To answer Open Questions asked by Members of the Council under Rule No. 12.7.

The Chairman presided over Open Questions asked of Executive Members and Deputy Executive Members under Procedure rule 12.7.

1.         Councillor Egan asked questions about the provision of housing and sought assurance that local residents would benefit from future development.

            The Executive Member for Sustainable Communities Strategic Planning & Economic Development commented on the Choice Base Letting Scheme and Shared Ownership.

2.         Councillor Goodchild asked about the implications of the recent operation at Greenacres Caravan Park, Leighton Buzzard.

The Executive Member for Social Care, Health and Housing advised that any cost had not yet been determined but that the alleged victims had been returned to their home authorities.

3.         Councillor Aldis commented on the current office moves and asked what schemes were in place for staff who were unable to travel to a different work location and the cost savings associated with the office moves.

            The Leader of the Council reiterated the necessity for office moves to achieve efficiency savings.  Compensation payments were in place for where staff were required to travel longer distances due to a change in their main place of work.

4.         Councillor Smith asked a question about numbers of staff who had not accepted new contracts of employment and what contingencies had been put in place to ensure services would not be affected.

            The Leader of the Council advised that exact numbers would not be known until after 1 October and that managers had contingency plans in place.  The Leader would endeavour to update members of the Council in due course.

5.         Councillor Williams asked how many petitions had been submitted to Central  Bedfordshire Council and how many had been successfully resolved.

The Deputy Leader and Executive Member - Corporate Resources indicated that he would provide a written reply.

6.         Councillor Aldis asked for the Authority’s view on separating recycled items and the steps being taken to reduce levels of contamination.

            The Executive Member for Sustainable Communities advised of the campaign for Real Recycling and would invite the Deputy Executive Member for Sustainable Communities to provide a written answer.

7.         Councillor Egan sought assurances that the views of local people would be taken into account in future development plans following on from the announcement about the A5 – M1 link road.

The Executive Member for Sustainable Communities – Strategic Planning and Economic Development advised that all applications for development would be considered at the appropriate time by the Development Management Committee and that no preconceived decisions had been made.

8.         Councillor Murray asked a question about claims of staff bullying and harassment as referred to in recent press publications.

The Leader advised that no specific allegations had been made and that he was satisfied that policies and procedures to respond to any allegations were in place.

9.         Councillor Murray asked a question about whether there was a move to two tier education in Dunstable.

The Executive Member for Children’s Services advised that 5 schools in Dunstable and Houghton Regis had applied for a variation to age range intake which would be similar to a two tier system.

10.       Councillor Smith sought clarification that the New Homes Bonus Scheme would support necessary infrastructure.

The Leader of the Council confirmed that funding from the scheme would be spent appropriately.

11.       Councillor Williams asked a question regarding illegal encampments in Central Bedfordshire.

The Deputy Executive Member for Sustainable Communities- Strategic Planning and Economic Development commented that robust safeguards were in place.

12.       Councillor Zerny asked a question about the consultation underway about the future of Children’s Centres.

The Executive Member for Children’s Services explained the consultation and the reasons for it.

13.       Councillor Aldis asked a question about allotment land in Sandy.

The Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Corporate Resources advised that negotiations with the landowner were ongoing and at present a timescale for concluding the negotiations was unknown.

14.       Councillor Egan asked a question about a recent Customer Services Survey.           

The Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Corporate Services clarified the methodology and personnel used to conduct the survey.

15.       Councillor Murray asked a question about the provision of CCTV  in places where incidents had been recorded.

The Executive Member for Sustainable Communities indicated that he would provide a written response.