C I T Y O F Y O R K C O U N C I L
S U M M O N S
All Councillors, relevant Council Officers and other interested parties and residents are formally invited to attend a meeting of the City of York Council at The Citadel, Gillygate, York, YO31 7EA to consider the business contained in this agenda on the following date and time
Thursday, 6 November 2025 at *6.30 pm
(*or the rise of the previous meeting, whichever is the later)
A G E N D A
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1. Apologies for Absence
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To receive and note apologies for absence.
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2. Declarations of Interest (Pages 15 - 16)
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At this point in the meeting, Members and co-opted members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest, or other registerable interest, they might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.
An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.
(Please see the attached sheet for further guidance for Members.)
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3. Minutes (Pages 17 - 50)
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To approve and sign the minutes of the Council meeting on 18 September 2025 and the Extraordinary Council meeting on 16 October 2025.
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4. Civic Announcements
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To consider any announcements made by the Lord Mayor in respect of Civic business.
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5. Public Participation
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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 Tuesday, 4 November 2025.
To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill in an online registration form. If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting then please contact Democratic Services. Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.
Webcasting of Public Meetings
Please note that, subject to available resources, this public meeting will be webcast including any registered public speakers who have given their permission. The remote public meeting can be viewed live and on demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.
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6. Petitions
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To consider any petitions received from Members in accordance with Standing Order B5.
No petitions were received on this occasion.
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7. Report of the Leader of the Council and Executive (Pages 51 - 74)
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To receive a report from the Leader of the Council and Executive providing an updating on key activity since the last Council meeting.
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8. Questions to the Leader or Executive Members
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To ask questions of the Leader and/or Executive Members in respect of any matter within their portfolio responsibility, in accordance with Standing Order B8.
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9. Scrutiny - Report of the Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee (Pages 75 - 76)
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To receive a report from Councillor Fenton, Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee, on the work of Scrutiny.
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10. Appointments and Changes to Membership (Pages 77 - 78)
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To consider the appointments and changes to membership of committees and outside bodies set out on the list attached to this summons.
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11. Recommendations of Executive (Pages 79 - 86)
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To receive and consider for approval the recommendations of Executive, as set out in the attached draft Part B minute.
*Recommendations subject to approval at the Executive meeting on 4 November 2025
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12. Community Infrastructure Levy (Pages 87 - 138)
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To receive a report from the Director of City Development presenting the Community Infrastructure Levy for adoption*, as proposed to be modified, for implementation on 1 February 2026.
*subject to any additional comments raised at the Executive meeting on 4 November 2025.
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13. Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report 2024-25 (Pages 139 - 166)
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To receive a report from the Corporate Director of Children and Education presenting the Corporate Parenting Annual Report for 2024/25.
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14. Motions on Notice
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To consider the following Motions on Notice under Standing Order B13.
1) Access to Transport for All
To be moved by Councillor Fenton
Council notes:
· That under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, disabled residents are entitled to free bus travel on local buses, but this is usually restricted to journeys made between 9:30am and 11:00pm on weekdays, unless local councils choose to extend the hours. · That City of York Council currently allows disabled people’s bus passes to be used from 9:00am, half an hour earlier than the national minimum, but that many essential appointments, employment opportunities, and educational commitments require travel to take place before this time. · That Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon has led a national campaign calling on the Government to remove time restrictions entirely, to allow disabled people to use their bus passes at any time of day, reflecting the principle that disability does not only occur between 9:00am and 11:00pm. · That York’s Dial & Ride community transport service - used by many older and disabled people - ceased operating at the end of December 2023 and that a cross-party Task & Finish Group made a number of recommendations which were approved by the Economy, Place, Access & Transport Scrutiny Committee in June 2024.
Council believes:
· That the current time limits create unnecessary barriers for disabled residents, particularly for those needing to attend early morning medical appointments, commute to work or education. · That local flexibility should not mean a postcode lottery, where disabled people in some areas have full access to public transport and others do not. · That improving access to bus travel for disabled people supports the Council’s wider commitments to equality, inclusion, and sustainable transport. · That the quality of life of many older and disabled people has been adversely impacted by the absence of a replacement Dial & Ride service for the past 22 months, many of whom do not have access to a car and are unable to get to their nearest bus stop.
Council therefore resolves to:
1. Support Tom Gordon MP’s campaign to lift national time restrictions on the use of disabled bus passes. 2. Ask the Group Leaders to write to the Secretary of State for Transport urging the Government to amend the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme to make disabled bus passes valid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 3. Ask the Executive Member for Transport to explore options for City of York Council to amend the local start time to earlier than 9:00am, and for officers to bring a report to the People Scrutiny Committee within 6 months, outlining cost implications and potential partnerships with local bus operators. 4. Ask the Executive Member for Transport to meet with the Dial & Ride Task & Finish Group members as soon as possible to discuss the progress made with identifying options for a replacement service.
2) Tackling pollution in York’s Rivers
To be moved by Councillor Kent
This Council notes:
- that in 2023, storm overflows discharged wastewater, including untreated sewage, into the River Ouse in and around York for a total of 16,357 hours, and into the Foss for 3,254 hours; - that in England, serious pollution incidents by water companies rose by 60% in 2024, with almost 20% attributable to Yorkshire Water, and overall pollution incidents climbed 29%, resulting in significant water company fines; - that recent scientific monitoring by the Ecomix project at the University of York shows that rivers and freshwater waterways are becomingly increasingly polluted by a toxic mix of thousands of chemicals from agriculture, pharmaceuticals, household cleaning and personal care products and tyre additives, with only 14% of rivers meeting a good level of ecological status; - that recent sampling for the ‘forever’ chemical Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) across 19 locations in Yorkshire over one year detected the chemical in 99.3% of samples. Many locations had levels exceeding the safe concentration proposed for TFA by the Dutch Institute for Public Health; - that while the EU’s revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive came into force on 1 January 2025, the UK continues to operate under the outdated 1991 framework, leading to a regulatory gap and lag in pollution control regulation, meaning our waterways and drinking water remain open to contamination from multiple sources.
Council welcomes and supports:
- the AQuA citizen science project at UoY inviting the public to help collect data from York waterways for both chemical and bacterial pollution with the aim to improve Yorkshire’s aquatic environments for biodiversity and people; - the Independent Water Commission review by Sir John Cunliffe and the Labour Government’s response marking a pivotal moment for the UK water sector, including the government pledge to halve sewage pollution by 2030; - The People’s Commission recommendations on the water sector; - the EU Directive’s strengthened mandates, not limited to but including:
§ the Polluter-pays principle, energy-neutral operation for wastewater treatment plants and real-time public health monitoring.
This Council resolves to request the Leader to write to the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire and York’s MPs to ask them to join the Leader and Executive Member for the Environment in calling on the Government to:
- adopt legislation mirroring the EU’s revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, to prevent chronic pollution threatening public and environmental health; - ban the use of recognised dangerous ‘forever’ chemicals as quickly as possible; - Urge a national investment programme to modernise sewage and highway drainage infrastructure - including storage, treatment, and overflow controls - with priority given to areas serving York and the Rivers Ouse and Foss; - Request implementation of local pollution reduction measures, such as installing upstream buffer zones, “first-flush” stormwater capture, and retrofitting sewage systems to reduce raw discharge events, while monitoring improvements through better reporting; - Support and require the Environment Agency to more effectively monitor, understand and prevent water pollution and respond to incidents quickly; - Develop a fit-for purpose chemical assessment and management system.
Council further resolves to support AQuA and Ecomix in publicising their local efforts to increase public awareness of the water pollution challenge, and to share guidance on how residents can take small decisions to positively contribute to reducing pollution of our waterways.
3) Enhancing the Benefits of Devolution for York
To be moved by Councillor Baxter
Council notes:
· the establishment of York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority in 2023, marking the long-awaited start of meaningful devolution of funding and powers to our region; · after years of lagging behind devolution deals in other parts of the country, new funding of over £23m has already been approved for York, including:
- £4.5m through the Brownfield Housing Fund to progress schemes delivering affordable housing, including at Ordnance Lane and Lowfield Green; - Almost £3m through the Net Zero Fund for renewable energy schemes such as those at Alex Lyon House and Honeysuckle House; - £9.57m to schemes and initiatives, including affordable housing delivered by businesses and other organisations in the city;
· the York and North Yorkshire Mayoral Investment Fund, worth £540m over 30 years, was unlocked through devolution, bringing lasting investment certainty to the region.
Council further notes the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, brought forward by the Labour Government, paves the way for the biggest devolution of powers and funding in a generation through the creation of Strategic Authorities;
The Bill sets out a clear, long-term pipeline for regional investment, ending the region-by-region deal-making of the past and unlocking further opportunities for York and North Yorkshire.
Council believes:
· the Government’s renewed focus on devolution represents a real shift of power and investment from Westminster that will help rebuild local economies and strengthen communities; · local leaders know best what their regions need, and that bringing decision-making closer to York will help deliver better, faster outcomes for residents and businesses.
Council resolves to:
· Give its endorsement to greater devolution for York and North Yorkshire in the form of Strategic Authorities; · Support the Mayor’s and Council Leaders’ shared ambition to progress to Established Mayoral Strategic Authority status at pace, to unlock further devolved decision making and funding to benefit York; and · Request an all councillor briefing on Strategic Authorities so Members are fully informed on the opportunities the new authorities will bring.
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15. Urgent Business
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Any other business which the Chair considers urgent under the Local Government Act 1972.
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Contact details:
Guy Close, Democratic Services Manager Mobile – (07922) 517103 E-mail – guy.close@york.gov.uk
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For more information about any of the following please contact the Democratic Services officer responsible for servicing this meeting:
· Registering to speak · Business of the meeting · Any special arrangements · Copies of reports and · For receiving reports in other formats
Contact details are set out above.
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