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Thursday 21st March 2013 Full Council Meeting 5:30pm

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Stoke Regeneration on Radio Stoke

BBC Radio Stoke hosted a special on air debate 19th March 2013

How to ask a public question to council

How to ask a public question to council
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Following up on what I said at this meeting about public questions to council, the information is quite well hidden on the council's web site (rather like this comment is on marchonstoke's web site):

Follow the instructions at the above link and fill in the form which can be obtained at the bottom of that page.

It is still very much as clear as mud and can be very confusing at council.

For example where is the 'advice note' referred to on the form? I've no idea. Also, what really baffles people and isn't explained is that your question submitted on the form is NOT the one you ask if you turn up at council. The one you submit is answered in writing ahead of the council meeting, here are some examples:

What happens at the council meeting
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You are told when you get your written answer that you may ask a SUPPLEMENTARY question, limited to 50 words. That is the one you ask in person at the council meeting. It's quite likely you will think of a supplementary question because their 'answer' will be poor or a related question occurs to you. You actually get to speak very little, but at least it's a chance and can put them on the spot. For example see mine at time (0:40:08) 

It's also possible it can lead to a meeting or referral to scrutiny.

The half hour mentioned at the March on Stoke meeting is the total time limit on ALL the public's supplementary questions and the leader and cabinet's answers.

What questions to ask
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There would be no point lots of people asking the same question (they would be rejected) but people may wish to ask different questions related to moving the civic to Hanley, the CBD, cuts, or anything at all that the council has to do with.

DEADLINE
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For 'ordinary' full council 5.30pm 4th July, public question forms need to be submitted any time before 12pm 13th June.

March on Stoke BBC Radio Coverage 25/02/13

Facebook

How to join the Facebbok group

1 request marchon.stoke as a friend,
2 wait and we will add you to the facebook group 

(best email us as well marchonstoke@hotmail.co.uk )

The Tale of two Labour Councils

The Tale of two Labour Councils, one what it believes to be a safe Labour area and one that knows they have to listen to local residents. Below is the story of Telford and Wrekin Council scrapping its plans for a lush new civic centre and opting for a modest refurbished building after moving out of its 1970’s HQ.

In January 2011 Telford Labour launched an e-petition against a new Civic Centre and group leader Councillor Keith Austin said early indications were that residents were outraged the Tory council was spending millions on lavish offices in a prime site in the light of the Government cuts, he added: "If the whole basis of the development was reliant on the building of civic offices then there would be cause for great concern, but we do not believe that is the case. What this Tory administration fails to tell everyone is that they are borrowing millions to build offices. This will impact on the revenue budget and will mean cuts to services and jobs."

In May 2011 Telford Labour were elected into power and Councillor Austin said plans to build multi-million pound civic offices at the heart of the £250 million Southwater development would be scrapped immediately. He said council staff could be relocated to existing council buildings in the town centre, including Darby House, to save cash. "We won't be building new offices in Southwater Square, which will save millions of pounds that would have had to be borrowed to fund it".

Following the election defeated former council leader Andrew Eade, has labelled Labour's plans to shelve the offices project as "economic vandalism" that could rob the borough of millions of pounds of private investment. He said the planned civic offices were the "lynchpin" that held the whole development together and warned developers would think twice about coming there without it.

January 2013 Building work starts on Southwater development which is due for completion early 2014. Cineworld has already been announced as operator of the new Southwater Square 's 11 screen multiplex cinema and chief executive Steve Wiener was in Telford today to meet council leader Kuldip Sahota. Now eight instantly recognisable names from the hotel and catering industry have also been announced as operators of surrounding buildings. They include Bella Italia, Chimichanga, Harvester, Nando's, Premier Inn, Pizza Express, Wagamama and Zizzi.

Separately Telford and Wrekin Council has also announced it has bought vacant office development Addenbrooke House in Telford Town Centre.  Telford and Wrekin Council is moving out of Civic offices where it has been based since 1976. Moving to Addenbrooke House will help it to save office space and more than £2m a year. He said: "It's £5m in total - the purchase of the Addenbrooke House, refurbishment, ICT improvement of the Darby house and the refurbishment of it. It is good value for money. It's a lot better than building a whole new office and trying to do it up and spending £20- £30m on it."

Why can’t Stoke on Trent City Council understand value for money? Telford and Wrekin had to move out of their ageing 70’s building but resisted wasting money on a plush new building, and still got the regeneration they wanted in the City. Stoke on Trent City Council have no need to even move, yet are still insisting on wasting money and ignoring the views of their residents.

Councillor pulls out of Public Meeting

Cllr Alan Dutton (Labour - Burslem Central) Cabinet Member for Education Pulls out of a public meeting on the new Civic Centre, the meeting had been planned in Burslem for Wednesday 23rd January, he had this to say 

"John, after taking advise from officers and comments made, I feel that I am going to have to withdraw from the debate on Wednesday night, when you make comments like against our wishes and comments made by others then I feel that it is all determined and any debate will be one sided. So apologies but I will not be attending. Kind regards, Alan"

On Thursday 24th January he will be voting on the motion submitted by Cllr Paul Breeze (unaffiliated -  Birches Head and Central Forest Park) and Cllr David Conway (City Independents - Little Chell and Stanfield)

In view of the dire economic circumstances, globally, nationally and in particular, devastatingly, locally in Stoke-on-Trent, and in light of widespread public disapproval of the council’s previous decision to borrow £40m, and rising, of taxpayers money to relocate the civic headquarters from Stoke Town to Hanley, this council:

1) radically rethink it’s overall strategy of the future regeneration of the city centre and the city of Stoke-on-Trent as a whole, and whilst the strategy is revised, the £40m proposed borrowing for the Central Business District contained in the council approved capital programme be suspended.

2) request the Cabinet to rescind the decision to move the civic headquarters from Stoke Town to Hanley, and retain the civic centre building in its current location and for its current use in Stoke Town.

How will he represent his ward if he will not meet with them?