To receive any written questions from Councillors.

Question from Councillor MAF Hubbard to the Cabinet Member Economic Development and Community Services.

 

 

1.1       What funds have been made available to assist in the re-location of businesses affected by the proposed ESG Link road?

 

1.2       How many businesses will have to close or re-locate to facilitate the proposed ESG Link road and how many people are employed by these businesses?

 

1.3       What research was undertaken to ensure that the purchase of the Three Elms Trading Estate would meet the requirements of the businesses needing to relocate from the ESG area as opposed to the Faraday Road site and how many businesses expressed a preference for one site or the other?

 

1.4       Are there sufficient funds available to the Council and ESG Ltd to purchase the Faraday Road site and if not, why not?

 

1.5       How much did the banners that have appeared in the Franklin Barnes windows advertising the ESG project as “One bigger buzzing city” cost and who funded these costs?

 

1.6       How much has been spent by Herefordshire Council and ESG Ltd taking advertising out for the promotion of the ESG project since the beginning of the It’s Our City (IOC) Campaign on 2 September 2009?  Please supply a breakdown of each advert, event or item of publicity material.

 

1.7       What is the total financial contribution from the Council to the ESG Company so far?  Please provide outturn up to the end of the 2008/09 year, latest estimate for the current year and current estimate for the 2009/10 year.

 

1.8       What plans are there for a new Hereford City Library?

 

1.9       What is the latest information as to the number of houses to be built on the Edgar Street Grid?  Please give figures for the “Urban village”, the “Retail Quarter” and the “New Area”.  How many of these houses will be socially affordable?

 

 

Answer from Councillor AJM Blackshaw Cabinet Member Economic Development and Community Services

 

1.1       I refer to the answer given to Ms P Roberts at public question 1.1

 

1.2       I refer to the answer given to Ms P Roberts at public question 1.2

 

1.3       Three Elms Trading Estate was purchased by Advantage West Midlands in 2006 primarily to help facilitate the wider economic regeneration of Hereford City as well as securing in public ownership land and premises that could meet the requirements of businesses relocating from within the ESG area.  The acquisition costs for purchasing this Trading Estate have not come from within the £20m allocated to the ESG project. 

The Council is exploring the acquisition of the Faraday Road site

A survey has been completed in which businesses on the ESG were asked where they would be looking to relocate to.  Whilst the majority of respondents said they did not know where they would be looking to relocate two identified Faraday Road and one identified Three Elms as a preferred location. 

 

1.4       Yes. 

 

1.5       The banners in the Franklin Barnes window cost £1,293.75 and were funded by ESG Herefordshire Ltd.

1.6      The overall amount spent since 2 September is £6,165.78.  The breakdown is:

 

 

1.7       I refer to the answer given to Mrs B Evans at public question 5.1.

 

 

1.8       I refer to the answer given to Mrs U Clay at public question 3.1

 

1.9       I refer to the answer given to Mr B Clay at public question 2.3.

Question from Councillor A Seldon to the Cabinet Member Corporate and Customer Services and Human Resources

 

In September of this year, a company called ‘Rite Angle’ was operating in Bromyard, allegedly on behalf of Herefordshire Council.  The company held two meetings (one at the Falcon Hotel and the other, a day later, in a private house) where members of the public were paid for their ‘time and expenses’ to express their views of this Council.

 

2.1             Was ‘Rite Angle’ operating on behalf of this Council?

2.2             Where else in the county did this take place?

2.3             For what purpose was the company engaged?

2.4             Were there any other companies engaged for the same purpose?

2.5             How much were individual members of the public paid for their ‘time and expenses’?

2.6             What was the total budget for this exercise?

2.7             Who authorised the expenditure?

2.8             Why were the elected Members not told about the operation of this company?

 

Answer from Councillor JP French Cabinet Member Corporate and Customer Services and Human Resources

 

Composite response

As Councillor Seldon will be aware from the information he has already received on this subject from the Chief Executive, local research has been commissioned, through the Council’s Research Team, to further explore local issues identified by the Herefordshire Quality of Life survey, known nationally as the ‘Place Survey’ and which every council in England is required to carry out every two years and in accordance with national guidance.

 

The purpose of this further work is to inform future measures to improve customer satisfaction with the Council and its services and, as part of this research a cross section of some 100 local residents from market towns and rural communities across the county have been contacted to participate in discussions. It is understood that those who participated in the two hour facilitated group discussions were recompensed for their time and expenses in accordance with market research practice; however the arrangements for doing so are a matter for the research company.

 

The company referred to in the question was not contracted by the Council, but it is understood acts on behalf of the company that is undertaking the work the later being secured in full compliance with the Council’s procurement processes for a contract with a value below £50,000.

 

Question from Councillor PJ Watts to the Cabinet Member Highways and Transportation

 

With regards to the ongoing dispute between Herefordshire Council (HC) and adjoining properties over St Katherine’s car park boundary wall repairs in Ledbury, which includes the loss of 7 car parking spaces for over 18 months:

 

3.1             How much are the legal costs to date for HC?

3.2             How much possible revenue has been lost from these 7 car parking spaces by HC?

3.3             Will this revenue loss be reclaimed through a compensation agreement by HC?

Answer from Councillor DB Wilcox Cabinet Member Highways and Transportation.

 

3.1       The legal costs to date are approximately £7,600.00.

3.2       If we base our estimates on the revenue over the financial year 2008/09 (£54,000) and average that income across the 130 bays, then the average per year per bay is £415.38.  For 7 bays over 18 months (the period of loss) therefore the potential lost income would be £4,361.

3.3       This will be dependent upon the outcome of any agreement that is reached as a result of the on going discussions.

 

Question from Councillor PJ Watts to the Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing

 

3.4       Given that HC has policies to reduce carbon emissions/carbon footprint throughout the county and has encouraged residents to do the same.  What is HC going to do now that pedestrians have been banned from entering waste recycling centres county wide by the private waste contractors who run these sites?

3.5       There is a rudimentary system in place where residents have to book an appointment by phone for a time and date by staff, but clearly from various emails from residents in Ledbury, this does not work, some have returned home complete with waste.  How will HC rectify this situation?

Answer from Councillor JG Jarvis Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing

 

3.4       Pedestrians have not been banned from entering the Household Recycling Sites.  It is clear that the Ledbury Site in particular has very restricted one-way vehicular access and there is no pedestrian access to the tipping area as there is inadequate space for vehicles to pass pedestrians on this site.  The situation has been made worse as there is considerable evidence that commercial vehicles circumvent the permit scheme to illegally tip waste on the site by parking outside and carrying waste on to the site. It is an offence to dispose of commercial waste on these sites and it is an offence for the contractors to allow such waste to be disposed of.

 

3.5       Officers are aware of the difficulties and are discussing with the Contractor and Worcestershire County Council alternative arrangements that are easier for the residents in the immediate neighbourhood.

 

Question from Councillor GFM Dawe to the Cabinet Member Highways and Transportation

 

4.1       What is the total financial contribution from the Council to the Edgar Street Grid (ESG) Company so far and how much of this has been paid by Advantage West Midlands or other external agencies?  Please provide outturn up to the end of the 2008/09 year, latest estimate for the current year and current estimate for the 2009/10 year.

 

The Outer Distributor Road (ODR) was costed at £130m by Herefordshire Council in their press release of February 24 2009, which presumably formed the basis of the Regional Funding Application to the Department for Transport of £60m that was refused in the Department for Transport letter of 22 July 2009.  A report by Bloor Homes and the Church Commissioners to the Regional Spatial Strategy of July 2009 estimated an ODR on the west of Hereford including bridge would be £40m.

4.2       How did the Council reach their £130m figure?

 

Answer from Councillor DB Wilcox Cabinet Member Highways and Transportation

 

4.1       I refer to the answer given to Mrs B Evans at public question 5.1

 

4.2             As explained in my answer to Ms Protherough’s question 8.1 it must be emphasised that funding for the ODR has not been refused. 

 

In order to identify a single cost estimate for inclusion in the West Midlands Regional Funding Advice, an average of the highest east/west route cost estimates was taken. 

 

 

Question from Councillor GFM Dawe to the Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing

 

The Conservatives have said they will immediately abandon Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) if they win the next election and leave housing targets to local councils.

 

4.3       If the Conservatives win the next general election will Herefordshire Council abandon its 18,000 target set by the Regional Assembly and if not, why not?

 

 

Answer from Councillor JG Jarvis Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing

 

4.3       No.  If we want this County to be a sustainable and cohesive community we will need to sustain commitment to growth.

 

Question from Councillor ME Cooper to the Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing

 

5.1       May we be updated as to the introduction of the new Waste Collection Contract which started on 2 November 2009?

 

Answer from Councillor JG Jarvis Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing

 

5.1       In the first week of November last year we collected 826 tonnes domestic refuse and 97 tonnes of recyclate.  The first week of the new contract saw 693 tonnes domestic refuse with 260 tonnes recyclate being collected. Whilst we are aware that many residents have stockpiled recycling the drop in the amount of residual waste is dramatic (16%).  Severn Waste Services, whose plant the recycling is sent to for sorting have told us that the quality of the mixed recyclate being delivered to the plant is exceptionally high which means we are able to recover the maximum value.

There have been a relatively small number of teething problems which will, in the main, be ironed out by the end of week two of the new contract.

In addition the service will be supplemented by a new SMS service.  Members of the public can text to 80800 with the message hcrecycle their postcode and the first line of their address and they will receive a weekly message to remind them to put out their recycling and waste on the appropriate day.

 

Question from Councillor RI Matthews to the Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing

 

6.1       The Audit Commission recently compiled a report in which they made a number of recommendations concerning the Authority’s General Planning Procedures.  My understanding is that this investigation was asked for by either an officer or a member of this Authority.  Could you please tell me who requested this investigation and for what reason?

 

Answer from Councillor ACR Chappell Chairman of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee

 

 

6.1       The Audit Commission, as the Council’s contracted external auditor, agrees each year with the Council a work programme which includes both core annual work such as the Use of Resources assessment and service specific review work which varies from year to year. These service specific reviews are mutually agreed taking into account a number of factors including performance, risk, public correspondence, previous reviews and other inspections taking place within the authority; in 2008/09 these included both Development Control and Procurement services. I am not aware of any individual officer or member making a request for any ‘inspection’ of Planning Services.

 

Question from Councillor AT Oliver to the Cabinet Member Resources

 

7.1       There appears to be considerable slippage in the Council’s capital budget for 2009/10.  Would you identify the major projects which will not be started or completed by 31 March 2010 with an explanation as to why?

Answer from Councillor H Bramer Cabinet Member Resources

 

7.1       As reported in the capital monitoring reports to Cabinet the slippage is largely due to the following schemes;-

 

• £1m - Ross library – there is a three month delay with building work; although this is now expected to start in April.  A limited budget meant the scheme had to be re-engineered and tenders are to be invited early in 2010 with a start on site - April 2010.

 

• £2.4m - Ledbury library - extensive consultation has been undertaken with the Town Council and community on the proposals.  Planning application is to be submitted in early December following consultation with English Heritage.  Tenders to be sought April 2010 and commencement on site in June 2010.

 

 

Question from Councillor AT Oliver to the Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing

 

7.2       What is the total number of affordable and social housing units completed in the 4 years to March 2009 across the county?

 

7.3       How many of these are 3 bedroomed properties and how many 4 bedroomed?

 

7.4       Following planning permission being given to Crest Homes for 300 houses at Holmer, would the Cabinet Member confirm whether there are any proposals to improve the road bridge at College Road and the railway bridge at Roman Road?

 

Answer from Councillor JG Jarvis Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing

 

7.2       Total number of affordable and social housing units completed in the 4 years to March 2009 across the County.

            05/06  188

            06/07  182

            07/08  141

            08/09  208

 

7.3       How many of these are 3 bedroomed properties and how many 4 bedroomed?

            05/06  3 bedroomed = 38    4 bedroomed = 0

            06/07  3 bedroomed = 50    4 bedroomed = 0*     * 1 no. 5 bedrooomed property

            07/08  3 bedroomed = 98    4 bedroomed = 7

            08/09  3 bedroomed = 52    4 bedroomed = 3

 

7.4       The Council currently has no specific proposals to improve the road bridge at College Road or the railway bridge at Roman Road.  However, a s106 Agreement in relation to the development of 300 houses at Holmer was secured . which will provide a financial contribution to the Council of £138,000.  The terms of the s106 agreement allows for this contribution to be used as follows:

"Towards the cost of the Council designing and/or letting a contract for improving the existing bridge or constructing a replacement road bridge or towards such alternative works in the vicinity of the existing bridge as may be approved in writing by the Council and which are designed to improve vehicle cycle and pedestrian safety in the College Green locality and/or the free flow of traffic over the existing bridge."

 

Question from Councillor AT Oliver to the Cabinet Member Highways and Transportation

 

7.5       What is the estimated cost of extending the Rotherwas Relief Road to the river and building a road bridge across the river at Rotherwas?

 

Answer from Councillor DB Wilcox Cabinet Member Highways and Transportation

 

7.5       Estimated costs will be determined as part of the process of determining the route.

 

Question from Councillor AT Oliver to the Cabinet Resources

 

7.6       What is the annual cost of the pension arrangements for the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive, the Assistant Chief Executives and the Directors of Hereford Council?

 

Answer from Councillor H Bramer Cabinet Member Resources

 

7.6       The annual cost of the pension arrangements for the Herefordshire Council is £107,596.30.  In addition the individuals make personal employee contributions as required by the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

 

Question from Councillor WLS Bowen to the Cabinet Member Resources

 

8.1             How many Council services can be accessed, currently, at village post offices?

8.2             How many more services, such as trailer permits for the tips and so on could be added to the list?

8.3             Do you agree that with modern bar code systems these services would be easy to provide through local post offices and would give the Council near instant payments and records of transactions?

 

Answer from Councillor H Bramer Cabinet Member Resources

 

8.1       The Council has taken steps to extend its payment facilities to Post Offices.  Since 2008 all post offices and some local shops can accept payment of council tax.  This will be extended in April 2010 to include all other types of council payment such as business rates, parking penalty notices and general invoices.  The bills will all be bar coded thus enabling the council to have next day updates of all payments received by post offices and shops.

 

8.2       We are already exploring additional options for delivery through local post offices.

 

8.3       Bar coding is already being undertaken for all the services currently provided.

Question from Councillor JD Woodward to the Cabinet Member Highways and Transportation

 

9.1       Now that this Council has granted planning permission for the flood alleviation scheme at Credenhill, what assurances will this Council give to the residents of both Greyfriars Avenue and Wye terrace that they will suffer no adverse flooding, and will funds be made available to these residents to protect their homes?

 

Answer from Councillor DB Wilcox Cabinet Member Highways and Transportation

 

9.1       The Yazor Brook Flood Alleviation scheme provides significant benefits to the city of Hereford by reducing the potential for flooding within the city centre.  The scheme affords flood relief for 115 commercial and residential properties. This is estimated to save £2.76 million in costs associated with flooding.

 

Having regard to the minimal impact of the scheme on the River Wye flood levels, there is no reason to consider that any specific funding is likely to be required in response to the scheme for additional flood protection.

 

Question from Councillor JD Woodward to the Cabinet Member Corporate and Customer Services and Human Resources

 

9.2       The strap line for Herefordshire Council has changed to ‘Working in partnership for the people of Herefordshire’.  When did it change, who decided to change it and who are in the partnership?

 

Answer from Councillor JP French Cabinet Member Corporate and Customer Services and Human Resources

 

9.2       The strap line refers to the enhanced partnership working between Herefordshire Council and NHS Herefordshire, which has been in place for around two years. The strap line Working in Partnership for the People of Herefordshire, was approved by joint management team, the PCT Board and relevant Cabinet Members, and has been in use in communications material for over a year. For example, it has been used on the front of Services Update and Members’ News, which goes to all elected members.

 

Question from Councillor JD Woodward to the Leader of the Council

 

9.3       In light of the fact that the Chief Executive of the ESG admitted in a public meeting at the Courtyard on 19 October that the consultation by the ESG was flawed, can we now expect the development to be stopped so that proper consultation can take place?

 

Answer from Councillor RJ Phillips Leader of the Council

 

9.3       No. The development will proceed, however there remains an ongoing commitment to consultation on the ESG Project.  Nothing is yet set in stone and we will ensure full consultation in the future development of the City.