Jeremy Hilton to quiz Tory cabinet members on poor performance

Tory leaders at Shire Hall are being quizzed on their performance by a senior Liberal Democrat councillor.

Councillor Jeremy Hilton, who represents Kingsholm and Wotton, has tabled a dozen challenging questions to Conservative cabinet members for its full council meeting on September 9.

He has asked questions about care home admissions, the performance of children's services, gulley cleaning, new cycling projects, the future of local government in Gloucestershire and the financial health of the county council.

Councillor Hilton, who is also leader of the Lib Dem group on Gloucester City Council, said: "I am concerned about the poor performance of the Tory administration who control the county council and the impact this is having on services in Gloucester.

"After 15 years in charge, they are struggling to deliver decent services.

"They failed miserably to handle the Covid-19 crisis in our care homes, children's services is still poorly performing and there are big holes in the council's finances.

"Frankly, the Tories are exhausted and complacent. They have run out of good ideas. They are clueless. They are unable to keep budgets under control and vulnerable people are getting a raw deal.

"With all this going on the Tories are now planning to spend valuable time on local government reorganisation leaving Gloucester without its own dedicated council for the first time in over 500 years."

Councillor Hilton said he will be very interested to see the answers from the cabinet when they are published. He can ask supplementary questions.

- Written Questions submitted by Councillor Jeremy Hilton:

1. To Tim Harman

Staff in elderly persons care homes are now being tested for COVID-19 anti-bodies. Can you please provide data to include how many tests have been done so far and how many tests proved positive or negative?

2. To Kathy Williams

On the 7th of April a press release was issued by the county council in which you were quoted. The press release reported that the county council was helping the NHS Hospital Trust transfer patients from hospital into elderly persons care homes within three hours.

Considering that it was known at the time that some elderly people were not being tested for Covid-19 infection and that some subsequently died, why didn't you say no to such untested transfers?

3. Kathy Williams

How many residents in the county elderly persons care homes have died from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic?

4. Richard Boyles

Can you please state what the agreed budget for services vulnerable children was for the following years and what the financial outcome (final spend) was when the accounts were closed?

2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20

5. Richard Boyles

How many young people are in the council's care?

6. Richard Boyles

How many of those young people in your answer to the previous question are placed out of county and what is the cost to this council?

7. Richard Boyles

Under your leadership will you ever turn around the failing children's services? You only have until May 2021 to do so.

8. Vernon Smith

How many gullies in the city of Gloucester were cleaned during the Covid-19 lockdown period?

9. Nigel Moor

What plans other than on London Road, do you have to improve the cycling infrastructure in the city of Gloucester

10. Mark Hawthorne

As a city resident, would you support the abolition of Gloucester City Council in favour of a single unitary council serving the whole of Gloucestershire, ending the current two-tier system?

11. Lynden Stowe

What is the expected additional cost, in this financial year, to this council for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic?

12. Lynden Stowe

Could you please list all additional Covid-19 grant funding this council has received from the government or has been promised?