To answer oral questions asked by Members of the Council under Rule No. 12.7.

The Chairman presided over oral questions asked of the Leader, Deputy Leader, Portfolio Holders, the Chairman of a Committee or a Member representing the Bedfordshire Police Authority or the Bedfordshire and Luton Combined Fire Authority under Council Procedure Rule 12.7.

1)      Councillor Dr Egan asked a question about the condition of the road at Thorn Turn, Houghton Regis.

The Assistant Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities and Healthier Lifestyles advised Members that he would provide a written response.

2)      Councillor Aldis asked a question about the percentage of waste being recycled in Central Bedfordshire.

         The Assistant Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities and Healthier Lifestyles advised Members that the percentage of waste recycled during 2009/10 was 50.3%.  It was hoped that the Council would be able to recycle 60% of waste in Central Bedfordshire by 2020.

         Councillor Aldis asked a supplementary question about the provision of a kerb side collection for glass.

         The Assistant Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities and Healthier Lifestyles explained that there were a number of bottle banks located around Central Bedfordshire that could be used for recycling glass.

3)      Councillor Mrs Chapman asked a question about the procedure for seeking an extension of the green belt between Aspley Guise and Milton Keynes.

The Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Development advised Members that the green belt was in the Council’s own core strategy.  He believed that the housing delivery in this area would not be imminent.  The Government was introducing the Decentralisation and Localism Bill to devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over housing and planning decisions.   Once the Bill was enacted it would be appropriate for the Council to follow this up.

4)      Councillor Murray asked a question about problems with Amey’s Road Helpline randomly deleting reference numbers.

         The Assistant Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities and Healthier Lifestyles was not aware of the problem and would look into it.

5)           Councillor Murray asked a question about the quality of grammar and punctuation contained in reports.

The Leader responded in the absence of the Deputy Leader that she would feedback this information to the Deputy Leader and agreed that all publications should be accurate.

6)      Councillor Aldis asked a question about the procedure for grass cutting and the spraying of weed killer.

         The Assistant Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities and Healthier Lifestyles advised that the Highways and Transport Services Guide had been provided to all Members of the Council.  The spraying of weed killer took place between May and June and again in September, if necessary. 

7)      Councillor Mrs Chapman asked a question about what plans were there for calling in and refreshing the Core Strategy to better reflect the democratic wishes of the elected representatives of the people of Central Bedfordshire who were never consulted before MK Partnership forced the unwanted houses on Aspley Guise, remembering that these houses were never included in the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) RSS and were not included by the Secretary of State in the South East England Regional assembly (SEERA) RSS figures and were disallowed by the Inspector in the Central Beds North Core Strategy.

         The Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Development advised Members that due to the change in Government, the position on the growth agenda was unclear and the Council would need to know how much growth would be needed for the area.  Further information would be known once the South and North of Central Bedfordshire housing needs study had been carried out.  The local MPs were seeking further advice from the Government on the manner in which the needs study should be carried out.

8)      Councillor Mrs Chapman asked a question about keeping the Memorandum of Understanding with Milton Keynes Council after that Council had passed a resolution on 8 June 2010 “to give a commitment to oppose the expansion by stealth of Milton Keynes beyond its existing boundaries”.

         The Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Development explained that the Memorandum of Understanding was a useful document and would be kept for the time being.