Agenda item

9 valid questions on notice have been received for a response at this meeting.

 

The Chair received an agreement from members to adding an extra 15 minutes to the meeting time to allow for the member’s questions.

 

Question 1 - from Councillor Joe Kirwin

 

I am concerned that Northumbria University is aiming to reduce staff costs by approximately 5.5% before the beginning of the next financial year. This equates to a £12.5 million reduction in staff costs. Northumbria University have refused to rule out the potential for compulsory redundancies which would negatively impact North Tyneside residents who are either employed by or are studying at Northumbria University.  The use of compulsory redundancies will result in damage to the reputation of higher institutions and negatively impact the quality of the education and the support that North Tyneside residents at Northumbria University currently receive.

 

Will the Elected Mayor write to the Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education and ask him to urgently review direct funding provided to universities.

 

Councillor Steven Phillips provided the following response:

 

Northumbria University, alongside other Higher Education institutions located in the North East, are an important and valued asset to the Region. It is vital that alongside being a major local employer that Northumbria University is able to respond to the needs of our residents. This includes young people progressing onto higher education courses, along with adults who access these important local institutions to study to improve their skills and life chances.

 

Yes, the Mayor will write to the Minister to ask him to urgently review direct funding provided to universities.

 

Question 2 - from Councillor Matthew Thirlaway

 

Can the Mayor or Cabinet member give an update on the situation with our schools which are having issues with their buildings?

 

Councillor Steven Phillips provided the following response:

 

I am pleased to report that all students are now back to face-to-face learning with a range of short and medium-term solutions in place at the schools affected.

 

This has been a difficult and unprecedented incident which has affected the education of around 1700 pupils.

 

In December 2023 a small part of concrete block fell from the ceiling in Fordley Primary School. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. This prompted a proactive investigation by council officers into the cause and to review the safety at all schools in the Borough.

 

As a result of this investigation, three further schools were identified in February as needing further assessment to ensure their safety: Churchill Community College, Hazlewood Primary School and Grasmere Academy.

 

The report for Fordley Primary School was received by council officers on Monday. It showed an historical, isolated issue connected to the mixture of concrete used when the school was built in the 1960s.  Investigations at the other three schools have identified similar concerns that we are investigating further.

 

Our priority throughout has been, and will continue to be, the safety of our pupils and staff. Officers and school staff have been working tirelessly to ensure this happens and to minimise disruption to education.

 

I’d like to thank school leaders, staff, pupils and the wider school communities for their support and patience; we know this is challenging.

 

We have used other schools and buildings in the Borough to accommodate students at affected schools, and we are grateful to those school leaders, venues and community groups for offering their support and services.

 

The Council is doing everything it can but has limited resources. We are prioritising funding to deal with this situation quickly, safely, and thoroughly, and have spent more than £1.5m since December. There has been no confirmation of any financial support yet from the Department for Education.

 

We want all our children and young people to thrive, and to be educated and supported in safe environments.  I’d like to thank again the officers and schools’ staff for their tireless work, and families and pupils for being patient and supportive.

 

Councillor Matthew Thirlaway asked the following supplementary question:

 

Taking into consideration the massive cuts to local government funding imposed by successive Conservative government since 2010, does the Cabinet member believe that it should be central government that pays for the cost associated with the defective concrete?

 

Councillor Steven Phillips provided the following response:

 

It goes without saying we simply haven't got the money to deal with this type of issue. As you already pointed out Council and LA budgets have been some of the most cut Public Services since a Conservative Coalition was elected in 2010 and we've had over £140 million pound of cuts from our budget and at the same time obviously we've been forced to raise Council taxes. Yes, the government must stump up the money, and it shouldn’t just be for refurb/rebuild of the schools but also the money that the council are currently spending on the measures we've took to ensure all the children are getting face to face education. I've already mentioned in my reply that it's upwards of £1.5 million so far.

 

Unfortunately, Churchill Community college is probably the besy/worst example about how this government has totally neglected education. Under a Labour government in 2009 the school was added to the ‘Building schools for the future’ list of schools to receive funding for new buildings, so it was recognized back in 2009 that it needed new building. However, when the Conservative Government came into power it scrapped ‘Building schools for the future’ and even Michael Gove said it was a disastrous decision. Since then, Churchill Community School, which is identified as needing help, has not been able to get any source of funding to help with rebuilding so absolutely, I do think the government need to stump up, and I think it's really important that they do that.

 

Question 3 - from Councillor John O’Shea

 

Have the Government confirmed whether the Government will be continuing the Household Support fund?

 

Councillor Carl Johnson provided the following response:

 

After many months of cross party LGA campaigning, the Spring Budget confirmed the Household Support Fund would continue for a further six months to September 2024. Based on the Authority’s existing allocation, this is estimated to be in the region of £1.6m. This is just a small extension, and the council as well as the rest of the Cross party groups in the LGA will continue to campaigning for the household support fund to be a permanent addition to the local government Finance settlement.

 

Question 4 - from Councillor Debbie Cox

 

If North Tyneside council was to borrow £50 Million to spend on roads and pavements, how much would it cost the council in capital financing costs?

 

Councillor Hannah Johnson provided the following response:

 

Borrowing £50m in a single instalment would cost the Authority £4.382m per annum in capital financing costs. It's no wonder the Conservative group couldn't quite make it add up in their sums.

 

By contrast, the Authority’s existing £2m annual contribution towards highways maintenance costs the revenue budget £0.175m per annum in the associated capital financing costs. These costs are factored into our balanced budget for next year. So, any politician in North Tyneside claiming to have a plan to invest £50 million into roads and pavements, like the Conservative group, it should be abundantly clear to residents that their plans would require an additional 4% council tax rise. It is clear the Conservative group in North Tyneside continue to mislead the public on this and they should be called out.

 

Question 5 - from Councillor Julie Cruddas

 

Can the Mayor give an update on how the ‘Neat Streets’ programme is going in the borough?

 

Councillor Hannah Johnson provided the following response:

 

In August last year we launched our ‘Neat Streets’ initiative, which supports our ambition of delivering a cleaner, greener and safer North Tyneside.

 

As part of our commitment to delivering this important initiative, we have invested an additional £1.5 million to bring in extra resource to improve our estates across the Borough.

 

We have installed 100 new litter bins across all wards and introduced a digital reporting system for our on-street bins, making it easier for residents to report any issues, such as full bins.

 

We have introduced six new rapid response teams to complement the work of existing environmental maintenance teams. These teams have been improving the cleanliness and overall appearance of our neighbourhoods, focusing on those areas most in need through the removal of litter, fly tipping and vegetation.

 

We have also introduced three new pedestrian street sweeping machines, enabling us to target those areas which can’t be accessed by larger mechanical sweeping machines. I’m pleased to report this has resulted in an additional 235 tonnes of waste being removed.

 

We understand that maintaining a garden can be difficult for some and this is why we are helping those tenants most in need. We have increased the number of gardens we maintain and the frequency in which we attend. ‘Neat Streets’ now allows us to assist over 700 tenants who without our help, would struggle.

 

To further support our housing tenants, we have introduced free bulky waste collections with over 400 collections carried out so far.  In addition to this, we have continued with our successful estate clean-up programme where a further 44 visits have been carried out by the team. Collectively, these two initiatives have seen a further 145 tonnes of waste removed.

 

22 dedicated housing officers carry out regular visits across our estates and engage with residents and tenants. We have also increased our Community Protection Officers by two and their purpose is to focus on private properties and gardens.  As part of their visits, officers have carried out nearly 3000 garden inspections and have engaged with over 800 residents with the intention of helping residents to improve their own spaces.

 

It should also be pointed out that all the opposition groups on this Council voted against the Neat Street’s budget this year, thereby voting against extra investment in our green spaces and communities.

 

Question 6 - from Councillor Jim Montague

 

Can the Mayor confirm that there have never been any plans for a bus lane to be introduced in North Tyneside on the Coast Road?

 

Councillor Hannah Johnson provided the following response:

 

I can confirm that there have never been any plans for a bus lane to be introduced by the Council on the Coast Road within North Tyneside. I can also confirm very clearly that Labour in North Tyneside would strongly oppose the introduction of any bus lanes on the coast road which will make it even more difficult to move around and redistribute traffic in our estates. This is once again the Conservatives misleading the public, and there's never been a plan considered by North Tyneside Council on a bus lane in the borough and we are the only body which could approve such a bus lane.

 

Question 7 - from Councillor Davey Drummond

 

Councils across the country facing cuts from the Conservative Government, have chosen to close, privatise or pass the burden to communities of leisure centres, libraries, and parks. North Tyneside’s Labour administration have a proud track record of protecting these vital services, can the Mayor confirm it is her intention that this continues?

 

Councillor Hannah Johnson provided the following response:

 

First of all, you are quite right that we should be justifiably proud of our Leisure Centres, Libraries and Parks in North Tyneside. The high usage of these facilities and the great feedback we receive from our residents’ backs this up. Rather than just protecting what we have, we continue to invest and improve these services.

 

For example, we have recently finished the full refurbishment of Forest Hall Library on the back of the publication of our new Libraries and Community Hub Strategy.

 

We have also recently modernised and installed new state of the art equipment into our gyms at Tynemouth Pool, The Lakeside Centre and Hadrian Leisure Centre and are planning the same soon for Waves Leisure Centre.

 

As for our award-winning Parks, I'm sure you will have all seen the fantastic improvements made to our tennis courts and running track.

 

So, to answer your question, I can confirm that we will continue to protect these important services at a time when others are choosing to close or privatise them because of Government cuts.

 

Question 8 - from Councillor Pat Oliver

 

Does North Tyneside Council have the power to reopen Rake Lane 24 hours and Battle Hill walk in centres?

 

Councillor Carl Johnson provided the following response:

 

This has often been subject to misleading information and political leaflets, I'm sad to confirm that the council does not have this power, no matter how much we wish to reopen Rake Lane or Battle Hill Walk-in centres, which this Labour group run a campaign on to save. This would be an illegal use of this council's funding to spend money on that because we do not have the power to reopen them. The planning and Commissioning of all urgent and emergency care services across the North East and North Cumbria rests with the Integrated Care Board.

 

Question 9 - from Councillor Cath Davis

 

The ongoing works on the embankment at the North Shields fish Quay and restricted access to the quayside is causing a considerable drop in footfall at the Fish Quay. This situation has been ongoing for 18 months.  Business owners are complaining that their trade has suffered terribly, and some have even had to close with the loss of jobs. They acknowledged that there is to be drop-in information session on the 18th March to field questions at the Maritime Chambers, to Wilmott Dixon the contractors. However, this type of measure is too little too late and business owners want access to the fish Quay improved immediately to encourage visitors and prevent any further loss of business. If this measure is not a possibility are the council going to compensate these said businesses for losses due to this situation.

Councillor Carl Johnson provided the following response:

 

The delivery of the Riverside Embankment Walkway is a major infrastructure scheme that will improve connectivity and footfall between the Fish Quay and the Town Centre. Whilst we acknowledge that it has caused some disruption for businesses on the Fish Quay, we would dispute the suggestion that the construction of this key piece of infrastructure is the cause for some businesses to cease trading. 

 

Throughout the construction phases, the Council has provided support to businesses, including through the permitting of additional outdoor seating areas for numerous hospitality businesses during the Summer period of 2023, and helping eligible business access grant support.

 

In order to mitigate the impact on businesses, the works have also been undertaken outside of peak visitor season as much as possible with piling works carried out predominantly through later autumn and winter.

 

The drop-in session on the 18th March is part of our ongoing engagement with businesses and residents. We continue to engage with businesses and residents through direct letters, monthly newsletters, and progress updates via social media.

 

The Riverside Embankment Walkway will provide step-free access between North Shields Town Centre, the Fish Quay, and onwards to the North Tyneside Coast.

 

It was a key project contained within the North Shields Masterplan reflecting a longstanding need to improve connectivity between these two economic areas. The proposal was subject to extensive public consultation with residents and businesses through both the masterplan and planning application process.

 

As was stated before, on a Case-by-case basis we'll always look at any export we can offer businesses if they come forward to the Council.

 

Councillor Cath Davis asked the following supplementary question:

 

Some of the businesses have said that they've received a letter to say that they're going to open the road for Easter, but then close again and then open and then the access will be closed again till the end of May. Is there is there no way that the council can just have this access open so they can continue with their business trade?

 

Councillor Carl Johnson provided the following response:

 

I don't know if you've seen the size of the heavy machinery down the embankment working there but it takes a lot to move it off and onto the site. We are open through the busy Easter period because we know that will be a key trading period for the businesses along there, so we're going above and beyond to move it off the site to let them have the maximum possible flexibility during a key trading period. We'll work as fast as we can to get the entire Road open as soon as possible.