Leader's report and Question time
The Leader will present his report and take questions.
Minutes:
The Leader began by paying tribute to Councillor Bridget Hilton who would be retiring from the Council after 14 years of service and thanked her for her dedication and commitment to the Council.
The Leader reported on two major infrastructure projects that would impact on the borough, namely the Haweswater Aqueduct Renewal Programme and a BT Openreach Project to create full fibre connection from the Clitheroe Exchange.
The Leader went on to report on the continuing work that was being done to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and highlighted a number of actions that had been undertaken eg the Community Hub work, the appointment of Enforcement Officers to make sure that businesses complied with Covid-19 Regulations, the payment of grants to local businesses, the lateral flow testing that had been sent up in the Council Chamber and the PCR testing sites that had been set up on Council car parks.
He praised the efforts of all staff that had helped the Council respond to challenges brought about by the pandemic and thanked everyone involved for their contribution, hard work and commitment.
Finally the Leader confirmed that as the country entered the recovery stage of the pandemic, the Council was now returning its thoughts and actions to the major strategic aims of the Council, including Committee meetings, climate change, a review of Longridge assets and supporting ongoing economic recovery in the borough.
The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor A Knox, asked the Leader if he could confirm what tonnage of materials had residents put in their blue recycling bins over the last 5 years.
The Leader thanked Councillor Knox for his question and confirmed that the tonnage of materials collected from blue bins was as follows:
· 2015/16 – 2456 tonnes.
· 2016/17 – 2450 tonnes.
· 2017/18 – 2445 tonnes.
· 2018/19 – 2473 tonnes.
· 2019/20 – 2637 tonnes.
Next Councillor Knox asked if the Leader could confirm which working groups reported to Policy and Finance Committee.
The Leader confirmed that there were currently 4 working groups that came under the remit of Policy and Finance Committee. They were the Budget Working Group, Voluntary Organisations Grants, Longridge Assets and Climate Change.
Councillor Knox proposed that a fifth group be set up to deal with Covid recovery. The Leader confirmed that he supported that proposal.
Finally Councillor Knox asked the Leader if he could confirm how many people had presented themselves as homeless to the Council in each of the last 5 years.
The Leader confirmed that the numbers of households that had presented as homeless in the last 3 years were as follows:
· 2018/19 – 101.
· 2019/20 – 89.
· 2020/21 – 65.
Data prior to that period was no longer available.