To provide an opportunity for Councillors to ask questions to the Leader of the Council in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders.
Process:
No more than 15 minutes will be allocated at the Council meeting for questions to the Leader of the Council.
The question must be addressed through the Mayor or the person presiding at the meeting and not directly to the person being questioned.
Minutes:
Leader’s Announcements
The Leader made the following announcements:
· This weekend Newport will be hosting the ABP Newport Marathon and 10km run.
· Dying to Work Charter – the Council will be reviewing sick pay and policy to reflect this. By signing the Charter the Council has demonstrated its commitment to employees facing tragic personal circumstances.
Missing a bullet point - Young Person’s promise – sets out the rights of children and young people when accessing Council services. The Charter for Newport has been developed by young people for young people and includes the commitments that matter most to the young people of Newport.
· The Newport Economic Network has announced a proposal to establish a National Technology Institute in the city. This would be a world-leading institution delivering higher education technology programmes emphasising innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialisation. It would produce the skills necessary for Wales to benefit from opportunities for our communities.
Newport Economic Network
Councillor M Evans raised concerns regarding the Cabinet’s stated commitment to openness and transparency; firstly citing that a Cabinet Member had refused to answer a questions at Scrutiny Committee relating to the Newport Economic Network; and secondly citing examples of significant decisions being taken in private. In order to promote openness and transparency, the Leader was asked whether a public meeting with local business people would be held to listen to their concerns and issues.
The Leader outlined that the Newport Economic Network was an external meeting, and the answer to the question asked needed to come from the Network rather than the Cabinet Member. The Leader agreed to pass on Cllr Evans comments to the Chair of the Network and seek clarification on the points raised. In relation to the decisions taken confidentially, the Leader highlighted the established precedence for this approach and issues of commercial confidentiality that can impact on the availability of information ahead of decisions relating to major projects.
As a supplementary question, Cllr Evans queried the amount of detail included in the minuted decisions in the examples cited.
In response, the Leader asked that the advice previously given by the Chief Executive and the Head of Law and Regulation regarding public access to reports be circulated.
Litter Picking
Councillor Whitehead commended those who took part in the city wide litter pick recently, and outlined issues of fly tipping and traffic congestion around Docks Way following the roll out of the new size rubbish bins. The Leader was asked whether Officer Support from the Council could be provided to the many litter Groups operating in the city. It was noted that there were increasing instances of these groups dealing with hazardous material such as sharps.
The Leader also commended the efforts of volunteers participating in litter picks, and recognised the national issue of fly tipping, however due to limited resources within the Council, it was unlikely that direct Officer Support would be available for these activities.
Councillors Whitehead asked whether a liaison officer would be able to provide training and support in other ways to these groups. The Leader agreed to look into this suggestion.
Welsh Government Circular Economy Fund
Councillor Hourahine asked the Leader whether the fund launched by the Deputy Minters for Local Government minister yesterday would be of benefit to Newport.
The Leader confirmed that the Deputy Minister for Local Government had launched the fund of £6.5 million to drive Wales towards a circular economy. Grants of between £25,000 and £750,000 would be available to business to look at their use of recycling materials. This fund was investment from the Welsh Government to available to businesses to look at their use to recycled materials in manufacturing and it was intended that this would stimulate secondary recycling materials the more that was recycled packaging produced in wales would increase the demand of this over the raw material. The Leader highlighted the ambitious targets set by the Welsh Government of 75% recycling within the Zero Waste Strategy.
As a supplementary question, Councillor Hourahine asked for an update on how the roll out of the new bins was progressing, and whether there was any indication of this increasing recycling since its implementation.
The Leader advised the Council that local authority waste targets were challenging and the Council was acutely aware of the need to protect the environment and meet these targets. The Cabinet Member had approved a number of recommendations recently aimed at improving the recycling rate, and the introduction of the smaller bins began on the 1 April 2019. 20,000 bins had been issued, which had generated 4,000 additional requests for recycling bins. It was still in the early stages of implementation, however the early indications show that the volume of rubbish had reduced by approximately 30%, food waste had increased by 25% and gardening waste had increased. If these figures were maintained, the Council would exceed its target and save the Council money. 98% of residents were complying with the policy, and the Leader thanked the people of Newport for this.