Agenda item

Under Standing Order No. 14 Members asked the following questions:

Councillor Falconer asked if members could be informed of any plans the Council had to build a hotel at Chesterfield Waterside.

Councillor Gilby replied that there had been a long-standing aspiration to work with investors and developers to build a hotel at Chesterfield Waterside. The Council had also been actively engaging in discussions with possible Hotel operators. As these were commercially sensitive matters, no further details could be shared at this time.

Councillor Redihough asked about what progress had been made to procure alternative arrangements for the management of Tapton Park Golf Course.

Councillor Gilby replied that Councillor Davies would be addressing this matter as part of his portfolio of responsibilities. Cllr Gilby commented on the importance of Tapton Park Golf Course as a leisure asset for Chesterfield borough and referenced recent meetings that the Chief Executive had convened with the current operators, Sheffield City Trust, and the members club. A process would commence shortly to look for a new operator for Tapton Park Golf Course.

Councillor Snowdon asked if the Council proposes to keep the current bonus scheme for council workers, and if so, what is the Council doing to mitigate the effect that this has on the general pay gap within council.

Councillor Gilby replied that to protect the earnings of Council staff through the period of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Council had adjusted the current bonus scheme to one where staff were paid on the basis of their average earnings over the previous 13 weeks. The Council had started to engage with the trade unions before the Covid-19 pandemic on a move away from the current pay structure for Housing Property Services staff. These discussions had understandably been delayed. A process to re-engage the trade unions and restart the discussions was now underway.