on relevant sites to provide new or expanded schools. Similarly we have undertaken traffic modelling jointly with the County Council and the other Buckinghamshire Districts to assess the traffic impact of development across the whole county, not just Wycombe District, and to test appropriate mitigation measures. Site specific policies in the draft Local Plan explain how each development should address transport issues. We have been working closely with Thames Water and the Environment Agency, including undertaking detailed studies, to ensure that both the Little Marlow Sewage Treatment Works and the Princes Risborough Sewage Treatment Works are upgraded in the right way and at the right time to accommodate new development.

 

I can assure Cllr Raja that we will continue to work with all the relevant infrastructure providers, including the County Council, to ensure the delivery of necessary infrastructure, although he should note that this is often rightly provided directly by or funded by developers and hence is linked to the timing of development."

 

I would just like to comment on your assumption with regards to WDC residents` discontentment with the Tory administration. I would like to point out that we increased our majority in the last election which would demonstrate that they are more than happy with us." 

 

Supplementary Question

 

"Do you accept that improvements of the infrastructure cannot be left undone indefinitely? Let`s promise to make a plan that works for the WDC residents and achieve it."

 

Supplementary Response

 

"That was not really a question, but I have already answered what has been asked."

 

(b)Question from Councillor R Farmer to the Leader of the Council

 

"When will WDC start supporting the 'Hand Back our Hospital Campaign' by writing to the Minister of Health with our concerns about the loss of services at the hospital, and also request our MP Steve Baker to get back on the case?"

 

Response from Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of the Council)

 

"Current plans released do not involve having A&E back at Wycombe, although it is very clear the hospital will stay. You need to address your concerns to the Health Trust as they are the decision makers on this. However if the Hospital Trust wished to discuss any issues then I would be happy to meet with them.

 

Quite frankly with the way modern healthcare is going, I am surprised you would be advocating less good healthcare for our residents."

 

Supplementary Question

 

"Responsibility for Public Health will fall within our remit once we become a unitary, therefore let`s start fighting now for the provision of better health services."

 

Supplementary Response

 

"This will be a matter for the unitary as to how best to plan it."

 

©Question from Councillor B Pearce to the Cabinet Member for Environment.

 

"Does the Cabinet Member agree with me that it is false economy and foolhardy for Bucks County Council to change the closing time of the waste disposal facility at High Heavens from the summer time of 6pm to 4pm on 1st October before we altered clocks to GMT?

 

In previous years the winter closing time has been 5pm not 4pm.

 

This reduction in hours is coupled with the lack of information to the general public e.g. no sign at the entrance from Clay Lane, one wouldn't know they are closed until you got there. Surely as a result there is more chance people may fly tip because some people would not want to make a second journey"

 

Response from Councillor Mrs J Teesdale (Cabinet Member for Environment)

 

"I don`t agree with you I am aware that one of Bucks County Council’s Select Committees considered this matter in depth and requested a full review of all the data from the Household Waste and Recycling Centres’ traffic counters. Customer usage after 4pm last winter was such that there were marginally fewer people using the sites. Across all sites, only 8% of winter visits were between 4.00pm and 5.00pm which equates to an average of 23 visits per day to each of the sites after 4.00pm.

 

The winter opening hours of 9.00am until 4.00pm will ensure that sites are open when most used by residents and closed when usage is low. These times coincide with it getting darker and will enable the County Council to obtain better value for money from the sites with a financial saving. The saving in hour amounts to 66,000 per annum.

 

These changes have been publicised."

 

Supplementary Question

 

"There is a great concern over the lack of signage at the junctions of all these facilities. Could you take further steps to ensure that the public are aware that the facility will be closed by 4pm?"

 

Supplementary Response

 

"I am satisfied with the current arrangements, but will speak to my counterpart at the County. In addition the fly tippers should be aware that they will receive a heavy fine for doing so.

 

(d)Question from Councillor S Broadbent to the Cabinet Member for Environment.

 

"Given the rising popularity of flying UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), also known as drones, and the likelihood that many people in the district may receive one as a Christmas gift, does the council have any publicly available guidelines on their appropriate usage within the district?

 

Recent national statistics indicate an increase in aerospace incidents and physical injuries to members of the public when UAV's are flown in an unsafe manner."

 

Response from Mrs J Teesdale (Cabinet Member for Environment).

 

"The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the appropriate enforcement authority so the Council is not in a position to be issuing guidelines on this as it does not fall within our sphere of influence.

 

This is very much a developing issue as these devices become more popular. I am aware that the CAA has recently issued a revised Drone code to help people getting a drone to fly safely and responsibly and this code is hosted on a new dedicated Drone safe website. The advice is backed by a wide range of leading aviation players, drone retailers and manufacturers and the Department for Transport."

 

I would like to add that I fully accept your point and your concerns over the safety of drones. I feel that we should write to our local MPs raising our serious concerns and ask for action to be taken before a serious tragedy occurs."  

 

Supplementary Question 

 

"I am pleased you are aware of the aerospace drone code, whilst a survey conducted established that only 39% of users were aware of it. Although I fully support the technology, I would urge that the Council issue safety guidelines, following the example of other councils, such as in Somerset.

 

I feel that we should work with the community in demonstrating how we can access the drone code publicly."  

 

Supplementary Response

 

"I am happy to do that."

 

(e)Question from Councillor Mrs L Clarke to the Leader of the Council

 

"Having read in the local papers recently that Aylesbury Vale District Council is working with Buckinghamshire County Council on the Aylesbury traffic problems, does Wycombe District Council have this working relationship with Buckinghamshire County Council on the traffic problems that beset Wycombe District?"

 

Response from Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of the Council)

 

"As you know traffic is one of the foremost concerns that people raise in response to new development and have also raised during consultations on our draft New Local Plan.

 

Buckinghamshire County Council is responsible for highways and the District Council is responsible for local planning decisions. As a matter of necessity therefore we strive for a close working relationship on these issues. I think that what the District brings to the relationship in particular is a recognition of the joined up nature of development problems and potential funding for solutions.

 

Almost five years after Wycombe introduced the Community Infrastructure Levy we remain the only Council in Buckinghamshire that has such a levy in place which is an important source of funding for new infrastructure. We have worked hard to ensure that County Council’s input supports the development planning process and we have worked with Infrastructure Liaison and Reserve Sites Liaison groups to ensure that technical and professional views are scrutinised and adjusted to reflect local views.

 

In terms of the Local Plan we have been working closely with BCC on where new housing may be located and the transport implications and this is reflected in the allocations in our draft Local Plan.  Alongside the other districts and BCC, county wide traffic modelling was commissioned to look at the traffic impacts of the various local plan site allocations and to put forward mitigation measures.  We are also working with Buckinghamshire and with Highways England on access to High Wycombe from the strategic road network. In due course we hope that these work streams will inform the development of a High Wycombe Transport Strategy.

 

In Princes Risborough we are continuing to work with BCC and local stakeholders on how a proposed relief road maybe delivered and in Marlow we are working with both BCC and Highways England on delivering improvements at the Westhorpe Interchange to ease peak hour congestion into Marlow and Globe Park. 

 

In High Wycombe we are working collaboratively with the County on the highway changes that form part of the Town Centre Masterplan and the County Council has secured £6.2m funding from the Local Transport Board to deal with cumulative impacts of development for example from the reserve sites and we will continue to work closely with them to get the best outcomes from this funding in a way that complements the improvements that will be secured from new developments through the planning process.

 

Finally, I think everyone is aware that traffic issues in the District are already significant but are not simple to solve.  However, we are working hard to deliver cost-effective solutions.  I can ensure you we work closely with BCC on traffic issues and my Cabinet Member for Planning & Sustainability regularly meets with the Cllr Mark Shaw - the Cabinet Member for Transport at BCC - to manage these work streams and to ensure that local concerns are understood and translated into effective solutions."

 

Supplementary Question

 

"We said that we would look to link the extreme amount of all the traffic lights and pedestrian lights in collaboration with BCC many years ago. Something urgent needs to be done, as they do not run properly and are not linked."

 

Supplementary Response

 

"I understand and share your frustration regarding this issue of the lights not managing the traffic flow efficiently. We have an aspiration to resolve the issues, and have given consideration as to whether some can be replaced by roundabouts.

 

We are pursuing the matter with Bucks CC and will publish a report on the subject as soon as possible."

 

(f)Question from Councillor K Ahmed to the Leader of the Council

 

"A year ago, I presented a motion to the council to take up to 200 refugees under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, which is funded and promoted by the Government.

 

This motion was rejected by the ruling party on the basis that, whereas the council recognised the humanitarian crisis, Wycombe was not in a position to pledge assistance owing to our own homeless list and the difficulty of liaising with all the services which would need to be involved.

 

Many thousands of men, women and children have since died.

 

In view of this, I would like to ask the leader whether she would now be willing to engage with us in cross-party action to save lives by giving some of the most vulnerable refugees a home in the Wycombe district?"

 

Response from Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of the Council)

 

"As you know and have stated to you previously, I have great sympathy for the plight of refugees, who have taken the desperate decision to flee their homes due the violence and suffering that they have experienced. For those who are resettled in the UK, I feel strongly that they deserve a comprehensive support package to help them build a safer and more stable life.

 

Wycombe District Council is not able to provide a comprehensive package of support alone – we are not responsible for the education, social or health care services which would be needed. We are more than aware that there is already enormous strain on those services as highlighted by your Leader earlier.

 

With your very keen interest in housing, you are more than aware that there is still enormous pressure on what little housing there is available within the district, that there is a long waiting list and that many people have been on that list for some time. It would have been disingenuous of me to then tell those people that their wait for a home would be even longer, because what little housing had become available was being used for other means.

 

Should the time come that the housing waiting list has significantly reduced and that families and individuals who are homeless, or at risk of being made homeless, do not need our help, we will reconsider our position. Until then, we will continue to focus our effort and attention on finding homes for local people.

 

My Deputy has had several meetings with the Wycombe Refugee Partnership to see how we can assist them. They have already brought 31 refugees into High Wycombe.

 

Supplementary Question

 

"In other words your answer is still no. Is your conscience comfortable?"

 

Supplementary Response

 

"I have set out my answer. My concern is about the people of Wycombe first and foremost."

 

(g)Question from Councillor S Graham to the Leader of the Council

 

"According to BFP report on the 2^nd December 2016 the three District Councils in South Bucks is offering free parking days in the run up to Christmas.

 

Would the Leader of the Council agree that this appears to be a test run off collaboration among the three Councils, and does this betray her preference for a unitary authority base on Wycombe District Council, Chiltern District Council and South Bucks District Council?"

 

Response from Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of the Council)

 

"As you will have seen from reports in the media the four District Councils have agreed to put forward a submission for two unitary Councils - one North in the Vale of Aylesbury and one South in the Chiltern Hills.

 

The four districts agree that the north and south are two separate economies and geographies with distinctive characteristics.

We also believe that the relationships which need to be formed to serve the two communities effectively are different.

 

The ability of the two new Councils to focus on their separate priorities will enable them to be more agile in delivering growth and productivity, more effective at helping the most vulnerable and provide services which genuinely reflect the needs and priorities of our distinctive communities.

 

Free parking days is the least of the many benefits our proposal will offer residents, which has been available for some time."

Supplementary Question

 

"Does this mean that the Leader is not in agreement with other County Council Tories, who are advocating one unitary authority for the County?"

 

Supplementary Response

 

"This is a different question to the original one asked"

 

(h)Question from Councillor Ms J Wassell to the Cabinet Member for Community.

 

"Given the reported rise in hate crime this year, by the Thames Valley Police, has the Council any proposals to protect and support Wycombe residents in this situation or provide additional training to staff?"

 

Response from Councilllor Mrs J Adey (Cabinet Member for Community)

 

"Hate crime is a serious matter and we work closely with the Police to support them in taking action, raising awareness and increasing reporting.  There is comprehensive information on our website on hate crime, which includes information on what hate crimes/incidents are and how people can report them, either to the police or to our shared reporting centre – The Hate Crime Network.  

 

We also actively support the police in any campaigns they run relating to hate crime, which includes raising awareness via social media. The police have recently consulted on hate crime and we look forward to working with them on any recommendations that need implementing.  We have been jointly trying to encourage victims of disability hate crime to come forward and anything Members can do in their Wards to promote the reporting of hate crime will be very helpful."

 

Supplementary Question

 

"I am finding that the rise in hate crime is impacting on my case work. The level of malice and racism involved in some of this is quite appalling with racist comments and malicious allegations to agencies such as Social Services. I am collecting anonymised case studies of these situations.

 

Would you agree that fleeing hate crime does not make a person intentionally homeless?"

 

Supplementary Response

 

"I would be very interested in having sight of your papers to which you refer."

 

(i)Question form Councillor M Hanif to the Leader of the Council

 

All Bucks Councils are divided over unitary plans and can you please update us on the progress of the Wycombe District Council's plan to how far things have gone and are we getting the relevant work done in time to put forward the relevant proposals before the deadlines?

 

Response from Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of the Council).

 

I don’t agree that Councils are divided over unitary plans.  Four of the five Councils are in agreement.  We all believe that two unitary Council’s offer the best solution for our communities. 

 

I can assure you that we have a very compelling case.  We know that a single unitary will continue to have divided economic objectives and, as a result, will not be able to maximise the contribution this thriving economic area could make to the national economy.

 

The single unitary is based on a historic administrative boundary which does not reflect the communities which exist today. 

 

As a result we believe that the single unitary will perpetuate the current failure to address rising costs in the delivery of social care and the failure to protect our children.

Any unitary arrangement will be cheaper but more significant savings will be achieved if the services are effective.

 

We also believe that, unlike the Community Hubs proposed by the County, our two councils with the network of Parish and Town Councils and Town Committee will provide genuine local accountability.  

 

Officers across the four Councils have been working on the detailed evidence which supports our case.  We are confident we can present a compelling case to DCLG.   

 

Supplementary Question

 

"Can you please assure Members that partner local authorities have shown a genuine desire to work together and it is not out of stealth to oppose the county unitary proposal?"

 

Supplementary Response

 

"Yes"

 

Questions 10-12 were not put as the 30 minutes time period had expired. In accordance with Standing Orders, a written reply would be sent to the questioner by the appropriate Member within 10 working days, and would also be appended to the minutes of the meeting.