Issue - meetings

To RECEIVE the Major Opposition Group Leader’s Annual Statement.

Council RECEIVED the Major Opposition Group Leader’s Annual Statement.

Councillor Bridget Smith, Leader of the Opposition, presented her annual statement.

Councillor Smith congratulated those Members who had been successful in the recent County Council elections.  She focussed on the importance of giving Members the tools to do their jobs well and with pride.  This included reference to:

·         Access to ‘Insite’ and regularly updated lists of officers, their responsibilities and contact details;

·         A timely response to e-mails and phone calls;

·         An effective pre-application service and a planning portal that was fit for purpose;

·         An economic strategy which Members can reference when supporting local businesses;

·         Portfolio Holders who hold portfolio meetings which give backbench Members and residents opportunities to question and challenge them;

·         Scrutiny Committees that are established on best practice principles and are robust, challenging and add value; and

·         A stable workforce with officers that were not overstretched.

Councillor Smith highlighted the importance of having a council which could protect Parishes and keep them safe.  She expressed concern about the impact of out of control, unplanned development.  She informed the Council that over the next twelve months the residents of South Cambridgeshire would be left in no doubt where the blame for the destruction of their villages lay.

Council NOTED the Major Opposition Group Leader’s Annual Statement.

To RECEIVE the Major Opposition Group Leader’s Annual Statement.

Council RECEIVED the Major Opposition Group Leader’s Annual Statement.

Councillor Bridget Smith, Leader of the Opposition, presented her annual statement.

Councillor Smith welcomed Councillors John Batchelor, Doug Cattermole and Ingrid Tregoing to the Council and also welcomed the elevation of Councillor Lynda Harford to Cabinet, making the point that she would like to see more women on the body.

Councillor Smith questioned how the Council’s new Leader would approach key issues facing the authority, such as:

·         the Greater Cambridge City Deal and how the Leader would ensure that South Cambridge got its fair share out of the Deal;

·         the Local Development Plan and whether it would be adopted, together with balancing the need to provide housing against protecting rural South Cambridgeshire and, in particular, the green belt;

·         the implications of the Government’s Housing Bill and how they would be handled locally;

·         shared services and their implementation;

·         devolution and the implications for South Cambridgeshire.

Council RECEIVED the Major Opposition Group Leader’s Annual Statement.