Notes from the November meeting of Full Council

Highlights and lowlights from the meeting of Cumbria County Council on 7th November 2019.

The meeting began with the council standing for a minute's silence in memory of my predecessor as County Councillor for Egremont North and St Bees division, Henry Wormstrup, who died a couple of weeks ago.

During the time reserved for questions from members of the council, the meeting was suspended for ten minutes because an independent councillor from Carlisle insisted on reading a pre-prepared speech rather than asking a question. 

When it was reconvened I asked the leader of the council, in the absence of the highways portfolio holder, if they would review the policy of the council in terms of whether we could obtain more action to improve roads, like the A595 and A66, which are managed by Highways England by being 
more pro-active in putting forward shovel-ready schemes to improve these roads.

The response of the Leader of the council was essentially to complain about the fact that I ask questions like this at every council meeting.

If he thinks that's going to stop me he has another think coming.

Councillors were then asked to approve a "Youth Justice Strategy" the full draft of which was not included in the council papers as circulated in hard copy and which most of us had not seen., although we did see a report about it.

The document was approved given that those members of all parties who actually had seen it praised it as a good document and that we were given assurances that this would not happen again.



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