Minutes:
Councillor Peter Barnes (Environment)
· The Christmas lighting on Front Street is in place and the light switch on was well attended, with local businesses appearing busy.
· Work on the visitor centre at Gedling Country Park was slightly delayed, but workers were back on site.
· New depot welfare building was now in place and providing better facilities.
· Recently attended the APSE awards in Blackpool as the street cleansing team had been shortlisted for an award. While the team had placed within the top 10, the Portfolio Holder had had a number of discussions with other authorities about their practices and had discussed the potential for learning from the team who had won the award for the last 6 years.
Councillor Henry Wheeler (Housing, Health and Well-being)
· The Severe Weather Protocol was now in place for this winter.
· The Housing Needs Team are working with other districts to try and access trailblazer funding to work with young homeless people in schools.
· The Portfolio Holder had presented to the Overview Scrutiny Committee and had received lots of questions regarding the Portfolio.
· Work had begun on the all-weather pitch at Redhill Leisure Centre and work on the health suite at Carlton Forum Leisure Centre would begin in January.
· Free fitness memberships were being made available in December ready for the New Year.
· Attendance at the Bonington Theatre was increasing and the film schedule includes a number of classics over Christmas.
· Nottingham City Sustainability and Transformation Plan has been published and will be consulted on until the 16th of February, with events being held in each CCG area.
· The CCG recently held a Big Health Debate and are considering no longer providing Ibuprofen on prescription.
Councillor Gary Gregory (Policy Advisor) on behalf of Councillor Kathryn Fox (Community Development)
· Recently attended the 6 monthly meeting with Gedling Play Forum and discussed the need for some groups to be self-funding.
· The Christmas Light switch on event in Arnold had been well attended and stall holders had responded positively.
· Work is being undertaken with local community groups to find ways to cope with shortages of funding.
Councillor David Ellis (Public Protection)
· A taxi driver was recently prosecuted and fined after refusing to transport a visually impaired lady and her guide dog. The Portfolio Holder credited officers, Paul Gibbs and Hannah Cash for their diligence in prosecuting the offender.
· Recently met with Nottingham City Council to discuss working together, aligning policies and standards to allow joint enforcement across the Borough and City areas.
· The Public Protection team had been busy in local pubs reminding staff of their responsibilities in preparation for the festive season.
· Neighbourhood Wardens were busy in town centres helping shoppers to be aware of the risks of leaving their shopping unattended.
Councillor Jenny Hollingsworth (Growth and Regeneration)
· An employability speed dating event would be taking place at Colonel Frank Seely School next week.
· A date had been set for the Local Plan Examination in February. The examination would take place over two weeks in February, with a potential additional week in March.
· Had recently attended an East Midlands Trains stakeholder’s conference regarding future train provision.
· A briefing regarding the development of Top Wighay would take place next week following receipt of a transport plan for the site.
Councillor Michael Payne (Resources and Reputation)
· The Communications Team had been shortlisted for “Best Small Team” at Gov 2.0. The team do an outstanding job for such a small team.
· As part of the Council’s digitalisation strategy an app for booking leisure classes had been launched, a number of waste services including garden waste and pull outs could now be requested online and all services could now be paid for online.
· The judgement had now been issued on the Judicial Review of the Wind Turbine in Woodborough. The Portfolio Holder felt that this outcome was a clear indication of the diligent way that the Planning Team worked and asked that the Director of Organisational Development and Democratic Services pass on thanks to Mike Avery and Lyn Sugden who supported Counsel in court and asked that the judgment be made available to all Members.