Agenda item

Nottingham Christmas Market

Councillor Kevin Clarke asked the following question of the Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and IT:

 

While under normal circumstances few people enjoy Nottingham’s Christmas Market as much as I do, it is obvious that the decision to permit this year’s one to open was a mistake.  Can the Portfolio Holder please give an account of the advice that was received from the Safety Advisory Group and the decision making process that gave the green light to open the Market, based on that advice?

 

Councillor Dave Trimble replied as follows:

 

Thank you Lord Mayor and can I thank Councillor Clarke for his question.  In terms of the decision making process, Council officers put to me a much reduced event offer and I approved it.  That was at a time when the Covid numbers in the City were reducing fast and Nottingham was lower than in areas that were in Tier 2.  I have accepted that this was a mistake.  I have publicly apologised and it certainly won’t happen again.  All significant events go to the Safety Advisory Group.  A proposal for a significantly-scaled down Christmas Market to replace the Winter Wonderland was submitted to the Council by the event operator.  It is entirely normal for members of the Safety Advisory Group to have concerns on all events.  They offer relevant advice and actions needed to mitigate the concerns they have.  The Safety Advisory Group met twice in the week prior to the event, where proposals for the Market were considered.  Some concerns and advice were raised about the planned market and rides.  After the Safety Advisory Group meetings were held on 1 and 3 December they provided full advice to the event organiser – a summary of which is as follows:

·  Markets and fairground rides are allowed in the Government’s guidance and legislation published on 30 November provided they are Covid-safe. 

·  Risk assessments for the rides required further scrutiny, and they were subsequently provided prior to the market opening.

·  An updated Steward and Crowd Management Plan was requested prior to any activity being permitted and this was also provided post-meeting. 

·  The Public Health view was that proposals comply with the Guidance, provided they are Covid-safe but they would be dependent upon the responsible behaviour of people attending the event. 

·  There were some concerns about whether it would be possible to control large numbers and enforce compliance. 

·  The use of masks on rides and stalls should be mandatory and are a sensible precaution. 

·  A closely monitored phased introduction avoiding anticipated crowded shopping times following lockdown would be prudent. 

·  It was noted that the City Council, as the landowner, understood the event wa lawful and in accordance with Government Regulations and that the prime responsibility was with the activity organisers to manage the activity in a safe manner. 

·  The operator completed comprehensive risk assessments for each aspect of the market, which included measures to comply with the prevailing Covid restrictions as well as mitigation plans that could be enacted if problems arose.

·  The Safety Advisory Group advice concluded that risk cannot be eliminated entirely but can be mitigated in ways described, and that this risk is present in all activity taking in the City Centre, not just the Christmas market.  The operator must manage the activity and visitor behaviour in a Covid-safe way.  Should this not be achievable, the Council should be prepared to enforce closure if necessary on either all or part of the activity. 

Thank you Lord Mayor.

 

Robin Hood Energy

Councillor Kevin Clarke asked the following question of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Growth and the City Centre:

 

In October 2020, the Government Regulator OFGEM issued Robin Hood Energy with a Final Order to pay the £12,057,879.42, (plus daily interest) it currently owes for Renewable Obligation Certificates.  OFGEM has publically stated that it will “take other action” to retrieve this money if, as seems likely given the current situation, Robin Hood Energy is unable to pay.  Can the Portfolio Holder explain whether, as the current “parent” of Robin Hood Energy, Nottingham City Council will be liable for this bill and will this end up being yet another multi-million pound hit to our finances?

 

Councillor Sam Webster replied as follows:

 

Thank you Councillor Clarke for the question.  On 5 January Robin Hood Energy was put into Administration.  This followed a period in which the customer book was successfully sold to British Gas.  Administration is, of course, the next step in the controlled exit of the business from the energy market and follows the decisive steps taken last year to close the Company whilst trying to provide the best outcomes achievable for customers, employees and creditors, including the City Council and Ofgem.  During the period of controlled exit, the Company has helped to support 116 employees into new jobs and given domestic and business customers choice in successfully moving their accounts to a new supplier.  The Administrator will now identify the available funds, including the proceeds from the sale of customers to British Gas for distribution to creditors of the business.  In terms of the funds referred to by Councillor Clarke these will be dealt with as part of the process of Administration.  The cost of Renewable Obligation Certificates will be mutualised across the industry and we anticipate there will be no impact on Nottingham City Council finances.  The alternative to controlled exit would have been the immediate closure of the business through the supplier of last resort process with the result that none of these benefits could have been achieved.  Thank you.

 

Summerwood Day Centre

Councillor Maria Watson asked the following question of the Portfolio Holder for Adult Care and Local Transport:

 

Can the Portfolio Holder give us any further update regarding the Council’s stated intention of closing one of the City’s adult day centres?  We, as a Group, are disappointed that any Day Centres are under threat, believing them to provide a vital and invaluable service, however understand the financial position that this Council is in. We do not however see the value in closing Clifton’s Summerwood Day Centre, which was used to full capacity prior to this pandemic and continues to be fully used now even with the much-reduced capacity.  We are desperate to be able to give the users, the families and staff of Summerwood Day Centre in Clifton some good news in this difficult time. Can you help us do that today?

 

Councillor Adele Williams replied as follows:

 

Thank you Councillor Watson for your question.  The review of day services, as you know, follows our Better Lives Better Outcomes Strategy and our commitment for Nottingham to be a City where people with disabilities are supported to live well in their communities.  The day centres have been open for some time now to smaller numbers of people with the highest need and our staff in Adult Social Care have worked to keep in touch with citizens and families during this really difficult time.  I would like to take a moment to thank staff in Adult Social Care.  Long after the claps have stopped, we remember the work and kindness that they, and colleagues in the wider sector, have put in and their professional commitment to keeping our citizens safe and living as well as they can during this incredibly difficult period, and also thinking beyond that.  So in terms of the future of day centres, whilst we recognise that some people will need more specialist services, we are also committed to creating opportunities where people with disabilities are able to meet their needs and personal aspirations through participation in their local communities in ways that respond to their individual circumstances.  This might be, for example, taking part in community groups, support into employment or learning, spending time in friendship groups and volunteering.  The review and consolidation of day services for citizens with physical, sensory and learning disabilities, including the closure of one day centre, has concluded and I am now carefully looking at the outcomes of what has been quite an extensive consultation.  A decision on the review’s findings will follow shortly but until this part of the process is finalised it would be premature to answer the question as posed.  A final decision will be made very soon and once that has happened we will communicate further.  Any centre where there is a proposed closure will be the focus of a further consultation with users specifically of that facility.  I will be very happy to have conversations about that in the future.  Thank you.

 

 

Covid-19

Councillor Kirsty Jones asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:

 

While I’m sure very few people across the country had the Christmas they were expecting, we are as always amazed at people’s capacity to adapt and to do the right thing in these trying times.  Will the Leader of the Council join us in thanking the citizens of Nottingham, and our local communities for the sacrifices they all made and the efforts they went to ensure this was a safe, secure but nevertheless enjoyable Christmas period?

 

Councillor David Mellen replied as follows:

 

Thank you Lord Mayor and can I thank Councillor Jones for her question.  I do indeed join you Councillor Jones in thanking the citizens of Nottingham for their ongoing sacrifices and community spirit, that is helping to ensure that all communities across our City are kept as safe and secure as possible during these particularly difficult times.  I appreciate that this has been even more difficult over the Christmas period, the time when we are used to spending quality time with our friends and family.  However, in keeping with the rest of 2020 when other religious celebrations throughout the year were affected by Covid, the citizens of Nottingham, young and old, have demonstrated tremendous civic responsibility.  The vast majority have adhered to the Covid-19 rules in order to protect our hospitals and safeguard the lives of the citizens of Nottingham over Christmas, New Year and now.  During this national lockdown I particularly want to thank our key workers who have put their own heath at risk to protect and care for others.  To them we all owe a tremendous debt.  For this ongoing effort, I am sure that I speak on behalf of all Nottingham City Councillors to whole-heartedly thank all the citizens of Nottingham for helping to save lives at this difficult time.  The onset of the vaccination programme locally and nationally provides light at the end of the tunnel for us all. We should all look forward, and take comfort that we may be able to begin to live a normal life later in 2021 as the vaccinations are rolled out.  However, infection rates in Nottingham are still rising and while we wait for the vaccine rollout it is vital that every Nottingham citizen redoubles their efforts to keep themselves and others safe. 

 

Covid-19 Vaccinations

Councillor Jane Lakey asked the following question of the Deputy Leader of the Council:

 

What plans are being developed with the NHS and other partners to deliver vaccinations, in terms of locations, timescale and volumes, for Nottingham City residents?

 

Councillor Sally Longford replied as follows:

 

Thank you Lord Mayor and thank you Councillor Lakey for raising this important issue.  As Chair of the Nottingham Outbreak Control Engagement Board, I have been taking an active interest in the availability of vaccinations for our citizens, and we have discussed the issue at previous meetings with colleagues from the NHS.  The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire is underway.  My priority is in ensuring all Nottingham citizens, particularly those in the priority groups, receive their vaccine in a timely and equitable way and that as many local people as possible take up the offer.  The Council is working with NHS colleagues to achieve this, with a particular focus on addressing health inequalities within the City.  Vaccinations will be administered across different types of sites: firstly, from hospital hubs, one of which has operated from the Queens Medical Centre since early December and now from the City Hospital as well; there are local vaccination centres which are community and primary care-led, the first such site within Nottingham City boundaries went live on Friday at the Cripps Health Centre on University Park and will be followed this week and next by two additional City-based sites; Nottingham residents need to know that they are also able to book vaccinations at nearby sites, such as the Richard Herrod Leisure Centre in Gedling if this is convenient for them; and there is also a roving service which is taking the vaccine into care homes for staff and residents and will deliver the vaccine to house-bound individuals.  This is already underway and we hope will be able to provide a good service for our citizens who are unable to easily access the other options.  I am hoping that local GPs and pharmacies, which are facilities that our citizens are familiar with, will come into use in the future and we have suggested additional venues for ‘pop up’ vaccination centres in the future, such as Bulwell Riverside.  I would like to reassure Council and citizens that myself and the Leader of the Council are pressing NHS colleagues to ensure that our most vulnerable citizens get access to this vital public health programme at the earliest opportunity.  We are keen to ensure the vaccination facilities will be available in convenient locations across the City to encourage the greatest uptake of the vaccine.  We are reassured that our Director of Public Health is now on the Board overseeing the rollout knowing that she knows our communities and their vulnerabilities however, at present, I am unable to provide information about the volume of vaccinations that have been carried out on our citizens as I understand that our NHS partners are not allowed to share this information with us.  However, I have been assured that we will receive regular updates on progress.  This is very disappointing because without this detailed data I cannot reassure councillors that good progress is being made in their areas or who is actually getting the vaccine.  Anecdotally I know that some local people are accessing vaccinations not because they have been invited, although they are in the priority groups, but because they have somehow been made aware of the booking number and are taking action themselves.  This is clearly not how it is supposed to be done but who can blame them when they see friends in other areas getting their vaccination early.  This is a snapshot of the current situation and is liable to change.  We expect further national announcements and probably additional delivery mechanisms in the coming weeks.  As we know from experience, the Government response to the pandemic has lurched from one decision to another and unfortunately I suspect the vaccination programme might pan-out in a similar disjointed fashion.  I really hope that this will not detract from the success of it.  All City residents who are 80 or over should be receiving a letter inviting them to make an appointment for a vaccination in the coming days, some may have already received it.  This will include all the information required to book an appointment and explain how transport can be arranged if required.  We know that the NHS has a team of volunteers standing by to provide transport for citizens who cannot access the current vaccination facilities easily and there will be public transport options.  We also know that many people regard this vaccination programme as a route back to a normal life and that people are understandably anxious to get their vaccination as quickly as possible.  The Government has set out the priority groups who will receive their vaccination as it gets going.  At a meeting on Friday we were reassured that the number of vaccinations being carried out in the City will quickly increase and the NHS is confident that the top four priority groups will be vaccinated by the middle of February, vaccine supply permitting.  To reiterate, that means that all over 80s, older care home residents and staff, everyone over 70, all NHS and care home staff and all those who are clinically extremely vulnerable should be able to access the vaccination.  As I have said, this is a fast-moving programme and I will continue to work with Public Health, NHS colleagues and others to ensure that we are doing all we can to push the programme forward in Nottingham City, and I would encourage any citizen who is invited to make an appointment to do so as soon as possible to reduce their risk of contracting the worst symptoms of the disease.  As someone who recently lost a friend to Covid, I have seen the tragic consequences of the pandemic and I want to ensure that we keep our citizens safe in these worrying times.  Thank you.

 

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Councillor Georgia Power asked the following question of the Portfolio Holder for Housing, Planning and Heritage:

 

Can the Portfolio Holder for Housing confirm how many homeless families in Nottingham were in Bed and Breakfast accommodation over Christmas?

 

Councillor Linda Woodings replied as follows:

 

Thank you Lord Mayor.  It was back in January 2018 that my predecessor Councillor Urquhart passed a motion through this Full Council meeting to promise that by the end of the year Nottingham would have no homeless families staying in Bed and Breakfast accommodation.  After a gargantuan effort that year we managed to achieve this on Christmas Eve, and we managed to repeat that in 2019.  So I am pleased to be able to tell Full Council that once again in Nottingham, on Christmas Eve in 2020, no child from a homeless family woke up in a hotel room.  Right throughout the year my Homelessness Team, our partners and volunteers have worked tirelessly to find short, medium and long-term solutions to keep these figures as low as possible and to provide a better standard of emergency accommodation, which at least has its own self-contained kitchen and bathroom.  Dignity for Nottingham children, dignity in Nottingham for those made homeless over the last ten years of pitiless austerity and a housing market which is broken with little or no attempts to mend it. 

 

However, 2020 was an unusual year and it is only right to identify one of the key factors that has helped us to achieve this feat again; the temporary ban on issuing Section 21 Short Notice Evictions.  Throughout most of this year, because of the pandemic, the Government has stopped the issuing of Section 21 Eviction Notices, something that we have long called for.  This isn’t a panacea because people still give up their properties even though they don’t have to because if they wait for Section 8 Eviction Orders they can incur court costs; and Section 21 evictions have been replaced by homelessness from relationship breakdowns, an exponential rise in domestic violence and people asked to leave properties where they have been ‘sofa-surfing’.  ‘Sofa-surfing’ is the iceberg of hidden homelessness, which frankly we don’t have the resources to help to cope with.  The courts have been ordered to give consideration to those in rent arrears who have lost their jobs or who have been ill because of Covid before they issue eviction notices.  Unfortunately for us, working in Homelessness, the court backlog is substantial so banning Section 21 eviction notices hasn’t stopped the numbers of households presenting to Housing Aid each week, still more than 100 each and every week.  It has merely stopped the upward spiralling of numbers of those homeless or at risk of homelessness.  In fact, as the Labour Leader Kier Starmer highlighted this morning, the Government announced only four days ago the extension of the eviction ban again from this Monday, when it was due to expire, through to 21 February – too late and typical of the last minute approach of this Government throughout the pandemic, but better late than never and welcome news for families at risk of homelessness in Nottingham.  So no respite in 2020 I am afraid for the dedicated team of people working in Housing Aid, but it did have the effect of reducing the number of families with children becoming homeless.  I do want to thank the decent landlords out there who gave their tenants leniency in paying their rent and who have reduced the levels of rent in recognition of the dreadful economic circumstances this year.  Once again I will use the analogy that in homelessness we constantly feel as though we are running up the ‘down’ escalator, working hard throughout the year to merely stand still.  However, this year has given us a glimpse of what can be achieved if renters were given more rights, more security in their homes.  So although this is a remarkable achievement and this is a day to pay tribute to the Council teams working in this area, we call once again for the Government to introduce permanent protections for renters and to address the structural inequalities and underlying issues affecting homelessness.  Firstly, more security of tenure, and that means medium-long term leases, minimum three-year leases; secondly, an end to no-fault evictions entirely and much longer notice periods of when you have to quit your home – at least six months; thirdly, protection against rent rises, it can’t be right that a landlord can simply price their tenants out of the property by raising the rent to a level they know that their tenants will be unable to afford – cap rent rises to the rate of inflation; fourthly, more affordable homes, especially Council houses, the lack of supply of housing is what is driving up rents and house prices in the UK and in Nottingham.  Council houses are still the most popular and most wanted form of housing.  The latest research suggests there are more than £2million people currently on the Council house waiting list across the UK and why is this?  The rents are lower, any rent increases are limited year-on-year and linked to the CPI rate of inflation, the landlord has to treat you decently and fairly and it gives security of tenure and an individual can’t be chucked out of their home just because they have asked for a repair.  In fact, revenge evictions should be made a criminal offence and I pay tribute to my fantastic officers working in Safer Housing and the Nottingham Law Centre who prevented and enforced against the increasing number of illegal eviction attempts last year.  One Nottingham landlord is spending the next six months in prison because he broke a court injunction preventing him from throwing out a family on the street, and we will be prosecuting him on his release.  Finally, an end to the right-to-buy – something that actually hinders councils from building new homes and properties.  We cannot build them fast enough and year-on-year we lose much needed housing stock.  At the very least this Government should make sure that councils can recover their full build costs before they have to sell on properties, with a moratorium on the right-to-buy until at least 15 years after any new build.  So colleagues, much done and much more that can be done.  I cannot praise highly enough my fantastic team of officers and colleagues working in this area and given the chance I will try my upmost to keep on achieving this landmark – no children waking up in a hotel room on Christmas morning in Nottingham each and every year.  I don’t know about you, but it brings a lump to my throat every Christmas Eve, and in that moment I know that it is worth putting in the hours, day by day week on week year on year, a badge of honour for this City that I will be loath to lose but to maintain this we need a decent Government, a Labour Government, to do more than put a sticking plaster on this issue.  This Conservative Government needs to take steps, urgent steps, to address homelessness nationwide and I urge them to do so, all be it more in hope than in expectation.

 

Voting in Local Elections

Councillor Michael Edwards asked the following question of the Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment and Democratic Services:

 

What more might be done to boost the number of people voting in local elections? 

 

Councillor Sally Longford replied as follows:

 

Thank you Lord Mayor and thank you Councillor Edwards.  It is important that we think seriously about this issue as we head towards the Police and Crime Commissioner elections, which are due to take place this spring.  It won’t come as a surprise to colleagues that I am unapologetic in my belief that it is not just everyone’s right to vote but it is also everyone’s responsibility.  It is very disappointing for us as councillors, obviously more interested than most in local politics and participation.  We know that the proportion of local people voting in local elections in Nottingham City has remained at around 30% for approximately 20 years.  Police and Crime Commissioner elections are infamous for low turnout across the country, with only 21.4% using their vote in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire in 2016.  The only significant increase in turnout has been when local elections have been combined with general elections.  During the run up to the general elections, the number of people registering to vote increases and we currently have approximately 23,000 people less on the City register than we did in December 2019.  Demographic factors have a part to play in turnout figures, for example we have a high number of students in our local population and they do not necessarily engage with local politics in the same way as permanent residents.  We are pledged to increase student registration and progress has been made by working with the universities who now share more information with us to assist with student registration.  The first thing to do to encourage people to vote is to get them on the electoral register and over the last 20 years there have been a number of reforms to change both the electoral registration system and the voting process.  Some of these have had a positive impact on the number of people participating in local elections.  A major improvement was made with the introduction of postal voting on demand.  This has made it easier for people to participate in the election process and, despite ‘fake news’ from the outgoing President of the United States of America, I am confident that our system is well-managed.  I know that Councillor Edwards and representatives of other political parties in the City have witnessed the verification of our postal votes in recent elections and it is secret, it is safe and people should be confident in it.  Turnout amongst postal voters is always significantly higher than by others.

 

I would like to thank the Elections Team for their hard work, including the annual canvass which includes personal visits and contacts by email, text or telephone, to encourage greater take-up of voter registration.  Polling cards now include maps of polling stations and advice on how to apply for postal or proxy votes and they are on hand on the day to deal with issues that occur and support electors in the local voting process, such as obtaining emergency proxy votes for people who become ill.  The Council will continue to encourage registration and voting, including marketing campaigns through social media, registration events in a wide variety of settings and promotion through partner organisations such as Nottingham City Homes, the universities, student unions, schools and colleges, youth organisations and community and faith groups.  Our Electoral Services Team constantly review best practice and adopt new practices and procedures where possible.  They are currently developing plans for the Police and Crime Commissioner election in May, including planning for Covid-safe polling facilities.  I would like to take this opportunity to encourage residents to register to vote if they haven’t already done so and think about applying for a postal vote, which could reduce the number of people visiting polling stations during the current public health crisis.  I think the importance of the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner is not well understood, but it is an important role which has an influence over all our lives.  That person is responsible for appointing the Chief Constable, for setting the Police and crime objectives for the area and holding the Chief Constable to account for running the Force.  Paddy Tipping is up for re-election in May and I would just like to mention his record of prioritising crimes that affect our local people, such as burglary and robbery and developing the only knife-crime team outside London.  He has also championed a model of proactive approach to neighbourhood policing, including Operation Reacher and Operation Graduate as well as victim support and a focus on reducing hate crime, including misogyny. 

 

I am afraid, however, that I have to end on a negative note.  Despite all the hard work of our officers there is a looming threat to participation coming from the Conservative Party Manifesto, including a pledge to introduce compulsory photo identification to be shown at polling stations by 2024.  We know that it will be our citizens in more deprived communities who are less likely to have photo identification, with 3.5million people in the country in that situation.  This would clearly disenfranchise many of our local citizens and in order to maximise participation all such barriers should be strongly resisted by all City Councillors.  So we will continue to work hard to ensure maximum voter registration and to encourage people to participate in all local elections but, in particular, in the short-term we have to work towards encouraging people to participate in the local Police and Crime Commissioner election, which in the light of the pandemic raises additional issues which may put voters off.  Thank you.

 

Nottinghamshire Pension Fund

Councillor Angharad Roberts asked the following question of the Deputy Leader of the Council:

 

What actions would the Deputy Leader like to see the Nottinghamshire Pension Fund take in order to ensure the long term sustainability of the Fund and to play its part in addressing climate change?

 

Councillor Sally Longford replied as follows:

 

Thank you Lord Mayor and thank you Councillor Roberts for your question, which comes to me in advance of the Nottinghamshire Local Pension Fund Annual General Meeting on 21 January.  As you know, the City Council has declared a climate and ecological emergency and is committed to being carbon-neutral by 2028.  To achieve this, it is vital that all businesses, organisations, employees, residents and visitors play their part to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible.  Fossil fuel companies contribute to one of the major causes of the climate emergency as the burning of fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide and accelerates heating in the atmosphere.  The City Council’s Carbon Neutral Action Plan includes a specific action to review its current asset portfolio and work with partners towards divestment from any fossil fuel related investments and campaign for divestment of the Nottinghamshire Local Government Pension Scheme.  We are aiming to achieve this by 2022.  Currently, the Nottinghamshire Pension Fund holds at least £170million in fossil fuel company shares and has no investment in sustainable, low carbon or renewable energy equity funds.  Although they are making gradual progress, that is just not good enough to tackle the growing environmental crisis we are facing.  We know that the primary responsibility of the Pension Fund is to protect the financial benefits of the Scheme and now that there is growing evidence that fossil fuel investments are performing less well than their comparators it is the time to grasp the divestment nettle.  Nottingham City Council is encouraging all its employees and citizens to do what they can to reduce their carbon footprint in both their home and work lives and many of those people are members of the Nottinghamshire Pension Fund.  Despite this the City Council has no voting rights on the Pension Fund, a legacy of historic links with the County Council.  This means that we are dependent on the votes of County Councillors only to make the decisions.  The fact that the Leader of the County Council recently identified herself as a climate sceptic does not bode well for their commitment to reducing our carbon emissions.  However, I am asking for them to act now.  Over 1,300 institutions worldwide have committed to divestment, including at least ten UK Local Government Pension Funds and a large number of UK university funds and faith organisations.  So I have submitted a question to the Pension Fund Annual General Meeting (AGM) asking them to agree to consult with their members on a divestment strategy and timeline before the next AGM in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the fund and to play its part in the prevention of catastrophic climate change.

 

Covid-19

Councillor Andrew Rule asked the following question of the Deputy Leader of the Council:

 

Does the Deputy Leader share my frustration regarding the disinformation being shared on social media and elements of the broadcast media around the pressure critical care teams in hospitals are under at present, and does she agree with me that an effective way of countering this would be to allow the media, in a Covid secure way, into hospitals to show how gravely serious the present situation is and to that end will she raise this with partners from Nottingham University Hospitals at the next Outbreak Control Engagement Board meeting to see if this can be carried out locally?

 

Councillor Sally Longford replied as follows:

 

Thank you Lord Mayor and thank you to Councillor Rule for his question.  I do share his frustration about fake news and disinformation surrounding the current pandemic.  It is very worrying to see and hear that people do not believe that Covid is a serious threat to our well-being, that the threat to NHS capacity is a hoax and campaigning against the vaccination.  It all puts lives at risk.  I would like to take the opportunity to publicly thank Nottinghamshire Police for taking action against the organisers of the recent anti-lockdown march in the City last week.  Hopefully it will deter them from returning to spread their lies and the virus to our citizens in the future.  Their poisonous demonstrations have recently included anti-Semitic banners being placed outside our Council House, which I reported to the Police, clearly demonstrating their extremist roots. 

 

There is a great deal of evidence that Covid is threatening the ability of our hospitals to provide a good level of service to our citizens, whether they are suffering from the most serious effects of Covid or whether they are needing admission for a serious injury, cancer treatment or routine treatment.  We know that during the first surge of the pandemic many people were disappointed to have hospital appointments cancelled and it is clear that this is happening already, particularly in the south-east of England.  We must try to stop the tide of infection and I must reiterate that the best way to do this is to follow the guidance – cover your face when in an enclosed space, including public transport, inside shops and public buildings; keep your distance from other people, 2metres where possible; wash your hands regularly and use sanitiser where it is not possible to wash your hands.  It is also important to encourage people who receive an invitation to go to have a vaccination to act swiftly, all the evidence suggests this could be the key to changing all our lives for the better, reducing the number of people developing the most serious symptoms.  We must all try to do what we can to stop the spread and that is why the Government, all be it belatedly, introduced the lockdown we are now experiencing.

 

I would not feel qualified to recommend to Nottingham University Hospitals Trust that they should admit the media to observe and record the situation.  Clearly they are operating under huge pressure and any additional exposure has risks.  I believe many of the decisions about whether to admit the media to NHS premises are made nationally by your Government, however I am happy to raise the idea with our health partners to find out their views and I do sympathise with the idea, although recently it has been clear that there has been more reporting from inside hospitals in the national media. 

 

Council debt

Councillor Andrew Rule asked the following question of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Growth and the City Centre:

 

Over the next five years around £303million of the Council’s debt will mature.  Given the Council is unable to repay this debt, it will need to refinance it, however given the debt is largely historic the Council will be able to refinance it at a lower rate of interest to that it was originally paying which will result in a saving to the Council.  On that basis, does the Portfolio Holder agree with me that it would be prudent to use this saving to pay off the Council’s debt?

 

Councillor Sam Webster replied as follows:

 

Thank you Lord Mayor.  Around half of the Council’s maturing debt over the next five years is short-term borrowings with interest rates of less than 1%.  The other half is long-term borrowing, money which was borrowed, often decades ago, at higher interest rates.  Re-financing at the historic low interest rates that we have today will, therefore, make a saving for the Council.  As a large organisation with long-term service commitments, assets and borrowings, the Council plans its budgets over the medium-term so as you would expect our Treasury Management Team has anticipated this saving on maturing debt.  Councillor Rule’s question today isn’t the first our Treasury Management Team have heard of this issue, they have been planning for it for some time.  You will be able to see the full details of this in the Treasury Management Report, which I will be presenting at the next meeting of the Council’s Executive Board next Tuesday and subsequently in the Medium Term Financial Plan report.  Thank you. 

 

Broadmarsh Shopping Centre

Councillor Andrew Rule asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:

 

Given the number of inventive and visionary proposals that propose the greening of the Broadmarsh site, how will the Leader balance the public’s enthusiasm for these suggestions against making up the income gap the Council has experienced from the loss of rental income following the closure of the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre?

 

Councillor David Mellen replied as follows:

 

Thank you Lord Mayor and thank you to Councillor Rule for his question.  The enthusiasm, thoughtfulness and quality of the huge number of responses to the Big Conversation has been simply fantastic.  I can’t thank people enough for the effort and time that has been put into sharing their ideas with us.  I am also grateful for the working group of Labour Councillors, chaired by Councillor Roberts, who led and supported the consultation period.  We will now read through and consider all of the responses we have received.  We have received over 3000 individual responses, almost 30,000 individual comments and a number of more detailed proposals, so this will take time to do properly.  To help with this we will set up an independently chaired advisory group who will work with the Council to reflect on what has come forward in the Big Conversation and advise on the way forward.  I think it is entirely proper that one of the key principles people will want to see delivered in any redevelopment plan is a much greener approach, both in line with our carbon-neutral ambitions and also in creating much better green space.  There is also a desire for much more city-living to be present in the plans for the area.  A balanced approach across this large site could incorporate a number of the ideas put forward although it is too early to say whether the ideas we have seen represent everything that could be included and importantly what can be afforded and realistically delivered to re-imagine the Broadmarsh site, we are excited about what the consultation has brought forward.  We need to take the time to reach the right decisions.  In the meantime, we are working with the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership to secure the funds required to ensure that the site is secure and prepared for future development.  I have been absolutely clear that the development of the Broadmarsh site cannot be done by the City Council alone.  We have a large capital programme already and need to work in partnership with others who will want to invest in this unique city centre development opportunity.  Perhaps Councillor Rule will talk to his Conservative colleagues in Government about their much-heralded rebalancing ambitions to try and invest in regions other than the south-east to look at this as a further opportunity for Government investment which will create jobs and develop our City further. 

 

The meeting adjourned at 15:49 and reconvened at 15:59.