Agenda item

 To receive and consider a written report from the Leader and ask questions on the work of the Executive, and to consider the Executive recommendations for approval, as set out below:

A written report was received from the Executive Leader, Cllr Douglas, on the work of the Executive.

Members were then invited to question the Leader on her report. Questions were received from the floor from the following Members in relation to the subjects listed and replied to as indicated:

Free School Meals

From Cllr Healey: Can the Leader confirm the identity of the donor organisations referred to by Cllr Kilbane at the February meeting, how much money they had committed to the York Fund and if it’s enough to fund free school meals for every single primary school child by the end of the council term?

Response: We are working in partnership with the city and we are very fortunate that we have a civic society that’s really open to supporting us to deliver the ambitious programmes, and free school meals is part of that.  We never said it was fully funded in February, we said we were in conversations with organisations across the city about funding, and it’s going really well. Westfield Primary is going ahead and we are expected to go into Burton Green Primary after Christmas.

The Place at Paul Sanderson House in Chapelfields

From Cllr Nelson: How will this venue serve the local community and is there anything else Westfield Ward residents could benefit from?

Response: This is another example of the city working together to deliver for the communities in York that need it. The Place at Sanderson House is coordinated and funded by private funders through the university. The community groups and the activities would continue and they would be opened up to the children in the Chapelfields area. Westfield Primary School were advertising it and were working with parents to ensure they know it’s for them. It’s been great working with the philanthropic department at the university who are helping the council build the York Fund.

From Cllr Fisher: Please outline the timeframe you envisage for the recruitment of a Chief Executive to the council and when the advert will go live.

Response: This is a wholly inappropriate question within Full Council and I won’t be answering it.

York Central Update

From Cllr B Burton: What does the Leader want to see on York Central and how can she influence decision making around that?

Response: We are waiting to see who the master developer will be. It has been a bit disappointing to us all that the process has been slower than expected.I’m looking forward to seeing this come to place so we can have detailed conversations about what the city really wants from York Central. It is really important that the people of York feel like it is for them.We want good quality jobs on there that everybody can benefit from, we want more green space and we want to increase biodiversity in the area. We want good communities, a sense of place, and we also want good quality affordable housing to be available for York people and not for investment.

Supplementary from Cllr Healey: Picking up on your last point, how will the council ensure that’s going to be the case, not for investors?

Response: There are ways and means for putting covenants on but it depends upon the developer. Decisions and discussions will be made and where we are the landowner, we can have some control over what kind of housing we put on it.

Devolution and the Combined Authority

From Cllr Warters: When you refer to delivering strategic housing projects, which will rely upon our ability as a local authority to work effectively within the combined authority, would the Leader agree that the ability to work effectively will be severely hampered if the Local Plan fails? If that outcome occurs, will the officers that pushed ahead with the Local Plan, despite regular and detailed warnings over the subject matter that is causing the inspector some concerns, be held fully to account?

Response: The Local Plan is tremendously important, which is why we have ploughed on with it. We can’t afford to no longer have one. We are doing all we can to get it through the process. We are not going to pull it and start from scratch again. If there was an element of poor performance or wrongdoing of course officers would need to be held account but there’s no indication of that. We are doing the most we can, and I can’t wait to see it in place.

Supplementary from Cllr Warters: Are you concerned about the concerns raised by the inspector over one specific issue?

Response: In a process like this, which is so sensitive and it takes so long, you would like to see it go straight through and any delay is concerning, but at this point in time we need to push it forward. We should have had it years ago.

B – Executive Recommendation

Cllr Douglas moved and Cllr Kilbane seconded the following recommendations contained in Minute 46 of the Executive meeting held on 12 October 2023 and Minute 61 and Minute 62 of the Executive meeting held on 16 November 2023:

Minute 46: Youth Justice Plan

Recommended:

i. That Council fully adopts the Youth Justice Plan.¹

Reason: To secure the Youth Justice Board funding for the financial year.

Minute 61: Capital Programme Monitor 2

Recommended:

i. To Full Council the adjustments resulting in a decrease in  the 2023/24 budget of £13.009m as detailed in the report and contained in Annex A.²

Reason: To enable the effective management and monitoring

              of the Council’s capital programme.

Minute 62: Delivering More Affordable Housing in York – update on the Housing Delivery Programme

Recommended:

i. To Full Council a contribution of £1.47m of Housing

Revenue Account (HRA) borrowing to enable the

purchase of up to 10 homes for the Local Authority

Housing Fund (LAHF) programme.³

Reason: To deliver more affordable housing in York.

On being put to the vote, all recommendations were declared CARRIED and it was

Resolved: That the above recommendations be approved.¹²³