To provide an opportunity to pose questions to Cabinet Members in line with Standing Orders.
Process:
No more than 10 minutes will be allocated at the Council meeting for questions to each Cabinet Member.
Members must submit their proposed questions in writing in advance in accordance with Standing Orders. If members are unable to ask their question orally within the allocated time, remaining questions will be answered in writing. The question and response will be appended to the minutes.
The question must be addressed through the Mayor or the person presiding at the meeting and not directly to the person being questioned.
Questions will be posed to Cabinet Members in the following order:
i. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education and Early Years
ii. Cabinet Member for Community and Wellbeing
iii. Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Regulation and Housing
iv. Cabinet Member for Social Services
v. Cabinet Member for Organisational Transformation
vi. Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Bio-Diversity
vii. Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Assets
Minutes:
Question 1 - Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Regulation and Housing
Councillor Debbie Jenkins:
The Corporate plan aims to make Newport a fairer, safer, and thriving City. As Regulation is part of your portfolio, can you update Council on what the Public Protection team is doing to achieve these strategic goals?
Response from Councillor James Clarke:
Our Public Protection teams carry out a wide range of activities on different regimes, so I would like to provide some detail on recent activities on each of these areas to illustrate the splendid work delivered by Council officers.
Regarding Trading Standards:
Investigations relating to counterfeit goods and illegal dog breeding are ongoing. The combined fraud value is more than £5million.
During a recent illegal tobacco enforcement operation in Commercial Street, officers carried out surveillance on illegal tobacco shops leading to seizures and four arrests. Officers closed five shops using ASB Closure Orders.
Illegal disposable vaping devices are prevalent; 3,370 illegal disposable vapes have been seized and several prosecutions are under way in relation to illegal vapes and vapes sold to underage persons.
Several investigations into the activities of rogue/itinerant traders are at various stages of completion.
Officers carry out a risk assessed inspection programmed at food businesses across the city and a project is underway to tackle residential rental and commercial premises that fall beneath acceptable energy performance standards.
Regarding Environmental Health
The Section continues to support safe events, deliver food controls etc. The service is targeting businesses where there are inappropriate practices such as using unsafe equipment. For example, using illegally converted kitchen gas appliances to LPG, causing risk of explosion. More prohibition notices have been served in the last year, than the last four years.
Several food hygiene improvement notices, prohibition notices and food seizure, detention and destruction actions have been taken. Two prosecutions have taken place.
Regarding Licensing:
This Section continues to monitor licensed businesses. Action has been taken relating to pubs and nightclubs breaching their conditions. Checks with the taxi trade continue. Examples of incidents that have happened would be that one taxi driver was investigated by the team and found to be lying about a speeding offence. That driver subsequently received a suspended sentence and a fine. Two taxi drivers had refused to allow guide dogs into their cars. These drivers had their licences suspended pending retraining.
Regarding Community Safety:
The Community Safety Team are active in the City Centre and deal with noise nuisance, health and safety issues, there have also been incidents of fly tipping where in some incidents a Community Protection Warning has been issued.
A Community Protection Warning was issued in relation to a large-scale fly tipping problem in Maesglas followed by an Environmental Protection Act Notice which resulted in the accumulation of 2 tonnes of rubbish being cleared.
139 Section 115 Crime and Disorder Act meetings have been attended.
I would like to finish by acknowledging all the hard work and dedication of the Team.
Question 2 – Cabinet Member for Organisational Transformation
Councillor Emma Stowell-Corten:
Could the Cabinet Member outline how the new digital strategy supports our goal in becoming a data city?
Response from Councillor Dimitri Batrouni:
The Council’s goal in becoming a Data City recognises the value of data and supports the need to harness the vast repositories of data held by Newport City Council, our public partners, and existing and future business investors; ensuring that as a city we are data driven and decisions are based on sound evidence.
Developments such as the National Technology Institute are keystones to delivering our Data City aspirations with both public and private partners. The new Digital Strategy 2022-2027 is complimentary to delivery and achieving this goal through its Data and Collaboration theme to support decision-making, service delivery and planning through better and more effective use of data; ensuring that appropriate data protection, information security and sharing protocols are in place to facilitate access to readily available, up-to-date, and meaningful data which is available to citizens, business, and visitors.
Question 3 – Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity
Councillor Farzina Hussain:
As the implementation of three weekly refuse collections continues, can the Cabinet Member give an update on phase 1 of the move to three weekly residual waste collections and outline progress towards phase 2 of the move to three weekly collections?
Response from Councillor Forsey:
Phase 1 of the three weekly collections roll out started in June this year and included approximately 11,500 properties. The waste team have been monitoring collections over the last few months, so far results show the following:
· A decrease of 15% in the amount of residual waste collected from these properties. If this is repeated across Newport as part of the wider roll out, NCC will meet the 70% recycling target, which is the main aim of this change.
· Our waste engagement team are available to assist residents who may struggle with managing their waste. Since the roll out started, they have received 84 enquiries and completed another 91 proactive visits/contacts.
· In terms of compliance with the ‘no excess waste’ policy, to date the waste team have only issued a total of 166 warning letters due to additional waste presented by residents, with only seven getting to the next stage due to repeated behaviour. Considering that over the same period more than 35,000 3 weekly collections have taken place, this represents compliance levels over 99%.
Overall, these are excellent results that show the new system is delivering the expected results and that residents are coping well with the changes.
The waste team are getting ready for the second phase of the roll out, that will bring three weekly collections to many Newport residents. Further details will be available soon on the Council’s website and social media channels, but three weekly collections of non-recyclable waste are scheduled to start between the second part of October and the beginning of November. Garden waste collections stop during the winter months at the end of November, but they will continue with the current frequency until then. Collections will take place every three weeks once they resume in March next year. All residents will receive a letter and leaflet by post confirming the changes, in October.
Question 4 - Cabinet Member for Social Services (Adult Services)
As the Cabinet Member was not present the response would be provided in writing to Councillor T Harvey and included in the Minutes.
Councillor Timothy Harvey:
Within the context of considerable media coverage of health and social care, can the Cabinet Member provide an update on what the council is doing to support our Newport based residents for longer within their communities?
Response from Councillor Jason Hughes:
Newport adult services preparedness for social care needs of the city is a whole year activity due to the workforce pressures across all service areas and increase in complex referrals. We work across the Gwent region to maximise resources and facilities for our residents with care and support needs. 92% of adult services is focussed on supporting individuals to remain in the community/at home and avoid hospital admissions.