This is an opportunity for Members of Council to ask the Mayor, Members of the Executive or the Chairs of any Committee or Sub-Committee a question on notice under Procedure Rule 10.2.

The Mayor reported that seven questions had been received under Procedure Rule 10.2.

On the basis that the Mayor had asked for the responses to be circulated to all Councillors and published on the website, the Council consented to taking both the question and response as read and move on to the supplementary question in each case.

(Note: Members were informed that ten minutes had been allocated to this Agenda item, and any outstanding supplementary questions were to be picked up outside of the meeting).

(a)  Question 1 from Councillor Zhi regarding: crossing at Altrincham Grammar Schools for Girls.

Councillor Zhi asked as a supplementary whether a Member of the Council could join representatives from the Grammar school and the landowner, alongside himself, to discuss a resolution.

Councillor Adshead, Executive Member for Highways, Environmental and Traded Services asked Councillor Zhi to contact him following the meeting to arrange this.

(b)  Question 2 from Councillor Zhi regarding: litter on Motorways.

Councillor Zhi did not have a supplementary question.

(c)  Question 3 from Councillor Duncan regarding: Damp and Mould problems for residents in Trafford.

Councillor Duncan asked as a supplementary question whether the Council could consider approaching social landlords to provide temporary accommodation whilst properties which had become inhabitable due to damp and mould were dealt with and reassess their stance on this.

Councillor Wright, Executive Member for Housing and Advice responded that the Council would always support tenants in any way possible should their property become inhabitable. The Executive Member added that it was the responsibility of the social landlord to rehouse residents if they were not dealing with issues of damp and mould, with the Council stepping in if this was not available.

(d)  Question 4 from Councillor Frass regarding: parks in South Trafford.

Councillor Frass asked as a supplementary question when parks, such as Buckingham Way Park in his Ward, and across Timperley, would receive budget for repairs similar to that seen in Longford Park.

Councillor Patel, Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration highlighted how the funding provided to Longford Park was wholly appropriate for securing the benefits brought through the initiative. The Executive Member suggested that Councillor Frass should raise a casework enquiry with the greenspaces team at the Council to help with the issues he had been having.

(e)  Question 5 from Councillor M. Taylor regarding: the state of Halecroft Park.

Councillor M. Taylor thanked the Members for the response to the original question, however, asked similarly to Councillor Frass, when residents in his ward could expect similar funding to that seen in Longford Park.

Councillor Adshead, Executive Member for Highways, Environmental and Traded Services responded that following meetings with the greenspaces team and the Friends of Park group at Halecroft Park, repair jobs were in hand with some already completed. The Executive Member advised Councillor M. Taylor to contact him if he had any further concerns.

(f)   Question 6 from Councillor Evans regarding: secondary school place in the south of the Borough.

Councillor Evans asked as a supplementary question at what stage the Council would consider expanding schools in the south of the Borough to accommodate more children, highlighting that since the 1970s there had been an exchange of students between Manchester, Salford, and Trafford.

Councillor K. Carter, Executive Member for Children and Young People referred to her original response, remarking that there was no need to expand the school places in Trafford, with no way that the Council would expand places to create further spaces for children out of Borough.

(g)  Question 7 from Councillor Newgrosh regarding: Trafford Empty Homes Policy.

Councillor Newgrosh highlighted that during the time since the adoption of the Council’s Empty Homes Policy, the number of long-term empty properties had risen. Councillor Newgrosh asked as a supplementary question how the Council judged its performance against the policy’s indicator to reduce the number of long-term empty property.

Councillor Wright, Executive Member for Housing and Advice highlighted the complexities behind bringing long-term empty properties back into use. The Executive Member remarked that the performance by the team had been excellent, in what was a small team with very limited resource.