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 the strategic finance, income generation, the Local Enterprise Partnership, and on road infrastructure development. Members were informed:

(i)                 That the adverse position of £8.3m (Strategic Finance) was the end of year forecast.  This position could change as the year progressed.

(ii)               That the Portfolio Action Plans were being developed and would be published in due course.

(iii)              Thanked Members who had attended the recent income generation workshop. The feasibility of taking forward the suggestions was currently being assessed. 

(iv)              On the Local Enterprise Partnership, and funding for services/functions that the Council had been asked to take on.

(v)                That with regards to road infrastructure development near to Aylesbury, the Council had been in negotiations with Homes England about viring money between different aspects of the Housing Infrastructure Fund that had been given to the Council, as the costs of the SEALR had increased significantly. Progression of the Eastern Link Road would be subject to the further development around the Woodlands area.

Deputy Cabinet Member for Enforcement, Councillor Gary Hall (for the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration, Councillor Peter Strachan)

The Deputy Cabinet Member received questions on the 5-year housing land supply and on Town Centre regeneration.  Members were informed:

(i)                 That the Cabinet Member would respond to the Member on her query regarding the Council’s 5-year housing land supply.

(ii)               That the Deputy Cabinet Member (Town Centre Regeneration) would respond to the Member with an update on Aylesbury Town regeneration strategy. 

Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor Arif Hussain

The Cabinet Member received questions on the Helping Hands scheme and on digital food vouchers.  Members were informed:

(i)                 On the work being done by the Helping Hands team and Opportunity Bucks to reach the most needy in the county. Members were also encouraged to contact the Cabinet Member and the team if they were aware of any issues. 

(ii)               That there had been a slight increase in the last 12 months in the number of digital vouchers provided for families.  Money for these came from the Government so there was not a direct cost to the Council.  There had also been an increase from May 2022 when compared to May 2023 in the number of school vouchers given out from 13,500 to 15,000, which reflected the cost of living crisis and difficulties being experienced by many people.

Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Clive Harriss

The Cabinet Member received questions on events in Buckingham for the over 50s and on the Whizz Fizz festival.  Members were informed:

(i)                 That he would talk to a Member regarding an invitation to attend an event for the over 50s in Buckingham.

(ii)               The Cabinet Member apologised again for not mentioning in his report that the Whizz Fizz Fest had been delivered through partnership working with the Aylesbury Town Council.

Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources, Councillor John Chilver

The Cabinet Member received questions on buildings in the Council estate that might be impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), and on the virtual work experience scheme.  Members were informed:

(i)                 That a full survey of Council buildings had been done last year and had not discovered any signs of RAAC.

(ii)               On the virtual work experience scheme that had gone live at the end of August.  Feedback on the scheme would be collated to assess its success.  The scheme would also be looking at opportunities for Councillor shadowing.

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

The Cabinet Member received questions on future funding for adult social care and on the recruitment / retention of staff working in social work and for the safeguarding team.  Members were informed:

(i)                 That there continued to be funding pressures experienced relating to delivering adult social care services including providing care packages.

(ii)               With an update on the successful recruitment of social workers into the ASC Department with the ‘Grow Your Own’ programme, that was helping to drive down agency staff costs.  The Cabinet Member would write to the Member specifically about the safeguarding numbers. 

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

The Cabinet Member received questions on children in care, on the Buckinghamshire Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair, and on improving education outcomes for disadvantaged children. Members were informed:

(i)                 That a little book had been published that was written by 5 children in care, and describing how a child felt when they went into care.

(ii)               On the Buckinghamshire Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair was being held on Saturday, 23 September 2023 at the Elgiva Theatre, Chesham.  Mention was also made of the Member Engagement Board, that was chaired by Deputy Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, and of a monthly newsletter that would be produced to highlight some of the initiatives created by Councillors.

(iii)              The Cabinet Member was thanked for including a separate section in her report on improving education outcomes for disadvantaged children. 

Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Steve Broadbent

The Cabinet Member informed Members on improvements made to the High Wycombe P&R, which worked out of the High Wycombe Coachway. From 23 October, the Oxford Tube service which connected into London would be stopping at the Coachway a number of times in the morning and in the afternoon.  The Cabinet Member received questions on a range of transport related issues.  Members were informed:

(i)                 That the Council was committed to delivering the link roads associated with developments around Aylesbury including the Eastern Link Road (ELR) South as soon as possible to assist with easing traffic congestion in the area.

(ii)               On the extension of the ‘pick me up’ bus scheme to Flackwell Heath.

(iii)              That the Council’s Parking Strategy would come forward later in the year.

(iv)              That the Council had improved the Parking Enforcement Officer vacancy situation, which would assist with parking enforcement issues such as cars with combustible engines parking that had parked in EV spaces.

(v)                The Cabinet Member was congratulated for the recent improvements to highways maintenance and roads in the county.  An update was provided on associated issues such as gully cleaning and cutting back trees and shrubs next to highways.

(vi)              That the Cabinet Member would come back to a Member regarding grass cutting / maintaining open space issues raised on Linden Village and Page Hill Avenue, Buckingham East.

(vii)            With an update on the demand led bus service for Aylesbury.  The procurement exercise to appoint a new supplier had not yet concluded, following the initial supplier withdrawing at a very late stage.

(viii)          That the Council was committed to delivering more EV charging capacity across the county but was reliant on Government funding to deliver it.

(ix)              On the actions being taken to get Thames Water to comply with permit conditions and the scheduling of works, including daily inspections by Council Officers and issuing fines or taking further actions where this was possible.  The Cabinet Member would also be meeting with senior people from Thames Water in the next week.

(x)                With an update on the work that was being done to put together the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.  The Plan would then be used by the Council to seek funding (through bids to central Government or via developer contributions) to enable it to be delivered.

(xi)              On the work being done, including liaising with the Environment Agency, so that the Berry Hill footbridge, Taplow, could be re-opened as soon as possible.

(xii)            On the Council’s policy and criteria for introducing 20 m.p.h. speed limits in areas.

(xiii)          With an update on the spare seats scheme for school transport.

(xiv)          With an update on the Buckingham Railway Walk.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change

The Cabinet Member received questions on preservation of trees and on the green bin scheme in the Wycombe area.  Members were informed:

(i)                 That LNRS work would be mapping different zones such as forestry, wetlands, chalk streams etc, and trees would form a part of this work. A Council wide look at the TPO process could be done separately but would not be part of the LNRS work.

(ii)               On the green bin garden waste scheme that had a 49% uptake in the High Wycombe area. If Members were aware of people that no longer wished to be a part of the scheme and wanted to return their green bin then they should contact the service.

Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Regulatory Services

The Cabinet Member was asked to pass on thanks to a number of Service areas that he was responsible for and responded to a question on illegal dog breeding.  Members were informed:

(i)                 Thanks were given to Housing Officers for their work with rough sleepers, to the Anti-Social Behaviour team for their work with rough sleepers in the High Wycombe area, and to the Gypsy and Traveller Service Officer for recent work/action undertaken in the High Wycombe area.

(ii)               On the recent enforcement action taken, as detailed in his report, against people for illegally breeding dogs in Aylesbury.