Agenda item

Members received reports from Cabinet Members. There was an opportunity for members to ask questions of individual Cabinet Members about matters and issues affecting their portfolios.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Martin Tett

The Leader received questions on charging for commercial waste, the Electoral Review of Buckinghamshire and on flood risk.  Members were informed:

(i)                  That secondary legislation would be required before the Government introduced new arrangements for Councils not to be able to charge for commercial waste.  It was anticipated that the new arrangements might apply from the start of 2024.  The details of the impact on the Council were still to be fully understood but it was likely to lead to £1m in additional budget pressures.

(ii)                That the meeting with Lee Rowley MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Local Government and Building Safety) had discussed the general context and issues facing the Council including from ageing demographics, social care and waste.

(iii)              That there were a wide range of issues that would need to be looked at now that the Electoral Review of Buckinghamshire had concluded.  Work had not yet been done on Community Board boundaries that would need to change from 2025.

(iv)              That the transport team’s risk assessments would include planning for issues such as flooding incidents and responding to the impacts of extreme weather conditions.

Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Clive Harriss

The Cabinet Member received questions on Higginson Park and on accessible play parks.  Members were informed:

(i)                  That the new Higginson Park play area was on track to be open towards the end of July 2023.

(ii)                That he would check to see who had been consulted relating to accessibility when new play parks had been built.  He apologised for the oversight in not mentioning the Whizz Fizz Fest and Aylesbury on Sea in his report, which had been delivered through partnership working with the Aylesbury Town Council.

Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Regulatory Services, Councillor Mark Winn

The Cabinet Member received questions on the Bridge Court temporary accommodation facility, High Wycombe, and on rough sleepers.  Members were informed:

(i)                  That the Council was taking the opportunity to move families from B&B accommodation into the Bridge Court accommodation, that was saving the Council a considerable amount of money.  This also demonstrated the need to provide additional temporary accommodation.

(ii)                That a site with a number of rough sleepers highlighted by the Members was currently being investigated by Officers.  It was stated the rough sleeping numbers did fluctuate and tended to be higher during the Summer months.  The Cabinet Member would speak to the Oasis Partnership and community safety about the instances of begging that had been occurring in the vicinity of collection points in the Wycombe town centre.

Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration, Councillor Peter Strachan

The Cabinet Member received questions on the lack of provision for religious worship as part of new developments and on the visitor economy.  The Member was asked to write to the Cabinet Member on the planning issues so that he could provide a fuller response.  The Cabinet Member stated he was happy to meet with a Member to discuss his concerns about the visitor economy.

Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, Councillor Anita Cranmer

The Cabinet Member received questions on SEND provision and on the quality of education in the county.  Members were informed:

(i)                  On the proactive work the Council was doing on SEND provision.  There were 6,000 children in Buckinghamshire with an EHCP, with there being a 9% increase in SEND applications this year.  Steps being taken included simplifying the application procedure and increasing SEND provision by appointing 3 new Divisional i-SEND Officers, recruiting additional educational psychologists, and adding to the property areas where SEND could be provided.

(ii)                That the Council totally supported excellent education.  It was commented that independent schools were very generous in terms of sharing their facilities and teaching expertise and in providing other help.  The grammar schools were exactly the same and the Council had very good relations with them.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Angela Macpherson

The Cabinet Member received questions on people in care and on the Autism Strategy.  Members were informed:

(i)                  That the Council was seeing an increase in demand for adult social services as well as in the number of people requiring residential or nursing care.  At the same time, there had also been an increase in the number of people the Council was providing information, guidance and assistance to so that they can continue to stay at home and access the right services in the community.

(ii)                On what the Council was doing to develop the emerging Autism strategy.  The Cabinet Member also commended the Dementia Journey scrutiny rapid review that had been submitted the day before to Cabinet.

Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor Arif Hussain

There were no questions to the Cabinet Member for Communities.

Councillor M Harker OBE (the Council’s Armed Forces champion and chair of the Civilian Military Partnership Board) informed Members that the Council had recently achieved Gold in the Defence Employers Recognition Scheme, which was the highest level for employer organisations that had pledged, demonstrated and advocated support to defence and the armed forces community.  It also aligned with the values of the Armed Forces Covenant.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, Councillor Gareth Williams

The Cabinet Member received questions on protection for trees and on the groundwater strategy.  Members were informed:

(i)                  That as well as planting 145,000 trees in the last year, the Council also took protecting mature trees extremely seriously, particularly with reference to holding HS2 to account which had included putting in place a Tree Protection Order against them.

(ii)                On project groundwater, where the Government had funded 3 pilot projects in Chesham, Marlow and Chalfont St Peter.  Hopefully, the learning from these would benefit other areas in the county that were subject to flooding.

Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Steven Broadbent

The Cabinet Member received questions on potholes and on HS2 funding for road safety.  Members were informed:

(i)                  On the continuing work being done by 15 gangs, 7 days per week, to maintain roads and respond to outstanding jobs across the county’s road network.

(ii)                That HS2 had provided just under £4m for road safety which was being used to negate the impact of their increased traffic movements rather than for projects such as road re-surfacing.  There were currently approximately 23 schemes allocated that would cost £3.5m to deliver.  It was stated a project relating to the A418 Wing was in the advance stages of being designed.

Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources, Councillor John Chilver

The Cabinet Member received questions on asset management and on school travel plans.  Members were informed:

(i)                  That the Cabinet Member was always happy to talk to Members about Council assets located in their Wards.  A property and assets review was about to be launched to update the Council’s database and ensure that assets were being best operated and used.

(ii)                That parking was one of the key issues considered by the schools property team when new schools or extensions to existing schools were being planned and delivered.  This would include consultation and engagement on any plans.