AGENDA ITEM No ,---k....,, Notice of Questions Procedure - Standing Order No. 44 Council Meeting -Thursday, 25 March 2010

Questions to be Posed Following Ballot

Question Posed by Councillor (1) Why has there been a serious delay in the proposed site for the new McWilliams St. Ambrose/Drumpark High Schools and associated community facilities being referred to the Planning Hearings Committee for consideration?

When will this long delayed planning application eventually be heard by the Planning Hearings Committee?

(2) Does Council believe that by adding two very busy Murray independent Councillors who have many interests outwith their Council duties and who live considerable distance away from and who freely admit to have no knowledge of or its acute problems will make Campsies Centre (Cumbernauld) Limited more acceptable to the people of Cumbernauld?

(3) The national press on Tuesday, 16March has many reports on the loss of Murray valuable resources which local authorities will suffer if they lose the right to planning gain.

North Lanarkshire Council with all its massive regeneration problems, has not effectively used planning gain -why?

Was this because Cumbernauld would have benefited to a considerable extent from planning gain?

By not imposing planning gain, did all of North Lanarkshire Partnership gain many millions of pounds out of Cumbernauld by selling land they cheaply acquired?

This land was designed for providing essential amenities, was it sold for large profits?

Was it crammed full of 4 and 5 bedroom houses without even a token benefit to the community by not imposing planning gain?

(4) Was the Antonine Centre committed to have shop mobility installed in the Murray Antonine Centre? Is there still not shop mobility?

[5) What parking in Cumbernauld Town Centre is owned by North Lanarkshire Murray Council? What powers does it have over the other areas which are at present utilised or could be utilised for convenient controlled parking?

16) What benefit has Cumbernauld gained for having Campsies Centre Murray (Cumbernauld) Limited developing its town centre since July 1996? Question Posed by Councillor (7) In a letter dated 15 March 2010, I was informed by the Executive Director of Murray Housing and Social Work Services that North Lanarkshire Council “has managed to secure additional investment of f38m from the Scottish Government for the regeneration of the multi storey flats”.

Can we have the Council’s assurance that this money is available for the regeneration of the flats now?

Would it be folly to spend f38m over a 10 year period, keeping householders in constantly deteriorating circumstances to eventually provide fewer houses in North Lanarkshire Council’s largest area of acute housing need?

Will the main benefactor from such a policy be “Sanctuary” who will ultimately gain a proportion if not most of the value of the fewer houses to be built to replace the 560 flats they wish to demolish? Would the f38m as well as regenerating the flats provide a surplus to build a number of extra terraced houses?

(8) Was Campsies Centre (Cumbernauld) Limited committed by the planning Murray permission for the Antonine Shopping Mall to have the bridge connecting it to Phase 4 in position before opened? Is this bridge not operational years after the Antonine Centre opened?

(9) The front page of The Guardian on 16 March an anti-Tory left wing paper, claims Murray “It is a blow for Brown as Europe warns UK to bring down its debt”.

It also points out that the Tories are at 40% and have been within 3 points of 40% since October.

Is it not obvious that next week’s budget is to present an inadequate picture of what problems local government is going to face after 6 May?

What are the Council’s proposals for dealing with the severe additional cuts that we are certainly to face in the year 2010/1 I?

(10) Will Learning and Leisure be able to introduce Curriculum for Excellence at the Stewart beginning of the new term in August 2010; or are there still problems with its introduction to the Council’s schools? And if there are problems - list them.

(1 1) Did Campsies Centre (Cumbernauld) Limited sack Cumbernauld Development Murray Corporation’s developer within a few months of North Lanarkshire Council taking control in July 1996? Did this not lead to years of frustration and mismanagement where instead of the town centre properties yielding North Lanarkshire Council well over fl million a year it yielded nothing and for years much of the town centre did resemble a bomb site?

(12) How many teachers are off ill with stress related work illnesses over the last Stewart year? Give the number in Secondary, Primary and Special Needs schools. How many teachers are in the process of taking legal proceeding against the Council for damage to their health because of work related stress? Does Learning and Leisure recognise the casual link between poor discipline in our schools and stress?

(13) What unique feature has Campsies Centre (Cumbernauld) Limited achieved in Murray 10 wasted years with over f16 million of cash and valuable assets bestowed on it?

(14) What influence does North Lanarkshire Council have with its partner Murray organisation, NHS Lanarkshire to ensure that residents of Cumbernauld have as convenient access as is reasonably possible to essential medical services?

2 Question Posed by Councillor (15) What has Campsies Centre (Cumbernauld) Limited done to try and regulate the Murray car parking chaos which surrounds the town centre where patients cannot park their cars at the Central Health Centre or clients of the Town Hall park their cars at the car park provided for the Town Hall because of staff employed in the town centre are parking irresponsibly while there are large areas within the town centre and adjacent to the town centre which could be conveniently used for parking lying empty?

(16) What actions have been taken by officials of North Lanarkshire Council's McWilliams Learning and Leisure Services Department to eradicate the alleged bullying culture that has been prevalent amongst the pupils of Coatbridge High School?

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