To hear questions from the public in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.9 to the Leader or other Members of the City Executive Board for which the required notice (1.00pm on Thursday 12^th July 2012) and the full wording of the question has been given to the Head of Law and Governance, and to hear responses from those Members.

Five questions by the public were submitted to Council under Council Procedure Rule 11.9 and replies given as follows:-

(1)       Question to the Leader (Councillor Bob Price) from Nigel Gibson

At the local government elections in May, Labour canvassers were overheard several times on the doorstep saying that Labour will rebuild Temple Cowley Leisure Centre and so people should vote Labour. As a member of the Save Temple Cowley Pools Campaign, I am of course delighted that Labour has decided to switch to evidence-based decision and policy making and support the campaign. Can I ask the Leader when he is going to be formally announcing this change in policy, and does this mean that he and Labour will not be wasting over £13m of public money on a white elephant of a vanity project that is the 25m swimming pool planned in Blackbird Leys, or were Labour supporters simply lying during the election to try and gain votes?

Response: The questioner’s informers must have misheard doorstep remarks. The Councils policy has not changed; the Temple Cowley Pool and Leisure Centre had reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced. The Council is still planning to construct a new Pool at Blackbird Leys. If the questioner can supply evidence about the comments that are referred to they will be investigated.

(2)       Question to the Board Member, Customer Services and    Regeneration (Councillor Val Smith) from Sietske Boeles

Can you please provide a breakdown of student council exempt properties which are classified as Halls of Residence (M category) and private dwellings which are exempt due to be being occupied by full time students (N category)? Can you provide a breakdown of each category (either M or N) for the St Clements, Iffley and St Mary’s Wards. Can you also give us a breakdown of these exemptions for these three wards for the year 2008.

                Response:

(3)       Question to the Leader (Councillor Bob Price) from Diana Hutcheson

On 4 April 2005, Oxford City Council adopted a policy in which it was recommended that there should be no overlap of membership between the Executive Board and the Strategic Development Control Committee (Planning Committee). For your ease of reference, I attach the link relating to this decision –

            http://www.oxford.gov.uk/Direct/26219item10.pdf

It was also decided that the Council’s Constitution confirms that there is a distinction of membership between the Executive Board and the SDCC.  The rationale behind this policy was that, in line with Government guidance, there should be a clear distinction between the Council’s Executive role (between landowner) and its regulatory role (between Local Planning Authority).  Such a distinction would necessitate ensuring that any members of the Executive Board and its working groups are not also members of the SDCC (Planning Committee).

Can the Council please confirm when the above policy was withdrawn and replaced with a new policy; where this was recorded, and was the Constitution

Response: The Council’s Constitution did earlier include, as the Questioner suggests, a provision that members of the Executive could not sit on the SDCC. However, following clarification of the law in R (on the application of Lewis) V Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council in 2008 the restriction that was introduced in 2005 was, following that judgement, no longer necessary and the Constitution was accordingly amended. 

(4)       Question to the Board Member, Parks and Sports (Councillor Mark Lygo) from Jane Alexander

I would like to know who made the decision to have the temporary toilets brought to South Park three full days before they were required for just 6 hours for the Olympic Torch event, who paid for them and how much this cost, how much the road closures cost and what was charged for the policing for the event and are councillors aware that for only £50,000, half the cost of hosting the Torch, we could have Temple Cowley diving pool refurbished so that all can use it especially young people inspired by Olympics?

                        Response: It had in fact proved cheaper to buy in the temporary toilets earlier than the event for which they were to be used. The road closures were the responsibility of the County Council, not the City Council. The event had been managed by some 700 volunteers.

(5)       Question to the Board Member, City Development (Councillor Colin Cook) from Sarah Lasenby

In January 2008 the City Council adopted the Supplementary Planning Document “Balance of Dwellings".  In this document it states that East Oxford and St. Margaret’s Neighbourhood Area is a “red light” area meaning that there needs to be intense effort to safeguard family housing and build new family housing as part of mixed developments.

How many family dwellings have been given planning     permission in East Oxford since January 2008? Please indicate how many of them are affordable? 

Please give a breakdown of the totals of dwelling types by electoral wards; ie St Clements, St Mary's and Iffley Fields Wards?

This question was not taken or responded to at the Council meeting because the time allowed for addresses and questions by the public had been fully used by this time. Council noted that in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.9(h) the answer to the question would be supplied to the questioner after the meeting.