Agenda item

Questions from Members

Up to 60 minutes is allowed for this part of the meeting unless extended by the Chairman of Council on a motion moved, duly seconded and approved by the Council.  Members may ask one supplementary question in addition to their original question.

 

(a)        To Chairmen/Vice-Chairmen of Committees

 

            To receive answers in respect of questions from Members of the Council to the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Council or the Chairman of any Committee or Sub-Committee asked in accordance with Rule 12 of the Council Procedure Rules.

 

            There were no questions received for Chairmen or Vice-Chairmen of Committees.

 

(b)        To the Executive

 

            To receive answers in respect of questions from Members of the Council to a Member of the Executive asked in accordance with Rule 12 of the Council Procedure Rules.

 

            The questions are set out in the agenda papers.

Minutes:

In accordance with Rule 12(1) of the Council Procedure Rules, Members of the Cabinet responded to the following questions:

 

(1)        Councillor D G Cronk asked the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance, Councillor M D Conolly:

 

           "In Deal and Sandwich hundreds of people have signed petitions to save the council help desks. In Sandwich the closure of the help desk will mean that residents, particularly pensioners who don’t drive, will have to make a twenty mile round trip on the bus to the Dover Gateway, when previously these services were on their doorstep. In Deal the residents will similarly be suffering by the cutting of this popular and necessary service. Why are these people directly bearing the burden of Tory cuts?”

 

           In response the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance stated that the bulk of face-to-face transactions at the Area Offices could be conducted by telephone, email, post or by appointment at the remaining face-to-face locations.

 

           In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.5, Councillor D G Cronk exercised his right to ask one supplementary question.

 

(2)        Councillor A M Napier asked the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance, Councillor M D Conolly:

 

           “In light of the closure of the help desks in Aylesham, Sandwich and Deal, will you guarantee the future of the services we provide at the Dover Gateway office?”

 

           In response the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance stated that the Dover Gateway office was a joint service location for Kent County Council and Dover District Council and that there were no current plans to close services at the Gateway.

 

(3)        In the absence of Councillor P M Wallace the question was not put to the meeting.

 

(4)        Councillor S F Bannister asked the Portfolio Holder for Access and Licensing, Councillor N J Collor:

 

           “In light of the Port of Dover warning of the potential for 17-mile queues if an agreement on customs is not reached between the UK and EU by May 2019, what measures are this council taking in conjunction with other public bodies, to prepare for the positive and negative effects of Brexit on traffic in Dover and Deal?”

 

           In response the Portfolio Holder for Access and Licensing advised that he shared the concern over the potential impact of Brexit on traffic at the Port of Dover and had raised concerns with government officials through various communication channels to ensure that the matter was being considered as part of the ongoing negotiations with the European Union. The Council had also made presentations to those agencies that are directly responsible to encourage preparatory actions such as the provision of additional parking facilities for freight vehicles.

 

           In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.5, Councillor S F Bannister exercised his right to ask one supplementary question.

 

(5)        Councillor M R Eddy asked the Leader of the Council, Councillor K E Morris:

 

           “Does the newly appointed Leader of the Council envisage ignoring the financial constraints imposed on the council by central government and awarding himself and his colleagues a 15% increase, following the example of the Leader of Kent County Council?”

 

           In response the Leader of the Council advised that he had no intention to do so.

 

           In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.5, Councillor M R Eddy exercised his right to ask one supplementary question.

 

(6)        Councillor A S Pollitt asked the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance, Councillor M D Conolly:

 

           “How many times has the Dover District Council beverage contract been renewed since the motion on working to become a Fairtrade zone was considered by Dover District Council in 2003?”

 

           In response the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance advised that the Council used Fair Trade products for small local purchases such as the Leader and Chairman of the Council’s provisions. The Council did not have a contract for the provision of beverages as the Council had purchased the machines located within the three meeting rooms and supplies were brought on an ad-hoc basis from a range of suppliers. He had asked officers to review the purchasing arrangements to ensure that they complied with the Council’s agreed policies.

 

           In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.5, Councillor A S Pollitt exercised his right to ask one supplementary question.

 

(7)        In the absence of Councillor N A G Richards the question was not put to the meeting.

 

(8)        Councillor B Gardner asked the Portfolio Holder for Property Management and Environmental Health, Councillor T J Bartlett:

 

           “Can you update us on the progress being made and what discussions have been had in regard to finally getting an application on the Regent Cinema since the public meeting in August?”

 

           In response the Portfolio Holder for Property Management and Environmental Health stated that officers had remained in regular contact with the owners of the premises since August 2017 and that the owners had advised that they were in the final stages of completing the planning application. The owners intended to hold a consultation with a few key stakeholders in late October.

 

           In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.5, Councillor B Gardner exercised his right to ask one supplementary question.

 

(9)        Councillor S F Bannister asked the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance, Councillor M D Conolly:

 

           “Would the portfolio holder agree with me that the proposal to link East Kent Services with third parties amounts to a huge step in the further privatisation of council services and that this move is forced on the council by the constant underfunding of local government by the incompetent Conservative government?”

 

           In response the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance stated that the proposals guaranteed job security to the affected staff, offered new employment opportunities in East Kent and provided additional savings and profit shares to the Council. The alternative would be to make redundancies.

 

           In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.5, Councillor S F Bannister exercised his right to ask one supplementary question.

 

(10)     Councillor S J Jones asked the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance, Councillor M D Conolly:

 

           “When will this Council receive a formal report on the asset acquisitions approved by the commercial investment group, the costs, benefits to our residents and financial return?”

 

           In response the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance stated that an update would be included in the quarterly performance report from the next cycle and Cabinet received an annual report on progress. The Commercial Investment Advisory Group had been kept informed and a decision notice was also published following an acquisition.

 

           In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.5, Councillor S J Jones exercised her right to ask one supplementary question.

 

(11)     In the absence of Councillor P M Wallace, the question was not put to the meeting.

 

(12)     Councillor M R Eddy asked the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources and Performance, Councillor M D Conolly:

 

           “In view of this council’s increasingly difficult financial position caused by the government’s austerity policies, will the Portfolio holder consider petitioning the government, as East Sussex County Council is doing, in order to secure further funding for this district?”

 

           In response the Leader of the Council, Councillor K E Morris, stated that the Leader of Kent County Council was seeking a meeting with the government on it and he would report back on the outcome. 

 

           In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.5, Councillor M R Eddy exercised his right to ask one supplementary question.

Supporting documents: