Meeting documents

There will be an opportunity for Members to ask questions of individual Cabinet Members and Committee Chairmen.

Members had the opportunity to ask questions of individual Cabinet Members and Committee Chairmen about issues affecting their portfolios/Committee activities:-

(a)          Kingsbury and Market Square Improvement Schemes (Councillor Foster) – the Cabinet Member for Civic Amenities informed Members that the Council would be taking the schemes approved earlier in the meeting seriously.  A public realm architect would be employed and the Council would listen to all people and consult widely on the schemes.  This would include looking at how to make the most of the Town’s heritage and at that could be done to attract more people into Aylesbury.

(b)          Cornwall Meadows car park, Buckingham (Councillor Stuchbury) – the Cabinet Member for Civic Amenities informed Members that the payment machines in this car park were in need of being modernised and replaced.  This would be addressed as part of the Car Parking Strategy that would be reported to Council in October.

There had been a number of problems with individual machines being reported as faulty over the last 5 weeks.  On each occasion, engineers had attended on site within 2 days and been able to repair the machines.  There were 5 machines located in the car park and 4 out of the 5 machines had been working properly during the period.

Members were informed that quotes to repair the potholes had been received.  A work plan was being put together with it anticipated that a contractor would be appointed soon.

(c)          Universal Credit (Councillor Stuchbury) – the Cabinet Member for Communities confirmed that information would be reported back to Members assessing the impacts of the rollout of Universal Credit on local people.

(d)          Oxford-Cambridge Expressway (Councillor Monger) – the Deputy Leader of the Council responded to the question which had raised a number of issues in relation to the announcement of the preferred route of the Oxford-Cambridge expressway.  These had included the impact on biodiversity, undertaking an Environmental Impact Assessment, AVDC responding to Highways England and central Government, and ensuring that a full public consultation was undertaken in due course.

Members were informed that the issues highlighted would be passed to the Leader of the Council.  However, details of the exact route were still sketchy and the Council didn’t want to make assumptions until the full facts were known.  AVDC was continuing to talk to central Government on the essential requirement for additional infrastructure to be provided.

(e)          Major Planning Application, Edlesborough (Councillor Poll) – the Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement informed Members that the work to enable this planning application to be decided was nearing completion.  It was a very complicated matter that would hopefully be decided within the next month.

(f)           Fairford Leys Riverine Corridor (Councillor A Cole) – the Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure informed Members that he would be working with the Officers with an aim to delivering the next phases of the Riverine Corridor as soon as was possible.

(g)          Assisting Town Centre businesses (Councillor Mrs Morgan) – the Cabinet Member for Civic Amenities informed Members that there a number of ways that existing retail and other businesses in the Aylesbury town centre could be assisted including through the Town Centre Partnership and the landlords forum.  The Kingsbury and Market Square Improvements would look to invest in the town centre’s public realm to improve the sense of civic pride.

(h)          Street Cleansing (Councillor Mrs Morgan) – the Cabinet Member for Waste and Licensing asked the Member to provide him with information on street cleansing issues at Havelock Street and Fleet Street, Aylesbury, so that he could look into the matter.