Agenda item

There were eight member questions. The questions and responses were published as a supplement to the agenda.

There were eight member questions. The questions and responses were published as a supplement to the agenda.

Jonathan Essex asked what the council was planning to do in light of the government planning to take away charging for recycling and if the council had received any government funding for pilot schemes to deal with fly tipping. The Cabinet Member for Environment confirmed that the council had not received any funding for improvements to fly tipping. To take construction waste would also require a change in legislation and this waste was very different from DIY waste. The councils aim is to increase recycling where it can.

With regards to her first question Catherine Baart stated that large expanses of verges and particularly rural verges were not suitable for the Blue Hearts campaign. Within the extension period, it was queried what the council was doing differently in comparison to last year with district and boroughs in regards to verge cutting. The Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure explained that the amount of cutting with district and boroughs had been reduced with the district and boroughs being encouraged to mow after the wildflower season. Whether the district and boroughs comply with the cutting is their choice but the council was looking at options to extend the contract for one year.

With regards to her third question, Catherine Baart queried if there was an opportunity to put on a commercial bus to Woodhatch which non staff could use. The Leader explained that the priority was to establish transport for those that wanted it from the two stations but if there is an option to make this a commercial service then that would be explored. With regards to her final question, it was queried when the service would expect to hit the statutory target with Education Health and Care Plans. The Cabinet Member for Education and Learning stated that improving the outcomes and experiences for children and families was one of our highest priorities and strategies around increasing inclusiveness of mainstream education had helped to meet the needs of the majority of children and had improved the experiences of EHCP assessments. There was a programme to build capacity and capability within the service and with our partners.

With regards to his first question, Lance Spencer queried what the average time for a school appeal to take place was and whether the panel could just consist of members. The Cabinet Member for Education and Learning said that since the beginning of the year eight panels had been organised. Three had been cancelled and five had taken place. The cancellations was due to member availability and the new proposals for a panel including officers would make the panel process more efficient and fluid. The proposals were about ensuring that delays are minimised and the impact on families is reduced because it clearly caused distress and frustration. Changing the panels would also enable remote meetings whereby more members could attend.

With regards to his second question, Lance Spencer asked if there were any plans to get greater engagement with residents on the overall Surrey Transport plan over the next 12 months as engagement seemed to be low. The Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure explained that a representative sample had been taken but that other consultations such as the greener futures consultation, which referenced transport elements would be transferred across. Further engagement and consultation would be taking place as we go through with the communities where specific initiatives are progressed. With regards to his final question, Lance Spencer queried if there were still plans in place to have a parallel carbon budget in place for 2023-2024. The Cabinet Member for Environment confirmed that this was the intention and would be managed by the Director for Environment and Carbon Economics Programme Manager. The Cabinet Member would provide the member with an update via email.