Agenda item

a)         Written Questions

            At the time of agenda publication, one written question had been received in accordance with the Constitution.

A written response to the question will be circulated at the meeting.

A supplementary question by the Member who submitted the written question provided it is related to the reply and does not introduce any new matter is permitted.

b)         Questions to the Leader of the Council

The Chairman to invite questions to the Leader of the Council (including any matters arising from the minutes).

Following a response to their question being provided members will be entitled to a follow up or supplementary question.

c)         Questions to Committee Chairmen on the minutes

The Chairman to invite questions to Chairmen of Committees on any matter arising from the minutes of their committee (if any).

a) Written Questions

Councillor Sean Woodcock submitted a written question to the Leader of the Council. A response from Councillor Barry Wood, Leader of the Council, was tabled at the meeting.

Question:

At our previous meeting, it was resolved that officers would provide advice on how this authority would respond to the threat to the district's children's centres. Can the Leader of the Council provide an update on what has been done since for each of the children's centres in Cherwell?

Response:

The proposal to cut the early years and early intervention services and close children centres and replace these with a much smaller number of family centres is of real concern to Cherwell District Council. The investment and foresight of providing children centres and early intervention hubs relatively recently has resulted in much valued services for local people many of whom are our most vulnerable and most in need of support.

It is clear that the current children’s centres and early intervention hubs play a key role in delivering important local services, most of which are County Council related. It is however also clear, that the scale of the OCC budget cuts require substantial change and result in little chance of retaining all current services and premises.

The Council does not have the organisational structure nor expertise to get heavily involved in these County Council services. However, it does wish to support the search for alternative delivery solutions for each of the ten children’s centres and two early intervention hubs in the District, is prepared to play its part in this process and has undertaken the following actions since the consultation process began;

-       Regular contact with OCC lead officers over their liaison with each centre in Cherwell and the development of alternative service delivery models;

-       Consideration of the use of this Council’s network of voluntary and community organisations to explore alternative delivery models;

-       Consideration on how the Council can assist OCC in the facilitation process for each centre; and

-       Meeting with representatives from the Sunshine Centre in Banbury and the Butterflies Children Centre in Bloxham to consider future service provision.  

It is intended that the Executive at its meeting on 4 January 2016 will consider a formal consultation response to OCC. 

By way of a supplementary question, Councillor Woodcock asked when there would be a full Council debate on the council’s reponse to the consultation. Councillor Wood responded that in this instance “council” referred to the corporate entity and the council’s consultation response would be submitted in accordance with the council’s standing orders and delegations. Councillor Woodcock, as Leader of the Labour Group, had a standing invitation to attend Executive and any other Member could attend the meeting of 4 January 2016 at which the consultation response would be considered and request to address the meeting.

(Councillor Bell left the meeting for the duration of this item)

b) Questions to the Leader of the Council

Questions were asked and answers received on the following issues:

Castle Quay 2 development: Councillor Cherry

FOI requests submitted to Cherwell District Council: Councillor Dhesi

Cherwell District Council action to tackle obesity: Councillor Dhesi

‘A’ boards in Banbury town centre: Councillor Dhesi

Services at risk following the Autumn Statement: Councillor Woodcock

Cherwell District Council response to the Oxfordshire County Council consultation on the options for the future of the Children’s Centres and Early Intervention Service: Councillor Richards

c) Questions to Committee Chairmen on the minutes

There were no questions to Committee Chairman on the minutes of meetings.