Agenda item

Report of the Leader of the Council, attached.

A verbal report of the Leader of the Council was given setting out the details of the business undertaken by the Executive.

 

The Leader and the Cabinet made statements and responded to questions.

 

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

 

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

 

1. Parking Provision for Council Tenants

 

Councillor Moulton to Councillor A Frampton

 

QUESTION:  Will you take action to ensure that where car parks are provided for council tenants, that non tenants are not able to park there?

 

ANSWER: In recognition of the continuing increase in the number of vehicles that are filling our streets on our housing estates, we are currently reviewing the use of our car parks across the city, which have been created for the use of council tenants, to ascertain where we may need to implement alternative delivery models that would prohibit non-council tenants parking in designated spaces. We will always consult with residents to ensure that additional parking models are implemented with full knowledge of the residents so that decisions are made for the benefit of the tenants and residents.

 

2. One Guildhall Square Costs

 

Councillor Powell-Vaughan to Councillor Letts

 

Verbal response given at the meeting:

 

These matters are subject to confidentiality, and I know that Councillor Powell-Vaughan has had a briefing on this matter and of course if she requires further details on how exactly we negotiated on this contract and what factors were taken into account, either by ourselves or the prospective purchaser, of course we can provide that.  But I am not prepared to discuss our negotiating strategy in Council.  Simply because this will be the first of a number of such negotiations that will be taking place over the next year to year and a half as we attempt to take advantage of our capitalisation directive and raise the significant sums we need to minimise the revenue support we will need to provide on taking out loans to cover our budget gap.

 

3. Waste Services Additional Costs

 

Councillor Chapman to Councillor Fielker

 

QUESTION: Further to our Full Council Meeting in May 2024 we were briefed by the Leader of the Council that the additional costs of the bin disruption amounted to an extra £56k. By chance, a simultaneous FOI request submitted by the Lib Dem Group was responded to by council officers stating that there were additional agency costs of £440k for the same period, no published savings made from the changes and no net increase in the contracted hours of staff. Can the Labour administration help account for the difference and how much it cost?

 

ANSWER: The FOI request referred to in this question asked for the total spend on agency refuse collectors since 1 January 2024. The waste service employs a proportion of its workforce through an employment agency as part of its business-as-usual operations. This is to ensure the waste service can be delivered when establishment staff are absent (e.g. annual leave, vacant posts prior to recruitment etc).

 

The £440k figure referred to in the FOI response set out the total spend on agency workers for the period in question, as requested, which included the normal amount the service would normally spend on agency staff in this period, £384k, plus the additional spend £56k referred to in May’s meeting.

 

The information regarding the cost of agency staff, and context of expenditure, could have been provided to the Lib Dem Group by requesting a briefing from officers, as they are entitled to do. This would have incurred less cost to the council to provide the information.

 

 

4. Additional Government Funding

 

Councillor P Baillie to Councillor Fielker

 

QUESTION:  Have you contacted Rachel Reeves since the election to ask for more money for SCC?

 

Verbal response given at the meeting:

 

Thank you for your Question Councillor Baillie.  I haven’t written to Rachel Reeves at this particular moment in time because I feel it is unlikely that as Chancellor of the Exchequer she will respond to individual questions from particular councils requesting support. What I have done, working with other councils leaders through the Local Government Association and the Key Cities Network of which I am deputy chair, is to look at how we work with Government on making sure that local government interests are properly represented and they understand our needs and I am also working with those councils who have an exceptional financial support request.  It’s about how we do that separately.  I have also made contact with Angela Rayners office, as the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government this is really the place we need to be speaking to and asking for what it is we need here in Southampton.  That’s the work that has been taking place over this very short period of time and I will keep flying the flag and advocating Southampton and what we need and ensuring very clearly that the Government understands that while we are in the South-East we are not the same as many other local authorities.  We have high levels of deprivation, our council tax income is low, it isn’t the Band D that we get judged by so it’s about making sure I make the case and I am in the right place to do that.

 

 

5. Bitterne Leisure Centre

Councillor P Baillie to Councillor Kataria (Councillor Fielker responded on behalf of Councillor Kataria who had given his apologies for this meeting)

 

QUESTION:  What plans do you have to improve the facilities at Bitterne Leisure Centre?

 

ANSWER: The transformation programme agreed at Cabinet yesterday, and discussed at Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee last week contains the plans for the future of leisure facilities in Southampton, which includes Bitterne Leisure Centre.

 

6. Minstead Avenue Safety

 

Councillor P Baillie to Councillor Winning

 

QUESTION: When will Minstead Avenue be made safer for pupils entering and exiting Woodlands College?

 

ANSWER: Southampton Council uses Modeshift STARS as a tool for school travel planning, which encourages schools to increase levels of sustainable and active travel by developing effective travel plans to help create Safer Routes to School. Southampton City Council is the number one small local authority with the percentage of accredited schools, sitting at 33% of our schools with an accredited Modeshift STARS travel plan. 

 

In order to increase the number of schools a new Active Travel Ambassador programme is being carried out with secondary schools from September. Woodlands School has been offered the opportunity to become part of the programme, where work can commence on a travel plan for the school if they wish to join. As part of the travel plan work, the school works with Council Officers to identify barriers to active travel and road safety issues on the way to and from school. Behaviour change measures, enforcement and initiatives will first be used to address issues, however if infrastructure measures are identified as potential solutions, these could be added to future funding considerations.

 

7. Primary and Secondary Education

 

Councillor P Baillie to Councillor Winning

 

QUESTION: Is the Primary and Secondary education provided in Southampton good enough?

 

ANSWER:  There is much to be proud of in Southampton when it comes to education. We have a dedicated workforce of excellent teachers, teaching assistants and Heads that all work incredibly hard to get the best for our children and young people.

 

A few recent examples include:

• Cantell winning ‘Best Use of Technology’ at the TES National School Awards

• Cedar School winning the SEN Provision Award at the Education Business Awards. 

• In the last 12 months, 90% of schools receiving Ofsted Inspection gradings were ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’. The remaining 10% are academies. 

• 79% of pupils are attending good or outstanding schools. 

• 98% of Early Years providers are good and outstanding 

• Reading and Maths Expected Standard at KS1 is in line with National average.

• Reading and Maths at KS2 Expected Standard is in line with Statistical Neighbour (SN) performance. 

• Southampton's KS4 Attainment 8 performance is above the SN average.

 

As a Corporate Parent, Cabinet Member for Education and, as a parent myself, there is always improvement to be made and this needs to be continuous. We want the best for all children in Southampton and that is why, next academic year we are putting a particular focus on reducing absence and exclusions. If children aren’t in school, it doesn’t matter how effective or well-supported teaching and learning is, we will not see better outcomes for young people. There is a strong and vibrant collective working on driving through these improvements and I am confident that we will see improvement in this area that will lead to wider educational and social benefits.

 

8. Planning

 

Councillor P Baillie to Councillor Fielker

 

QUESTION:  Now that the national Labour Government seems determined to introduce the wild west into planning, what type of homes will you be prioritising?

 

ANSWER: Southampton has a shortage of homes, in every tenure. Our City Vision Local Plan Policies seeks to achieve mixed and balanced communities, and to use brown belt land to deliver new homes seems to be fully supported by the Government's plans.

 

9.  Use of Pesticides

 

Councillor Barbour to Councillor Savage

 

QUESTION: The use of pesticides on our streets and in our parks continues to be a major issue for local residents across the city.  Pesticides are known to have harmful effects and to be associated with Parkinson’s disease and with cancers.  For children the impact is even greater.  Crawling and playing in areas treated with pesticides, or putting contaminated objects in their mouth, increases their exposure. Children spend more time in areas like parks and playgrounds where pesticides are used. They sit, lie and play on the ground and can readily come into contact with freshly applied pesticide or dust contaminated with pesticides.  There are alternatives, can the council commit to cease the use of glyphosates and other pesticides and to replace these with alternatives that are not harmful to humans, pets and wildlife.

 

ANSWER: SCC safely carries out weed control in accordance with its legal obligations, abiding by the “Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products” to reduce the effect of pesticide-use on people, wildlife, plants and the environment to the lowest possible level while ensuring that pests, diseases and weeds are effectively controlled.  SCC officers that use pesticide must have an appropriate certificate of competence. Herbicide is not used in Play Areas – which are designed to ensure such treatment is not necessary. Pesticide-use is minimised in our green spaces; eleven Southampton parks have received the Green Flag Award, which includes assessment of chemical use. 

 

SCC cannot currently support a ban on glyphosate because in some circumstances, such as where uncontrolled weeds create safety and economic risks to public amenities, its use is considered necessary to control weeds in an effective and cost-efficient way. 

 

SCC is committed to eliminating the unnecessary use of pesticides.  Decisions on chemical use are regularly reviewed and non-chemical alternatives considered. Alternative methods do not currently present a scalable, cost-effective solution for weed control on highways, footways, and paved areas. SCC will switch to non-chemical methods when they can be deployed effectively and at proportionate cost to residents.

 

10. Sustainable Developments

 

Councillor Chapman to Councillor Fielker

 

QUESTION:  Given the Labour-led Renaissance Board's focus on sustainable development and green growth, how does the administration plan to deal with partners who are taking actions that does not align with these goals?

 

ANSWER:  The establishment of the Southampton Renaissance Board was agreed with the support of the City Council’s Cabinet in December 2022, with cross-party support, established from the outset and being endorsed at Full Council in February 2023. It is envisaged that the Board will continue to evolve and has already developed a strategic advisory role. The Board has collectively agreed and adopted terms of reference, to be reviewed annually. Part of the Board’s remit is to ensure the alignment of Southampton’s public, private sector and major institutions around the growth agenda. Net zero, new investment, skills, people, and sustainable growth are central to the Board’s remit, to help navigate the city’s collective response to future socio-economic challenges. The Board does not govern the individual actions of its partners. Instead, it aims to provide a collaborative platform for discussing and addressing future challenges facing the city.