Details on those leading the various portfolios and committees can be found by visiting the following links:

• Cllr Sir Albert Bore is Leader.
• Cllr Ian Ward is Deputy Leader.
• Cllr Tahir Ali is Cabinet Member for Development, Jobs & Skills.
• Cllr Steve Bedser is Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing.
• Cllr John Cotton is Cabinet Member for Social Cohesion and Equalities.
• Cllr Brigid Jones is Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services.
• Cllr James McKay is Cabinet Member for a Green, Safe and Smart City.
• Cllr Stewart Stacey is Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Contracting and Improvement.

Pictures of the new Cabinet members

Scrutiny Committees

Regulatory and other committees

District Committees – to follow

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•    15,028 parent/carers submitted an application requesting a Reception Class place for their child for September 2012 (up 179)

•   32,709 preferences were expressed (down 1,180)

•   7,791 (52.3%) applications were made on-line* (up 22.2%)

•    12,821 (85.3%) pupils were offered their first preferred school (up 0.1%)

•   1,150 (7.7%) pupils were offered their second preferred school (up 0.2%)

•   408 (2.7%) pupils were offered their third preferred school (up 0.2%)

•   14,379 (95.7%) pupils were offered one of their preferred schools (up 0.5%)

•    649 (4.3%) parent/carers have been offered a place at school that was not one of their preferred schools. This compares will 707 pupils (4.8%) in April 2011.

•    478 (3.2%) were offered a school outside Birmingham (down 0.2%)

Extra – district pupils:
•   195 (49.2%) children who live in another local authority were offered a Birmingham school (up 5.5%)

•   397 parent/carers who live in another local authority applied for a place in a Birmingham school for their child for September 2012 (up 113)
•    566 preferences were expressed (up 168)
•   169 (42.6%) were offered their first preferred school (up 3.9%)
•   15 (3.8%) were offered their second preferred school (down 0.1%)
•  8 (2%) were offered their third preferred school (up 1.3%)
•   2 (0.5%) were offered their fourth preferred school (up 0.1%)
•   1 (0.3%) were offered their fifth preferred school (up 0.3%)

•    The remaining 202 pupils were offered either a higher preferred school or allocated a school not of their preference by their home authority (such as, the authority in which they live).

Ends

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A comparison to the current year’s Council Tax is as follows:

A breakdown, on a band-by-band basis, is as follows:

The ratification of the latest budget means that for six consecutive years Birmingham City Council has increased its share of Council Tax bills below the rate of inflation.

Between 2006/07 and 2010/11, Council Tax was increased by 1.9 per cent for five years in a row.

In 2006/07 this was equal to inflation (after the Consumer Prices Index was retrospectively lowered), while for each subsequent year the increase has been below inflation.

In both 2011/12 and 2012/13, a Council Tax freeze has been approved.

Useful links:

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/council-tax

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Ploughing

• In relation to snow ploughing this provides the ability to remove large accumulations of snow from the centre of roads.
• However it should be recognised that ploughing has limitations in that it effectively skims the road surface leaving around 30-50mm of snow on the surface.
• It can also result in large amounts of snow accumulating at the sides of roads and on footways and following prolonged periods of gritting can reduce the overall effectiveness of de-icing operations by removing slush which has a high level of salt solution.

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However, before answering those questions, I hope you will allow me the opportunity to comment on the overall tone of Mr Dolan’s letter. It was quite clear from the letter that he believes Birmingham City Council is abandoning its library service. I would argue that the case is the complete opposite, which I will try to illustrate below.

Since 2004, the City Council’s present administration has invested £4.3million in improving the fabric of its community libraries. Many of our community libraries operate from within aging buildings that have been poorly maintained over the last 20 years. Since 2004, we have been correcting the impact of that poor maintenance.

In addition to this £4.3million, a further £1.1million is being invested in our libraries in this financial year. Kings Heath, Selly Oak and Hall Green Libraries will have new roofs by April 2012.

Further, we are investing £188.8m in a new Library of Birmingham, to replace the Central Library. This will be a world-class facility, with world-class resources and a re-energised vision for the library in the twenty-first century.

I hope your readers will accept that these are challenging times for our libraries: not only are libraries up and down the country having to absorb the impact of the national financial crisis, but technological advancements such as the internet are questioning the future role of the public library.

In Birmingham we recognise that there is still the need for community libraries in: up-skilling our citizens; improving literacy, especially in communities where English is the second language; and in reducing the digital divide.

It is for this reason that no community library in Birmingham will close under the present administration’s proposals. Subject to approval from the Constituency Committees, 16 out of our 39 community libraries will remain open five days a week, as now. The remaining 23 libraries will open four days a week, instead of the present five.

While other cities are closing down community libraries, I think what Birmingham is doing is highly commendable and deserves praise. New operating models will need to be considered, but these are tough times and we need to maximize every penny spent on our library service.

I think it would also be helpful if I outlined where the responsibilities lie with regard to Birmingham’s Library Service. As the Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture I have the responsibility to set the strategic direction and policy for our libraries, I do not however have the responsibility for community library budgets or their management, this rests with the relevant Constituency Committee.

Having said that however I will seek to address the questions raised by Mr Dolan, I have included his original questions for ease of reference.

Answers to John Dolan’s open letter

Related

Question: Could the Cabinet Member provide me with details of total funding given to each of the new Children’s Centres, indicating in his response the number of Children’s Centres within each Constituency and the number of children within the reach of each centre?

Answer: To be precise we have no “new” Children’s Centres.  However in the interests of transparency the attached table shows 2011/12 budget allocation for each of the existing Children’s Centres, the Phase in which they were built, the number of children within the reach area and which Constituency it is in.

Click here for the answer in full.

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Below are links to two documents – a letter sent by Cllr Brew to all councillors, and a table outlining the timeline of action when it comes to using bailiffs.

Cllr Brew’s letter to elected members

Timeline of action when bailiffs are used by the city council

February 15, 2012 – UPDATE

Below are links to the various documents being submitted to the Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee on February 17:

Bailiffs and Council Tax Collection Report to Finance O&S – Covering report for all other appendices and documents

Bailiff Report – Birmingham City Council summary report for scrutiny committee’s consideration.

In 2011/12, just 0.3 per cent of all cases dealt with by bailiffs for the council resulted in complaints.

Service Birmingham Report – SB response to scrutiny investigation. SB is responsible for the city’s revenues collection after the extension of its strategic partnership with the council in 2010

Appendix 1 – details of the numerous steps that are taken BEFORE bailiffs take any action

Appendix 2 – Bailiffs policy (more detail on the process)

Appendix 3 – Code of conduct for bailiffs

Appendix 4 – Ministry of Justice ‘National Standards’ document

Appendix 5a – Comparative statics for other West Midlands and Core City authorities

Appendix 5b – Sample case progression from first payment instalment through to the point at which bailiffs are engaged (Birmingham takes longer to use bailiffs than other local authorities)

Appendix 5c – National benchmarking comparison data

Appendix 6 – Local Government Ombudsman report on use of bailiffs

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As well as urging drivers to consider whether trips are essential before they head out officials are also advising drivers to:

• Consider whether you can walk / cycle / use public transport / car pool / share vehicles with others
• Keep petrol levels up in case you get stuck unexpectedly in traffic
• Avoid travelling at peak times if you can
• Restrict your speed
• Stick to larger roads but be aware you need to drive carefully even where gritting has occurred

Cllr Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Regeneration, said: “Keeping the city and its roads safe and moving throughout the winter is of critical importance to residents and businesses in Birmingham alike, which is why we carefully plan to ensure we are well prepared for whatever the weather may throw at us each year.

“Our winter maintenance programme, which includes gritting, plays a key part in this. But residents and motorists themselves also have a very important role to play by taking simple precautions and modifying their behaviour to suit wider weather conditions.”

Drivers are also being urged to carry key supplies in their vehicle to help keep them safe and warm in case they get stuck in traffic or breakdown. Key equipment motorists should consider keeping with them include:

• Bottled water
• Long life snacks
• First Aid Kit
• Torch and batteries
• Mobile phone and cigar plug lead
• Useful telephone numbers
• Blankets and warm clothing
• Waterproof clothing and  boots

Another important way commuters and shoppers can help reduce pressure on the road network and potential traffic jams in poor weather is to try and stagger journey times away from the usual morning and teatime rush hours.

Weather Updates

BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/2102

Met Office: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/wm/wm_forecast_weather.html

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Amey Birmingham Ltd undertakes the Winter Maintenance Service under the Highway Maintenance and Management PFI partnership for Birmingham.

Duty officers monitor both road and weather conditions around the clock during the winter period, analysing all information available which enable them to make an informed decision on when to grit the roads.

This service operates from the end of October through to the middle of April each year and during this period a fleet of gritters, together with associated equipment, is on standby 24 hours a day ready to treat the roads when required.

If frost or ice is expected to form on roads or snow is anticipated we will carry out precautionary salting (gritting) of the priority highway network. Link to gritting routes by name. This will involve spreading rock salt onto the carriageway which helps to prevent both icy patches and snow accumulations forming.

The pavements within the core of the city centre and Sutton Coldfield also receive precautionary treatment if frost or ice is expected to form on them or snow is anticipated. Other pavements in local shopping centres are cleared of snow when icy conditions persist and resources become available. When severe weather persists every effort is made to clear snow from pavements around shopping centres, hospitals and railway stations.

In addition to treating the roads and footpaths on a priority basis there are 1236 highway grit bins on the highway network as an aid to road safety.

Please let us know if a grit bin needs refilling or has been damaged or vandalised or about any winter maintenance that you feel we may need to carry out. This includes such things as refilling a grit bin or an emergency gritting treatment to a road but please be sure to read the overview first click here to request this service.

Footways

Some of the footways within the core of the city centre and Sutton Coldfield town centre also receive precautionary treatment when possible.  Pavement gritting is focused on areas where it is most needed and when severe weather conditions persist, every effort is made to clear snow from pavements around shopping centres, hospitals, and railway stations.

Facts And Figures

• 1200 km of carriageway is routinely treated by Birmingham City Council
• This network is divided into 23 gritting routes
• The partnership owns 25 gritting vehicles to carry out this function
• It takes between 3 and 4 hours to treat the entire priority network
• Gritters are fully loaded and on the road within an hour of callout
• Ice is most likely to form at dawn

Regional Information

The panel below brings together gritting alerts from local authorities across the West Midlands. You can also get this information via the following RSS feed: http://rss.coveritlive.com/rss.php?altcast_code=f0c64fbec0

Weather Updates

BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/2102

Met Office: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/wm/wm_forecast_weather.html

Related

Conducting stop and check inspections on private hire and hackney carriage vehicles plays an important role in ensuring the safety of tens of thousands of members of the public who hire a cab or taxi each week is protected.

Every year the Council aims to stop and check around 1650 vehicles.  The results of an enforcement exercise last Friday (7th october) were typical of such exercises and emphasise the importance of this operation. Of 47 vehicles stopped:  

• 17 (37%) were fully compliant with safety/licence standards
• 21 (45%) made temporary changes on site and were issued with a legal notice requiring them to present their cars the next working day with fuller repairs made – (for example replacing spare tyre)
• 5 (11%) failed - had their licences revoked on the spot removed

Stop and check inspections take no more than 15 minutes provided a vehicle/driver meets the required standards.

Only when safety standards are not met will an inspection take longer, as officers can not allow a vehicle to return to work until it has been made safe.

For example faulty bulbs or bald tyres replaced with legal spares, or drivers proving they are licensed and have passed criminal record and medical requirements.

To release a vehicle to carry the public which is legally unfit for the road or driven by a driver without the required paperwork, would pose an unacceptable risk to public safety.

As well as random stop and checks, enforcement officers and police will also stop vehicles which look defective to the naked eye. For this reason it is important all drivers ensure their vehicles not only meet the standards internally but also are kept in a good condition externally.

 Where a vehicle is stopped while carrying a passenger enforcement officers and/or the police will explain why the vehicle has been stopped to that passenger, and will be on hand to deal with any issues that arise or reaction from the passenger about being stopped.

In the main feedback from passengers is usually positive and supportive of the work we are conducting to keep them safe,

Enforcement officers aim to conduct stop checks on around 1650 vehicles per year. 

Fees

 Licensing fees have either gone up by below the rate of inflation or been frozen in each of the years from 2006 – 2011. 

Fees did rise by 8% for 2011/12 (however this is the equivalent of just £7 per licence – which is fraction of the overall running costs of a driver/vehicle.)

 The overall cost for both a drivers and vehicle licence is still just £190 per year – the equivalent of just £3.65 per week.

ENDS

For more information please contact Simon Houltbyon 0121  303 3503

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