Agenda item

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so.  The deadline for registering is 5.00pm on Thursday 28 March 2013.  Members of the public can speak on agenda items or matters within the remit of the committee.

To register to speak please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting, on the details at the foot of the agenda.

It was reported that there had been one registration to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme, and a number of Members of Council had requested to speak on the following items:

5. Reinvigorate York: Public Space Improvement Project for Kings Square

Cllr Reid confirmed that whilst Kings Square would benefit from a facelift, it was felt that an outlay of £500k was not justified in the current economic climate when roads were in need of maintenance. With reference to the application for planning permission for cafe seating it was felt that this should not take place until the works had been completed to ensure that the necessary space was available.

6. Waste Services – Service Delivery Options 2012/13 and 2013/14

Cllr Doughty spoke in respect of the proposals for waste services, again expressing his concerns that residents had not been offered status quo as an alternative in the consultation regarding future service delivery. He reiterated his opposition to proposals including the partial closure of the Towthorpe HWRC and questioned the possible failure in projected income and the likelihood of not reaching recycling targets.

Cllr Reid spoke to reiterate her opposition to the recommendations to charge for additional green bins and cease collection during the winter months leading to more green waste being diverted to landfill. Reference was also made to the proposed exchange of additional green bins, or free bins for a home composter and options for food waste collection which were not included in the recommendations. It was pointed out that 1,850 residents had signed a petition opposing the proposals. Cabinet were asked for a commitment that any reduction in the service at Towthorpe HWRC would not lead to its ultimate closure.

7. Neighbourhood Working

Cllr Warters spoke to request discussion regarding consultation on changes at Hull Road Park.

Cllr Runciman pointed out that Ward Committees and Parish Council’s had worked well over a number of years, following a great deal of hard work by ward members and residents. However, over the last two years budget cuts had seen a reduction in resident engagement. Concern was expressed that Officers should work with established infrastructure in wards rather than impose CYC led initiatives.

Cllr Cuthbertson also spoke to express serious concerns regarding the health and wellbeing of ward committees. Reference was made to the current advertising and publicity given to these meetings and to subsequent poor attendance.

8. Horses – Enforcement Policy

Cllr Warters also spoke in respect of the delays in bringing forward a policy for enforcing the removal of horses from Council land. He pointed out that the policy appeared to consist of existing laws which the authority had previously chosen to ignore. He asked the Cabinet Member to implement a zero tolerance policy in relation to horses tethered on verges to prevent further cruelty to horses.

9. Embracing Diversity: A Hate Crime Strategy for York

Ginnie Shaw, spoke as a member of the York Racial Equality Network whose aim was to work in harmony for a just society. The Network had welcomed the opportunity to assist in the refresh of the Hate Crime Strategy as their body was at the forefront against hate crime, being a reporting centre for a number of years, and providing evidence and statistics to assist various strategies and organisations. They had a number of active members who sat on various bodies throughout the city. Although YREN were happy to assist in the delivery of the action plan she questioned how the work would be funded. A request was made that YREN was included in the strategy as a named voluntary partner in all four strategy aims.

11. Maximising the Opportunities From the Green Deal in York

Cllr Healey spoke to request the inclusion of options and costs of these proposals to be provided to enable comparisons to be made prior to participation in this scheme.