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Agenda and minutes
Venue: MS Teams
Contact: Democratic Services on 01424 451484 email: democraticservices@hastings.gov.uk
Items No. Item Apologies for Absence
Minutes:
None received.
Declarations of Interest
Minutes:
None received.
Announcements from the Mayor and Leader
Minutes:
The Leader of the Council thanked Hastings Borough Council officers for their dedication over the course of a very difficult year and asked residents to remember the importance of social distancing, masks, and handwashing in protecting themselves against Covid-19.
The Leader of the Council invited the Managing Director to provide an update on the pandemic response in Hastings.
The Managing Director, Jane Hartnell, informed councillors that infection levels had reached 800 per 100,000 in Hastings over the last few weeks. Whilst the high infection rate in Hastings is mainly related to the Delta variant, there is concern about the likely impact of Omicron, with 64 cases of the Omicron variant already confirmed in East Sussex. The Conquest Hospital is initiating its critical incident plan, seeking to discharge patients as soon as possible in order to direct resources to the vaccination programme. The council is aware that some parts of the town still need their first and second vaccination, with the lowest areas of take-up being Central St Leonards and Central Hastings. The council is working with partners to provide intelligence and support to the local vaccine effort. Additional effort and capacity are now focussed on the booster vaccine rollout.
The Mayor thanked volunteers and staff associated with the vaccination programme.
Questions (if any) from:
a) Members of the public under Rule 11
b) Councillors under Rule 12
Minutes:
217a Member of the Public under Rule 11
A written question was received from a member of the public regarding the local Housing Register. Councillor Batsford provided a written response which was sent to the questioner and published on the council’s website.
Supplementary questions will be taken at the next formal Full Council meeting.
217b Councillors under Rule 12
Councillor Patmore submitted a written question to Councillor Evans regarding development northeast of Fern Road. A written response was received and published on the council’s website.
Councillor Patmore did not have a supplementary question.
Councillor Hilton submitted a written to Councillor Roger regarding the council’s staff organisation chart. A written response was received and published on the council’s website.
As a supplementary question Councillor Hilton asked if more information could be shared on the total number of staff in each department and some detail on their roles so that councillors could understand the capacity of each department.
Councillor Rogers said she would take those comments to officers and see if any further information could be provided.
The Mayor took oral questions from councillors to the Leader and cabinet members.
Questioner
Subject
Reply given by
Councillor Patmore
Town Centre Crime – Given the rate of violent crime in Castle ward will the Leader of the Council tell us what she will be doing to combat this spike in violent crime and can she please look at reinstating the town centre CCTV?
Councillor Forward replied that she has long been concerned about town centre crime. Councillor Forward said she had met with the Leader of East Sussex County Council and the Chief Inspector of Hastings and Rother police to discuss this. The council will continue to use its warden service to tackle anti-social behaviour. The CCTV is functioning and accessed by Sussex Police.
Councillor Forward
Councillor Bishop
Bale House – Can you tell us the latest attendance statistics for the Bale House?
Councillor Evans replied that since the opening of the Bale House there have been over 25,000 visitors.Councillor Evans
Councillor Cooke
Carbon Reduction - Many councils have put a year-on-year carbon reduction target into their climate change strategies. What year-on-year reductions does Hastings require to meet its net zero target, and what progress are we making towards that?
Councillor Evans replied that housing stock and transport are the two main contributors to carbon emissions in Hastings. Councillor Evans said she would discuss further with officers and get back to Councillor Cooke with the figures.
Councillor Evans
Councillor Turner
Healthcare Reorganisation - Is there anything Councillor Barnett can do to make sure that we encourage people to participate in the consultation process regarding reorganisation of the local NHS Trust?
Councillor Barnett paid tribute to local NHS workers but said the town is lacking in healthcare resources considering its size and health outcomes. Councillor Barnett encouraged residents to engage with the consultation.
Councillor Barnett
Councillor Carr
Equalities Training - Can I ask when councillors will be given equalities training and when did officers ... view the full minutes text for item 217.
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