Agenda item

The Mayor advised that eight questions had been received from members and that the questions and answers had been tabled in accordance with the Constitution.

The Mayor advised that she would take the questions in the order in which they had been received.

Councillor Davies then asked a question of Councillor Woods, as Leader of the Council.  The question was regarding Delegated Decisions and Councillor Davis advised that he was happy to accept the answer as tabled. 

Councillor Malpas then asked a question of Councillor Crake, as the relevant Portfolio Holder, in terms of what new and dynamic policies did she intend to introduce and pursue on behalf of the Council to improve amenities for the tax payers of the Borough.  Councillor Malpas accepted the answer to his question as tabled.

Councillor Hill then asked a question of Councillor Woods, as the Leader of the Council, regarding local transport operating companies.  Councillor Hill noted the response and asked a supplementary as to why the response did not mention talks with rail companies.  Councillor Woods commented that this Council had very little jurisdiction over the actions of the rail companies and that the Rail Users’ Group was the link with the rail companies. 

Councillor Flavell asked a question of Councillor Crake as the relevant Portfolio Holder as to when the Dog Control Order would be coming into force.  Councillor Flavell noted the answer as tabled and asked a supplementary question as to whether the play area in Abington Park would be fenced off.  Councillor Crake advised that at the moment this was being looked into but could not give any commitment at this moment in time.

 Councillor J Lill asked a question of Councillor Crake, as the relevant Portfolio Holder, whether Councillor Crake believed what she said to her party and its supporters after Ming Campbell’s visit to Northampton that, “If everyone made one tiny change it could make a really big difference to the environment as well as saving us money”.  Councillor Crake stated that her answer was, “Yes”.  Councillor J Lill then asked a supplementary question in terms of whether Councillor Crake could give details to the next meeting on how much it was costing the tax payer to keep the Mayorhold Car Park open twenty four hours a day.  Councillor Crake replied that the costs were the same as they had been under the previous Administration.

Councillor Palethorpe asked a question of Councillor Beardsworth, as the relevant Portfolio Holder.  His question referred to a list of achievements and improvements delivered by the housing staff during the period of the Conservative administration and he was asking whether the Portfolio Holder would read out the list to full Council and provide a written copy for inclusion in the Council minutes.  Councillor Beardsworth stated that these notes had been circulated to all members as they had been appended to the 2 July Cabinet minutes.  Councillor Palethorpe asked a supplementary question as to whether she would come back with a comparative balance this time next year in terms of details of what the Liberal Democrats had achieved.  Councillor Beardsworth advised that she could do this.

Councillor Davies asked Councillor Crake a question, as the relevant Portfolio Holder, in terms of how close the external fencing and lighting was to being completed on Ecton Lane Travellers Site.  He noted the answer as tabled and asked a supplementary question as to whether she had taken into account the Audit Inspector’s letter in relation to the Ecton Lane Travellers Site.  Councillor Crake undertook to send a written response to Councillor Davies in terms of the supplementary question.

Councillor Capstick asked a question of Councillor Glynane, as the relevant Portfolio Holder.  The question was with regard to what negotiations were taking place in terms of the Blackthorn Community Centre.  She noted the answer as tabled and asked a supplementary question.  She sought assurance that any decision made with regard to Blackthorn Community Centre was made with full consultation with the users of the Centre and people of the area.  Councillor Glynane stated that this would be the case.