Agenda item

 

(i)        Questions on Notice to the Executive:-

 

None received for this meeting.

 

(ii)          Questions without Notice to the Executive and the Chairs of the Audit Committee, Elections and Democratic Structures Committee, Health and Wellbeing Board and Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.

 

A.     Questions on Notice

 

No questions on Notice from Elected Members, had been received for this meeting.

 

B.     Questions Without Notice

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.2, the Chair of Council sought questions from Elected Members during question time.

 

A.     Questions to the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones

 

Q.   Councillor R. Allan Jones asked the following question:-

 

“You reported about the meeting last Thursday with all the Leaders of the Councils, but to me, there was no conclusion in relation to the Gain Share and the powers given to the Mayor. Could you tell us when will it be possible when this Council agrees that we can give the powers to the Mayor so that we can move on in the region?”

 

A.     The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, gave the following response:-

 

“Thank you for your question.  We need to see what Government passes down in order to allow what the people of Doncaster want and that is to be part of the ‘One Yorkshire Deal’ at the first opportunity.”

 

Q.   Councillor Nick Allen asked the following question:-

 

“With regard to the Quality Streets Programme, what special measures will be taken to ensure that Charity Shops along Silver Street can still operate effectively even with the pedestrianisation being proposed?”

 

A.     The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, gave the following response:-

 

“The proposal on Quality Streets is about enhancing that street to make it better for the Town, and therefore all consultation has taken place and will continue to take place.  If you require further information, put it in an email and I will pass it on to the relevant Portfolio Holder which is Councillor Mordue.”

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“It has been well publicised in both the press and an article in this month’s Yorkshire Life that we are to have a film studio in my Ward, High Melton, consisting of 163 acres.  No one in this Council has informed me, the Ward Councillor, or the High Melton Parish Council. I understand that the Council stood as guarantor for the funding from the Sheffield City Region of £4.1 million.  Yourself, Jo Miller, Legal, Finance, Dan Jarvis and Ed Milliband have all been involved.  My question is, why was I or the Parish Council not informed and surely, this needs planning permission which is in the Green Belt, before it is so well publicised?”

 

A.     The Mayor of Doncaster , Ros Jones, gave the following response:-

 

“What has been well publicised is that we are supporting this in principle, and it is not within my power, nor should it be, to give Planning Permission or not.  They will go through the relevant procedures.”

 

Q.   In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following supplementary question:-

 

“You didn’t answer my question as to why I or the Parish Council had not been informed of this considering that this Council has just adopted Edlington Neighbourhood Plan which is all inclusive; I find this quite an insult to High Melton Parish Council?”

 

A.     The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, gave the following response:-

 

“All procedures were followed as it is being taken through as a specific scheme. This went to the Sheffield City Region so you or the Parish Council can look at this at any time.  It is not my job to inform all Councillors on things like this until it has actually transpired. We have ensured that we are going to actually grow jobs for our people; high quality jobs for our young people and other people and I would hope that you would support that.”

 

B.     Questions to the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Housing and Equalities

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“My delight in reading that you are building Social Housing; I am absolutely delighted.  This was a different reaction to what I received when I presented a proposal for the first Council Houses to be delivered in Denaby; 28, the first in 20 years.  However, my question is this, do the proposed bungalows have standard walk-in showers and is the heating efficiency to the highest standard?”

 

A.     Councillor Glyn Jones gave the following response:-

 

“Thank you for your question Councillor Ransome.  It is one of those questions that requires significant detail.  If you had informed me prior to the meeting that you were going to ask that, I would have got that information for you, but I will post it to you either electronically or as ‘snail mail’ to inform you.  To aid the situation, if you can send me that email, then I will actually be able to respond exactly to what you have said.”

 

C.     Questions to Councillor Nigel Ball, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure and Culture

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“I would like to congratulate you on the achievement of the Cultural Week, but can I make a comment, which is a little out of keeping, is the fact that the ‘The Big Donny Stomp’ was advertised as being part of this.  When we are trying to improve the Town’s image, I think ‘Donny’ is rather a grating word?”

 

A.     Councillor Nigel Ball, gave the following response:-

 

“I have to say that it is a familiar name for Doncaster; ‘Donny’, and in fairness, my own position on that is, it is a very friendly, cosy and comfy name, and certainly from being a young person brought up in Edlington, I would say to friends that I am going down to or nipping down ‘Donny’.  To be fair, the majority of people in this room would use that term, as would the majority of people who live in Doncaster.  I do not see it as an offensive term, more as a friendly one.  In terms of the ‘Big Donny Stomp’, it is geared towards, as I am sure you are aware, capturing some of that blues, roots music that would go down really well in this area of the Civic Quarter.  So, rather than be offended by that, I ask you to embrace it; go with the flow.  ‘Donny’ is moving forward so grasp it and ‘cuddle it up’.”

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“Childhood obesity; there is a rise in Doncaster of child obesity.  Surely these parents realise they are setting these children up to fail.  What is in place to help these unfortunate children?”

 

A.     Councillor Nigel Ball gave the following response:-

 

“We are aware that it is a continuing problem, particularly in Doncaster, and across the nation.  That’s why Doncaster has launched its ‘Get Doncaster Moving’ programme in terms of the work it is doing, pulling together different projects and initiatives in our locality to get people physically active.  We are currently working with Sport England, looking specifically at getting the inactive to be more active, and obviously it stands to reason and common sense if mum and dad are taking a walk or going for a run, chances are that it may brush off as an influence onto their children as well.  So, there are issues with that and we clearly see that it is one of our key priorities to tackle this over the near future, so it is something we are trying to deal with.”

 

D.     Questions to Councillor Joe Blackham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene and Trading Services

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“With regard to Doncaster’s parks, I would like to congratulate you, the staff and volunteers for the achievement of the Green Flag awards.  However, with regard to Bentley Park, is there still a grant for maintenance and are the other parks sponsored purely by volunteers?”

 

A.     Councillor Joe Blackham gave the following response:-

 

“Yes and Yes.”

 

E.     Questions to Councillor Rachael Blake, Cabinet Member for Adult  Social Care

 

Q.   Councillor Jane Cox asked the following question:-

 

“I met with yourself and the Mayor over a year ago to discuss my concerns over the transition of children with additional needs and learning disabilities to Adult Services.  Around that time, I was told by a Senior Officer that I was ‘unlucky’ to come across so many problems.  I feel like this is the last taboo we have in this society.  I was reassured that the cases I posed were isolated.  Rachael, you kindly came to meet with mums and discuss their concerns.  A lot of support and contact was promised to these parents who have genuine concerns about their children leaving the safe environment of School.

 

Fast forward 12 months and I must be the unluckiest person in Doncaster to meet all these desperate parents.  One of the young adults whose adoptive mum met you, who has major learning difficulties caused by horrific abuse by their paternal father as a child, has now been sectioned due to his increasing psychotic behaviour.  He will now need to be in secure supported living for an undefined amount of time away from his family.  This could have been prevented by correct intervention at the right time, as pleaded for by his mum.

 

Last night I sat down with a dad to discuss his autistic son’s increasingly disturbing behaviour.  His response, ‘Jane, I don’t know what to do; I don’t know how to help him, but you know what it is like, they just get dumped when they get to 18’.  He is 23 years old.

 

Is this really how we should be treating some of our most vulnerable people in our Town?”

 

A.     Councillor Rachael Blake gave the following response:-

 

“First of all, I can only apologise.  I came to see you and I asked a Senior Officer to also do so. What I am trying to do as the Cabinet Member for Adults is have an open door policy.  So, I have done quite a lot of engagement with Members.  On that particular issue, since the Officer came to see you, there has been the co-production of the Learning Disability Strategy and I would hope that you and those parents you talk about have been fully engaged in this.  Obviously, you are shaking your head, so they have not.

 

What I would say on these specific instances is please don’t leave it to Full Council to come and talk to me.  Please come and see me afterwards and we can talk about these specific cases, and I am more than happy to come along to your group again. 

 

The Learning Disability Strategy is being co-produced with carers and people with learning disabilities, and if we are not doing enough I can only apologise.  Obviously, we have resource implications, but what we did do is we talked about making that transition much better between adults and children and again, I can only apologise, but it is not good enough in those particular cases.”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor Jane Cox asked the following supplementary question:-

 

Q.   “I know we talked about not having resources and these are just two cases of many I have come across, but I just fear that this is the last taboo in society.  We don’t like talking about people with additional needs because it’s uncomfortable sometimes, because people are not around them.  I fully understand that.  However wrong it is, I just feel we can’t hide behind excuses, and we can’t just keep saying we are going to do something when there is a cohort of people in the Town who have no support from anyone.  It concerns me and I am sure it will concern a lot of other people. We might have a Strategy, but we have these real people who have left school for the last 10/15 years and they have absolutely no support.”

 

A.     Councillor Rachael Blake gave the following response:-

 

“Please don’t think I am making excuses; this is what we are trying to do.  It is not good enough and I think I have been quite clear about that, and if we can take that conversation up afterwards.

 

In terms of what you said about the last taboo, I think it is sad that people think that’s the case.  That’s wrong and I don’t think anybody in this room would support that, and anything I can do to break that down then I am more than happy to do, so if we can have that conversation afterwards, I would be grateful.”

 

The Chief Executive stated that Riana Nelson (Assistant Director, Partnerships and Operational Delivery) was in attendance at the meeting who would also wish to discuss the issues raised by Councillor Jane Cox to ensure that there was an immediate response and resolution to her concerns, and indicated that she would meet with Councillor Cox and Councillor Blake at the conclusion of the meeting.

 

Q.   Councillor Ian Pearson asked the following question:-

 

“I would like a copy of anything that has been made available because there are a lot of people indicating that this is a problem, and that it would be very useful that any documentation and the Action Plan could be circulated to all Members.  If you look at the number of people receiving PIP for children in these circumstances and young adults, it is a growing issue within the Borough?”

 

A.     Councillor Rachael Blake gave the following response:-

 

“I will ask the Officer who is producing the Strategy and that paper, to send it to all Members in the next couple of days.”

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“Rachael, adult obesity in Doncaster is rising even though last year, it was one of our Health Board’s priorities.  Reading this week in the Doncaster paper, we have the highest number of fast food outlets.  What are the Cabinet’s plans regarding Town Planning and keeping our residents healthy, and how do you think you can influence this?”

 

A.     Councillor Rachael Blake gave the following response:-

 

“It is not my Portfolio, but I am happy to try and answer as it is within both Portfolios.  I share your concerns.  When Councillor Nigel Ball and I went to a Public Health event, we heard about the good work which had taken place in Gateshead.  Within their Local Plan, they brought in something which restricted the opportunity to open fast food takeaways, not just around Schools, but across the area.  It actually came from a Councillor that had done an audit in her Ward and was concerned that there were far more fast food restaurants and takeaways than anything else.  After that, Councillor Ball and I met with our Planning colleagues and that’s something we have tasked them to do to make sure that’s included in our Local Plan, because if we don’t have that, when anybody puts in an application for a fast food takeaway and it is not agreed, then the Applicant can challenge us on that. 

 

In the discussion we had with our colleagues in Gateshead, they had been challenged at first when they refused takeaway applications, but because it was in the Local Plan, that meant they were not challenged in the future and anything that was challenged was not upheld by the Planning Inspectorate, so that’s the direction we are heading in.

 

It will not be everything because I think it links into what Councillor Ball was saying about ‘Get Doncaster Moving’.  There are many things that need to happen and anything we can do to make it easier for people to use sustainable transport and keep moving, is something we should be supporting, but I totally agree on the takeaways.  I will keep you posted on the progress.”

 

F.     Questions to Councillor Nuala Fennelly, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools

 

Q.   Councillor R. Allan Jones asked the following question:-

 

“I spoke to you last night about this, but I think it’s important that all Councillors are aware of the possible situation that might arise in the Borough.  We have suffered with child abuse and all sorts of things against children.  This one relates to the issues regarding children who are not in the schools process, and are taught and raised out of the normal system, and in reference to the Leeds issue where a child died whilst being looked after by its parents, I would like you to ask Scrutiny to take this on board.”

 

A.     Councillor Nuala Fennelly gave the following response:-

 

“I agree with you, it came out of Corporate Parenting Board last night and it is a serious issue; we do need to look at this situation and find out where we are. I will ask that it goes to Overview and Scrutiny as I think that it is the appropriate place to go, but I think what I will do is, I will speak to Damian Allen, Director of People, when he is back from leave on Monday, and we will send out a Briefing Note to all Councillors about what we can do.”

 

Q.   In relation to the above, Councillor Jane Cox asked the following question:-

 

“Councillor R. Allan Jones was referring to Home Schooling from something that came about yesterday from the Corporate Parenting Board, in that a parent can leave a child with anybody for 28 days before the Authority had to be notified and also, the Authority would not remove that child from the person it had been left with.  Is it possible if we can have sight of the number of children it affects in the Borough?”

 

A.     Councillor Nuala Fennelly gave the following response:-

 

“I will pass that question on to Riana Nelson, if that’s ok, who has more information than I do.”

 

The Chair of Council, Councillor Majid Khan, proposed that Councillor Jane Cox email her information to Riana Nelson in order that a written response could be provided.

 

G.     Questions to Councillor Chris McGuinness, Cabinet Member for Communities, Voluntary Sector and the Environment

 

Q.   Councillor Andy Pickering asked the following question:-

 

“I would have sent this through to you if I had received it earlier, but are you aware of a company called Systra operating in Mexborough on behalf of the DFT (Department of Transport).  We have had a letter come through late in the afternoon from a lady who lives in Mallory Drive.  She was outside her home on Monday and was approached by someone who was undertaking research in connection with HS2.  He asked the lady if she would take part (in some research) which she said she would.  It took forty minutes to an hour and she was the only person interviewed.  She told him that she felt that residents should have been informed of this survey so they could have been prepared for it.  Some of the questions related to how she felt about HS2 and how it would affect the area during the various phases of it, and also the compensation being offered to residents.  She said he took some photographs of the Estate and the surrounding view of Mallory Drive, and just left saying that he did not have time to interview anyone else.  So, if you are not aware of it, if you would not mind looking into it?”

 

A.     Councillor Chris McGuinness, gave the following response:-

 

“If you could send me the letter; I am intrigued by that because there was a thing called the Mexborough Funding Advisory Group set up with HS2.  It’s their issue; the compensation, but a number of us including your colleagues, have sat in on those meetings including the Chief Executive, and I have heard no reference to this.  I have seen nothing in the minutes whatsoever, so if you can get that to me tonight, I will take it up very quickly with HS2.  I have not heard anything at all like that; it is very concerning.”

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“Every week in the local paper, residents complain at the state of Doncaster Town Centre.  Dirty, rough sleepers, drug takers and begging. What do you see for the future of the Town Centre?”

 

A.     Councillor Chris McGuinness, gave the following response:-

 

“Are you aware of the Complex Lives Programme?  Just this week, we checked with the Police, because some people are concerned about the enforcement aspect of it and about the concern for those people who need the help, so it’s still two pronged and it’s still ongoing.  I have to say something here which is quite controversial.  Because of the circumstances we find ourselves in nationally, with changes to benefits, the problem is that not all these people are homeless.  Let’s be honest, not all of them are begging for legitimate reasons, but there are a very high number of them.  I don’t think this problem will go away; there is no magic tool here to do this.  I think Doncaster is doing quite well actually.

 

On the enforcement side, because people who complained that there is not enough action being taken, the Police logged three hundred hours of Officer presence in the Town Centre in one week and that’s not the night time economy.  So, there are ongoing measures.  I can get you an update of the figures on the number of people who have been contacted, those who have been moved into support programmes, those who have been put through the courts, those who have been given formal warnings and it’s quite extensive?

 

Some people just appear and some people disappear as well; they arrive from other Towns and they disappear to other Towns.  It is quite a moving picture and I am going to be honest, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to deal with, because there are all kinds of reasons for it, but I have to say, the Government has not helped with all this.  There are a lot of changes in Government policy and support programmes, and these people are falling through the system.  So, if you want me to get you an update, but I have got to be honest, there is no quick fix for this at all.  This is not an excuse.  If you go to some Cities, it seems to be worse in some than others; the bigger the City, the bigger the problem.  It is a national problem that’s going to take some years to get to the bottom of.”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following supplementary question:-

 

Q.   “So, are you saying we all should accept this problem.  On the one hand, we are wanting to put the Town forward because we want to regenerate it; we want people to come into the Town, we want to have a Market that’s not failing, people are not having stalls because it is so difficult with the rough sleepers and the drug takers, and what have you.  So really, it is a problem that if we are to move forward, it has got to be looked at?”

 

A.   Councillor Chris McGuinness gave the following response:-

 

“I agree, but I am not just saying that we should just accept it and that’s why there are a wide range of activities going on.  As you said, you are aware of what Complex Lives are doing, you are aware of all the agencies involved and people are doing what they can, but you have to be honest, it’s not going to go away overnight.  That’s the situation we find ourselves in.”

 

Q.   Councillor Nigel Ball asked the following question:-

 

“I am wondering if Councillor McGuinness is aware of ‘The Independent’ yesterday, in the report they did on homelessness and rough sleeping.  Since 2010, we have the highest number of rough sleepers on record ever in England.  The number of homeless children in temporary accommodation has soared by 40% and more than 100,000 householders are set to be homeless by 2020.  Are you aware of that Councillor McGuinness?”

 

Councillor McGuinness indicated that he was aware of the issue raised by Councillor Nigel Ball.

 

“And, this is obviously, as I am sure you are all aware, a national problem as you have stated and certainly Councillor McGuinness, from my perspective, I am sure you are aware that it is down to the brutal austerity cuts, changes in the welfare system and again this Tory Government.”

 

A.     Councillor Chris McGuinness gave the following response:-

 

“I am well aware of that and I have to say, it is not aimed at you Councillor Ransome, but I wish there were other people particularly in Central Government, who were aware of it as well.”

 

H.     Questions to Councillor Bill Mordue, Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Economic Development

 

Q.   Councillor R. Allan Jones asked the following question:-

 

“Are you happy that this Council is standing as guarantor for a private industry/company and what should we do if the partner decides to withdraw?”

 

The Chair of Council, Councillor Majid Khan, proposed that Councillor R. Allan Jones submit his question in writing to Councillor Bill Mordue in order that a written response could be provided.

 

Q.   Councillor Cynthia Ransome asked the following question:-

 

“In context of the Cinema Complex mentioned in the newspapers, could you explain or will you have any influence on what sort of restaurants are proposed?”

 

A.     Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“They will not be fast food restaurants I can tell you that, but I am not really prepared to go into detail at the moment.  Two have signed on the dotted line so I could be giving out confidential information about finances and providing information to competitors. I will leave that one as it is.  I assume that is what Councillor R. Allan Jones was talking about, but he did not spell it out very clearly.

 

The Cinema and restaurants will be a fantastic offer for Doncaster Town Centre.  Regarding the Cinema company, they don’t enter into agreements thinking they are going to lose money so they are confident this Borough is capable of sustaining a Cinema.  When it is developed, we are talking one hundred jobs, £530,000 a year in business rates and the regeneration of this area.  We have this building, CAST Theatre, the new Museum, Library and Art Gallery coming on, possibly a University/Technical College where the Council House was.  This building is a critical mass for this area and I am very confident that this will actually regenerate the Town Centre.  We know all Town Centres are struggling, retail is shrinking, people’s shopping habits are changing, so we need to do something.  We need to be proactive, not just sit around and watch the Town go down.  We have an exciting Master Plan for the Town Centre and the Market will be regenerated, and will not be failing.  This is jobs, regeneration and growth; that’s a good news story for me.”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor Cynthia Ransome was allowed to ask a supplementary question:-

 

Q.   “Thank you, I appreciate that. I admire your enthusiasm however, I think that the business outlook for Cinemas is dwindling.”

 

Q.   Councillor Kevin Rodgers asked the following question:-

 

“As always Councillor Mordue, I admire your enthusiasm.  Councillor Mordue, are you pleased that I am the person to get the last ticket for the outdoor Cinema for Blade Runner taking place in our cultural week, and does not that bode well for the Cinema here in the centre of Doncaster for the future?”

 

A.     Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“It certainly does.  I cannot understand the negative vibes I am getting from across the floor, because people who run cinemas and businesses, don’t just turn up on a whim and hope it works out OK.  They have done their business plan.  They understand that Doncaster will make a Cinema work in the centre and I cannot understand why this is happening.  If you want more information on how the Cinema will work, the business plan etc, please read the Cabinet report.”

 

Q.   Councillor Nick Allen asked the following question:-

 

“A lot of problems that have come about are because of the discussions about the disposal of assets, because Councillors don’t have a proper robust conduit for talking about the disposal of assets in a meaningful way, for example, a Committee given over to asset management.  Do you think if we had such a Committee, that would be a good thing?”

 

A.     Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“We do have a group of people who look at asset sales and Councillor Joe Blackham is involved, but again, referring back to the Cinema and the restaurants, this is not asset disposal.  It will be built on Council land by the Council, owned by the Council who will be the landlord.”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, Councillor Nick Allen asked the following supplementary question:-

 

Q.   “I do think we need a proper Committee that looks at the disposal of assets or at least the management of assets.  It’s been an ongoing issue that time and time again colleagues have come here to talk about assets or the disposal of them.  Do you think it would be a good idea to have a proper Council Committee given over to the management of assets?”

 

A.     Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“I am quite happy how we look at our assets.  It’s all above board; everything comes to Councillors and Council.  There is nothing done underhand.  You may say in an ideal world that we do not need to dispose of assets, but because of the horrific austerity cuts that we are suffering, we do have to dispose of land; that is a fact.  In a different world or regime, that might not be what we would be doing, but I don’t think we sell them unnecessarily.  I don’t think we sell them cheap and I would like to think that we sell assets to the right people.  We are never going to sell land for someone to build an incinerator, for example, so I am quite confident in the people and Councillor Joe Blackham.”

 

Q.   The Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, asked the following question:-

 

“Can I ask, do you believe that driving forward the regeneration of this Town by selling some assets to create others, is the right way to bring forward jobs and growth and actually show, that as a Borough, we are going forward and not being regressive?”

 

A.     Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“Of course I do Mayor Jones.  Under your guidance, this Borough has moved forward fantastically.  Given that we have lost 40/50% of our budget, I have no real issues about selling land to regenerate this Borough because if we don’t, we will not provide jobs for our young people going forward in the future; we might as well not be here.”

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.7, the Mayor, Ros Jones, asked the following supplementary question:-

 

Q.   “If we simply use assets in the wrong way and leave them to stagnate, and continue to cost the Borough as we have seen and I use this as a prime example, is it not better to save revenue monies and bring about new economic regeneration, and more jobs and growth by actually bringing in more commercial rates.  Do you agree with that Councillor Mordue?”

 

A.     Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“I do Mayor Jones.  There is no point in having buildings sat around empty; they are a liability, they cost us money.  So, we may as well sell the land to somebody who is going to provide jobs for our young people and drive the Borough forward.  To me, it is a ‘no-brainer’.  I do not understand why we are getting some negative vibes about this.  We use our assets wisely for the future of this Borough, and I do not know what more I can say really.”

 

Q.   Councillor Duncan Anderson asked the following question:-

 

“Do you believe as I do that Councillors can already input into the asset management process through the existing Overview and Scrutiny system?”

 

A.     Councillor Bill Mordue gave the following response:-

 

“Of course they can.”

 

I.       Questions to Councillor Jane Nightingale, Cabinet Member for Customer and Corporate Services

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Jane Nightingale, Cabinet Member for Customer and Corporate Services.

 

J.      Questions to Councillor Austen White, Chair of the Audit Committee

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Austen White, Chair of the Audit Committee.

 

K.     Questions to Councillor Phil Cole, Chair of the Elections and Democratic Structures Committee

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Phil Cole, Chair of the Elections and Democratic Structures Committee.

 

L.      Questions to Councillor Rachael Blake, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Rachael Blake, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

 

M.    Questions to Councillor Kevin Rodgers, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

 

There were no questions put to Councillor Kevin Rodgers, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.