Agenda item

Members of the Executive to answer questions submitted by Councillors in accordance with the Executive Procedure Rules contained in the Council’s Constitution.

Please note that the list of Member questions is shown under item 10 in the agenda pack.

A full transcription of the public and Member question and answer sessions are available from the following link: Transcription of Q&As.

(a)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Adrian Abbs on the subject of additional costs incurred following the fire at Faraday Road was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Economic Development.

(b)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Phil Barnett on the subject of the disturbance that could be caused by drones was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Housing, Strategic Partnerships and Transformation.

(c)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Martha Vickers on the subject of the Council’s previous car club contract with Co-Wheels would receive a written response from Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport.

(d)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Tony Vickers on the subject of the funding collected from developers since the start of the Newbury Car Club and how much funding was unallocated at the time the Council changed its service provider was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport.

(e)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Jeremy Cottam on the subject of the Council’s highway maintenance programme and the policy for cutting back overgrown shrubs and trees on urban roads was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport.

(f)   A question standing in the name of Councillor Alan Macro querying whether any consultation had been undertaken regarding the effectiveness and popularity of the booking system used for the Council’s two HWRCs (outside of the centres themselves) was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(g)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Royce Longton on the subject of how people booked to visit the HWRCs without internet access was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(h)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Erik Pattenden on the subject of the decision path taken in deciding to maintain the HWRC booking system that restricted residents to one visit per week (until this was recently lifted) was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(i)    A question standing in the name of Councillor Owen Jeffery on the subject of why the HWRCs had not extended their opening hours in the spring and summer months was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(j)    A question standing in the name of Councillor Lee Dillon on the subject of why it was considered to be unfair on other users if a resident visited the HWRCs more than once a week was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(k)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Jeff Brooks on the subject of what communications had taken place with Vodafone regarding Vodafone’s retrenchment of their office space at their Headquarters was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Economic Development.

(l)    A question standing in the name of Councillor Adrian Abbs on the subject of why a booking system remained in place for the Council’s HWRCs was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(m) A question standing in the name of Councillor Phil Barnett on the subject of whether one visit per week to the HWRCs was enough for each household, particularly during spring and summer, was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(n)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Jeremy Cottam on the subject of the Council’s footpaths maintenance programme and policy for cutting back overgrown shrubs and trees on urban paths was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport.

(o)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Martha Vickers on the subject of methods for payment of the green bin charge would receive a written response from Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(p)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Tony Vickers on the subject of Member involvement or public consultation of Car Club members that took place prior to the change to the Car Club contract was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport.

(q)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Jeremy Cottam on the subject of direct debit payment processes would receive a written response from Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(r)   A question standing in the name of Councillor Jeff Brooks on the subject of whether any savings had been negotiated with Veolia as a result of an, until recently, restricted service was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(s)  A question standing in the name of Councillor Tony Vickers on the subject of restrictions to commercial operators as opposed to residents to HWRCs was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.

(t)    A question standing in the name of Councillor Jeff Brooks on the subject of what the cost and effort has been of providing a telephone contact within the Waste Service so that residents could book extra visits to the HWRCs was answered by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste.