To receive questions submitted to the Leader under Standing Order No.14
Minutes:
Under Standing Order No. 14 Members asked the following questions:
Councillor Niblock asked if the Leader could estimate the drop in the numbers of visitors to Chesterfield that would result if the Council withdrew its annual funding of 15K towards the running costs of Visit Peak District and Derbyshire?
The Leader advised that in July 2023, the Council had adopted a Budget Strategy and in November 2023 Cabinet had agreed a Budget Strategy Implementation Plan. There were plans to review many areas of Council expenditure, and that in due course reports would be prepared for Cabinet consideration and approval. The Leader stated that she did not have an estimate.
Councillor Flood asked the Leader if she could share with the Council information on all the support given and services provided to residents and businesses affected by the recent floods?
The Leader thanked Councillor Flood for her recognition of all the hard work Council staff had put in to helping the flood victims. Over 800 homes and businesses had been affected by Storm Babet.
In the immediate response phase, Environmental Services staff had responded to calls from residents for sandbags and aqua sacks, Homelessness staff had sourced temporary accommodation, and staff at Queen’s Park Sports Centre had worked in support of Derbyshire County Council to open an emergency rest centre.
From the next day onwards, all Council services were engaged, assessing the impact on residents and businesses and leading the clean-up operations.
218 households were now in receipt of community recovery grants and 98 businesses had applied for business recovery grants.
The Leader also expressed her thanks to Gussie’s Kitchen and the Lifehouse Church who had both offered hot meals and support to those helping out or affected by the floods.
Councillor Hollingworth asked the Leader if she could clarify what was meant by ‘Review and Reduce the costs of Town Centre Events’
The Leader referred Cllr Hollingworth to the Budget Strategy Implementation Plan where further detail could be found on the scope of the Review.
Councillor Dyke asked the Leader for an update on the 22 council homes that were being built at Middlecroft / Staveley.
The Leader was pleased to advise that the Council had overseen the development of 100 plus new council homes over the past four years. The 22 new homes planned for Middlecroft / Staveley were a mixture of bungalows and houses, 2 bed and 3 bed. Adaptations were also being made to one of the new homes to accommodate the needs of the tenant who would be moving in. All 22 would be green homes, heated by air source heat pumps, with solar panels fitted as standard alongside electric charging points to help the Council deliver on its climate change commitments.
Councillor Snowdon asked the Leader to clarify what was meant by ‘Reviewing residents free town centre parking’, does it mean reducing the hours or ending free parking altogether? Should we extend this and remove free car parking passes from Councillors too?
The Leader stated that the Monitoring Officer might be better placed to answer his question. As councillors could legitimately claim expenses when carrying out their duties, it would in all likelihood cost the Council more to reimburse councillors for the cost of parking their cars rather than meeting the cost of providing free parking passes.
Councillor Ogle asked the Leader for an update on how the Staveley Town Deal Construction Skills Hub project.
The Leader was delighted to inform Council that she had recently visited the construction skills hub site at Mastin Moor with the first intake of students recruited by Chesterfield College. The students would be able to gain experience and hone their practical skills in a live setting alongside their time in a College classroom, learning to build new homes and about new modern methods of construction. Given its location, it was also hoped that the Hub would encourage the young people of Staveley to ‘Start, Stay and Grow’ in the area.
Councillor Jacobs asked the Leader what support would be offered to people who have no access to internet banking or cannot use a cashless system?
The Leader informed Council that there were numerous alternative locations to the Customer Service Centre where residents could pay their bills. Many of these locations were more convenient than making the journey to the Town Hall. Residents could also contact the Customer Service Centre by phone to make payments.