Issue - meetings

This report contains the proposed response of the City of York Council to the Fairness Commission’s Interim Report, published on 28 November 2011, which proposed 10 Fairness Principles and made 30 specific recommendations to the Council.

RESOLVED:             That Cabinet approves the under mentioned responses to the recommendations of the interim report of the Fairness Commission :

i)             That CYC embeds the approach and values expressed in the Fairness Principles in the way we make decisions and deliver our services and reflect them in a refreshed approach to Equalities and Diversity.

ii)            That CYC works to deliver the recommendations as described in the responses in Annex A within existing resources or the additional resources proposed in the Financial and Capital Strategies.  

iii)           That work is undertaken to assess the full implications and possible alternative approaches to a York ‘Tourist Tax’ in consultation with VisitYork and other key partners in the business community to develop proposals for the 2013/14 budget review.

iv)           That work is undertaken to assess the financial implications of implementing extensions to the travel concessions currently offered to young and disabled people and to bring forward proposals for consideration in the 2013/14 budget review.

v)            That work is undertaken to assess the financial and HR implications of implementing a Living Wage and to bring forward proposals for consideration in the 2013/14 budget review.

vi)           That work is undertaken to review the options and alternatives with the Youth Council and assess whether there are significant benefits to taking this recommendation forward.

vii)          A further report is brought to Cabinet responding to the Fairness Commission’s full report after it is published in June 2012.

REASON:    To respond to the Fairness Commission’s Interim Report recommendations and in an effort to begin to tackle poverty and inequality in York.

Members considered a report which set out the Council’s response to the Fairness Commission’s Interim report published on 28 November 2011. The report had proposed 10 Fairness Principles that would be used to guide long term progress towards a fairer York and made 30 specific recommendations to the Council. This independent body had been set up as part of a Cabinet commitment to tackle poverty and injustice in the city.

It was reported that wide ranging consultation had taken place with many of the recommendations arising directly from suggestions made during the consultation.

Details of the key recommendations influencing the prioritisation of resources in the budget and those that required additional resources and further appraisal were set out in the body of the report. Proposed responses setting out how each would contribute to the delivery of the Council Plan priorities, subsequent actions and any potential resource impacts were provided at Annex A.

RESOLVED:             That Cabinet approves the under mentioned responses to the recommendations of the interim report of the Fairness Commission :

i)             That CYC embeds the approach and values expressed in the Fairness Principles in the way we make decisions and deliver our services and reflect them in a refreshed approach to Equalities and Diversity.

ii)            That CYC works to deliver the recommendations as described in the responses in Annex A within existing resources or the additional resources proposed in the Financial and Capital Strategies.  

iii)           That work is undertaken to assess the full implications and possible alternative approaches to a York ‘Tourist Tax’ in consultation with VisitYork and other key partners in the business community to develop proposals for the 2013/14 budget review.

iv)           That work is undertaken to assess the financial implications of implementing extensions to the travel concessions currently offered to young and disabled people and to bring forward proposals for consideration in the 2013/14 budget review.

v)            That work is undertaken to assess the financial and HR implications of implementing a Living Wage and to bring forward proposals for consideration in the 2013/14 budget review.

vi)           That work is undertaken to review the options and alternatives with the Youth Council and assess whether there are significant benefits to taking this recommendation forward.

vii)          That a further report is brought to Cabinet responding to the Fairness Commission’s full report after it is published in June 2012.

REASON:    To respond to the Fairness Commission’s Interim Report recommendations and in an effort to begin to tackle poverty and inequality in York.