To receive any questions from Members, notice of which has been given in accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2.

Report attached, marked 6.

The Speaker advised that six questions from Members had been received in accordance with Procedure Rule 15 (copies of the report containing the detailed questions and their formal responses are attached to the signed minutes).

(i)       Received from Mr M Williams and answered by Mr M Price Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning, Planning, Housing and Commissioning (Central) in relation to the severe shortage of public housing for rent and affordable housing in Shropshire – copy attached to the signed minutes.

There was no supplementary question.

(ii)      Received from Mr R Evans and answered by Mrs K Calder, Portfolio Holder for Health in relation to the membership of Health and Wellbeing Boards – copy attached to the signed minutes.

          By way of a supplementary question Mr Evans asked if the membership of the existing Health and Wellbeing Board in Shropshire could be expanded to include members from opposition parties and thereby ensure a stronger democratic legitimacy.

In response the Portfolio Holder confirmed that a peer challenge was taking place in January 2015 and as part of that the strategy and membership would be reviewed.  Mrs Calder also pointed out that the Health and Wellbeing Board was unlike any other committee of the Council.  It brought together stakeholder groups and was not at all political. She questioned what benefit additional members would bring to the Board and offered to discuss the matter further with Mr Evans after the meeting.

(iii)      Received from Mr A Boddington and answered by Mrs C Wild the Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport in relation to the 701 and 722 bus services in Ludlow – copy attached to the signed minutes.

By way of a supplementary question Mr Boddington asked if there was capacity in the budget to subsidise a third bus in Ludlow to ease the Park and Ride problems in the town. 

In response, the Portfolio Holder said that Ludlow now had a good hourly bus service.  Maybe some stops needed refinement, but on the whole the service was good.  What Mr Boddington was requesting was not for discussion at Council and was something that needed to be considered more globally.

(iv)     Received from Mr M Kenny and answered by Mrs C Wild the Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport in relation to the backlog of repairs on highways, footpaths and cycleways – copy attached to the signed minutes.

By way of a supplementary question Mr Kenny asked what was meant by ‘no significant backlog’ and what were the likely efficiencies across the service.

In response the Portfolio Holder confirmed that she would pick up these issues with Mr Kenny after the meeting.

(v)      Received from Mr R Evans and answered by Mr M Bennett the Chairman of the Performance Management Scrutiny Committee in relation to the setting up of a non-executive Member Group for a regular scrutiny session, as agreed by Council in April 2013 – copy attached to the signed minutes.

By way of a supplementary question Mr Evans asked if a meeting of the non-executive Member Group could be set up in Autumn 2014

In response the Portfolio Holder replied that he was not prepared to arrange a meeting to bring a large number of members in to the Shirehall for an unstructured discussion.  There were a number of ways in which concerns could be raised including at the Scrutiny Chairs meeting, but nothing had thus far been raised.  Meetings were about outcomes and making a difference. The culture of the Council was changing; looking ahead, he very much hoped that scrutiny would get involved in the forthcoming service re-design and review.

(vi)     Received from Mrs H Kidd and answered by Mrs A Hartley the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services in relation to the rates charged for support visits to pre-schools, especially around OFSTED and if there were any exemptions for pre-schools, many of whom were struggling with numbers and funding – copy attached to the signed minutes.

There was no supplementary question.