Agenda item

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.

Kari Elizabeth Erickson addressed the Council about the economic livelihood of the Bath community.  She suggested various measures to support local businesses and encourage tourism as the city comes out of lockdown.  A copy of Ms Erickson’s statement is linked to the online minutes.  Councillor Kevin Guy asked Ms Erickson if she was aware that one of the new Deputy Cabinet Leader roles would focus on the economic development of the area.  She responded that she was delighted to hear this and looked forward to engaging with this role.  Councillor Paul Myers asked Ms Erickson to clarify if she was saying that support for business could sit alongside the Council’s current priorities.  She replied that she was absolutely saying that.  Councillor June Player asked if there were any examples where Council could do more and Ms Erickson responded with the example of yoga classes in public spaces and difficulties with fee increases and cleanliness of public spaces.  The Chair thanked Kari for her statement which would be referred to the relevant Cabinet Members.

Jane Riekemann spoke as a representative of Bath for Europe, a non-party aligned campaign group, about EU settled status and urging Councillors to do all they can to ensure all affected B&NES residents apply for this status before the deadline of June 30^th 2021.  A full copy of Ms Riekemann’s statement is linked to the online minutes.  Councillor Kevin Guy asked Ms Riekemann if she and Bath for Europe would like to meet him and Councillor Ruth Malloy, Member Advocate for such issues, again to discuss this matter further.  She agreed that she would. The Chair thanked Ms Erickson for her statement which would be referred to the relevant Cabinet Members.

Bob Goodman made a statement to Council about environmental aspects.  He welcomed the news that Tufa fields had been saved and was pleased to see that the Clean Air Zone had been introduced.  He commented, however, that the signs on entering the city were confusing and not clear as to whether cars were included or not.  He also criticised the parking charges for older vehicles.  He commented on issues regarding various specific sites and his view that proper consultation had not taken place.  He commented that these issues were affecting tourism and business in the city and would result in worrying pollution levels near certain schools.  He also asked about electric charging points that had been negotiated with Defra.  Councillor Paul Myers asked Mr Goodman to clarify what he thinks the CAZ signs should say.  He replied that they should clearly state that cars are exempt.  The Chair thanked Mr Goodman for his statement which would be referred to the relevant Cabinet Members.

Martin Grixoni made a statement to Councillors about waste and recycling.  He commented that if the Council made it more difficult to recycle, fly tipping rates increased.  He cited statistics regarding annual incidences as evidence for this position. He also commented on the policy of charging for items such as plasterboard, rubble and tyres as contributing to the problem and shared some public comments supporting this view.  He queried how the collection costs for fly tipping affected the savings target.  He called upon Councillor Wood to rescind this policy.  Councillor Paul Myers asked Mr Grixoni to clarify exactly why he considered charging such a disincentive, to which Mr Grixoni drew attention to the examples he had cited from elsewhere which showed what a problem it was and his own experience of seeing this.  The Chair thanked Mr Grixoni for his statement which was referred to the relevant Cabinet Member.