Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To confirm arrangements for chairing the meeting as follows:

·       Councillor Webb – All standard agenda items 1-5.

·       Councillor Webb – Agenda item 6 – ‘SEND capital projects to support inclusion in mainstream schools.’  

·       Councillor Pavlovic – Agenda item 7 – ‘Formal Enforcement Action (January to December 2025), New Single Use Vape and Renters Rights Enforcement Provisions.’

·       Councillor Pavlovic – Agenda item 8 – Urgent Business.

Resolved:   That the arrangements for chairing the meeting would be as follows:

                    Cllr Webb, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education – Agenda items 1-6.

                    Cllr Pavlovic, Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities – Agenda items 7-8.

To receive and note apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

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.

(1)  Members must consider their interests, and act according to the following:

(2) Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member

concerned or their spouse/partner.

(3) Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months

must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget

calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction

applies to them. A failure to comply with these requirements is a

criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government

Finance Act 1992.

The Executive Members were invited to declare any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests, any prejudicial interests, or any disclosable pecuniary interests that they might have in respect of business on the agenda.

Cllr Webb declared that he worked as a teacher at Archbishop Holgate School, within the Pathfinder Trust, which was the beneficiary of one of the SEND grants discussed in item 6.

He had spoken with the Monitoring Officer, who had advised that the item called for the Executive Member to note what was already being done, and there was no new decision in that sense.

Consequently the Monitoring Officer did not feel that the Executive Member’s previously declared interests precluded him from discussing this item.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have

registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak

on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the committee.

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at this meeting is 5:00pm on Friday, 10 April 2026.

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Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will

be webcast including any registered public speakers who have

given their permission. The meeting can be viewed live and on

demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

It was noted that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Combined Executive Member Decision Session held on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.

Resolved:   That the minutes of the Combined Executive Member Decision Session held on Tuesday, 3 March 2026 be approved as a correct record.

To ask the Executive Member to note the proposed use of the DfE 2025-26 SEND Capital through grant allocation to identified schools to support adaptations of the learning environment for children and young people with SEND, and to delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children and Education, the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance to take such steps as are necessary to develop the grant allocation process, procure, award and enter into the resulting grant agreements.

Resolved:  

                          i.          To note the proposed use of the DfE 2025-26 SEND Capital through grant allocation to identified schools to support adaptations of the learning environment for children and young people with SEND.

                         ii.          To delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children and Education, the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance to take such steps as are necessary to develop the grant allocation process, procure, award and enter into the resulting grant agreements.

Reason:      This ensures that the SEND capital schemes can be delivered in the academic year 2026/27 to improve inclusion and accessibility. The use of the capital funding supports the delivery of the local SEND reform plan.

The report was presented by the Assistant Director, Education and Skills, who explained that it discussed the proposed use of the Department for Education (DfE) SEND capital grant, 2025-26 to support projects which promote inclusion in mainstream settings through adaptations to classroom and outdoor learning spaces.

The Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education welcomed the £1.7m support and the prioritisation of the best use of this support.

He thanked staff in schools for making them as inclusive as possible, giving mainstream inclusive access to ensure SEND pupils stayed with their peers and learned with their peers.

He personally welcomed the funding and

Resolved:  

                          i.          To note the proposed use of the DfE 2025-26 SEND Capital through grant allocation to identified schools to support adaptations of the learning environment for children and young people with SEND.

                         ii.          To delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children and Education, the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance to take such steps as are necessary to develop the grant allocation process, procure, award and enter into the resulting grant agreements.

Reason:      This ensures that the SEND capital schemes can be delivered in the academic year 2026/27 to improve inclusion and accessibility. The use of the capital funding supports the delivery of the local SEND reform plan.

To ask the Executive Member to review formal enforcement action undertaken by Public Protection (Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Licensing teams), National Trading Standards Regional Investigation and eCrime teams and the Healthy and Sustainable Homes Service, and to ask the Executive Member to consider approving an updated enforcement policy, a new ‘fixed monetary penalty notices’ and other ‘compliance notice’ provisions as ‘formal enforcement action’ to help tackle the sale of illegal single use vapes, and a new housing civil penalties notice policy for offences from 1 May 2026 onwards considering the Renters’ Right Act 2025.

Resolved:

                          i.          To note the enforcement action undertaken by Public Protection, the National Trading Standards teams, and the Healthy and Sustainable Homes Service.

                         ii.          To approve the updated enforcement policy to include offences under the new single use vapes and renters’ right legislation.

                       iii.          To approve the use of fixed monetary penalty notices and the other enforcement provisions in relation to single use vapes in line with the guidelines.

                       iv.          Approve the use of fixed penalty notices and the other enforcement provisions in relation to the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Protection from Eviction Act 1977, Housing Act 1988, Housing Act 2004, Housing and Planning Act 2016, The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, and The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) (Amendment) (Extension to the Social Rented Sector) Regulations 2025, in line with the new Housing Civil Penalties Policy for offences on or after 1 May 2026.

Reason:      To ensure enforcement activity undertaken by Public Protection, the National Trading Standards teams, and the Healthy and Sustainable Homes Service, has been reviewed in accordance with the council’s enforcement policy and enable officers to issue fixed monetary penalty notices and the other enforcement provisions to help prevent the sale of illegal single use vapes and enable offices to issue civil penalty notices for new offences under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, in addition to those already used by the Healthy and Sustainable Homes Service under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, Housing Act 1988, Protection from Eviction Act 1977, and The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 and The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) (Amendment) (Extension to the Social Rented Sector) Regulations 2025.

Cllr Webb left the meeting at 10:13am.

The Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities introduced and noted that this item fell under both his portfolio and that of the Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency. He advised that he was taking lead on this, since his portfolio dealt with enforcement.

The Head of Public Protection introduced the report, and discussed the vaping and prosecution aspects.

The Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities asked for an outline the work officers had undertaken regarding the sale of vapes.

The Head of Public Protection advised that his team had undertaken routine test purchasing exercises using underage volunteers to attempt to buy vapes in shops rumoured to be selling to children, as well as actually seizing illegal vapes and illegal tobacco from shops selling these products.

The Healthy and Sustainable Homes manager then spoke about the renter’s rights side of the issue, which would come into effect from 1 May 2026.

The Executive Member also asked about North Yorkshire undertaking training events for landlords on the Renters Rights Act, and what similar action had been done in York.

The Healthy and Sustainable Homes Manager answered that York had conducted several such events (including one on the morning of the decision session) and worked closely with the Landlords Association. Comprehensive work to ensure understanding and compliance was being undertaken.

Officers advised that bullet point 4 contained a typographical error stating 1 May 2027 (this should have been 2026). The official document had the correct date but the report presented to the Executive Members contained the error, which was noted.

The Executive Member thereby

Resolved:

                          i.          To note the enforcement action undertaken by Public Protection, the National Trading Standards teams, and the Healthy and Sustainable Homes Service.

                         ii.          To approve the updated enforcement policy to include offences under the new single use vapes and renters’ right legislation.

                       iii.          To approve the use of fixed monetary penalty notices and the other enforcement provisions in relation to single use vapes in line with the guidelines.

                       iv.          Approve the use of fixed penalty notices and the other enforcement provisions in relation to the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Protection from Eviction Act 1977, Housing Act 1988, Housing Act 2004, Housing and Planning Act 2016, The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, and The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) (Amendment) (Extension to the Social Rented Sector) Regulations 2025, in line with the new Housing Civil Penalties Policy for offences on or after 1 May 2026.

Reason:      To ensure enforcement activity undertaken by Public Protection, the National Trading Standards teams, and the Healthy and Sustainable Homes Service, has been reviewed in accordance with the council’s enforcement policy and enable officers to issue fixed monetary penalty notices and the other enforcement provisions to help prevent the sale of illegal single use vapes and enable offices to issue civil penalty notices for new offences under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.