Agenda item - Petitions for Council Debate

Petitions to be debated at Council.  Reports of the Monitoring Officer (copies attached).

(a)           Preston Park Toilets – Lead Petitioner Francis  Incorvaja

17.1         The Mayor stated that the council’s petition scheme provided that where a petition secured 1,250 or more signatures it could be debated at a Council meeting.  He had been notified of one such petition which had sufficient signatures to warrant a debate and therefore would call on the lead petitioner to present their petition before opening the matter up for debate.

17.2         The Mayor also noted that there was an amendment from the Conservative Group to the recommendation contained in the covering report on the petition, which Councillor Ken Norman would move during the debate.

17.3         The Mayor then called on Mr. Wares to present the petition concerning the condition of the toilets in Preston Park.

17.4         Mr. Wares thanked the Mayor and stated that the petition signed by 1,888 people to date sought to secure the refurbishment of the public toilets in Preston Park.  He stated that the improvement works to the toilets had been postponed for the last two years and whilst a council spokesperson had said works would be undertaken in the beginning of the year, nothing had yet materialised.  He stated that in their current condition they were unusable and unsafe and did nothing to encourage the use of the park by families, residents and visitors alike.  He therefore sought assurances that the views of the petitioners would be listened to and action taken to improve the facilities and make them suitable for public use.

17.5         Councillor K. Norman then moved an amendment to the recommendation in the report, requesting that a report be brought to the next Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee meeting with fully costed options and a timetable for implementation for consideration.  He suggested that the revenue from the local parking scheme could be ring-fenced to enable the necessary improvement works to be funded and carried out.

17.6         Councillor C. Theobald formally seconded the amendment and stated that in seeking to have a report to the committee in the autumn, it would provide sufficient time for options to be identified and reported to the meeting.  She believed it was unacceptable to have poor quality facilities in such an important park and hoped that action could be taken to improve matters.

17.7         Councillor West thanked Mr. Wares for presenting the petition and noted the amendment that had been put forward.  He stated that there were two public toilets in the park and these were attended and cleaned three times a week.  He also noted that the lighting problems had been fixed and that the boiler was awaiting repair.  New urinal shad been installed in 2009 and a deep clean undertaken in 2013.  There was an annual improvement programme for the public toilets in the city with ten sites a year being addressed and both sites in Preston Park were down for this year.  He also noted that following consultations the parking income had been identified for fencing improvements.  In regard to the proposed amendment, he could not support it as a city-wide review was being undertaken with a view to reporting to committee by January 2015 and therefore it would be better to wait for that report rather than have one specific report to the next meeting.

17.8         Councillor Mitchell stated that the Labour & Co-operative Group supported the amendment and believed that it would be beneficial to have a report to the next meeting of the committee.

17.9         Councillor West stated that he could not support the amendment and that a full report would be brought to the committee in November/January.

17.10      The Mayor noted that an amendment to the recommendation in the report had been moved and put it to the vote which was carried.  He then put the recommendation as amended to the vote which was also carried.

17.11      RESOLVED: That the petition be noted and that officers are requested to bring a report, with fully costed options and a timetable for implementation, to the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee for consideration at its next meeting.