The following question was asked by James Knight:

Question

Plymouth Active Leisure is the custodian of the Life Centre. Poor cleaning and maintenance of poolside equipment is letting it rust (rails, chairs, dive boards). What assurances will PCC be asking PAL, to ensure appropriate preservation of infrastructure and equipment, so it does not fall into disrepair and require replacing?

Response

The rust issues are linked to the air handling unit (AHU) system, which was switched off during Covid while rectification works were carried out on the building. Since being restarted, the AHU has experienced multiple problems. These units are essential for airflow, humidity control, and moisture management in the pool hall.

The Council has commissioned a further technical assessment, expected by the end of March, to assess the system and identify any works that may be required. Restoring full AHU functionality remains a priority.

PAL have stated that while cleaning could be improved, the rusting is not caused by poor cleaning alone. Once the AHU system is fully operational, industrial cleaning of the metalwork will be completed, and replacement steel will be considered where needed.

Given the complexities of the system a further update will be provided to customers in six months.

The following question was asked by Jennie Ferrett:

Question

What has been put in place to reduce the extreme wait times when approaching Stanborough Cross traffic lights, when driving from Plympton, as a result of increased traffic on Haye Road since the opening of the Crematorium and, now, the diversion created by the closure of Colesdown Hill?

Response

Stanborough Cross traffic signal system benefits from MOVA technology (Microprocessor Optimised Vehicle Actuation)

When approaches to a MOVA enabled junction become overloaded with traffic, MOVA automatically changes from delay?minimising to capacity?maximising operation.
This helps push the highest number of vehicles through the junction when demand is high.
MOVA continuously assesses flow on each arm of a junction and computes the most efficient green time distribution between each arm to maximise throughput. This improves performance compared to traditional VA (vehicle actuation), which cannot optimise based on queue lengths or amount of upstream traffic.
The logic includes algorithms specifically designed to manage congestion, oversaturation, and heavy traffic scenarios, allowing the system to maintain smoother flow even when the network is under pressure.
Traditional VA struggles when traffic becomes too heavy because:

• It can extend greens inefficiently
• It doesn’t consider queue lengths
• Maximum greens can become out-of-date
• High-speed detection systems become ineffective at busy junctions

MOVA overcomes these issues through more advanced detection and optimisation algorithms and reduces delays by an average of 13% compared with traditional VA operation.

We are reliant on this system across Plymouth as traffic demand remains high on many of our key traffic signal-controlled junctions. We do not consider the additional traffic movement from detoured traffic having a negative effect at this location

The longer term strategy to help address congestion also includes measures to alleviate congestion at key pinch points and provide safe and attractive alternatives to private car use such as the Colesdown underbridge walking and cycling route and the Royal Parade Bus Interchange scheme.

The following question was asked by David Millar:

Question

How many families were in B and B accommodation and how many people were on the Housing Waiting List on 01 January 2026?

Response

There were 22 families in B and B accommodation.

The Housing Waiting list had 7,389 households with a live DHC application.