Agenda item

A 45-minute period in which members may ask questions of the Leader, Cabinet Members, the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees and opposition group leaders excluding the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Development Management Committee, Licensing and Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Committees and Governance and Audit Committee.

·         Report number LDS231 of the Cabinet Member for Finance  (Enclosure)

Question 1

By way of introduction to his question, Councillor Wootten made reference to a recent interview where Sir Bruce Keogh, the Medical Director of NHS England said he wanted to encourage people in each of the 44 STP areas to make their own decisions as they had a much clearer idea of local needs than people sitting in London. He proceeded to ask whether the Leader supported the decision made by the Lincolnshire Health Scrutiny Committee at a recent meeting to call on United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust to consult with the community on the future of Grantham Hospital and healthcare in Lincolnshire.

The Leader’s responded that Grantham Hospital was important to the future of the town. There were plans in place that would see Grantham’s population increase from 44,000 to 53,000; stating that the town needed first class health facilities today and as it grew and developed. He then read a recent statement made by the MP for the Grantham and Stamford Constituency, Nick Boles. In the statement Mr Boles stated that there was no plan to downgrade the existing A&E service at Grantham and turn it into an urgent care centre. He added that the option being discussed was the retention of the existing A&E service from early morning until late evening and re-opening it at night with the staffing appropriate for an urgent care centre or minor injuries unit. He stated that other options would be explored and consulted on but felt that the option noted above should be pursued as it offered the prospect of restoring a 24/7 service in Grantham that was not dependent on the recruitment of A&E doctors.

The Leader concluded by saying he welcomed the call by the Lincolnshire Health Scrutiny Committee to involve the people of Grantham and that he also expected that this district council would be involved.

Question 2

Councillor Bryant referred to report number LDS231, which was circulated with the Council agenda pack. The report related to a question that he had raised previously and the subsequent written answer had been supplied by the Cabinet Member for Finance. He queried whether the answer should have been copied to all members of the Council in the first instance and asked whether the relevant Committee could look at how to deal with supplementary questions.

The Leader stated that if a question could not be answered during a Council meeting, a copy of the written answer would be sent to the Councillor who posed the question and a copy sent to all Councillors. He stated that any further correspondence on the matter should then take place privately between the relevant Members.

Question 3

Councillor Reid asked the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Retail and Visitor Economy to provide an update of the Business Rate Relief Scheme.

The Cabinet Member stated that the government had made £568k available for a four-year period with £332k available in the first year. It had been anticipated that 1,000 businesses would benefit from the approved scheme. Following the implementation of the scheme, it was identified 500 of the 1,000 business were eligible for support through other available grants. This meant that the whole grant had not been fully utilised and as a consequence the criteria were being reviewed and relaxed to include high street stores, national chains and larger businesses. The estimated cost of relief was £325k, which left £7k which could be claimed as and when businesses wanted to apply for further rate relief during the remainder of the financial year.

Question 4

Councillor Morgan referred to votes where the Council and Nick Boles MP had voted to oppose cuts to Grantham Hospital or the potential downgrade of services. She then asked the Leader whether he supported the local campaign groups who collectively opposed the Government’s 2012 Health and Care Act that had led to the centralisation of A&E departments nationally and reduced the role of district councils in the decision-making process over health and care services in their areas by handing responsibility to the hospital trust and clinical commissioning groups. She stated that she had written to Nick Boles MP asking about his refusal to support campaign groups that were opposed to the Health and Care Act.

The Leader stated that he could not speak on behalf of the MP and that it was not appropriate to try and undermine the MP by asking for comment on his behalf. He stated that the MP had supported Grantham Hospital and the re-opening of the accident and emergency department.

The Leader added that as a local politician he always tried to support and work with community groups when they were fighting for something that the area needed. He stated that the NHS would continue to undergo change and that the Council would need to review any proposals based on what the town needed, which was why he had changed the Cabinet remits so the Council could consider any proposals in a more informed way.

Question 5

Councillor Wood raised concerns about an issue in Long Bennington with lorries parking overnight at the north end of the village. This had caused problems with littering and waste. While this had been tackled periodically as part of the big clean, the problem exceeded the initiative. He asked the Cabinet Member for Environment whether consideration could be given to holding a meeting with Lincolnshire County Council, South Kesteven District Council and Long Bennington Parish Council to try and find a solution.

The Cabinet Member for Environment was not present at the meeting however the Leader stated that the Council would work with Long Bennington Parish Council and Lincolnshire County Council, and that he would ask Councillor Dr. Moseley to meet separately with Councillor Wood to try and resolve the issue.

Question 6

Councillor Linda Wootten asked the Leader whether he supported the hospital campaign groups’ call for a 24/7 accident and emergency service at Grantham Hospital. The Leader stated that he did.

Question 7

Councillor Baxter referred to a meeting of Deeping St James Parish Council that he had attended prior to his election as a district councillor. He said that at this meeting the parish council was told that it was urgent that a lease be signed between the county, district and parish councils, the rugby club and the leisure provider. He commented that no lease was in place and asked whether any member of the Cabinet had had dealings in relation to the Deepings Leisure Centre, and whether a lease could be expected before a new centre was built. He also asked whether there was any likelihood of an arrangement with the school where members of the public could swim during the working week for a reasonable amount of time.

The Leader stated that at the present time there was no lease for the leisure centre in the Deepings. He said he had had experience of dealing with this type of leisure centre and that the arrangement was not abnormal. He said that services would continue to operate and be delivered. He stated that he had seen some possible wording for a lease but nothing was in a position to be signed, and added that work would continue to provide a solution to deliver excellent leisure facilities in the Deepings.

Question 8

Councillor Helen Powell referred to the Council investment in commercial properties. She suggested an alternative where money would be diverted into tourism to develop a log-cabin holiday venue that would sit in close proximity to the proposed designer outlet village. She felt that this would provide a financial return for the Council through letting income while attracting people to the area with disposable income.

The Cabinet Member for Finance gave assurances that consideration was being given to a range of potential investment areas including land, leisure opportunities and health.

Question 9

Councillor Rosemary Kaberry-Brown made a statement about her representation of South Kesteven District Council on the Lincolnshire Health Scrutiny Committee and summarised the points that were made at a recent meeting about restoring 24-hour coverage for Grantham Hospital’s accident and emergency department.

As this was a statement, no response was required.

Question 10

Councillor Stephens asked for a progress update on the Southern Relief Road.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Development stated that phase one had been completed, which was the section between Spitalgate Level and the A1. Phase two (the new junction to the A1) would be going out to tender in the spring of 2018 with a view to work commencing on site during the summer of 2018 for a two year build. Phase three would be going to tender during the autumn of 2018 and would have a three-year build out period.

Question 11

Reference was made by Councillor Dilks to previous comments that had been made about members sharing information. He said that where it was possible and practical information was exchanged by group leaders but added that it was sometimes neither possible nor practical. He suggested that it may be helpful to circulate any pre-prepared statements with the supplementary papers for the meeting.

In reply, the Leader said that he enjoyed the working relationship he had with the opposition group leaders and referred to the MP’s statement from which he had read when responding to an earlier question. He stated that he had anticipated he may be asked questions about Grantham Hospital and felt that the statement might assist in any response. He concluded by referring to an earlier question that had related to private correspondence between two other individuals and stated that he felt it was unreasonable to be expected to make comment.