Agenda item

To consider the following Motions on Notice under Standing Order B13:

 

Motions submitted for consideration directly by Council, in accordance with Standing Order 22.1

 

i)             From Cllr Rose

 

Recognising and supporting York’s neurodivergent adults

 

“Council notes:

 

• Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board’s (ICB) trial pathways for adult autism and ADHD assessments that commenced in March this year, and which have been extended to March 2024;   

 

• Important work carried out by Healthwatch York and York Disability Rights Forum (YDRF) in scrutinising the current trial and gathering evidence of people’s experiences of the process;

 

• The ICB’s public engagement events to review the pilot, being held next month;

 

• The NHS 2021 National Strategy for Autistic Children, Young People and Adults, that committed to ‘timely access to diagnosis and demonstrably improved autism assessment pathways for people of all ages by 2026’;  

 

• The 400% increase in adults seeking assessment for ADHD since 2020 (ADHD Foundation) and the pressure this places on assessment services;

 

·        The almost four-year wait in a best-case scenario for those accepted for assessment under the current trial;

 

• York’s position as an autism-friendly city;

 

·        Council’s adoption of the social model of disability.

 

Council believes:

 

• It is important to identify and/or acknowledge different types of neurodiversity in individuals in a timely way in order to help them better understand themselves, their unique qualities, the adaptations that could be made to help them manage any challenges they face and support available, such that they can lead healthy, safe and fulfilling lives;

 

• That people should be able to access diagnosis pathways if and when appropriate or necessary and that such pathways should be well defined, clearly articulated and appropriately resourced;

 

• That the process of triage is well established in healthcare services for good reasons but that those deemed lower priority for assessment also deserve to know what pathways are open to them and how long it might take to access them;

 

·        The current referral pathway lacks sufficient review points for individuals where, should their personal situation change, they can re-enter the process.

 

Council resolves:

 

• To write to encourage the ICB to use the public engagement process to communicate more openly how the assessment pathway process works, the challenges with it and how information on outcomes could be provided for those completing the North Yorkshire and York online Platform for Adult Autism and ADHD Referral;

 

• To request an update report be presented to Health, Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee on the work of council services in supporting neurodivergent adults in York, including child to adult transitions;

 

·        To request that the Head of Paid Service communicates with all staff expressing the importance of removing barriers wherever possible, such that neurodivergent staff and residents are enabled to better access Council support and services;

 

• To renew the city’s Autism Strategy and use this opportunity for City of York Council to reaffirm and widen the city’s commitment to autistic and neurodivergent people in York, learning from the challenges of the current NHS pilot to ensure there is meaningful engagement with local groups about how to improve support to meet the needs of neurodivergent residents accessing its services;

 

• To ensure national Government is made aware of the perfect storm of increased demand for adult assessment, diagnosis and support for autism/ ADHD set against the backdrop of low levels of funding to support neurodiverse adults and to local authorities like City of York Council to provide the support they would like for their residents.”

 

ii)  From Cllr Hollyer

 

The Fair Game campaign for football clubs

 

“Council notes:

·        The vastly unfair way in which income is shared across the football pyramid. For instance of the £3.2 billion English Football receives from TV revenue, 88% goes to Premier League teams. Championship teams get just £32.85 from every £1,000 generated. 

·        Frequently bad management has gone unnoticed or ignored and clubs are run unsustainably, putting at risk all the history, heritage, and economic benefit they bring to an area – often in pursuit of short-term gain.

·        That Fair Game, a national campaign that seeks reform of the way football is managed and run. Specifically it calls for

o   A truly independent regulator for the sport free of vested interests

o   A refocus on ‘values’ rather than profit

o   Football clubs to be recognised as key parts of local communities

o   The establishment of a Fair Game Index, which will reallocate the payments made to clubs to reward those which are run well, respect equality standards and properly engage with their fans and their community

o   The regulator to ensure fans are given the final say on any proposed change to a club’s ‘crown jewels’, including the club’s name, nickname, colours, badge and the geographical location from where the club plays.

·        That the Government has published a White Paper developed from a Government-commissioned fan-led review into football governance led by former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch MP, and that a vast majority of its findings mirror Fair Game’s aspirations.

·        That if the Fair Game Index was applied to York City Football Club, it would receive an extra £2.54 million of income each year (up from £79,000 to £2.62 million). This could be invested through the Club’s Community Organisation to improve facilities and into community projects delivered via York City FC Foundation.

 

Council believes:

·        That football clubs are not ordinary businesses; they are historic sporting institutions that are both a civic and community asset, and a source of pride and unity, in their hometown or city.

·        That lower league football is currently in crisis.

·        That COVID-19 devastated the revenue of many lower-league clubs, and the cost-of-living crisis could be the knock-out blow for dozens of clubs.

 

Council resolves:

·        To declare its support for Fair Game, and call on other councils to join us in our support.

·        To ask the Chief Operating Officer to write to the Minister for Sport, local Members of Parliament, and the Chair of the Local Government Association Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, to lobby for the following to be included in the new remit of the Independent Regulator:

·        To ask the council’s Children, Culture and Communities Scrutiny Committee to discuss at a meeting in the current municipal year the important role that York City Football Club plays in the culture and heritage of the city and to explore ways in which we can work together to support the club and York City Football Club Foundation with its work in the local community.”

 

iii)          From Cllr Whitcroft

Working to improve Mental Health

“Council notes:

·        a marked decline in the mental health of certain groups of people during and since the Covid pandemic;

·        poor mental health has been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis and by social problems which disproportionately impact our most vulnerable residents, such as those experiencing homelessness, isolation and fuel poverty;

·        the most devastating outcome of poor mental health is suicide, instances of which have increased in York from 9.3 per 100,000 residents to 13.3 in the decade to 2021-22;

·        children’s mental health services are under unprecedented pressure, a problem compounded by significant cuts to early intervention work and bottom four of 151 councils national per pupil schools funding;

·        mental health services in general are unable to meet resident demand, as outlined in a recent Healthwatch report, while mental health services for people in crisis are failing to meet need;

·        the month of November is often associated with mental health awareness due to the successful and popular Movember campaign.

 

Council believes:

·        mental health is just as important as physical health;

·        mental health support in York has suffered due to a sustained period of austerity as well as real terms cuts to mental health services and other public services with a role in protecting general wellbeing;

·        Local Authorities, health services and voluntary sector organisations lack the necessary resource to handle the extensive mental health crisis being felt in York and across the country;

·        those organisations are unable to fully alleviate the mental health crisis in our city without greater health funding from national government;

·        lack of suitable safeguarding procedures for people being discharged from mental health care is resulting in serious risk to life of impacted residents.

 

Council resolves to:

·        express its disappointment at the shelving of planned reforms to the Mental Health Act in the recent King’s Speech, reforms designed to address amongst other issues, the inappropriate detention of different groups of people against their will;

·        call on relevant bodies and stakeholders to support preventative mental health measures, such as mental health support for children and young people and support for counselling services that take into account cost of living pressures;

·        work with local healthcare partners to encourage them to ensure patients have a holistic triage on admission with a mandatory Safety Plan on return to the community;

·        work with health partners to end out of area transfers where practical so that mental health patients are supported as close to home as possible;

·        explore how it can support and build on the work of York Ending Stigma (YES - https://www.yorkcvs.org.uk/york-ending-stigma/) to reduce stigma and improve attitudes on mental health issues in both its staff and the residents it serves;

·        ask that relevant council officers, the Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social care and commissioned services consult fully with mental health charities and service users when planning changes to mental health support services;

·        Encourage all members of the Council to support the Movember campaign to raise funds for men’s mental health.”

 

(iv) From Cllr Vassie

 

Withdrawal of the Public Switched Telephone Network

 

“Council notes:

 

·        That phone companies intend to withdraw the existing analogue telephone system, called the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), by the end of 2025, and that in future ‘Digital Voice’ services will work using broadband connections rather than copper phone lines.

·        That there are a million UK voice-only customers, some of whom do not have any access to broadband, and many of whom are likely to be older or financially vulnerable .

·        That there are 1.7 million people using telecare devices in the UK, many of which are supported by PSTN.

·        That Ofcom has published expectations for how telecoms companies should support customers during the migration.

 

Council believes:

 

·        There is currently a low level of awareness of the impending change - when telecare provider Taking Care surveyed a representative sample of more than 2,000 UK adults in March 2021, they found that 91% were unaware that all phone lines would become digital by the end of 2025.

·        That action is needed to help raise awareness among those likely to be affected by this change so that measures can be put in place in good time to ensure that vital service such as telecare are not interrupted.

 

Council resolves:

 

·        To ask the Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee to include as an agenda item at a meeting of that committee or another scrutiny committee in the next three months, consideration of York’s level of preparedness for this change. Participants in the discussion could include local authority, telecoms, NHS, care, voluntary sector and other partners as appropriate.

·        To ask the relevant Executive Members to ensure that all front-line staff working with groups who may be particularly affected by this change are suitably briefed in order to be able to direct residents and their families/carers to sources of information and support.”

 

i)   Recognising and supporting York’s neurodivergent adults

 

  Moved by Cllr Rose, seconded by Cllr Coles.

 

“Council notes:

 

• Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board’s (ICB) trial pathways for adult autism and ADHD assessments that commenced in March this year, and which have been extended to March 2024;   

• Important work carried out by Healthwatch York and York Disability Rights Forum (YDRF) in scrutinising the current trial and gathering evidence of people’s experiences of the process;
• The ICB’s public engagement events to review the pilot, being held next month;

• The NHS 2021 National Strategy for Autistic Children, Young People and Adults, that committed to ‘timely access to diagnosis and demonstrably improved autism assessment pathways for people of all ages by 2026’;  

• The 400% increase in adults seeking assessment for ADHD since 2020 (ADHD Foundation) and the pressure this places on assessment services;

·        The almost four-year wait in a best-case scenario for those accepted for assessment under the current trial;

 

• York’s position as an autism-friendly city;

·        Council’s adoption of the social model of disability.

 

Council believes:

 

• It is important to identify and/or acknowledge different types of neurodiversity in individuals in a timely way in order to help them better understand themselves, their unique qualities, the adaptations that could be made to help them manage any challenges they face and support available, such that they can lead healthy, safe and fulfilling lives;

 

• That people should be able to access diagnosis pathways if and when appropriate or necessary and that such pathways should be well defined, clearly articulated and appropriately resourced;
• That the process of triage is well established in healthcare services for good reasons but that those deemed lower priority for assessment also deserve to know what pathways are open to them and how long it might take to access them;

·        The current referral pathway lacks sufficient review points for individuals where, should their personal situation change, they can re-enter the process.

 

Council resolves:

 

• To write to encourage the ICB to use the public engagement process to communicate more openly how the assessment pathway process works, the challenges with it and how information on outcomes could be provided for those completing the North Yorkshire and York online Platform for Adult Autism and ADHD Referral;
• To request an update report be presented to Health, Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee on the work of council services in supporting neurodivergent adults in York, including child to adult transitions;

·        To request that the Head of Paid Service communicates with all staff expressing the importance of removing barriers wherever possible, such that neurodivergent staff and residents are enabled to better access Council support and services;

 

• To renew the city’s Autism Strategy and use this opportunity for City of York Council to reaffirm and widen the city’s commitment to autistic and neurodivergent people in York, learning from the challenges of the current NHS pilot to ensure there is meaningful engagement with local groups about how to improve support to meet the needs of neurodivergent residents accessing its services;
• To ensure national Government is made aware of the perfect storm of increased demand for adult assessment, diagnosis and support for autism/ ADHD set against the backdrop of low levels of funding to support neurodiverse adults and to local authorities like City of York Council to provide the support they would like for their residents.”

Cllr Runciman then moved, and Cllr Mason seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

 

Add to Council resolves:

·        To ask the Executive to commit to finding an alternative source for the £100k agreed in the February 2023 budget to support critical services that promote better mental health and wellbeing and provide support to those residents with autism, as they have done recently in finding £75k of the £100k agreed in February to support the recovery of residents facing substance misuse problems.

 

On being put to the vote, the amendment was declared LOST.

 

The original motion was then put to the vote and was declared CARRIED, and it was

 

Resolved:  That the above motion be approved.¹

 

An adjournment took place between 8:05 pm and 8:23 pm.

 

ii) The Fair Game campaign for football clubs

 

Moved by Cllr Smalley, seconded by Cllr Knight.

 

“Council notes:

·        The vastly unfair way in which income is shared across the football pyramid. For instance of the £3.2 billion English Football receives from TV revenue, 88% goes to Premier League teams. Championship teams get just £32.85 from every £1,000 generated. 

·        Frequently bad management has gone unnoticed or ignored and clubs are run unsustainably, putting at risk all the history, heritage, and economic benefit they bring to an area – often in pursuit of short-term gain.

·        That Fair Game, a national campaign that seeks reform of the way football is managed and run. Specifically it calls for

o   A truly independent regulator for the sport free of vested interests

o   A refocus on ‘values’ rather than profit

o   Football clubs to be recognised as key parts of local communities

o   The establishment of a Fair Game Index, which will reallocate the payments made to clubs to reward those which are run well, respect equality standards and properly engage with their fans and their community

o   The regulator to ensure fans are given the final say on any proposed change to a club’s ‘crown jewels’, including the club’s name, nickname, colours, badge and the geographical location from where the club plays.

·        That the Government has published a White Paper developed from a Government-commissioned fan-led review into football governance led by former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch MP, and that a vast majority of its findings mirror Fair Game’s aspirations.

·        That if the Fair Game Index was applied to York City Football Club, it would receive an extra £2.54 million of income each year (up from £79,000 to £2.62 million). This could be invested through the Club’s Community Organisation to improve facilities and into community projects delivered via York City FC Foundation.

 

Council believes:

·        That football clubs are not ordinary businesses; they are historic sporting institutions that are both a civic and community asset, and a source of pride and unity, in their hometown or city.

·        That lower league football is currently in crisis.

·        That COVID-19 devastated the revenue of many lower-league clubs, and the cost-of-living crisis could be the knock-out blow for dozens of clubs.

Council resolves:

·        To declare its support for Fair Game, and call on other councils to join us in our support.

·        To ask the Chief Operating Officer to write to the Minister for Sport, local Members of Parliament, and the Chair of the Local Government Association Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, to lobby for the following to be included in the new remit of the Independent Regulator:

• • Football’s financial flow (particularly over: proportion of broadcast revenues given by the Premier League, the abolition of parachute payments, and the allocation of funds from the Premier League);
  • Owners’ and Directors’ Test to include an ‘ethics’ dimension, particularly around human rights;
  • Implementation of a Fair Game Index to accurately measure club’s progress;
  • To include National League North and South clubs under their control;
  • To have stronger powers to implement and enforce governance; and
  • Measurement of equality standards and environmental standards.
• To ask the council’s Children, Culture and Communities Scrutiny Committee to discuss at a meeting in the current municipal year the important role that York City Football Club plays in the culture and heritage of the city and to explore ways in which we can work together to support the club and York City Football Club Foundation with its work in the local community.”

 

On being put to the vote, the motion was declared CARRIED, and it was:

 

Resolved: That the above motion be approved.²

 

iii) Working to improve Mental Health

Moved by Cllr Whitcroft, seconded by Cllr Steels-Walshaw.

“Council notes:

·        a marked decline in the mental health of certain groups of people during and since the Covid pandemic;

·        poor mental health has been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis and by social problems which disproportionately impact our most vulnerable residents, such as those experiencing homelessness, isolation and fuel poverty;

·        the most devastating outcome of poor mental health is suicide, instances of which have increased in York from 9.3 per 100,000 residents to 13.3 in the decade to 2021-22;

·        children’s mental health services are under unprecedented pressure, a problem compounded by significant cuts to early intervention work and bottom four of 151 councils national per pupil schools funding;

·        mental health services in general are unable to meet resident demand, as outlined in a recent Healthwatch report, while mental health services for people in crisis are failing to meet need;

·        the month of November is often associated with mental health awareness due to the successful and popular Movember campaign.

 

Council believes:

·        mental health is just as important as physical health;

·        mental health support in York has suffered due to a sustained period of austerity as well as real terms cuts to mental health services and other public services with a role in protecting general wellbeing;

·        Local Authorities, health services and voluntary sector organisations lack the necessary resource to handle the extensive mental health crisis being felt in York and across the country;

·        those organisations are unable to fully alleviate the mental health crisis in our city without greater health funding from national government;

·        lack of suitable safeguarding procedures for people being discharged from mental health care is resulting in serious risk to life of impacted residents.

 

 

Council resolves to:

·        express its disappointment at the shelving of planned reforms to the Mental Health Act in the recent King’s Speech, reforms designed to address amongst other issues, the inappropriate detention of different groups of people against their will;

·        call on relevant bodies and stakeholders to support preventative mental health measures, such as mental health support for children and young people and support for counselling services that take into account cost of living pressures;

·        work with local healthcare partners to encourage them to ensure patients have a holistic triage on admission with a mandatory Safety Plan on return to the community;

·        work with health partners to end out of area transfers where practical so that mental health patients are supported as close to home as possible;

·        explore how it can support and build on the work of York Ending Stigma (YES - https://www.yorkcvs.org.uk/york-ending-stigma/) to reduce stigma and improve attitudes on mental health issues in both its staff and the residents it serves;

·        ask that relevant council officers, the Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social care and commissioned services consult fully with mental health charities and service users when planning changes to mental health support services;

·        Encourage all members of the Council to support the Movember campaign to raise funds for men’s mental health.”

 

Cllr Runciman then moved, and Cllr Mason seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

 

Add to Council resolves to:

·        ask the Executive to commit to finding an alternative source for the £100k agreed in the February 2023 budget to support critical services that promote better mental health and wellbeing and provide support to those residents with autism, as they have done recently in finding £75k of the £100k agreed in February to support the recovery of residents facing substance misuse problems.

 

On being put to the vote, the amendment was declared LOST.

 

The original motion was then put to the vote and was declared CARRIED, and it was

 

Resolved:  That the above motion be approved.³

 

iv) Withdrawal of the Public Switched Telephone Network

 

Moved by Cllr Vassie, seconded by Cllr Hook.

 

“Council notes:

 

·        That phone companies intend to withdraw the existing analogue telephone system, called the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), by the end of 2025, and that in future ‘Digital Voice’ services will work using broadband connections rather than copper phone lines.

·        That there are a million UK voice-only customers, some of whom do not have any access to broadband, and many of whom are likely to be older or financially vulnerable .

·        That there are 1.7 million people using telecare devices in the UK, many of which are supported by PSTN.

·        That Ofcom has published expectations for how telecoms companies should support customers during the migration.

Council believes:

 

·        There is currently a low level of awareness of the impending change - when telecare provider Taking Care surveyed a representative sample of more than 2,000 UK adults in March 2021, they found that 91% were unaware that all phone lines would become digital by the end of 2025.

·        That action is needed to help raise awareness among those likely to be affected by this change so that measures can be put in place in good time to ensure that vital service such as telecare are not interrupted.

Council resolves:

 

·        To ask the Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee to include as an agenda item at a meeting of that committee or another scrutiny committee in the next three months, consideration of York’s level of preparedness for this change. Participants in the discussion could include local authority, telecoms, NHS, care, voluntary sector and other partners as appropriate.

·        To ask the relevant Executive Members to ensure that all front-line staff working with groups who may be particularly affected by this change are suitably briefed in order to be able to direct residents and their families/carers to sources of information and support.”

On being put to the vote, the motion was declared CARRIED, and it was:

 

Resolved: That the above motion be approved.⁴