[Note In accordance with standing order 14.11 of Chichester District Council’s Constitution, this item is allocated a maximum duration of 40 minutes]
Minutes:
The questions to the executive asked by members and the responses given were as follows:
Question: The number of homeless people who are in employment
Mrs C Apel (Chichester West) asked for details of the number of homeless people including those with families who were nonetheless in employment on low wages but unable to afford the high rents in the private sector.
Response
Mrs J Kilby (Cabinet Member for Housing Services) said that she did not have the available figures but undertook to make enquiries and provide a written answer.
Question: Implications for Chichester District of the proposed changes by West Sussex County Council for household waste site management arrangements
Mr J Brown (Southbourne) referred to proposals by West Sussex County Council (WSCC) to introduce a new scheme to regulate and charge for household waste at its collection sites. He wished to know what implications there might be for Chichester District residents in terms of increased costs and also fly-tipping incidents.
Response
Mr R Barrow (Cabinet Member for Residents Services) and Mrs J Dodsworth (Director of Residents Services) said that there were as yet no details of what WSCC was proposing and enquiries would be made. Mr Barrow said that an opportunity to do so would be at the next Waste and Recycling Panel meeting on Monday 30 July 2018 when Steve Read (Director of Energy, Waste and Environment WSCC) would in attendance.
Question: Target date for eliminating homelessness
Mr S Lloyd-Williams (Chichester North) referred to the approval by the Council earlier in the meeting for additional funding to address homelessness in Chichester District (minute para 14) and asked the Cabinet Member for Housing Services to reconsider her comment a while ago that no date would or could be set for the elimination of homelessness in this area.
Response
Mrs J Kilby (Cabinet Member for Housing Services) said that there was no final target date. Homelessness was a country-wide problem which was receiving national and local attention. The aim was to achieve a reduction in homelessness.
Question: Loss of bank facilities in rural areas
Mrs L Purnell (Selsey North) referred to the number of bank closures within Chichester District, which reflected a national situation. She was concerned about the impact of such closures on rural areas and their local economies, such as the Manhood Peninsula and also areas around Midhurst and Petworth. She hoped that representations by CDC’s political leaders could be made to Gillian Keegan MP to inform the government that this was an unacceptable situation.
Response
Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) acknowledged the point and said that he would write a letter on behalf of CDC’s party group leaders to the MP. He requested members to e-mail facts to him for inclusion in the letter.
Question: Velo South cyclist event on Sunday 23 September 2018
Mr A Shaxson (Harting) had previously raised this subject at the Annual Council meeting. The outstanding issue to address was the appalling lack of communication which had occurred. He said that whilst it had been said that CDC had only a peripheral role, a very recent note published by West Sussex County Council indicated that there were regular meetings to which CDC had been invited and moreover fortnightly updates were released. He said that that information should have been made available to members and asked that they be sent copies of recent and all future updates.
Response
Mrs D Shepherd (Chief Executive) said that information had appeared in the monthly Members Bulletin and that further details arising from those meetings could be sent to members. She invited members to send her specific issues, points and questions which she could raise on their behalf at the next meeting later in the week.
Question: The need to increase open space and play area provision
Mr S Oakley (Tangmere) emphasised the public health benefits of public open spaces, play areas etc and he hoped that the Local Plan Review process would achieve an increase and not a decrease in open space development.
Response
Mrs S Taylor (Cabinet Member for Planning Services) referred to the recent Local Plan Review member briefing on Tuesday 17 July 2017 on open spaces, built facilities and playing pitch strategy and pointed out that the policy was still being formulated and no final decisions had yet been made.
Question: How homelessness can affect people on all income levels
Mr R Hayes (Southbourne) alluded to a BBC Radio 4 report which he had heard earlier in the day which revealed that homelessness affected not only low-paid workers but also those in the professions. He recommended members to listen to it.
Response
Mrs J Kilby (Cabinet Member for Housing Services) said that she would make sure she heard that programme. She in turn recommended the Channel 4 Dispatches programme which had been broadcast the previous evening. Its filming within two homeless shelters had revealed the growing number of people who were in work but homeless because they could not afford expensive private rents in a low-wage economy.
Question: An Enterprise Centre for Midhurst
Mr G McAra (Midhurst) said that at the opening of the Enterprise Centre in Terminus Road Chichester earlier in the year he had suggested to the Leader of the Council and Gillian Keegan MP that something similar was needed for Midhurst and Petworth. He asked if the Midhurst Vision Steering Group (MVSG) could consider having a workshop in the town eg on the former brickworks site.
Response
Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) referred to the table in section 7.1 of the Midhurst Vision project initiation document which the Council would be considering in the next agenda item (pages 59 to 60 of the Council agenda). The seventh entry in that table was a feasibility study to consider the potential to develop an Arts Centre/Creation space. He said that Mr S Hill (Rural Towns Co-ordinator) could discuss Mr McAra’s point with the MVSG.
[Note End of Questions to the Executive]