Agenda item

Questions to the Executive Leader and Executive Members received under Standing Order 10(c)

Meeting of Council, Thursday, 3 December 2009 6.35 pm (Item 69.)

To deal with the following questions to the Executive Leader and / or other Executive Members, in accordance with Standing Order 10(a):

(i) To the Executive Leader, from Cllr Alexander:

“Can the Executive Leader please tell Council how many meetings he has had with the Council's Information Management and E-Government Champion to specifically discuss Information Management and E-Government since being in the position?”

(ii) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Gillies:

“Can the Executive Member brief the Council on the progress made on identifying the availability of sites and the availability of funding for the community stadium and whether these activities are meeting the timeline?”

(iii) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Wiseman:

“Could the Executive Member set forth the requirements for when Highways officers are required to attend planning meetings in order to address members’ queries regarding their response, or lack of written response, to planning applications?”

(iv) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Wiseman:

“Can you tell us why Lendal Bridge is no longer lit up at night?”

(v) To the Executive Member for Corporate Services, from Cllr Healey:

“When does the Executive Member expect the adult social care provision part of More4York to come before the Executive?”

(vi) To the Executive Member for Corporate Services, from Cllr Alexander:

“Can the Executive Member for Corporate Services tell Council how many meetings he has had with the Council's Efficiency, Procurement and Risk Management Champion to specifically discuss Efficiency, Procurement and Risk Management since being in the position?”

(vii) To the Executive Member for Corporate Services, from Cllr Scott:

“Does the Executive Member for Corporate Services still believe in openness and transparency in local democracy in the operation of the Council?”

(viii) To the Executive Member for Housing & Adult Social Services, from Cllr Alexander:

“Would the Executive Member for Housing and Adult Social Services explain whether the Council offers those who receive a 'meals on wheels' service to opt for a frozen meal alternative, and if so does the Council provide microwaves free of charge to these individuals?”

(ix) To the Executive Member for Housing & Adult Social Services, from Cllr Simpson-Laing:

“Will the Executive Member for HASS work with me to increase signing up to the Organ Donor Register by ensuring that all Council buildings, both public and private, display information on how to join the Register and that this information is also included for the next 12 months in all Council internal and external publications to help aid the rise in those signed to the register in the City?”

(x) To the Executive Member for Learning, Culture & Children’s Services, from Cllr Healey:

"Would the Executive Member outline the contingency arrangements for SEN children who move into the authority's catchment area during the school year?"

(xi) To the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, from Cllr Alexander:

“Can the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services report to Council how many times police officers have been ‘rented’ under the Police Act 1996 to further reduce crime and as in line with their Election pledge of 2007?”

(xii) To the Executive Member for Leisure, Culture & Social Inclusion, from Cllr Crisp:

“Can the Executive Member for Leisure & Culture describe his plans to increase York residents’ take up of sport and active leisure in relation to the continued decreasing figures, as reported in the Council’s National Indicator Report?”

Minutes:

Twelve questions had been submitted to the Executive Leader and Executive Members under Standing Order 11.3(a). As the guillotine had now fallen, Members agreed to receive written responses to these questions. The questions and the written responses are set out below:

(i) To the Executive Leader, from Cllr Alexander:

“It will come as no surprise to say that I see Cllr Ayre frequently and have had a number of meetings throughout the time that Cllr Ayre has been the Council’s Information Management and E-Government Champion to discuss issues relating to the council’s electronic communication, data security, and implications of government legislation. Many of these discussions have been as part of other meetings that I have had with him, and I therefore I am not in a position to state how many were specifically to discuss Information Management and E-Government, and how many were the efficient use of time at other scheduled meeting times.”

(ii) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Gillies:

“The feasibility work commissioned by the Executive of June 23rd 2009 is under way. As part of this feasibility study officers are undertaking site selection, needs and financial analysis to identify preferred site(s) and options for the community stadium project.

Advisors have been engaged for the project who are providing the advice on financial and planning issues.

· Investigated developments being pursued elsewhere in the country.

· Detailed community needs analysis completed.

· Collated all the potential sites which has been extensive.

· Extensive discussions with landowners and potential partners.

· Development of outline business cases on more optimistic sites.

· Internal discussions on planning and transport issues for several potential sites.

Given the timescales involved we would expect to bring an report to the Executive in the spring with an earlier update report being submitted to an Executive decision session.”

(iii) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Wiseman:

“The service template (protocol) governing attendance at Planning meetings was agreed 3 years ago. Committee chairs were involved in drawing up the agreement. It followed a reduction in staffing in the transport section. It was felt at that attendance would only be routinely provided for major applications that have city wide implications.

Officers have been following this procedure for the past 3 years. The transport team responds to all planning consultations in writing. This advice is made available to the Committee. Verbal discussions also take place between the planning case officer and highways officer on specific aspects.

In addition, if questions are raised at the Chair’s brief, these are relayed back to the highway officer and a response is provided at the committee.

Additional support/attendance can be provided in exceptional circumstances.

Any specific cases, where a request for written advice has been made without an appropriate response, should be referred, in the first instance, to the Director.”

(iv) To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Wiseman:

“Can you tell us why Lendal Bridge is no longer lit up at night?”

“Lighting now falls within the remit of the Neighbourhoods portfolio.

I understand though that the question refers to the under-bridge floodlighting.

As members may know this lighting has been subject to considerable non accidental damage over the months and more recently theft of some of the equipment. Officers are seeking to effect repairs although river levels can influence the timetable for so doing.

We are discussing options with a company who manufacture lighting for prisons in the hope we will be able to install vandal proof lighting in the near future.

Incidentally, the new flood lighting at the side of Lendal arch will be commissioned next week. The new floodlights at Lendal Arch are colour changing LED's, the colour is programmable (millions of colours), they will probably be purple through the Christmas period, then will be predominantly white to emphasize the features of the wall, they use approx 1/3 of the energy compared to the existing system and they are vandal resistant.”

(v) To the Executive Member for Corporate Services, from Cllr Healey:

“When does the Executive Member expect the adult social care provision part of More4York to come before the Executive?”

“The More for York Adult Social Care proposals will come before the Executive at the meeting on 15^th December. The papers for the meeting will be published tomorrow.”

(vi) To the Executive Member for Corporate Services, from Cllr Alexander:

“I have frequent meetings with the Efficiency, Procurement and Risk Management Champion to discuss these issues. However I do not have a full record of these meetings and so am unable to tell Council how many such meetings have taken place.”

(vii) To the Executive Member for Corporate Services, from Cllr Scott:

“Does the Executive Member for Corporate Services still believe in openness and transparency in local democracy in the operation of the Council?”

“I refer Councillor Scott to my previous answer to this question on 15^th October.”

(viii) To the Executive Member for Housing & Adult Social Services, from Cllr Alexander:

“The meals on wheels service ended in 2006 as part of a wider review of home care services. Since that time customers have been able to choose from a range of providers of frozen meals. A small number of customers continue to receive help in preparing their meals.

The frozen meals providers do not supply microwaves but if any customer could not afford to purchase one themselves the council would try to assist through a charitable source.”

(ix) To the Executive Member for Housing & Adult Social Services, from Cllr Simpson-Laing:

“Clearly there are some council publications and buildings in which such information may not be appropriate however, with this in mind I would be happy to work with Councillor Simpson-Laing to raise awareness of this very important issue.

As Councillor Simpson-Laing will be aware it is Liberal Democrat policy to introduce an opt-out system for organ donation, a move which I am sure would boost the number of organ donors massively as people who want to donate but haven't got round to signing up are included on the list. I would hope that this policy will receive cross party support the next time it is raised in parliament.”

(x) To the Executive Member for Learning, Culture & Children’s Services, from Cllr Healey:

"Would the Executive Member outline the contingency arrangements for SEN children who move into the authority's catchment area during the school year?"

“When a child with a Statement transfers to CYC, there is a legal responsibility to meet the child’s needs as specified in the Statement and to match the arrangements put in place by the previous Authority. No additional funding can be made available within the financial year but the budget will be adjusted to take account of the additional placement in the next financial year.

If the child requires a mainstream placement with additional support, the funding arrangements to achieve this are exactly the same as for any CYC child who has a Statement of Special Needs. This means that the school will be responsible, from its own delegated budgets, to fund the first 15 hours of additional support and the Local Authority will fund any support above the 15 hour threshold. In York, over 90% of the available funding for Special Educational Needs is already delegated directly to schools.

Whilst there is no specific contingency fund for individual children, newly arrived in the city, there is an SEN contingency fund for schools which find themselves in financial difficulties because of an unexpectedly higher level of children with high level special educational needs. Application is on the basis of the overall SEN budget position within the school, not the needs of a specific individual child, and the overall financial reserves held by the school are also taken into account. The Schools Forum makes such decisions. Schools who take in unanticipated new arrivals could be in a position to make an application to the contingency fund if the increased budgeting demand places them in overall difficulties.

In general the Local Authority and the Schools Forum have taken the view that contingency funding, although helpful, should be kept to a relatively modest level because holding money in this way can only be done by top slicing the amount that is delegated to schools. Overall, schools tell us that the current arrangements are working well.”

(xi) To the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, from Cllr Alexander:

“None.”

(xii) To the Executive Member for Leisure, Culture & Social Inclusion, from Cllr Crisp:

"It is our stated ambition that by 2013 York will have the highest participation rates in active lifestyles of any city in the country. To achieve LAA target (NI8) of increasing participation in sport by 1% per annum we need to see an increase of 1,657 new people playing sport in the city every year. In order to realise this aim we have put together our own service plan as well as working closely with Active York to develop the City Sport and Active Leisure Strategy that combines raising the profile of sport in the city, investment in new facilities and greater tailoring of our offer to ensure that there is something available to meet everyone's tastes.

Examples of the work currently under way include:

· Targeted participation programmes based on needs analysis e.g. Walking for Health programmes, postural stability programmes, Age Concern swimming sessions, The 'Fit as a Fiddle' programme for people over 50 and people with disabilities

· Actively supporting local sports club development programmes. Ensuring that over 280 sports clubs in York are accessible to all members of the community by offering information about club accreditation, funding opportunities, Discretionary Rate Relief, CASC status, National Governing Body developments, sports specific forums attendance, specific project management for funding bids.

· Strategic development of funding bid portfolios on behalf of Active York (currently £5m for football, £1.5m for sport and physical activity)

· Investing in facilities including the new Energise sports centre with new pool and gym.

· Support for a range of disability activity sessions including Inclusive Gym Sessions, Sportsability, 1st York Boccia, Bowlsability, Danceability, York St John Inclusive Activity Club, Disabled Learn to Swim Program, Footballability, Disabled Swimming Sessions at New Earswick, Athletics Disabled Sessions at Huntington, Core Stability sessions at Hob Moor, Tag Rugby at Westfield, disabled Tennis at York Tennis Club.”