A period of up to 40 minutes is allocated for questions to the Leader, Cabinet Portfolio Holders and Chairs of Overview and Scrutiny Committees.
Minutes:
Question on Notice
(a) Councillor John Holland asked Councillor Peter Butlin the following question:
It is reported that the last bank in Warwick will close next summer. A new bank hub is proposed staffed by the Post Office and with staff from the major banks each attending once per week on different days. Will Cllr Butlin ask our Property Officers to explore the possibility of locating this hub in Shire Hall, perhaps near the Post Office?
Councillor Butlin responded that he would undertake the exploratory work necessary to investigate the options to support this provision.
(b) Councillor Jerry Roodhouse asked Councillor Kam Kaur (on behalf of Councillor Matecki) the following question regarding Home To School Transport:
The County Council released a statement on the website September 4th stating "We are aware of the ongoing issues with bus passes and school transport and are working diligently to address them as swiftly as possible".
Could the Portfolio Holder state what caused the delay and is there a waiting list for passes - if so how many and for how long have these families been waiting and what actions have been taken to resolve the matter.
Councillor Kaur apologised to those families who had been affected, particularly to the young people in Year 7 who were using the buses for the first time. She explained that the system had not been able to cope demand and whilst a spike in demand at this time of year was not unusual, there had been a much higher rate of applications received after the May deadline that normal, leaving less time to organise an efficient network for those who required it. The current year had also seen fewer paid for seats available, further adding to the demand, and an increase in appeals. Over 300 calls and emails had been received and responded to and Councillor Kaur was pleased to say that the majority of issues had now been dealt with although the Council was still working with some individuals. Going forward, the Council would be looking at the system and communications. A briefing note on this topic would be shared.
(c) Councillor Sarah Feeney posed the following question to Councillor Seccombe (on behalf of Councillor Markham):
Residents are raising concerns that ADHD waiting lists are now so full that it is unlikely that some children will not get assessments by the time they finish their educational career. I raised this with Cllr Beetham last year in his report back to full council that ADHD waiting times were much longer than those for Autism. Please could you tell us what the waiting times for ADHD assessments are.
Councillor Seccombe stated that provision of this service was the role and responsibility of the NHS and they could be approached for a response direct. However, the Director of Children and Young People would be willing to support Councillor Feeney to obtain the information.
Questions without Notice
(d) Councillor Jonathan Chilvers asked Councillor Heather Timms for an update on progress for rural local heat networks which Councillor Timms agreed to provide in writing.
(e) Following on from item 4 on the agenda (Warwickshire ZEBRA2 Scheme), Councillor Jonathan Chilvers requested confirmation of whether the bus electric infrastructure was exclusively available to Stagecoach and Councillor Richard Baxter-Payne agreed a response would be provided.