Agenda item

QUESTIONS, STATEMENTS, PETITIONS AND DEPUTATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC

The Democratic Services Manager will announce any submissions received. The Council will be invited to decide what action it wishes to take, if any, on the matters raised in these submissions. As the questions received and the answers given will be circulated in written form there is no requirement for them to be read out at the meeting. The questions and answers will be published with the draft minutes.

Minutes:

The Chairman referred to the questions from Jay Risbridger, Sian James and Christine Boyd which had been submitted, and the responses which had been circulated to the meeting, and are attached to the online minutes.

 

Statements were made by the following people;

 

Dr Ian Orpen, Clinical Chair of Bath & North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, made a statement to the meeting highlighting the patient at the heart of this important decision Councillors would be taking tonight.  He urged Councillors to be decisive and consider the risks if a decision was not taken.  Councillor Tim Warren asked if Dr Orpen could tell them the scores for the bids to which he replied that there was a significant difference, as the score for Virgin Care was 73% and that for the Link Partnership was 43%.  Councillor Will Sandry asked whether the CCG had held their costs over the last financial year and Dr Orpen responded that they had.  Councillor Sarah Bevan asked which of the 3 main drivers for change Dr Orpen would consider the most important, to which he responded that treating the person not the condition was key, and delivering on the others would contribute to this one. The Chairman thanked Ian for his statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health.

 

Pam Richards made a statement on behalf of Protect our NHS BANES. Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  In response to a question from Councillor Tim Ball enquiring whether Pam considered that adult social services should be split from this bid, Pam responded that it would be one way of dealing with this, as there was very little evidence that Virgin could deliver this bid.  Councillor Sarah Bevan asked whether Pam was aware of the information that had been given in the briefings on Virgin’s track record and references from other providers such as Barnardos, to which Pam responded she was aware.  The Chairman thanked Pam for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health.

 

Lesley Mansell made a statement highlighting her concerns that awarding the social care contract would have a detrimental effect on staff jobs and wages.  She gave the example of NHS Direct losing front line staff.  Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  Councillor Tim Warren asked whether Lesley was aware that this was not about savings but the way care was delivered, Lesley responded that she was.  Councillor Will Sandry asked Lesley to give further examples of her concerns regarding the Equalities Impact Assessment, to which Lesley highlighted a section on disability for which she said there was no evidence.  Councillor Robin Moss asked for Lesley’s view on the Virgin Equality Impact Assessment, to which she responded that she had not been able to find such a document.  Councillor Sarah Bevan asked if Lesley was aware that Sirona’s concerns related to their status as sub-contractor rather than prime provider, Lesley responded that it was difficult to figure out the details having only been able to review the documents recently.  The Chairman thanked Lesley for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health.

 

Jo Hargreaves made a statement in support of keeping Bath Community Academy open.  Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes. Councillor Tim Ball asked whether Jo was aware of any specific advice that either Cabot Federation or B&NES Council had given to parents who wished to keep their children at Bath Community Academy, to which Jo responded that she wasn’t, and that the school needed funding and positive promotion to counter the stigma associated with it.  Councillor Joe Rayment asked whether Jo considered there had been an unacceptable level of communication from Cabot Federation to parents, to which Jo agreed that it had been really bad, with the news of closure being delivered only 3 days before the summer holidays.  Jo presented a petition of over 1000 signatures calling for Bath Community Academy to be saved from closure.  The Chairman thanked Jo for her statement and petition which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services.

 

Sian James made a statement posing a series of questions about the merits of an east of Bath Park & Ride.  Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes. In response to a question from Councillor Neil Butters about whether Sian could see any discernible benefits from the proposed Park & Ride site, Sian responded that she could not.  Councillor Robin Moss enquired whether Sian was aware that the Park & Ride decision would be one taken by Cabinet, not Council; Sian confirmed that she understood that.  The Chairman thanked Sian for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

 

Christine Boyd made a statement against the east of Bath Park & Ride, highlighting the unused capacity at the Odd Down site.  Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  Councillor Tim Warren asked about extra traffic in the city centre for east of Bath residents travelling to the Odd Down site, to which Christine responded that people from the east of Bath don’t park at the Odd Down site.  Councillor Joe Rayment asked if Christine would agree with the description of Bathampton Meadows as a flat and featureless field, which is what made it ecologically important  to which she replied that she would not describe the meadows in those terms.  The Chairman thanked Christine for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

 

Andrew Mercer made a statement explaining that there was still no evidence to support an east of Bath Park & Ride and urging Councillors against ‘wilful blindness’. Councillor Neil Butters asked how Andrew considered public opinion had changed since the Park & Ride was considered at great length at Council a year ago, to which he responded that, in his opinion, public opinion had hardened against the Park & Ride and, if the consultation were to be run again, he felt sure that it would be reflected in the figures.  The Chairman thanked Andrew for his statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

 

Sally Harris, Deputy Chair of Bath Welcomes Refugees, made a statement expressing support for the proactive and positive approach from B&NES Council in supporting refugees but calling on Councillors to recognise the different types of unaccompanied children and the implications of that.  She urged the Council to secure extra funding for Housing from the Home Office (as Bristol City Council had recently done) and committed to continue to support the Council in all its efforts supporting refugees.  Councillor Sarah Bevan asked Sally whether there were any more fundraising events coming up; Sally responded that there was nothing in particular although directed Members to the fundraising page. The Chairman thanked Sally for her statement which was referred to the Leader.

 

Pat Mason made a statement calling for re-instatement of the subsidy for the 6 and 7 bus routes.  In addition to the petition that would be presented, a recent meeting of 150 local residents had demonstrated the strength of feeling about the isolation, loneliness and damage to local shops and businesses that resulted from these routes being withdrawn.  Councillor Neil Butters asked if Pat was aware of a potential solution from First with buses via the Guildhall; Pat responded that she was aware but that it was unsatisfactory if an onward journey was needed.  Councillor John Bull asked whether the subsidy had originally been time-limited or ongoing to which Pat responded that the following speaker should be able to address that.  The Chairman thanked Pat for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

 

Mike Parr also made a statement in support of keeping the 6/7 buses.  He disputed the accuracy of the survey as not reflecting actual use of the the buses.  He questioned the lack of consultation and transparency of the decision making process for an important matter affecting the lives of local people.  Councillor Anthony Clarke asked whether Mike was aware that First Bus had been asked to check the results of the survey and had found the usage figures to be correct. Mike responded that he was not aware of that.  Councillor Dine Romero asked if Mike knew the average passenger number on each bus; to which he replied that he did not.  Councillor John Bull asked for clarity on Mike’s comments about the nature of the decision to cut the subsidy to which Mike explained that the decision had not been made in a formal meeting so it had been difficult to understand exactly what had been decided, but his understanding was that the subsidy had been subject to renewal and could have been continued. The Chairman thanked Mike for his statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.