Agenda item
Public Participation
At this point in the meeting, any member of the public who has registered to address the Council, or to ask a Member of the Council a question, on a matter directly relevant to the business of the Council or the City, may do so. The deadline for registering is 5:00pm on Wednesday 26 March 2014.
To register to speak please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting, on the details at the foot of the agenda.
WEBCASTING NOTICE
Please note: this meeting may be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the internet - at the start of the meeting the Lord Mayor will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed.
You should be aware that the Council is a Data Controller under the Data Protection Act. Data collected during this webcast will be retained in accordance with the Council’s published policy.
Public seating areas will not be filmed by the Council.
Minutes:
The Lord Mayor announced that six members of the public had registered to speak at the meeting.
Kevin Dobbin spoke in support of Councillor Reid’s motion relating to the closure of Lendal Bridge, which was due to be debated later in the meeting. He stated that he felt aggrieved by the closure and had suffered financial detriment. He expressed concern at the number of penalty charges that had been imposed and stated that the arrangements had been poorly implemented, ill advised and that the national media coverage had been bad for the city. He urged that the motion be supported.
Peter Kilbane spoke against Councillor Reid’s motion relating to the closure of Lendal Bridge, which was to be debated later in the meeting. He outlined some of the benefits of the restrictions, including making the area a more pleasant and inviting environment. He drew attention to the pollution caused by cars and the impact on long-term health and happiness. He urged that the motion be rejected.
Gwen Swinburn spoke in relation to the recommendations of the Audit and Governance Committee and the report of the Chair of the Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee. Ms Swinburn urged that consideration be given to the Council’s consultation procedures and suggested that scrutiny of this issue be carried out. She requested that the process for consultation on the review of the Council’s Constitution be made clear and she also expressed an interest in serving as an Independent Person on the Audit and Governance Committee.
Johnny Hayes, from Bishopthorpe Road Traders’ Association, spoke in support of the petition asking the Council to restrict
supermarket expansion in York. Mr Hayes stated that independent shops encouraged people to shop locally and were a good resource for the community. He gave details of the number of employees working for small businesses on Bishopthorpe Road and the income brought to the city. He stated that there were many supermarkets in York and this tended to have a detrimental impact on small businesses. He urged that there be no further supermarkets in the city.
Adam Sinclair spoke on behalf of York City Retailers, in support of the petition asking the Council to restrict supermarket expansion in York. He endorsed the comments made by the previous speaker and stated that small and independent specialist businesses also attracted world class businesses that were keen to be located where there was a vibrant independent sector. He stated that there was too much supermarket space across the city and requested that the petition be supported.
Graham Kennedy, organiser of the petition asking the Council to restrict supermarket expansion in York, stated that he owned an independent family business that employed a number of people in York. He stated that there were already sixteen major supermarkets in York and that further supermarkets were not needed. He stated that supermarkets created traffic problems, and resulted in job losses to local businesses. Supermarkets also acted in the interest of their shareholders and not the local community. He urged that there be no further supermarkets.