Agenda item

The report of the Leader of the Council was submitted 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 then submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.1

1.  Clock Tower

Question from Councillor Parnell to Councillor Letts

Would the Leader refresh my memory as to when the scaffolding around the Clock Tower was erected ?

When is the work finishing?

Answer

Erection of the scaffolding to the Clock Tower commenced in July 2014.

The work is expected to be finished in July 2015, the precise date being dependent on the extent of stonework repairs required to the tower and the weather.

Background information

The work to repair the Clock Tower covers scaffolding to allow access, replacement of the copper roof damaged in storms, repairs to the clock faces, bell louvres and external stonework cladding to the tower. Repairs to the internal bell supports have also been carried out. The objective being to ensure that minimal repairs are required to the tower for the next 10 years. Since construction in the 1930’s only limited work has been carried out.

The work is complicated due to restrictions on the loading bearing of the roof of the SeaCity museum which has restrictions on its load bearing, and this has required limited weight being added to the scaffolding, causing working only at the top levels.

The work has been delayed due to the extent of repairs required to the bell louvres, clock faces and stonework which could not be accurately determined before scaffold access was available.

The weather, particularly wind and rain, has also caused delays to the project.

2.  Town Crier

Question from Councillor Parnell to Councillor Letts

What plans has the Executive in hand to appoint a new Town Crier?

Answer

I’m not aware that we have received any communication from the public regarding this matter so it does not appear that the service is missed by the City.  The Town Crier is paid an annual honorarium so there would be a cost to appointing a new Crier in addition to the cost of the uniform.  I will have a discussion with the Mayor and decide whether we feel that the cost involved warrants appointing a new Crier or whether we utilise the services of a Crier from a nearby town for the rare occasions when we require one, as we currently do.

3.  Nutfield Social Services Centre

Question from Councillor Parnell to Councillor Letts

Would the Leader inform me of the arrangements that have been made to accommodate the approximate 50 service users that attend regularly, once the Centre is closed?

Answer

Members will recall that on 12^th January 2015 Cabinet decided, following extensive consultation, to close six of the eight in-house day services. The situation with regard to closures remains unchanged; it has been made clear that there will be no closures until all service users’ needs have been reviewed and where unmet eligible needs are identified, alternative arrangements made. Cabinet will receive a report on progress later in the summer.

The reviews are being carried out by a specialist team set up to complete the project. Good progress is being made with 49% of reviews now complete.

Nutfield, one of the centres identified for closure, supports 38 individuals. A range of alternative options exist for individuals who wish to attend services delivering the same style of activity as Nutfield. For instance the Green House Project, Mayfield’s Nursery, Down to Earth Farm, Minstead training project and Steve Murphy’s day services all have vacancies and are used by SCC to support individuals in a setting similar to Nutfield.

Members may wish to note that formal employee consultation, across all affected services, is on-going and no decisions on redundancies has or can be reached until the process described above is complete.

We remain open to the idea that social enterprises might establish themselves and this is something which we would be pleased to see develop. We anticipate that as the take up of direct payments increases across the social care market place that this will help their development.