Issue - meetings
Questions by the Public
Meeting: 24/09/2012 - City Council (Item 45)
QUESTIONS BY THE PUBLIC
To receive questions from and provide answers to the public in relation to matters which, in the opinion of the Lord Mayor, are about something the Council is responsible for or something that directly affects people in the city, in accordance with Part B, paragraph 11 of the Constitution.
Questions, of no longer than 50 words, can be submitted to the Democratic Support Unit, Corporate Services Department, Plymouth City Council, Civic Centre, Plymouth, PL1 2AA, or email to democraticsupport@plymouth.gov.uk. Any questions must be received at least five complete working days before the meeting.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Three questions had been received from members of the public in relation to matters which, in the opinion of the Lord Mayor, were relevant to the business of the meeting, in accordance with paragraph 10 of the Constitution.
Mrs Sharon Privett attended the meeting to ask her question and Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Cooperatives and Communities Development) responded as set out below –
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Question No |
Question By |
Cabinet Member |
Subject |
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Q4/12-13 |
Mrs Sharon Privett |
Councillor Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Co-operatives and Community Development
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Armed Forces Covenant |
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Does the Council really mean what it says when it supports the Armed Services Covenant? If so, why did only one Councillor attend despite the fact that I e-mailed inviting them all to the vigil at the War Memorial on 24 July protesting about the cuts of 20,000 soldiers? |
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Response: I would like to thank Mrs Privett for this opportunity to restate Plymouth City Council’s commitment to our armed forces community.
The Lord Mayor signed the Plymouth Armed Forces Community Covenant on Armed Forces day on behalf of the City of Plymouth on 30th June 2012. The Covenant seeks to ensure that those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether regular or reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. In order to achieve this the Covenant is underpinned by an action plan with seven key themes. They are:
Children, young people and their families Improving outcomes for the children of service families and tackling child poverty issues amongst families of former service personnel.
Health and wellbeing Developing services focused on the health and wellbeing of service personnel, veterans and their families, including mental health support.
Housing Ensuring there is clear guidance from the Council and the armed forces on what housing services and provision are available to the services community.
Working in partnership Creating opportunities for the armed forces to work closely with the Council and other community covenant partners.
Support for veterans and their families Considering and supporting the needs of service personnel during and after their transition to becoming a veteran.
Employability and education Helping ex-service personnel and their families to identify education opportunities and maximise their employability.
Governance Evaluating the impact and reach of the Community Covenant, through regular meetings and reviews.
We have developed a multi agency steering group to ensure that the above aims are delivered. I am pleased to announce that at its last meeting the steering group appointed Councillor Pauline Vincent as its Chair, I know that she will be an effective advocate and champion for our armed forces community.
I am sorry that, due to a prior engagement, I was not able to attend the vigil at the War Memorial on 24th July. I am unable to comment specifically on the number of councillors attending as that would depend on their personal circumstances and availability. However, by signing the Plymouth Armed Forces Community Covenant and ... view the full minutes text for item 45 |
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