Minutes:
(Prior to the Cabinet Portfolio updates and in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 30, it was moved by Councillor Jason Zadrozny and seconded by Councillor David Martin that Procedure Rules 10 (Duration of Meeting) and 23 (Conclusion of Proceedings) be suspended, for the duration of the meeting, to enable all matters on the agenda to be satisfactorily concluded. Having been put to the vote, the Council agreed with this course of action.)
Councillor David Martin – Portfolio Holder for Street, Parks and Town Centres
· Covid Information Officers offering continued support and forging good working relationships with local retailers
· capture of footfall data in town centres across Ashfield currently underway
· 1.5 million investment in green spaces with 11 projects ongoing
· retaining water enhancement works on Titichfield Park brook at Hucknall
· Additional 500 trees being planted with a further 500 at the end of February
· acknowledgement of challenging times for staff during the pandemic
· success of the real Christmas tree collection with 1150 trees collected
· waste campaigns continuing at pace with the Spring Clean commencing on 8 February 2021
· Environmental Services Team undertaking outstanding work in challenging circumstances
· latest data is showing a reduction in reported incidences of dog fouling and littering
· 300 incidences of fly tipping reported
· imminent launch of new Environmental Charter to be circulated to all households
· approval of new S46 Public Funerals Policy
Councillor Kier Barsby – Portfolio Holder for Health and Leisure
· reopening of the leisure centres on 2 December 2020 for a month prior to the third lockdown saw more joiners than leavers
· maintenance of leisure centres is continuing to ensure swift reopening when instructed
· an application for National Leisure Relief funds has been completed to endeavour to recoup some losses during the pandemic
· weekly meetings being held with Everyone Active, the Council’s leisure service provider
· work started on the Kirkby Leisure Centre site and the contractor, Keir, committed to its corporate social responsibilities with plans to facilitate site visits, community volunteer days, school visits and work placements
· the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Sports England bids have been submitted and are currently at stage 2
· success of the Christmas lights, online advent competition and Santa street tour during December 2020
· Discover Ashfield awards for businesses now accepting nominations with a virtual awards ceremony being held during February half term
· 4 outdoor cinema screenings to hopefully take place during August and September 2021
· 17 organisations benefitted from £12,000 of Ashfield Community funding
· development of a new Health and Wellbeing Partnership Strategy for 2021-25, to be launched in late February 2021
· £23,000 of Emergency Assistance Funding for Food has been distributed to over 400 families including Christmas hampers
· the Christmas staff appeal saw personalised gifts being distributed to all residents at Beaumont House and Kingfisher Court Care Homes and chocolates through the local foodbank network
· imminent distribution of the Winter Grant Food Vouchers
Councillor Matthew Relf – Portfolio Holder for Place, Planning and
Regeneration
· the Planning Team continuing to exceed their performance targets in most areas
· delays around the development of the Local Plan due to external Covid restrictions
· successful bid of £50,000 received from the ‘Restore Your Railways’ Fund towards the reopening of the Maid Marion railway line
· the Business Support Team continuing to receive and support a high level of business enquiries
· the Towns Fund Accelerated Projects are progressing well via the Place Team
· development of the Portland College ‘New Start’ building is underway
· designs for the new Indoor Market at Kirkby have now been completed
· development of the new cycling network from Kirkby to Annesley has reached the detailed design stage
· a start date has been secured for the new play area on Hornbeam Park and should be opening in the Spring
· receipt of £6.3 million Future High Street funding and further business cases being prepared for submission to Government
· the recent submission of business plans for the Towns Fund allocation of £25 million for both Kirby and Sutton including some wider regional reach projects (and an approved over bid of £61.6 million)
· officers keeping a watching brief on the new ‘Levelling Up’ Fund and any possible opportunities for development in Hucknall
Councillor Daniel Williamson – Portfolio Holder for Governance, Energy and the Environment
· the Democratic Services and Scrutiny Team are continuing to service the full range of meetings and commitments
· the Elections Team are busy preparing for the PCC and County Council elections in May 2021
· work being undertaken by the Risk and Emergency Team to ensure all venues for the May elections are Covid secure
· Communications Team providing an excellent response and keeping the public up to date with information for the local vaccination programme, Kirkby Leisure Centre updates and details regarding the Spring Clean campaign
· the ‘Ashfield Matters’ magazine recently hit the doorsteps and is keeping residents informed om all matters of interest
Councillor John Wilmott – Portfolio Holder for Regulatory Services
· the Licensing Team continue to efficiently respond to all enquires with an acknowledgement that recent applications for hospitality have decreased during the lockdown
· assistance and support in relation to taxi licencing is still in demand
· the Environmental Health Team continue to assist local businesses in Ashfield with some struggling and some closed during lockdown and relying upon funding from the Business Grant Scheme
· the compliance of most local businesses with Covid-secure requirements and warning letters being sent to any businesses not adjusting their premises and working arrangements accordingly
· food safety inspections are continuing with new applications for food outlets continuing to be submitted
· acknowledgement that Private Sector enforcement has continued throughout the three lockdowns with site inspections carried out, responses to 340 Covid related enquiries and 22 Improvement Notices served
Councillor Tom Hollis – Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing
· Housing Team busy with roll out of £40 million pounds of improvement schemes to Council properties
· new rebuild of houses underway on sites across the District including Davis Avenue, Sutton Junction and various garage sites in Hucknall
· the welcome receipt of £1 million funding from Government for energy efficient upgrades to around 65 private properties and 60 Council owned properties, free of charge and focussing on solid wall insulation and draft proofing
· following the Grenfell Towner disaster and recent changes in legislation, the Council has adopted a Complaint Handing Code that will give tenants more power to make complaints to the Council if needed and also have a clearer path to investigation and resolution
· disappointment in a recent result from Parliament on 1 February when a Labour opposition motion regarding prioritisation of remuneration for leaseholders and taxpayers as a result of dangerous cladding on buildings, resulted in not one single Conservative Member bothering to vote on it
Councillor Helen-Ann Smith – Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Community Safety
· the recent creation of a new partnership with an external contractor, Wise, to provide additional environmental enforcement and issue of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for littering, dog fouling and failing to carry a suitable receptacle for picking up dog waste. The new contract will result in 5 additional officers being out on the District and they are due to commence work on 1 April 20021
Councillor Jason Zadrozny – Leader of the Council
· acknowledgement that the Council has been working extremely hard despite the Covid pandemic and the sterling work of Members and officers alike
· reiteration of the fact that the Council continues to be ambitious in the delivery of all its services and has stepped up over the last 11 months to supports its residents through the pandemic and continue to provide excellent and innovative initiatives