Agenda item

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.

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 –

Question No	Question By	Cabinet Member	Subject
Q4/12-13	Mrs Sharon Privett	Councillor Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Co-operatives and Community Development	Armed Forces Covenant
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?
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 delivering the associated action plan, we feel that the city is demonstrating its ongoing strong commitment to our armed forces community, both serving and veterans, and their families.

Mr Carleton Mayer attended the meeting to ask his question and Councillor Evans (Leader of the Council) responded as set out below:

Question No	Question By	Cabinet Member	Subject
Q5/12-13	Mr Carleton Mayer	Councillor Evans, Leader	Plymouth airport
National and international businesses expect to do business by flying into a city. Their expectations require a willingness on the Council to ensure air links are maintained in Plymouth. Does the council appreciate the ramifications that the message, of not having an airport, sends out about our city.
Response: The independent study carried out by Berkeley Hanover Consulting in mid- 2011 - after the airport non-viability notice had been served on the Council - revealed that the business community had relatively little reliance on the air services, to and from Plymouth, and that had been the case since the air link to Heathrow was terminated in 1997. Neither could the consultants find any evidence that air services had made any material difference to business investment decisions. I do not say that this will be the case in respect of all business travelling and investment decisions, but the trend has been for greater reliance on road and rail transport, and indeed the use of other airports. Nevertheless, I am on the record as saying that the Council will support any new airport operators if they can pass five tests that I think are prudent and realistic, which are: • Be able to acquire ownership of the airport - I mean the existing lease from Sutton Harbour, and associated infrastructure • To operate without the need for public subsidy • Have an on-going commitment to air services • Have a fully-funded long-term business plan • Clearly evidence demand for and provision of Plymouth air services. The Council very much hopes that a new airport operator will step forward with a sustainable business plan both for the airport and of course airline services. The Council still has a very ambitious economic growth agenda for the future that it will be pursuing whether or not there is a Plymouth Airport, but I would reiterate, in case anybody is in any doubt, that the airport site remains protected under existing planning policy.

Mr Sharpe did not attend the meeting and his question, and the response from Councillor Peter Smith, (Deputy Leader of the Council), was circulated to councillors as set out below. The response would be sent to Mr Sharpe following the meeting.

Question No	Question By	Cabinet Member	Subject
Q6/12-13	Mr F E Sharpe	Councillor Peter Smith, Deputy Leader,	Swimming pool at Sherford
According to Council records how many residents of the two Plymstock Wards support a Swimming Pool connected to Sherford rather than one in Central Plymstock?
Response: We don't have this information in either our Planning Services or Leisure Services Units.