At meetings of the full Council, councillors have the opportunity to table written questions. Here are the questions this month from myself and fellow members of the Liberal Democrat group:

Councillor Roger Dobson

‘Can the Council clarify its policy on the provision of public lavatories? Specifically, what steps are being taken to ensure adequate availability and accessibility of public toilet facilities across the area, particularly in key locations such as town centres, parks, and tourist destinations? Additionally, how does the Council address issues of maintenance, cleanliness, and accessibility for individuals with disabilities?’

Answer: Our records show there are 13 public toilets within the Cumberland authority that are operated and maintained by Cumberland Council. These are what would be considered ‘on-street’ facilities located within publicly accessible areas including town centres, parks, green spaces and car parks.

In terms of repair, maintenance and cleaning we have a planned regime with reactive response for specific urgent repair issues.  Toilets are cleaned daily, aside from general maintenance any repair/maintenance issues that are raised either by the cleaning team or members of the public are dealt with as soon as possible and this may be via our in house team or external contractors depending upon the scope of the works. 

Facilities have been assessed to ensure accessible provision is available for those with disabilities. 

Councillor Roger Dobson

‘Following the announcement of a new Centre Parcs holiday village near Hawick, will the Council actively support efforts to reopen the Waverley Railway Line to Tweedbank? This would provide a direct and sustainable transport connection from Carlisle to Edinburgh, promoting increased tourism, economic development, and improved accessibility for visitors and residents. What steps is the Council prepared to take to advocate for this project and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to make it a reality?’

Answer: The establishment of a new rail link between Carlisle and Tweedbank is supported by the Council and is considered important in supporting rural communities and in developing the regional role of Carlisle.  It should be noted that as part of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal funding has been identified to test the feasibility of this.  In December the Borderlands Partners wrote to DfT to request that resources for this work are released and I am happy to ensure the member remains up to speed on the progress of this scheme.

Councillor Chris Wills

‘Could the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places confirm whether up-to-date road casualty information for Cumberland can be made easily accessible to councillors, including non-casualty collision data if collected? Given that such information was previously available to council officers, would the Portfolio Holder support providing cross-party councillors with access to this data under appropriate confidentiality agreements, and consider publishing basic anonymised data on the Observatory website to promote transparency and informed decision-making?’

Answer: There are significant amounts of data on traffic accidents and road casualties held by a number of different agencies. 

There is currently an issue in receiving collision data for this financial year and we have raised this with the CRaSH National System Administrator, Roads and Local Group in the Department for Transport and Cumbria Constabulary who are working to resolve the issue. This issue is not solely with Cumberland and it is affecting many other authorities.

But I also hope that Cllr Wills will be pleased to learn that there is a great deal of information already freely available on the Cumbria Observatory website and LG Inform. 

I asked officers to add any further available information onto the Cumbria Observatory and there are additional datasets available under the crime and community safety section that will no doubt satisfy his interest. 

Councillor Tim Pickstone

‘Can the Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning and Development confirm the current school maintenance budget for local authority-maintained schools this financial year? Additionally, what is the total estimated value of the current maintenance backlog across schools in our area, and how does the council plan to address this gap effectively to ensure our schools are safe and fit for purpose?’

Answer: The current school’s capital budget is circa £5m.  In addition, schools have devolved budgets that can be used for day-to-day maintenance issues.  We are currently working through a comprehensive assessment via condition surveys across the entirety of the school’s estate.  Once that is complete the Asset and Schools team will work together to implement an ongoing maintenance and improvement programme.  We are committed to ensuring that our schools give our children the best possible start in life.