Agenda item

To consider the following portfolio reports to Council from each Cabinet Member:

a)      Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Tourism, Arts and Culture

b)      Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Partnerships and Performance

c)      Cabinet Member for Levelling Up – Place

d)      Cabinet Member for Climate Change

e)      Cabinet Member for Children’s Services

f)       Cabinet Member for Levelling Up – People

g)      Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Street Scene and Neighbourhoods

h)      Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care

i)        Cabinet Member for Young People and Aspiration

Members are reminded that:

·         Each Executive Member has up to three minutes to present their portfolio report (a green light will indicate there is one minute remaining, red for when the time is up). There will then be an opportunity for questions/comments.

·         There will be three minutes per question/ comment from any Councillor on anything within the portfolio and no limit to the number of times a Councillor can ask a question.

·         There will be no set overall maximum time for each report to be debated although the Mayor will decide when a suitable time has elapsed and move to the next report.

The Council received reports from the Executive Members on areas within their portfolio.

Questions, comments and debate were invited from all councillors on each of the report areas.

Notes:

1.     Councillor Lynn Williams, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Tourism, Arts and Culture agreed to confirm to Councillor Sloman whether any Council staff working from home had received payments in contribution to their heating costs and whether any staff may have been using that time to engage in secondary employment.

2.     Councillor Mark Smith, Cabinet Member for Levelling Up – Place, agreed to provide a written response to:

·       Councillor Galley regarding when the new Holiday Inn hotel and Talbot Road tramway extension had originally been due to open, what the original budget was, how much it had overspent by and who was paying for the overspend.

·       Councillor Sloman on whether there was any levelling up of transport planned for the north of the town, with particular reference to a lack of direct bus routes to the hospital from that area.

·       Councillor Baker on whether there were any proposals to increase bus services in the Marton Moss / Midgeland Road area.

3.     In presenting the report on behalf of Councillor Jim Hobson, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Williams agreed to provide a written response to Councillor Michele Scott in regards to the new Regional Fostering Hub and whether foster carers would continue to be given a choice of where potential foster children came from or whether they would automatically be directed to the authority in which they resided.

4.     Councillor Farrell, Cabinet Member for Levelling Up – People, agreed to provide details of the number of empty properties in Blackpool to Councillor Galley.

5.     In response to a question from Councillor Warne, Councillor Burdess - Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Street Scene and Neighbourhoods - agreed to confirm how many claims had been made against the Council for damage to vehicles caused by potholes.

6.     Councillor Farrell, who presented the report on behalf of Councillor Neal Brookes, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, agreed to provide a written response to Councillor Cooper’s query regarding adult social care, in particular whether there were any emerging themes as to why costs were increasing and whether there were any further concerns regarding costs and funding going forward.