Agenda item

Public Question Time

Meeting of Full Council, Wednesday, 12th December, 2018 7.30 pm (Item 3.)

To answerpublicquestionsunder Council Procedure Rule10.The questionsmust be on matterswhich are relevanttothe functionsofthe Council, andshould not includestatements.

One supplementaryquestionfrom thequestioner will be allowed.

Up to 30 minutesisallocatedto PublicQuestionTime.

Minutes:

Questions asked in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9 were as follows:

Questioner’s Name	Name of Councillor Responding
Mr Mahmood - (Pound Hill) Why can there not be a taxi rank at Gatwick airport, as the public and especially disabled visitors, as they are waiting something like 2 hours for the right vehicle?	Councillor Lamb (Leader of the Council) As Gatwick airport is private land they have the right to decide if they wish to have a taxi rank there. The Council can only place a taxi rank on public land. A court on this matter confirmed this position. I do understand the problem, but it is out of our hands.
Mr Khan - (Bewbush) There is a nuclear bunker under the Town Hall, how many people could live in there and for how long? Will the whole of Crawley survive if there was a nuclear holocaust?	Councillor Lamb (Leader of the Council) The bunker was not built to house residents and it was never set up for that purpose. It was more for civic emergencies and the Chief Executive and her team would be based in there for that purpose only. The best way to ensure residents survive a nuclear holocaust is by ensuring we don’t have one.
Mr Barrick - (Langley Green) My question relates to Gatwick airport and the increase in the number of planes flying over Langley Green and the Town. When did the flight path change? Supplementary Question Over the last three to four months there certainly appears to be particular planes taking off and then flying directly over Langley Green and cause significant noise and general pollution.	Councillor Thomas (Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability) What I think you are talking about are ‘go-arounds,’ which is when a flight has to change due to wind for example and the nature adjustment is to fly over the town centre. I’m a member of GATCOM and I’m not aware of a change in flight paths, especially over Langley Green. Please email and I’ll bring up this matter at GATCOM. Councillor Thomas (Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability) I believe there are meteorologically reasons to what directions planes must take off in. But please contact me over this matter Councillor B Smith (Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Community Engagement) I am a Langley Green resident and one of the Ward Councillors, I agree with you over the increase in flights taking off and flying over our Ward. I’ve tried to look into the matter and officially there has been no change in flight route.
Mr Herbert (Southgate) It has taken 4 years for a piece of art work I made to be put up in the Museum along with a piece of poetry I have written for Crawley’s 70^th Anniversary. Thank you all Members for your help in this matter.	Councillor Mullins (Cabinet Member for Wellbeing) I know it took some time for you to be in the museum, but the old small venue couldn’t put out all the pieces and many were in storage. Since the change in venue it has meant many artefacts from storage are being sorted through with the important pieces like your one finally being on display.

Questioner’s Name

Name of Councillor Responding

Mr Mahmood - (Pound Hill)

Why can there not be a taxi rank at Gatwick airport, as the public and especially disabled visitors, as they are waiting something like 2 hours for the right vehicle?

Councillor Lamb (Leader of the Council)

As Gatwick airport is private land they have the right to decide if they wish to have a taxi rank there. The Council can only place a taxi rank on public land. A court on this matter confirmed this position. I do understand the problem, but it is out of our hands.

Mr Khan - (Bewbush)

There is a nuclear bunker under the Town Hall, how many people could live in there and for how long? Will the whole of Crawley survive if there was a nuclear holocaust?

Councillor Lamb (Leader of the Council)

The bunker was not built to house residents and it was never set up for that purpose. It was more for civic emergencies and the Chief Executive and her team would be based in there for that purpose only.

The best way to ensure residents survive a nuclear holocaust is by ensuring we don’t have one.

Mr Barrick - (Langley Green)

My question relates to Gatwick airport and the increase in the number of planes flying over Langley Green and the Town. When did the flight path change?

Supplementary Question

Over the last three to four months there certainly appears to be particular planes taking off and then flying directly over Langley Green and cause significant noise and general pollution.

Councillor Thomas

(Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability)

What I think you are talking about are ‘go-arounds,’ which is when a flight has to change due to wind for example and the nature adjustment is to fly over the town centre. I’m a member of GATCOM and I’m not aware of a change in flight paths, especially over Langley Green. Please email and I’ll bring up this matter at GATCOM.

Councillor Thomas

(Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability)

I believe there are meteorologically reasons to what directions planes must take off in. But please contact me over this matter

Councillor B Smith

(Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Community Engagement)

I am a Langley Green resident and one of the Ward Councillors, I agree with you over the increase in flights taking off and flying over our Ward. I’ve tried to look into the matter and officially there has been no change in flight route.

Mr Herbert (Southgate)

It has taken 4 years for a piece of art work I made to be put up in the Museum along with a piece of poetry I have written for Crawley’s 70^th Anniversary. Thank you all Members for your help in this matter.

Councillor Mullins

(Cabinet Member for Wellbeing)

I know it took some time for you to be in the museum, but the old small venue couldn’t put out all the pieces and many were in storage. Since the change in venue it has meant many artefacts from storage are being sorted through with the important pieces like your one finally being on display.