Agenda item

(Copy herewith)

Councillor Nunn, as Leader of the Council, submitted his Cabinet Member report and elaborated thereon.  He noted that good Governance had continued to be a high priority since the Governance Action Plan had been reported to Audit and that this had also continued through into the Executive Programme Board which was now meeting on a weekly basis. He further reported that he noted that there had been traffic issues and congestion in the run up to Christmas and stated that efforts were being made to ensure that this did not happen again and that there would be a focus on improving traffic flow which would contribute to better air quality in the town centre.

In response to questions asked, the Leader commented that there was extensive work going on within the Council including transformation team, recruitment and retention of apprenticeships. He disputed the suggestion that Northampton was a low wage- low skill Town and commented that this could be demonstrated by the location of many businesses such as Barclaycard, Cosworth and Avon.  Referring to the Consultation that had been undertaken on the provision of Environmental Services, he explained that it was a quantities survey and that is had been sent out to many thousands of households and that written responses and emails had been received on the topic and fed into the consultation.  The Leader, in response to a further question, commented that the enforcing laws on idling cars was not the most conducive way to solve air quality issues as this could be improved through generating a better flow of traffic and through the enforcement of other contraventions of the highway code.

Councillor Larratt, as the Deputy Leader of the Council, submitted his Cabinet Member report and elaborated further and noted the numerous Councillor Training sessions that had been programmed. In response to questions asked, Councillor Larratt commented that he would support any sports Club in the Borough including Thorplands 81 and would be happy to discuss any updates with the Ward Councillor.  He further reported that he would examine the issue of lighting in underpasses and determine whether those were Borough Council owned and what improvements could be made.

Councillor Eldred, as the Cabinet Member for Finance, submitted his Cabinet Member report and elaborated thereon. He noted that the recent consultation on Council Tax had shown that 40% of respondents were in favour of increasing the Council Tax higher than proposed amount. He further reported on the achievements of the Revenue and Benefits service with results in responding to calls from customers at over 92% over the past period. In response to questions asked, Councillor Eldred confirmed that the reduction in the period over which New Homes Bonus was paid from 6 to 4 years would have some implications on the budget.

Councillor Hibbert submitted his Cabinet Member report and elaborated thereon. He thanked those who had taken part in the rough sleepers count and noted that there had been over 50 applications for volunteers for the night shelter that would be open on the 6^th February 2017. He confirmed, in response to comments of Mr Huffadine-Smith that he would meet with the outreach workers he referred to and suggested that they combine their efforts and work collaboratively.In response to questions asked, Councillor Hibbert explained that he was unaware of the amount of people squatting in Little Cross Street but that he would relay the information once it had been gathered. He further commented that there was a need for a distinction to be made between homeless people and street drinkers and beggars and further noted that the outreach team would be working alongside those at the Night shelter.

Councillor King submitted her Cabinet Member report and elaborated thereon. She noted that the Holocaust Memorial Event would be held on the 26^th January 2017 in the Great Hall at 6pm. She further informed Council that the Inspirational Women’s Awards winner would be announced during an International Women’s Day event at the Guildhall on Saturday 4 March 2017. In addition to the award ceremony, the event would include fun workshops and information stands from local organisations and services. In response to questions asked, Councillor King commented that the role of the ‘Virtual Shoe Officer’ was responsible for the photography, online publication of the images and the provision of historical facts to promote the historical shoe industry. Further responding to questions, Councillor King stated that she would obtain a breakdown of crime figures and pass on to relevant Members and would look into problems that customers had reported with regards to the automated telephone service.

At this juncture of the meeting, the Mayor informed the Council that time restraints had drawn the Cabinet Member Presentations to a close.