Agenda item

[That the Cabinet Members for City Environment, City Economy  and Education and Skills respond to questions received.]

That the responses to the written questions be noted.

a.    Illegal Traveller Encampments

Councillor Udey Singh asked the Cabinet Member for City Environment the following question:

What has the total cost been to the Council for removing illegal traveller encampments from all sites within the city in each of the last 3 financial years?

The Cabinet Member for City Environment, Councillor Steve Evans, responded that the total cost of dealing with traveller incursions in each of the last three financial years was as follows:

2016-2017: £210,273

2017-2018: £244,188

2018 to date: £149,226

Councillor Udey Singh asked the Cabinet Member for City Environment whether the Council was reactive to the needs of its residents.

The Cabinet Member for City Environment, Councillor Steve Evans, responded that Wolverhampton was often shown in a negative view in the press. Traveller incursions were a national issue and the Council’s response to incursions was in line with the legislation and the reaction was always immediate and professional. Assessments were carried out and officers worked with the Police and courts to remove people from these areas. Council employees had written to the Secretary of State to request stronger legislation, along with other local authorities in the West Midlands.

b.    Westside project contracts

Councillor Jonathan Yardley asked the Cabinet Member for City Economy the following question:

Can the Cabinet Member outline the total number of contracts the Council have signed with the primary developer of the Westside project, and the total cost to the Council of those contracts?

The Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, responded that in terms of commercial contracts, i.e. contracts with operators, none had been signed at that stage. The Council entered into a Development Agreement and Agreement for Lease with the developer for the Westside scheme, Urban & Civic in April 2017. There was no specific cost attached to the preparation of these documents although advisory support was provided by JLL and Bruton Knowles throughout the marketing process for the site.

Councillor Jonathan Yardley asked the Cabinet Member for City Economy why it had taken the Council so long to attract private investment in comparison to neighbouring local authorities.

The Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, responded that all Councillors had received an invitation to the Wolverhampton Business Breakfast in September 2017, where Urban & Civic had outlined their investment plans. All contractors involved were still confident in investment, however the current investment climate nationally had been impacted by Brexit. Negotiations with Urban & Civic were continuing with a result expected shortly, but the national uncertainty was impacting on all investments nationwide.

c.    Traveller Injunction

Councillor Simon Bennet asked the Cabinet Member for City Environment the following question:

Can the Cabinet Member explain why he believes that Bantock Park and Heath Town Park do not need to be included in the city-wide Traveller Injunction, despite both sites being subjected to illegal encampments in recent months?

The Cabinet Member for City Environment, Councillor Steve Evans, responded that an email had been sent to all Councillors on 8 October 2018 to inform them of the position. The deadline for the injunction had been in June 2018, and at that point Bantock Park had not been subject to a traveller incursion. Council employees had requested to add the site following the incursion, but the Judge presiding the case had advised that, if additional incursions had been added after the deadline, the injunction would not have been granted.

Councillor Simon Bennett asked the Cabinet Member for City Environment why sites included in the injunction had been prioritised over other areas.

The Cabinet Member for City Environment, Councillor Steve Evans, responded that the 20 locations had been identified based on incursions from 1 August 2015 to 1 April 2018. Following a significant increase in incursions in early 2018, a further survey had identified an additional 40 locations that were potentially vulnerable and also considered incursions prior to August 2015. Physical protection of sites, police powers and intelligence from the traveller community had also been considered as evidence for the injunction. Bantock Park had not been considered vulnerable prior to July 2018 but it was also acknowledged that the Police were more likely to exercise their powers on high profile sites. The Cabinet Member agreed to share the legal advice with Councillor Simon Bennett.

d.    Garden Waste Collection Charges

Councillor Christopher Haynes asked the Cabinet Member for City Environment the following question:

The Cabinet has chosen to penalise residents who have a garden by introducing a £35 charge for garden waste collection from February. How can the Cabinet Member justify spending £500,000 on new purple bins, given the Council’s own forecasts which suggest that just 15% of households will sign up to the new scheme?

The Cabinet Member for City Environment, Councillor Steve Evans, responded that residents with a garden had not been penalised, an option had been provided for residents to sign up to the scheme. The scheme had been based on historical data and evidence from neighbouring authorities that had implemented similar schemes. The changes to waste services were necessary due to the cuts in funding from Central Government. Over 50% of local authorities in the country had introduced a new garden waste service.

Councillor Christopher Haynes asked the Cabinet Member for City Environment, as the choice made by the controlling party was not in line with residents’ wishes and could lead to a significant increase in fly tipping, whether the Council would agree to scrap the Garden tax.

The Cabinet Member for City Environment, Councillor Steve Evans, responded that the charge was not a tax, it was a choice for residents. The Council had to make changes to waste services due to limited resources. The approach was sensible and fair, and the charge was offered with a 50% concession to those on low incomes.

e.    Fly Tipping

Councillor Wendy Thompson asked the Cabinet Member for City Environment the following question:

Coventry City Council has seen a 40% increase in fly-tipping year on year since fortnightly bin collections were introduced. Can the Cabinet Member explain what he thinks will happen to fly tipping levels in Wolverhampton once the reduction in bin collections has been fully rolled out?

The Cabinet Member for City Environment, Councillor Steve Evans, responded that fly tipping levels might reduce.

Councillor Wendy Thompson asked the Cabinet Member for City Environment whether he would agree to be quoted on his response and if figures on fly tipping could be supplied on a monthly basis over the coming year.

The Cabinet Member for City Environment, Councillor Steve Evans, responded that there had been 692 fly tipping incidents in Wolverhampton over the last 12 months but that it was a national issue regardless of the frequency of waste collections. Fly tipping in other areas had increased but the majority of objects that were collected were items of construction waste or other large items such as sofas and fridges, rather than generic household waste. The Council’s officers were issuing fixed penalty notices and fines, using public protection powers and investigating incidents with the option to prosecute. The Vibrant and Sustainable City Scrutiny Panel were provided with a regular update containing figures that could be shared.

f.     Maintained Nursery Schools

Councillor Philip Bateman MBE asked the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills the following question:

What is the Council considering regarding the future of Wolverhampton’s Maintained Nursery Schools; and what will happen if the Government supplementary funding for maintained Nursery School provision does not continue beyond 2019-2020?

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Councillor Lynne Moran, responded that there were two strands in response to the question, one from the Council’s officers and a political perspective. Wolverhampton had seven nursery schools in the City that engaged 900 children. Over half of the nursery schools had been assessed by Ofsted as ‘outstanding’ and the remainder as ‘good’. Wolverhampton’s early years offer was rich and diverse, with 90% of children engaged in the activity provided. The Council did not have control over supplementary funding but recognised the extra costs of nursey school staffing, specialised teachers and building maintenance. An Early Years Advisor had been appointed in the previous year to offer support to nursery staff to help maximise income. The Cabinet Member had written to all nursery headteachers and Chairs of Governors to ask that funding information was shared with parents and MPs, whilst organising events to stimulate a campaign. Councillors could visit their local nursery schools and lobby ministers and MPs. The loss of funding would run the risk of nursery schools closing or the Wolverhampton offer being diluted. The Cabinet Member urged all Councillors to join the campaign.

Councillor Philip Bateman MBE asked the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills whether she would consider meeting with him and the Leader of the Opposition to discuss how best to proceed with cross-party support. The LGA had carried out research into the impact of the removal of the funding to maintained nursery schools and many Councils had responded to say that closures would be likely.

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Councillor Lynne Moran, responded that she agreed to the meeting as proposed to consider a working party to examine the issue.

Resolved:

That the responses to the written questions be noted.