Agenda item

Presentation from the Leader of the Council, attached.

The Leader and the Cabinet provided verbal statements and responded to questions.

 The following questions were submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.1:-

1.  Bus Lanes on the Millbrook Western Approach

Question from Councillor Moulton to Cabinet Member for Transport.

QUESTION:  What is the Administration policy with respect to planned bus lanes on the Millbrook Western Approach and can you set out the timescales and next steps?

ANSWER: Improving bus journey times and reliability is identified as an important part of Southampton’s integrated transport system as set out in its Local Transport Plan (2019) and the Bus Service Improvement Plan (2022).

Working alongside HCC, improved journey times and reliability along the A33 western corridor will be needed to support more people using public transport to access the city especially from areas like Millbrook, Redbridge, Totton and the Waterside and also to support the development of Park and Ride. The administration will be reviewing the plans for the western corridor and the extent of any new bus priority in the coming months, and following this, consultation will take place on proposals. 

2.  Pennine Road Resurfacing Programme

Question from Councillor Moulton to Cabinet Member for Transport.

QUESTION: Will the Cabinet Member be leaving Pennine Road in the roads resurfacing programme and if so what are the timescales for the work and the planned scope?

ANSWER: Pennine Road was not previously in the roads resurface programme for 2023/24. Moving forward however, the lower end of Pennine Road (Wimpson Lane to Quantock Road) will now be included in the 2023/24 roads delivery programme, for full re-surfacing and re-kerbing.  The remainder of Pennine Road will be reviewed and considered for future years.

3.  Auditor’s Report

Councillor P Baillie to the Leader

QUESTION:  The Auditors’ report into this year’s budget was probably the most important financial report this council has received.  Please would you explain to Full Council your reasons for not reading it nor being briefed before the scrutiny meeting.  

ANSWER:  Verbal response provided at the meeting.

The Auditor’s Report has been read and understood along with the ongoing budget concerns and challenges.

4.  Tower Block Lifts

Councillor P Baillie to the Leader

QUESTION: After Labour being in control for 10 of the last years, why is it that (according to a senior current Labour Councillor) 18 lifts in our tower blocks are out of action? And why is it that having both lifts out of action (for potentially 4 months) seemed to be of no consequence to yourself?

ANSWER:  There are 8 lifts out of service across council Tower blocks. Lifts at Albion Towers, Redbridge Towers and Shirley Towers are being replaced on a planned programme of works. Redbridge Towers and Shirley Towers have just one working lift in each block with the other being replaced. The works are due to be completed by the end of 2023.

There was an unprecedented situation during April when we had a period where there were no working lifts in Rotterdam Towers for a period of three weeks, as a result of temporary repairs, both lifts are now in use. This is a matter of significant importance to the council and as a result the Council implemented Silver Emergency Planning protocols to ensure all issues were addressed as quickly as possible including communications and support to residents. The permanent repairs are scheduled to commence soon.  The repairs to the remaining lifts are being dealt with as a matter of urgency.

5.  Unicef

Councillor P Baillie to Cabinet Member for Children and Learning

QUESTION:  What level of importance does the UNICEF have to you & thus to the officers within Children’s Services?

ANSWER:  The Labour administration has continued to support Southampton’s Child Friendly application to UNICEF. Child Friendly programme provides framework to ensure that children’s rights are embedded in everything we do in Southampton. The programme is now in the, ‘development’ stage, with task and finish groups contributing to our Child Friendly delivery plan. Work is centred on three ‘badges’ or priorities chosen by around 2000 children across the city: Family, Safety and Healthy. There is extensive engagement from young people and stakeholders.

Child Friendly Southampton has wide ranging support, coordinated by a steering group which is chaired by the Executive Director of Children’s Services. The Chief Executive of the Council is the lead for organisational change as part of the programme.

Southampton’s Child Friendly plans will be going to Cabinet in August 2023.

6.  Mini Budget

Councillor Fitzhenry to the Leader

QUESTION: Now the election results are known, can the leader of the council confirm if her administration will be bringing forward a mini budget before February 2024?

ANSWER:  Verbal response provided at meeting.

There was no intention to bring forward a new budget, cost control measures, income generation and saving targets were in place.  The MTFS would be reviewed throughout the year.