City of York Council

 

 

Resolutions and proceedings of the Meeting of the City of York Council held remotely on Monday, 22 March 2021, starting at 6.00 pm

 

Present: The Lord Mayor (Cllr Janet Looker) in the Chair, and the following Councillors:

 

Acomb Ward

Bishopthorpe Ward

 

 

Lomas

S Barnes

 

Galvin

 

Clifton Ward

Copmanthorpe Ward

 

 

D Myers

Wells

 

Carr

 

Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Ward

Fishergate Ward

 

 

Widdowson

Fenton

Mason

 

D Taylor

D'Agorne

 

Fulford and Heslington Ward

Guildhall Ward

 

 

Aspden

 

Fitzpatrick

Craghill

 

Haxby & Wigginton Ward

Heworth Ward

 

 

Cuthbertson

Hollyer

Pearson

 

Douglas

Perrett

Webb

 

Heworth Without  Ward

Holgate Ward

 

 

Ayre

Heaton

Melly

K Taylor

 

 

Hull Road Ward

Huntington and New Earswick Ward

 

 

Musson Norman Pavlovic

 

Cullwick

Orrell

Runciman

 

Micklegate Ward

Osbaldwick and Derwent Ward

 

Baker

Kilbane

Crawshaw

 

Rowley

Warters

 

 

Rawcliffe and Clifton Without Ward

Rural West York Ward

 

 

Smalley

Wann

Waudby

 

Barker

Hook

 

Strensall Ward

Westfield Ward

 

 

Doughty

Fisher

 

Daubeney

Hunter

Waller

 

Wheldrake Ward

 

 

 

Vassie

 

 

 

 


 

<AI1>

94.         Declarations of Interest

 

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests, any prejudicial interests or any disclosable pecuniary interests they might have in the business on the agenda.

 

Cllr Melly declared a pecuniary interest in Motion (iv) at Agenda Item 8 (Fair Funding Deal for Police and Fire Services).  She left the meeting during consideration of that motion and took no part in the debate or decision thereon.

 

Later in the meeting, Cllr Norman declared a pecuniary interest in the Executive recommendation at Agenda Item 6 (Plans for the Future of the Health and Care System in York), as an employee of Nottingham Rehabilitation Service.  He left the meeting during consideration of that recommendation and took no part in the debate or decision thereon.

 

</AI1>

<AI2>

95.         Minutes

 

Resolved:  That the minutes of the Budget Council meeting held on 25 February 2021 be approved and then signed by the Chair as a correct record.

 

</AI2>

<AI3>

96.         Civic Announcements

 

The Lord Mayor made reference to the recent tragic death of Sarah Everard, a former resident of York. Members observed a few moments’ silence in memory of Sarah, and other victims of violent assaults upon women, in the context of International Women’s Week.

 

</AI3>

<AI4>

97.         Public Participation

 

It was reported that ten members of the public had registered to speak at the meeting under the Public Participation item, but one had since withdrawn.

 

Verity Glendenning of York Must Act spoke in support of the petition to be presented under Agenda Item 5, noting that other local authorities had already signed up to a similar pledge.

 

Amy Creighton also spoke in support of the York Must Act petition, highlighting the worsening plight of refugees during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Charlotte Russell also spoke in support of the petition, referring to her own experience of volunteering in the refugee camps in Greece.

 

Johnny Hayes spoke in support of Motion (i) at Agenda Item 8 (Protecting Jobs, Investing in our Communities and Transparency in the Planning System), applauding the motion as promoting investment in the future.

 

Daniel Loyd spoke in support of Motion (iii) at Agenda Item 8 (Becoming at Trans Inclusive Council), on behalf of the University of York LGBT+ Network.

 

Lali Hewitson, proprietor of the Portal Bookshop, also spoke in support of Motion (iii), which she referred to as ‘basic’ in circumstances where trans people were feeling unsafe.     

 

Sue Pascoe also spoke in support of Motion (iii), as a transgender woman who had benefited from services in York.

 

Rowan Casey also spoke in support of Motion (iii) from a personal perspective, stating there was moral obligation to approve the motion.

 

Tom Franklin, Chair of York Green Party, spoke in support of Motion (iv) at Agenda Item 8 (Fair Funding Deal for Police and Fire Services), highlighting the need to transfer funding for certain areas of work to other organisations more qualified to carry it out.

 

</AI4>

<AI5>

98.         Petitions

 

Under Standing Order 15, the following petition was presented by the following Member for reference to the Customer and Corporate Services Scrutiny Management Committee, in accordance with the Council’s petition arrangements:

 

·        Cllr Webb -  an online petition from York Must Act, signed by 828 people to date, calling on the Council to support the Europe Must Act campaign to welcome refugees from the Greek Aegean Islands. 1

 

Action Required

1. Add to petitions schedule for reporting to CCSMC and relevant Executive Member  

 

 

SB

</AI5>

<AI6>

99.         Report of Executive Leader and Executive Recommendations and Questions

 

A – Executive Leader’s Report

 

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

 

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

 

York Central

Cllr K Taylor: how will plans progress if the public inquiry determines Leeman Road should remain open?

(Supplementary from Cllr Webb: what will be the impact of  Network Rail’s apparent threat at Planning Committee to pull out of the land deal?)

 

Response: should this happen the York Central Partnership will need to look at that aspect of the reserved planning matters. An update will be provided to the Executive meeting in April. Stakeholders wish to protect their commercial position in any negotiations, but the fact that the project has progressed this far demonstrates the success of the partnership approach.

 

Local Government Reorganisation

Cllr Fisher: can you outline what the council has done to progress the aim to keep York within its current boundaries?

 

Response: partners aree working together on making the case for decisions on York to be taken within the city, and also working with North Yorkshire on devolution, so that the government can consider the strength of feeling in York.  The government’s response is expected in summer 2021.

 

 

 

 

Local Plan

Cllr Kilbane: the Chair of York Property Forum was quoted in the Press as describing the lack of progress as an embarrassment – has the council failed to follow the Inspector’s instructions?

(Supplementaries from Cllrs Wells and Kilbane on the timetable and the consequences of it not being met).

 

Response: we have been without a Local Plan for decades, across many administrations.  More progress has now been made on the Plan than ever before; it has cross-party support and a timetable has been agreed.  It is in all our interests to keep to the timetable and work to get the Plan adopted.

 

Responding to Covid-19

Cllr Vassie: following the success of the local test and trace system last year, what are the future plans for this?

 

Response: this success has been due to the hard work of our public health team, and if local authorities had been trusted earlier the systems would have operated more smoothly.  York was one of the first to start local test and trace, and the government has now agreed that all local testing for the city will be undertaken locally.  We can all be part of that effort.

 

B – Executive Recommendations

 

Plans for the Future of the Health and Care System in York

 

Cllr Aspden moved, and Cllr D’Agorne seconded, the following recommendation contained in Minute 118 of the Executive meeting held on 18 March 2021:

 

Recommended:  That the York Health and Care Alliance be adopted as a sub-group of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

 

Reason:     In order to prepare the system in York to respond to the coming Government reforms to health and social care and to put York in the best place to benefit from these changes.

 

A named vote* was taken on the recommendation, with the following result:

 

For

Against

Abstained

Cllr Aspden

 

 

Cllr Ayre

 

 

Cllr Baker

 

 

Cllr Barker

 

 

Cllr Barnes

 

 

Cllr Carr

 

 

Cllr Craghill

 

 

Cllr Crawshaw

 

 

Cllr Cullwick

 

 

Cllr Cuthbertson

 

 

Cllr D’Agorne

 

 

Cllr Daubeney

 

 

Cllr Doughty

 

 

Cllr Douglas

 

 

Cllr Fenton

 

 

Cllr Fisher

 

 

Cllr Fitzpatrick

 

 

Cllr Galvin

 

 

Cllr Heaton

 

 

Cllr Hollyer

 

 

Cllr Hook

 

 

Cllr Hunter

 

 

Cllr Kilbane

 

 

Cllr Lomas

 

 

Cllr Mason

 

 

Cllr Melly

 

 

Cllr Musson

 

 

Cllr Myers

 

 

Cllr Orrell

 

 

Cllr Pavlovic

 

 

Cllr Pearson

 

 

Cllr Perrett

 

 

Cllr Rowley

 

 

Cllr Runciman

 

 

Cllr Smalley

 

 

Cllr D Taylor

 

 

Cllr K Taylor

 

 

Cllr Vassie

 

 

Cllr Waller

 

 

Cllr Wann

 

 

Cllr Warters

 

 

Cllr Waudby

 

 

Cllr Webb

 

 

Cllr Wells

 

 

Cllr Widdowson

 

 

Cllr Looker (Lord Mayor)

 

 

46

0

0

 

The recommendation was therefore declared CARRIED unanimously, and it was

 

Resolved:  That the above recommendation be approved. 1

         

*Note: Cllr Norman was not present for the vote, having declared an interest in this matter.

 

Action Required

1. Note the approval of the recommendation and take any appropriate action.  

 

 

SS

</AI6>

<AI7>

100.      Report of Deputy Leader and Questions

 

A written report was received from the Deputy Leader, Cllr D’Agorne.

 

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

 

Responding to the pandemic

Cllr Kilbane: will you join us in condemning the conspiracy theories fuelling anti-vaccination campaigns, and put on record the Green Party’s position on 5G masts?

(Supplementary from Cllr Taylor: what can the council do to control the circulation of this misinformation?)

 

Response: vaccination is an essential part of dealing with the pandemic and I have been vaccinated myself. The Green group have not discussed this matter but clearly support protecting people from Covid. I support the work the council has done on social media to help people access the correct information and understand that concerns around the Astra Zenica vaccine have been allayed.

 

Reducing Emissions

From Cllr Hollyer: York has been awarded £300k by DEFRA to reduce emissions.  How will the project be rolled out and sit within air quality improvement programmes?

 

Response: air quality is an important concern, and we cannot rely on just one approach.  Our successful bid will allow us to investigate an approach to freight in the city that will reduce emissions and address the issue of damage to historic buildings by large vehicles. This will complement other aspects of our work.

 

Hazel Court

From Cllr Fitzpatrick: what longer-term plans traffic plans do you have for tackling tailbacks here at peak periods?

(Supplementaries from Cllr Fitzpatrick and Cllr Rowley: what about the problems that are still ongoing? Will you look at a complete review and re-design of that junction?)

 

Response: Problems were caused by a lot of people having a ‘clearout’ during lockdown, combined with reduced opening hours and capacity due to Covid restrictions. As set out in my report, the opening hours have been extended. I’d be happy to look at any ongoing problems in more detail, and at a possible review.

 

</AI7>

<AI8>

101.      Motions on Notice

 

(i)           Protecting Jobs, Investing in our Communities and Transparency in the Planning System

 

Cllr Pavlovic sought consent to alter his motion to incorporate the amendments submitted by Cllrs Doughty and Ayre respectively.

 

Council having granted consent, the altered motion was moved by Cllr Pavlovic and seconded by Cllr Douglas, as follows:

 

“Council recognises the importance of the planning process in achieving balance between residential and commercial development and in ensuring communities derive benefit from such development through developer contributions.

Council further recognises:

·        York as a vibrant city centre needing a strong business and commercial heart for the city to maintain its competitiveness;

·        the significant loss of office space through office-to-residential conversions following the Government’s extension of permitted development rights (PDRs) in 2013;

·        the critical importance and democratic role of the local planning authority in determining where conversions are appropriate and where they are not - a power lost through PDRs;

·        the current loss of community benefit through developer contributions such as open space and affordable housing provision in cases of office to residential conversions;

·        existing opaqueness in the seeking of, decision making around and subsequent spending of developer contributions (through the Section 106 mechanism);

·        the need for transparency and democratic accountability in how millions of pounds of developer contributions are spent each year in York.

Council believes the loss of significant amounts of office space - both sustained to date and anticipated in the future - risks hollowing out the city and systematically reducing better paid career opportunities in York for both the current and the next generation of York workers. 

Council believes it is imperative that democratically-elected local representatives retain the tools and flexibility to adapt to changes in order to protect the character of the city and support the local workforce as we emerge into a post-pandemic world.

Council resolves to request that Executive:

·        explore options for pursuing Article 4 Direction powers to suspend Permitted Development Rights (under The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015) on conversions that continue to threaten the viability of York’s economy through the loss of both retail and office space, without diverting necessary resources from the Local Plan process;

·        develop a system whereby all developer contribution agreements with the council are publicly available in an easily accessible format, including trigger points for the release of those funds, and a record of any unspent monies returned to developers;

·        facilitate improved Ward Councillor involvement, and for parish councils where in existence, in the S106 process, such that the priorities of individual communities are taken into account prior to opening negotiations with developers (whilst not hindering adherence to statutory deadlines);

·        request that Planning Officers roll-out a programme of high-level training on the S106 process, including its current limitations, for all councillors.

Council asks the Directorate for Housing, Economy and Place to actively investigate CPOs of buildings and land which are evidently consistently neglected by landlords and development of which can improve the area and be revenue beneficial to taxpayers. Council further asks the Directorate for Housing, Economy and Place to actively investigate this where appropriate.”

 

A named vote* was taken on the altered motion, with the following result. 

 

For

Against

Abstained

Cllr Aspden

 

 

Cllr Ayre

 

 

Cllr Baker

 

 

Cllr Barker

 

 

Cllr Barnes

 

 

Cllr Carr

 

 

Cllr Craghill

 

 

Cllr Crawshaw

 

 

Cllr Cullwick

 

 

Cllr Cuthbertson

 

 

Cllr D’Agorne

 

 

Cllr Daubeney

 

 

Cllr Doughty

 

 

Cllr Douglas

 

 

Cllr Fenton

 

 

Cllr Fisher

 

 

Cllr Fitzpatrick

 

 

Cllr Galvin

 

 

Cllr Heaton

 

 

Cllr Hollyer

 

 

Cllr Hook

 

 

Cllr Hunter

 

 

Cllr Kilbane

 

 

Cllr Lomas

 

 

Cllr Mason

 

 

Cllr Melly

 

 

Cllr Myers

 

 

Cllr Norman

 

 

Cllr Orrell

 

 

Cllr Pavlovic

 

 

Cllr Pearson

 

 

Cllr Perrett

 

 

Cllr Rowley

 

 

Cllr Runciman

 

 

Cllr Smalley

 

 

Cllr D Taylor

 

 

Cllr K Taylor

 

 

Cllr Vassie

 

 

Cllr Waller

 

 

Cllr Wann

 

 

Cllr Warters

 

 

Cllr Waudby

 

 

Cllr Webb

 

 

Cllr Wells

 

 

Cllr Widdowson

 

 

Cllr Looker (Lord Mayor)

 

 

46

0

0

 

The motion was therefore declared CARRIED unanimously, and it was

 

Resolved:  That the above motion be approved. 1

         

*Note: Cllr Musson was not present during the vote, for technical reasons.

 

(ii)         York’s Pension Investment in a Sustainable Future

 

Cllr Vassie sought consent to alter his motion to incorporate the amendment submitted by Cllr D’Agorne.

 

Council having granted consent, the altered motion was moved by Cllr Vassie and seconded by Cllr Fisher, as follows:

 

“Council notes:

·        More and more pension funds are divesting from fossil fuels both in the UK and across the world. Globally $14.56 trillion is now committed to divestment. It is clear that pension funds across the UK and around the world no longer view fossil fuel production as a wise or a long term investment with increased awareness of the potential for these to become ‘stranded assets.

·        The York and North Yorkshire Pension fund still has holdings in fossil fuels, thought to be around £33 million in total.

·        On 5th March 2021 the York & North Yorkshire Pension Fund signed up to a new strategy, which would see the reduction of the fund’s holdings in equities from 57% to 50%, and the creation of a new investment portfolio in infrastructure (10% or £450 million of the total fund). The fund’s new strategy commits to investing £200 million in infrastructure this year.

·        City of York Council declared a climate emergency in March 2019 and is currently drawing up a zero carbon pathway to deliver a zero carbon York.

·        City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council have declared the joint ambition to become the country’s first carbon negative region.

·        Council is working with the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and North Yorkshire County Council to bring to life our Zero Carbon Strategy for the region, recognising both the strategic value of doing this and the significant positive benefit in terms of developing new skills and jobs.

 

Council commends this change in strategy and the Pension Fund's decision to support sustainable infrastructure.

Council believes that investment in green infrastructure is one of the keys to transition to a zero carbon future and the creation of green jobs.

Consequently, Council resolves:

·        To call on the York and North Yorkshire Pension Fund to commit to invest £120 million of the infrastructure portfolio in green infrastructure, to be split equally between the region, the UK, and global projects.”

·        To welcome the increased awareness of pension fund managers of the urgent need to move all holdings away from fossil fuels to avoid the potential impact of ‘stranded assets’ on future performance of their funds.  

·        To raise awareness of the content of this motion among council employees (who are mostly contributors to the North  Yorkshire Pension Fund) to ensure they can be more engaged with decisions affecting their future pensions.”

 

A named vote was taken on the altered motion, with the following result:

 

For

Against

Abstained

Cllr Aspden

 

Cllr Doughty

Cllr Ayre

 

Cllr Rowley

Cllr Baker

 

Cllr Warters

Cllr Barker

 

 

Cllr Barnes

 

 

Cllr Carr

 

 

Cllr Craghill

 

 

Cllr Crawshaw

 

 

Cllr Cullwick

 

 

Cllr Cuthbertson

 

 

Cllr D’Agorne

 

 

Cllr Daubeney

 

 

Cllr Douglas

 

 

Cllr Fenton

 

 

Cllr Fisher

 

 

Cllr Fitzpatrick

 

 

Cllr Galvin

 

 

Cllr Heaton

 

 

Cllr Hollyer

 

 

Cllr Hook

 

 

Cllr Hunter

 

 

Cllr Kilbane

 

 

Cllr Lomas

 

 

Cllr Mason

 

 

Cllr Melly

 

 

Cllr Musson

 

 

Cllr Myers

 

 

Cllr Norman

 

 

Cllr Orrell

 

 

Cllr Pavlovic

 

 

Cllr Pearson

 

 

Cllr Perrett

 

 

Cllr Runciman

 

 

Cllr Smalley

 

 

Cllr D Taylor

 

 

Cllr K Taylor

 

 

Cllr Vassie

 

 

Cllr Waller

 

 

Cllr Wann

 

 

Cllr Waudby

 

 

Cllr Webb

 

 

Cllr Wells

 

 

Cllr Widdowson

 

 

Cllr Looker (Lord Mayor)

 

 

44

3

0

 

The motion was therefore declared CARRIED, and it was

 

Resolved:  That the above motion be approved. 2

 

(iii)        Becoming a Trans Inclusive Council

 

Moved by Cllr Melly and seconded by Cllr Norman.

 

“Council notes:

·        The CYC staff survey shows that only 76% of council staff think that the council respects individual differences.

·        Fewer than 50% of Health and Social Care staff nationally think their employers meet their responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty to eliminate discrimination towards, and advance equality for LGBT people.

·        33% of local LGBTQ+ survey respondents experienced negative attitudes within the previous 12 months towards their sexuality or gender identity when trying to access public health and social care services in York.

·        25% of LGBTQ+ people have experienced barriers to accessing health and/or social care services as an LGBTQ+ person in York.

·        A high proportion of transgender respondents to a York LGBT Forum survey gave examples of incidences of completely inappropriate or distressing treatment and questioning when accessing sexual health and contraceptive services

·        that the percentage of transgender children is unclear with limited research having been carried out to date, however the Equality Act 2010 does recognise transgender children and prohibits discrimination against them in places of learning.

·        62% of transgender people have alcohol dependency or abuse issues

·        10% of transgender people have been an inpatient at a mental health unit at least once

·        1 in 3 homeless people are LGBTQ+

·        A CYC survey of older people found that more than 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ people say that it is somewhat, very, or extremely important to them that they live with other members of the LGBTQ+ community in their later years.

Council believes:

·        That transgender men are men, transgender women are women, and non-binary genders are equally valid.

·        That the new CYC LGBTQ+ staff network is welcome and should be supported

·        That transgender people may require specific support to overcome barriers to access services without facing discrimination, and that all council services must be equipped to provide appropriate service and good customer care to suit transgender people.

·        That there are transgender people in York of all ages, and that the need for better understanding and acceptance of what it means to be transgender is an inter-generational issue.

Council resolves:

·        To provide “Free to be Me” or equivalent training, available to all council and council service provider employees annually.  To encourage take-up of the training, especially for team managers and staff who have contact with the public.

·        To encourage staff to make small gestures that make it clear that transgender people are welcome and valued, and that normalise things like talking about pronouns. For example, adding pronouns to email signatures.

·        To fly the trans pride flag twice annually, on trans day of remembrance and trans day of visibility.

·        To ensure that the service level agreements for council commissioned family planning and contraceptive services include awareness training of transgender matters.

·        To ensure that all local authority schools and local academies are aware of their responsibilities and duty of care for trans children and respecting of their pronouns.

·        Introduce a code of acceptance for all foster carers.

·        Work with partner organisations who work to combat homelessness and support people experiencing homelessness to ensure that transgender people are not marginalised or discriminated against while accessing homelessness support.

·        Work with older people’s accommodation providers to ensure services are LGBTQ+ friendly and to factor the LGBTQ+ community into decisions about residential placements.”

 

A named vote was taken on the motion, with the following result:

 

For

Against

Abstained

Cllr Aspden

Cllr Warters

 

Cllr Ayre

 

 

Cllr Baker

 

 

Cllr Barker

 

 

Cllr Barnes

 

 

Cllr Carr

 

 

Cllr Craghill

 

 

Cllr Crawshaw

 

 

Cllr Cullwick

 

 

Cllr Cuthbertson

 

 

Cllr D’Agorne

 

 

Cllr Daubeney

 

 

Cllr Doughty

 

 

Cllr Douglas

 

 

Cllr Fenton

 

 

Cllr Fisher

 

 

Cllr Fitzpatrick

 

 

Cllr Galvin

 

 

Cllr Heaton

 

 

Cllr Hollyer

 

 

Cllr Hook

 

 

Cllr Hunter

 

 

Cllr Kilbane

 

 

Cllr Lomas

 

 

Cllr Mason

 

 

Cllr Melly

 

 

Cllr Musson

 

 

Cllr Myers

 

 

Cllr Norman

 

 

Cllr Orrell

 

 

Cllr Pavlovic

 

 

Cllr Pearson

 

 

Cllr Perrett

 

 

Cllr Rowley

 

 

Cllr Runciman

 

 

Cllr Smalley

 

 

Cllr D Taylor

 

 

Cllr K Taylor

 

 

Cllr Vassie

 

 

Cllr Waller

 

 

Cllr Waudby

 

 

Cllr Webb

 

 

Cllr Wells

 

 

Cllr Widdowson

 

 

Cllr Looker (Lord Mayor)

 

 

46

1

0

 

The motion was therefore declared CARRIED, and it was

 

Resolved:  That the above motion be approved. 3

 

(iv)        Fair Funding Deal for Police and Fire Services

 

Moved by Cllr Mason and seconded by Cllr Pearson.

 

“The Council acknowledges and commends the hard work of the North Yorkshire Police Force and North Yorkshire Fire Service in what has been a particularly difficult year.

Council notes:

·        The Home Office is allocating £73 per head more for police services in London than Yorkshire in 2021/22.

·        Government has further pushed the responsibility to fund these crucial services on local communities in the form of increased council tax precepts.

·        In real terms North Yorkshire Police are now £18 million a year worse off than they were in 2010. In the last two years alone they’ve been under pressure to slash £10m from their budget and make staff redundant.

·        Over the last ten years the number of police officers in the country has been cut year on year by more than 20,000 and one third (12) of North Yorkshire’s police stations have been closed.

·        £1.8m in annual funding has been cut by the government for fire and rescue services in North Yorkshire since 2016.

·        Fire Brigades Union (FBU) estimates that the combined threats of climate change-related events such as flooding and wildfires, pandemics, terrorism, and the post-Grenfell Tower building safety crisis will require immediate funding for at least 5,000 additional firefighters nationally in 2021.

·        Despite Police and Fire Service budgets being slashed, in the last four years, costs of the PFCC office have risen by 27%.

·        Funding and staff shortages have seen police and fire services suffer, particularly when it comes to neighbourhood policing, frontline support and the ongoing concerns over 101 response times. 

Consequently, Council resolves:

·        To thank all of York and North Yorkshire’s police and fire service staff alongside all key workers for their ongoing efforts in what has been a particularly difficult year.

·        To lobby the Government to carry out a comprehensive funding review of fire and police services in North Yorkshire, in order to futureproof sustainable service provision, including long-term improvements to the 101 service.

·        To call on the Government to provide additional resources to Neighbourhood Policing Teams in order to strengthen the working relationships between the Force and local communities in the city.”

 

Cllr Rowley then moved, and Cllr Doughty seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

 

“In the second paragraph, delete all after ‘Council notes’ and insert:

·        Regional variations, as there always have been, in Police funding.

·        That all funding is paid by taxpayers whether collected by national or local government.

·        The significant increase in funding for North Yorkshire Police delivered by the Conservative government, as opposed to the cuts delivered when the Lib Dems supported the government.  In 2012 under the Lib Dem supported government the number of police officers was 1392 and the police budget was £147,051 million. For 2020/21 the gross Police budget is £177.2m and that will increase further thanks to a £8.4 million settlement grant from Central Government for 2021/2 allowing yet more police officers to be appointed. Any precept increase is limited to 1.9% by the Conservative Government. North Yorkshire now has 1,563 officers with more currently being recruited as part of the Conservative Government’s commitment to the recruitment of 20,000 more police officers.

·        North Yorkshire Police also has a record number of PCSOs and a large number of Special Constables. The new fulltime officers are funded by Central Government in recognition of the needs of North Yorkshire Police.

·        Like every police force and every organisation there have been changes in where staff are based and the region has for example seen new stations and changes such as Harrogate and Pateley Bridge and fire service have combined together to form a combine station as in the case of Ripon, or moved into the headquarters as in the case of Northallerton or partnered with a local authority like Selby. In a report published in 2016, some police stations were only getting just one visitor a day. By combining police stations with the fire service it makes better use of existing assets and also allows partnership working with Councils. Any savings made are reinvested back into frontline policing to support the extra 300 police officers recruited since 2012.

·        The only cuts in policing were brought in during the Lib Dem supported coalition; Conservatives on their own in government have increased police funding and are increasing police officer numbers.

·        There have been significant changes to the way Fire & Rescue services have been delivered and will be delivered.

·        A major review of the fire service is taking place because thanks to improvements in the road network like the A1/M the number of accidents have declined, whilst new build property is highlighting the need for potentially more longer term the relocation of some fire stations. Much of North Yorkshire is serviced by retained fire fighters who together with their fulltime colleagues we owe a debt of gratitude. During in the last few years the police and fire service have been working closer together. This has enabled the Fire Service to move to a balanced budget and has also allowed some innovation to take place, where recruitment of retained fighter fighters has been challenging due to the shortage of local trades people who have traditionally been the bedrock of the crews. It is therefore good to see plans to extend the rollout of multiservice officers following a successful pilot in Craven, which has seen the appointment of combined retained firefighters, PCSOs and first responders to serve in the more rural parts of North Yorkshire.’

 

In the third paragraph, after ‘Council resolves’, delete the second and third bullet points and insert:

·        To call on City of York Council, along with neighbouring authorities to work together with the help being given from Government to strengthen Neighbourhood Policing Teams through improved working relationships between the Force and local communities in the city.”

·        That all councillors should work with the Police & Fire Commissioner to ensure the most effective way of delivering Police, Fire & Rescue services for residents of York and North Yorkshire rather than chasing cheap and often hypocritical headlines.’”

 

A named vote* was taken on the amendment, with the following result:

 

For

Against

Abstained

Cllr Doughty

Cllr Aspden

Cllr Galvin

Cllr Rowley

Cllr Ayre

Cllr Warters

 

Cllr Baker

 

 

Cllr Barker

 

 

Cllr Barnes

 

 

Cllr Carr

 

 

Cllr Craghill

 

 

Cllr Crawshaw

 

 

Cllr Cullwick

 

 

Cllr Cuthbertson

 

 

Cllr D’Agorne

 

 

Cllr Daubeney

 

 

Cllr Douglas

 

 

Cllr Fenton

 

 

Cllr Fisher

 

 

Cllr Fitzpatrick

 

 

Cllr Heaton

 

 

Cllr Hollyer

 

 

Cllr Hook

 

 

Cllr Hunter

 

 

Cllr Kilbane

 

 

Cllr Lomas

 

 

Cllr Mason

 

 

Cllr Musson

 

 

Cllr Myers

 

 

Cllr Norman

 

 

Cllr Orrell

 

 

Cllr Pavlovic

 

 

Cllr Pearson

 

 

Cllr Perrett

 

 

Cllr Runciman

 

 

Cllr Smalley

 

 

Cllr D Taylor

 

 

Cllr K Taylor

 

 

Cllr Vassie

 

 

Cllr Waller

 

 

Cllr Waudby

 

 

Cllr Webb

 

 

Cllr Wells

 

 

Cllr Widdowson

 

 

Cllr Looker (Lord Mayor)

 

2

42

2

 

The amendment was therefore declared LOST.

 

A named vote* was then taken on the original motion, with the following result:

 

For

Against

Abstained

Cllr Aspden

 

Cllr Doughty

Cllr Ayre

 

Cllr Rowley

Cllr Baker

 

Cllr Warters

Cllr Barker

 

 

Cllr Barnes

 

 

Cllr Carr

 

 

Cllr Craghill

 

 

Cllr Crawshaw

 

 

Cllr Cullwick

 

 

Cllr Cuthbertson

 

 

Cllr D’Agorne

 

 

Cllr Daubeney

 

 

Cllr Douglas

 

 

Cllr Fenton

 

 

Cllr Fisher

 

 

Cllr Fitzpatrick

 

 

Cllr Galvin

 

 

Cllr Heaton

 

 

Cllr Hollyer

 

 

Cllr Hook

 

 

Cllr Hunter

 

 

Cllr Kilbane

 

 

Cllr Lomas

 

 

Cllr Mason

 

 

Cllr Musson

 

 

Cllr Myers

 

 

Cllr Norman

 

 

Cllr Orrell

 

 

Cllr Pavlovic

 

 

Cllr Pearson

 

 

Cllr Perrett

 

 

Cllr Runciman

 

 

Cllr Smalley

 

 

Cllr D Taylor

 

 

Cllr K Taylor

 

 

Cllr Vassie

 

 

Cllr Waller

 

 

Cllr Waudby

 

 

Cllr Webb

 

 

Cllr Wells

 

 

Cllr Widdowson

 

 

Cllr Looker (Lord Mayor)

 

 

43

0

3

 

The motion was therefore declared CARRIED, and it was

 

Resolved:  That the above motion be approved. 4

 

*Note: Cllr Melly was not present for the votes, having declared an interest in this item.

 

Action Required

1. Note approval of the motion on Protecting Jobs/ Investment in City / Transparency in Planning System and take appropriate action.
2.  Note approval of the motion on Pension Investment in a Sustainable Future and take appropriate action.
3. Note approval of the motion on Becoming a Trans Inclusive Council and take appropriate action.
4. Note approval of the motion on a Fair Funding Deal for Police & Fire Services and take appropriate action.
 

 

At 9:53 pm, the guillotine fell and the remaining business was deemed to have been proposed and seconded and was voted on without debate, in accordance with Standing Order 11.

 

 

NF

 


DM

 


IF


IF

</AI8>

<AI9>

102.      Questions to the Leader or Executive Members

 

No questions were taken under this item, as the guillotine had fallen.

 

</AI9>

<AI10>

103.      Report of Executive Member

 

A written report was received from Cllr Waller, Executive Member for Economy and Strategic Planning.

 

</AI10>

<AI11>

104.      Scrutiny - Report of the Chair of the Customer & Corporate Services Scrutiny Management Committee

 

A written report was received from Cllr Crawshaw, Chair of the Customer and Corporate Services Scrutiny Management Committee, on the work of the Committee since the last report to Council, on 29 October 2020.

 

</AI11>

<AI12>

105.      Pay Policy 2021/22

 

Council received a report which presented the Pay Policy Statement for 2021/22.

 

Cllr Aspden moved, and Cllr D’Agorne seconded, the following recommendation contained in paragraph 16 of the report:

 

“That Council approve the Pay Policy Statement for 2021/22 relating to the pay of the Council’s senior staff.

 

Reason:     In order to fulfil the requirements of Section 38-43 of the Localism Act 2011 for the council to produce and publish an annual policy statement that covers a number of matters concerning the pay of the council’s senior staff, principally Chief Officers and relationships with the pay of the rest of the workforce.”

 

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

 

Resolved:  That the above recommendation be approved.1

 

Action Required

1. Note approval of the Pay Policy and take any action required.  

 

 

JB

</AI12>

<AI13>

106.      Joint Standards Committee - Annual Report 2019/20

 

A written report was received from Cllr Rowley, Chair of the Joint Standards Committee, on the work of the Committee for the 2019/20 Municipal Year.

 

</AI13>

<AI14>

107.      Joint Standards Committee - Changes to Parish Council Membership

 

Council received a report from the Monitoring Officer in respect of a change to the terms of reference of the Joint Standards Committee.

 

Cllr Rowley moved, and Cllr Fisher seconded, the following recommendations contained in the report:

 

“Council is asked to:

 

1.   Approve the amended terms of reference for the Joint Standards Committee as detailed at Appendix Two of this report to reflect that Rawcliffe Parish Council and Strensall and Towthorpe Parish Council are members of the Committee.

 

2.   Approve the appointment of Parish Councillor Waudby from Rawcliffe Parish Council to the Joint Standards Committee.”

 

 

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

 

Resolved:  That the above recommendations be approved.1

 

Action Required

1. Note approval of the change to the terms of reference and take any action required.  

 

 

JB

</AI14>

<AI15>

108.      Appointments and Changes to Membership

 

Resolved:  That the appointments and changes to membership on the list at page 93 of the agenda papers be approved.1

 

Action Required

1. Note approval of the appointments and make the required changes to memberships on the system.  

 

 

 

JB

 

</AI15>

<TRAILER_SECTION>

 

 

Cllr Janet Looker

LORD MAYOR OF YORK

[The meeting started at 6.00 pmand concluded at 9.57 pm]

 

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