To consider any questions to the Executive from Members submitted on notice.
Minutes:
The following questions were submitted:
Question from Councillor Vinson to Councillor Letts – Leader of the Council
Following the motion on betting shops, pawn brokers and pay-day lending businesses passed by Council on 17 July 2013, has the Administration made representations to Government for the creation of a separate planning use class for such premises?
Answer
I have requested that the Planning and Development Manager write to the Government. However, I understand that the Government is consulting on this matter and is favourable to the suggestion. I am therefore hoping that the Government will go ahead with this.
Question from Councillor Baillie to Councillor Rayment – Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport
Why were all of the works not done at the same time and why did the traffic run so smoothly on the 4th April?
Answer
In 2010 Network Rail undertook repairs to the rail bridge, which is a different structure, which required dismantling and rebuilding their cast iron structure. At that stage we were not aware of the severity of the problems in the Central Bridge structure. In addition to this, even if we knew of the scale of the problem and had the means to fund the repairs, logistically we would not have been able to carry out our works alongside Network Rail’s.
The City Council working with ABP, Balfour Beatty, Carnival and others put in place a number of measures to help mitigate against the impact of the Platform Road works. These include a number of physical measures, such as widening the junction at Dock Gate four to allow HGVs to be able to enter and exit the port without needing the use of traffic lights to do so. We have used advanced Vehicle Messaging in the run up to busy days in order to warn local motorists of potential congestion. We have liaised with the media to get a message out to the general public that there are going to be busy days when some congestion may be expected, warming when they are. We have also communicated the reasons why we are doing this work and the long term benefit it will bring to the economy of Southampton. We intend doing more to promote the schemes and why they are so important in the near future
Question from Councillor Baillie to Councillor Payne Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability (responded to by Councillor Letts in Councillor Payne’s absence)
Why does the Executive believe it is right to earn high wages and still live in a Council home?
Answer
This is a political decision. Local Authorities do have the power to grant short term tenancies; however, my personal view is that few high earners have tenancies. Housing is a stable thing in people’s lives and this administration has taken the view therefore that tenancies are of value. There is benefit from having a mixed tenure and a mixed community bring more cohesion to an area.
Question from Councillor Baillie to Councillor Letts – Leader of the Council (responded to by Councillor Rayment on Councillor Lett’s behalf)
What concrete plans does the Executive have to reduce air pollution?
Answer
The City Council maintains an air quality monitoring network across the city including a network of approximately 60 diffusion tubes placed at key locations, three continuous monitoring stations and access to data from monitoring stations run by other organisations in the City, some as part of their planning conditions.
Due consideration is given to the air quality impacts of every planning application.
The City Council has an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) which is aimed at ensuring improvements in air quality. The latest vehicle engine technologies, and those being introduced over the coming years, will offer further improvements. We hope to continue the good work already done through our AQAP and are looking at further opportunities to encourage improvements in the vehicles using our roads.
Over the next two years a commitment of £60k has been made to pursue a Low Emission Strategy for the city. This will look at opportunities to incentivise the uptake of new technologies in order to achieve an improvement in air quality. This work will support the activities being pursued through the Local Sustainable Transport Programme to achieve further improvements through modal shift.
The recently opened Sustainable Distribution Centre (SDC) offers freight consolidation and comprehensive warehousing solutions to Southampton and the surrounding areas. The SDC concept should benefit Southampton and its surrounding area by helping to reduce congestion and to reduce carbon