Agenda item

a)         Question asked by Councillor WJ Crooks and addressed to the Executive Member for Finance

            “Would the executive Member for Finance, ICT and Asset Management please advise me what Posts/Facilities are being funded by the Borough in some villages, but not in others?  I am aware that we put money into Market Bosworth for the Christmas Lights, but other anomalies have come to my notice.”

            Response from Councillor KWP Lynch

“Thank you Councillor Crooks for your question. The following expenditure in villages/ parishes was funded by this Council in the last financial year”:

Councillor Crooks said he would ask supplementary questions of officers outside of the meeting.

b)         Question asked by Councillor RG Allen and addressed to the Leader of Council

“Will the Leader please provide Members details of and key conclusions of the research undertaken by and on behalf of HBBC on the anticipated effects of footfall in Castle Street and Hinckley town centre, as a result of moving the council offices from Hinckley Town centre out to Hawley Road?”

Response from Councillor SL Bray

“It is important to set the context that there are many impacts on footfall in the town centre, of which this development is but one. There are a number of other developments, some involving this Council, but others also of a private nature.

The Town Centre Partnership, working with this Council, has installed footfall counters at various locations in the town over the last year and, whilst week by week monitoring is proving useful, longer term comparisons and projections can not be made on the information period over which data has been collected. This will be undertaken and analyses made as we build up our information base.

As Cllr Allen will be aware, the location of the Hub, at the south of the centre, is a balance to the developments already in place in the north west quarter of the town -the Atkins Building and the New College; both of which are fully anticipated to increase town centre footfall from that area. I will be happy to show longer term comparisons and projections, when we have more meaningful information to present.”

Councillor Allen asked when specific facts for such a significant project would be available and residents would be informed. In response the Leader felt that all facts had been available throughout the discussions.

c)         Question asked by Councillor PS Bessant and addressed to the Leader of Council

“Would the Leader please provide Members with an update on progress around securing appropriate and considerate redevelopment of the Council Offices site adjacent to the Argents Mead Park – whilst still achieving the £3 M capital receipt the Administrations Medium Term Financial strategy recent adopted?”

            Response from Councillor SL Bray

“The procurement process agreed by Executive on 12 October 2011 has commenced.  At the end of Stage One - inviting expressions of interest - three bids were received from potential developers.  Stage Two of the process will commence imminently and all three bidders will be asked to prepare schematic proposals and submit financial offers.

The outcome of this process should be known by the end of June 2012 and will be reported to the next available Council.”

As a supplementary question, Councillor Bessant asked for reassurance that the proposals were still on track to meet the requirements of the Medium Term Financial Strategy and to achieve a £3m capital receipt. In response Councillor Bray stated that development on the site would be sympathetic and would expand on the current green space provision.

d)         Question asked by Councillor PS Bessant and addressed to the Executive Member for Housing

“Would the Housing Portfolio Holder please update Members on how many new Council Houses this authority will be adding to its stock in the next 10 years given the financial ‘headroom’ the HRA buyout now provides?”

Response from Councillor DS Cope

“Can I remind him of the answers given to both Scrutiny Commission and Council recently on the positive steps being taken to address this issue.

As Cllr Bessant is aware, HRA self financing provides an opportunity, never before available to council landlords, to positively invest in and develop their council house services for the benefit of current and future tenants.  This Administration is embracing these new opportunities and from the 1 April 2012 we are able to drive our own priorities and make decisions which will impact for future generations.

The new arrangements offer a package of exciting opportunities relating to: increasing the amount of housing stock by new build, acquisitions and bringing empty homes into use, as well as improvements to our existing properties to raise our standards even higher than they are already.  Whilst I would want to ensure that any adopted strategy is for the benefit of all tenants, present and future, it is important that we consult existing tenants as part of this process.

Now that the Council has agreed the overall structure for the debt repayment which secures the maximum headroom, work has begun to produce a strategy which will be underpinned by robust information, informed by tenant consultation and produce maximum value for money.  As stated to both Scrutiny Commission and Council, a HRA Strategy and Business Plan will be presented to Members in June. Until that point, it would be purely speculative to put forward any figures, whilst that work is undertaken. I am sure that Cllr Bessant and all Members in this Chamber would want a strategy of this magnitude and impact to receive full and detailed consideration; which is what this Administration intends to do.”

Councillor Bessant asked for a definite answer on the number of new council properties that would be built using the ‘headroom’ and the percentage of the headroom that would be taken up with improvements to existing housing stock. The Executive Member agreed to respond to him in writing.

e)         Question asked by Councillor JS Moore and addressed to the Leader of Council

“The Council’s letterheads bear the ‘Fairtrade’ logo and claim Hinckley and Bosworth is proud to be a Fairtrade Borough.  Therefore, would the Leader detail in precise terms to what extent the Council’s commitment to Fairtrade is reflected in terms of the drinks, snacks, refreshments, foods, wines, buffets, etc that are available on a regular basis in all of the Authority’s premises (including the Mayor’s Parlour) and at all events, receptions, etc organised by the Borough Council?”

            Response from Councillor SL Bray

“As it happens, I have much of the information readily to hand, as Cllr Hulbert raised the same query last August. The response that was given then still applies. It was:

Committee Rooms 1 and 3 - Café Bar only dispenses Fairtrade Coffee, with optional Fairtrade sugar.  The coffee that is available from the Café Bar in Committee Room 3 is Fairtrade coffee which is purchased in large tins, with the machine being replenished as required. 

Committee Room 2 - Flavia Machine dispensing Rainforest Alliance tea and coffee.  To ensure ethical goods are used, we did request that Flavia supply Rainforest Alliance as they do not currently supply Fairtrade.  With the type of machine, we are unable to use alternative suppliers for the drinks sachets.  This has been assessed recently, and was agreed that it was not economically viable to replace the machine at this stage with the imminent relocation to the Hinckley Hub.  Fairtrade options are to be available when we move to the Hub.

There are three hot drink pay vend machines within the council offices and one at Middlefield Lane Depot, all of which have Fairtrade options for coffee, hot chocolate and tea.  This is supplied by Selecta who replenish and maintain the machines.

In addition, it is a requirement in any contracts we have with outside caterers that they provide a specified amount of Fairtrade goods in any provision they make for Council events. Provision in the Mayor’s Parlour is at the discretion of the Mayor in office in any specific year.”