Agenda and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.

The following personal interests were declared:

To approve and sign the minutes of the Ordinary Council meeting held on 8 April 2010 and the Annual Council meeting held on 27 May 2010.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Ordinary Council meeting held on 8 April 2010 and the Annual Council meeting held on 27 May 2010 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

To consider any announcements made by the Lord Mayor in respect of Civic business.

The Lord Mayor announced receipt of the following, which were on view in the Council Chamber:

• A replica of the statue from the top of La Giralda bell tower, Seville Cathedral, a gift from the Deputy Mayor of Seville
• The Cliff Nicholson Award for innovation and excellence in put sector internal or external audit, awarded by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA) to the Veritau Service, a partnership between City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

The Lord Mayor then reminded Members that the funeral service for Trooper Ashley Smith, a soldier from the Royal Dragoon Guards posted to Afghanistan, had been held that day in York Minster.  She invited all present to stand and observe a minute’s silence in memory of Trooper Smith and also in memory of Marine David Hart.

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 Wednesday, 14 July 2010.

It was reported that seven members of the public had registered to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Nick Parker spoke in support of the petition to be presented by Cllr Douglas in respect of safety measures on Haxby Road.

Patricia Dennison spoke in support of the petition to be presented by Cllr Funnell in respect of the no. 13 bus route.

Chris Brace spoke in support of reforming the voting system for local authority elections and called on the Council to ask the government to include this proposal in their referendum on national voting reform next May.

Anthony Long, Chair of Marton-cum-Grafton Parish Council, spoke in objection to the joint City of York Council / North Yorkshire County Council PFI proposals for a waste management site at Allerton.

Frank Ormston, representing the campaign ‘A Stadium for York’, spoke in support of the Executive recommendation to allocate additional funding to the Community Stadium project.  He handed in a petition calling on the Council to do all it could to ensure the provision of a stadium by 2015.

Mark Warters submitted a series of written questions to Members in relation to land to the west of Metcalfe Lane (Derwenthorpe).  He was advised that written responses would be supplied, in accordance with Standing Orders.

The seventh registered speaker, Shane Ellerton, did not attend the meeting.

To consider any petitions received from Members in accordance with Standing Order No.7.  To date, notice has been received of petitions to be presented by:

(i)                 Cllr D’Agorne, on behalf of residents calling for the introduction of a 20 mph zone in Danesmead and Fulford Cross, in the vicinity of the Steiner School / Danesgate.

(ii)               Cllr D’Agorne, on behalf of residents calling for the introduction of a 20 mph zone outside Fishergate and St George’s Schools.

(iii)             Cllr Douglas, on behalf of residents of Haxby Road, regarding road safety outside Haxby Road School.

(iv)              Cllr Alexander, on behalf of local residents, regarding a play area behind Kirkdale Road.

(v)                Cllr Crisp, on behalf of Holgate residents, regarding front of house refuse collections.

Under Standing Order 7, petitions were presented by:

(i)                 Cllr Taylor, on behalf of residents calling for the introduction of a 20 mph zone in Danesmead and Fulford Cross, in the vicinity of the Steiner School / Danesgate. ¹

(ii)               Cllr Taylor, on behalf of residents calling for the introduction of a 20 mph zone outside Fishergate and St George’s Schools. ²

(iii)             Cllr Douglas, on behalf of residents of Haxby Road, regarding road safety outside Haxby Road School. ³

(iv)              Cllr Alexander, on behalf of local residents, regarding a play area behind Kirkdale Road. ⁴

(v)                Cllr Crisp, on behalf of Holgate residents, regarding front of house refuse collections. ⁵

(vi)              Cllr Funnell, on behalf of residents asking to keep the number 13 bus service running in Heworth. ⁶

(vii)            Cllr Moore, on behalf of local residents calling for the Council to investigate the speed problems along Moorlands Road, Skelton, and implement measures to ensure the safety of residents. ⁷

RESOLVED: That the above petitions be referred to the Executive or appropriate committee.

To receive and consider a written report from the Leader on the work of the Executive, andthe Executive recommendations for approval, as setout below:

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

Cllr Waller then moved, and Cllr Runciman seconded, the following recommendation, contained in Minute 27 of the Executive meeting on 6 July 2010:

“That Council approve the use of LAGBI money to the value of £198k to progress the scheme towards the procurement stage, with further costs being reviewed as the project commences, subject to a future report back to the Executive or to full Council.” ¹

On being put to the vote, the recommendation was declared CARRIED.

Cllr Waller then moved, and Cllr Runciman seconded, the following recommendation, contained in Minute 28 of the Executive meeting on 6 July 2010:

“That Council approve an increase of £1m in the capital programme for the York Sports Village Swimming Pool (from the existing £2m), this to be financed from prudential borrowing, with the consequential revenue implications of £71k being accepted as committed growth for the 2011/12 budget.”  ²

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

RESOLVED: That the recommendations of the Executive on 6 July 2010 in respect of the Community Stadium Business Case and the York Sports Village Swimming Pool, as recorded in Minutes 27 and 28 of that meeting, be approved.

To consider the following recommendations for approval from the Standards Committee

As Vice Chair of the Standards Committee, Cllr Horton moved, and Cllr Hudson seconded, the recommendation made by that committee on 25 June 2010 in respect of the Annual Monitor of Member Training and Development.

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

RESOLVED: That the recommendation be approved and that the Annual Monitor of Member Training and Development be received.

To receive the Annual Scrutiny Report from Councillor Galvin, the Chair of the Scrutiny Management Committee.

Council received the Annual Scrutiny Report from Cllr Galvin, Chair of the Scrutiny Management Committee.

To receive a written report from the Executive Member for Children & Young People’s Services, and to question the Executive Member thereon, provided any such questions are registered in accordance with the timescales and procedures set out in Standing Order 8.2.1.

A written report was received from Cllr Runciman, the Executive Member for Children & Young People’s Services.

Notice had been received of two questions on the report, submitted by Members in accordance with Standing Orders.  The questions were put and answered as follows:

(i)         From Cllr Aspden:

“Can the Executive Member report on the progress of the re-build of Rawcliffe with Clifton Without Federated School?”

The Executive Member replied:

“I am delighted to report that the first turf was turned last Friday by the youngest boy, the youngest girl and the oldest boy, accompanied by Cllr Waudby, myself and representatives of Shepherds, the contractors.  The children were very excited by the whole event and the prospect of seeing the new school being built.

This is a project that has been long awaited by the local community and it is good to report that it is unaffected by any of the recent cuts in the government's capital programme. 

I am looking forward to being there on the day it opens.”

(ii)        From Cllr Jamieson-Ball:

“Is the Executive Member able to give Council the indicative overall results for this year’s SATs at Key Stage 2?”

            The Executive Member replied:

“At this stage we only have the provisional results for this year's KS2 SATs, but they are looking promising, with some improvements from last year.  Some re-marks have been requested but it looks as if all the hard work of the schools, supported by the local authority's Education Development Service, may have paid off.  I'd like to thank everyone, children, staff and parents alike, for all the effort they have put in during the year and await the final results with interest.”

The Executive Member agreed to provide written responses after the meeting to a further four questions of which notice had been received, but which did not relate to the written report.

Minutes of the following meetings of outside bodies, received since the last meeting of Council, have been made available for Members to view via the Council’s website at

http://sql003.york.gov.uk/mgListOutsideBodies.asp?bcr=1

Copies may also be obtained by contacting Democracy Support Group at the Guildhall, York (tel. 01904 551088).

·         North Yorkshire Police Authority – meeting on 05/02/10

·         Quality Bus Partnership – meeting on 23/03/10

·         Safer York Partnership – meetings on 01/02/10 and 21/06/10

·         Without Walls Partnership – meeting on 11/02/10

·         NHS Foundation Trust - 16/03/10

·         York & North Yorkshire Waste Management Partnership – meeting on 04/03/10

·         Economic Partnership/Skills Board – meeting on 13/01/10

Members are invited to put any questions to the Council’s representatives on the above bodies, in accordance with Standing Order 10(b).

Minutes of the following meetings of outside bodies had been made available for Members to view on the Council’s website:

• North Yorkshire Police Authority – meeting on 5 February 2010
• Quality Bus Partnership – meeting on 23 March 2010
• Safer York Partnership – meetings on 1 February and 21 June 2010
• Without Walls Partnership – meeting on 11 February 2010
• NHS Foundation Trust – meeting on 16 March 2010
• York & North Yorkshire Waste Management Partnership – meeting on 4 March 2010
• Economic Partnership / Skills Board – meeting on 13 January 2010

No questions had been submitted to representatives on the above bodies.

To consider the appointments and changes to membership of committees and outside bodies set out on the list attached to this summons.

RESOLVED: That the appointments to and changes to membership of committees, outside bodies and working groups set out on the revised list circulated around the Council Chamber (and attached as an annex to these minutes) be approved.

At this point in the meeting, Cllr Alexander moved, and Cllr Simpson-Laing seconded, a motion to suspend Standing Orders to enable an urgent motion to be moved on behalf of the Labour Group.

A named vote was requested and taken on the motion to suspend, as follows:

The motion was accordingly declared LOST and it was

RESOLVED: That Standing Orders not be suspended to allow the urgent motion to be put.

To consider the following Notices of Motion under Standing Order 12:

A – Motions referred from the Executive in accordance with Standing Order 12.1(a)

None

B – Motions submitted for consideration directly by Council, in accordance with Standing Order 12.1(b)

(i)                 From Cllr Waller

“Council welcomes the coalition government’s action to restore freedoms for local people and local authorities that had been reduced by the Labour government centralising power in Whitehall.

Council welcomes the moves to cut red tape for local authorities and restore freedom in local decision making.  Council feels that the abolition of centrally driven inspection regimes will allow local authorities to focus on delivering services that meet the needs of local people, rather than spending time ticking boxes as demanded by central government.

Council also supports the initiative put forward by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg MP, encouraging people to have their say on repeating unnecessary laws and restoring individual freedoms.

Council urges York residents to take part in the Your Freedom consultation and resolves to promote the consultation to residents using the City of York Council website.”

(ii)               From Cllr Alexander

“This Council notes:

1.     That the Council is making £7m savings this financial year, which includes redundancies;

2.     That the Coalition Government announced on Thursday 10^th June £2.8m of cuts to the Council budget, including almost £1m in education and £1m in transport;

3.     That the Coalition Government announced in the budget on Tuesday 22^nd June an increase in VAT to 20%, despite pre-election pledges from both coalition partners not to do this;

4.     That an increase in VAT will cost the Council at least £150k per annum;

5.     The Coalition Government’s cut to North Yorkshire Police of £1.1m;

6.     The Coalition Government’s review of £23m allocated to York for Park & Ride provision;

7.     That the Coalition Government have announced a two-year public sector pay freeze, cuts in child tax credits for families on a moderate income, freezing child benefit, cutting disability living allowance, cuts in the housing benefit of the unemployed, abolishing the health in pregnancy grant, restricting the sure-start maternity grant to the first child and scrapping tax relief for the video games industry;

8.     That the Coalition Government have abolished Regional Development Agencies, when Yorkshire Forward was helping, amongst other developments, the stalled York Central development, the Renaissance project and the Minster Piazza project;

9.     That the Council is planning a further £10m of cuts in the next financial year.

This Council resolves:

1.     To recognise that the current financial situation of the Council is made worse by recent cuts and announcements from the Coalition Government;

2.   To request the Chief Executive to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer stating this;

3.   To request the Chief Executive to write to both of York’s MPs calling on them to lobby against further cuts.”

(iii)       From Cllr Healey

“Whereas:

·        Thirteen years of a high-spending Labour government coupled with international economic instability has left the country in extremely difficult economic circumstances  ...  view the full agenda text for item 25.

(i)         “Your Freedom” Consultation

            It was moved by Cllr Waller and seconded by Cllr Runciman that:

“Council welcomes the coalition government’s action to restore freedoms for local people and local authorities that had been reduced by the Labour government centralising power in Whitehall.

Council welcomes the moves to cut red tape for local authorities and restore freedom in local decision making.  Council feels that the abolition of centrally driven inspection regimes will allow local authorities to focus on delivering services that meet the needs of local people, rather than spending time ticking boxes as demanded by central government.

Council also supports the initiative put forward by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg MP, encouraging people to have their say on repealing unnecessary laws and restoring individual freedoms.

Council urges York residents to take part in the Your Freedom consultation and resolves to promote the consultation to residents using the City of York Council website.” ¹

Cllr Alexander then moved, and Cllr Simpson-Laing seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

“In the first paragraph, delete the words ‘the Labour government’ and substitute ‘successive governments’.

In the second paragraph, remove the full stop at the end of the first sentence and insert the words ‘but has concerns about abolishing guaranteed minimum national standards.’  Delete all after ‘Council feels that’ in the second sentence and insert ‘councils without possible inspection will lead to less openness about quality of services, less accountability and reductions in levels of service.’

In the third paragraph, after the word ‘restoring’ insert ‘empowering’ and after ‘individual freedoms’ insert ‘so long as this will not be detrimental to the well-being of an individual, group or animal.’”

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

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

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion be approved.¹

(ii)            Central Government Cuts to Local Authority Funding

            Cllr Alexander moved,and Cllr Simpson-Laing seconded,that:

“This Council notes:

1.     That the Council is making £7m savings this financial year, which includes redundancies;

2.     That the Coalition Government announced on Thursday 10^th June £2.8m of cuts to the Council budget, including almost £1m in education and £1m in transport;

3.     That the Coalition Government announced in the budget on Tuesday 22^nd June an increase in VAT to 20%, despite pre-election pledges from both coalition partners not to do this;

4.     That an increase in VAT will cost the Council at least £150k per annum;

5.     The Coalition Government’s cut to North Yorkshire Police of £1.1m;

6.     The Coalition Government’s review of £23m allocated to York for Park & Ride provision;

7.     That the Coalition Government have announced a two-year public sector pay freeze, cuts in child tax credits for families on a moderate income, freezing child benefit, cutting disability living allowance, cuts in the housing benefit of the unemployed, abolishing the health in pregnancy grant, restricting the sure-start maternity grant to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

To deal with the following questions to the Executive Leader and / or other Executive Members, in accordance with Standing Order 11.3(a):

(i)         To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Potter:

“Will the Executive Member for City Strategy join with me in expressing great disappointment at the cut to the funding for Park & Ride sites at Askham Bar, the A59 and Wigginton Road and will he inform Council what action he is taking to get his government to reverse this situation?”

(ii)        To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr D’Agorne:

“Regarding Fulford Road public transport improvements, what is the average inbound bus journey time now, compared with the experience prior to the changes to the layout?”

(iii)       To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr D’Agorne:

“Regarding Fulford Road public transport improvements, has there been any significant increase in the outbound journey time since the changes?”

(iv)       To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr D’Agorne:

“Regarding Fulford Road public transport improvements, what further action is proposed to reduce the illegal air quality levels at the junction of Main Street and Heslington Lane?”

(v)        To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Kirk:

“Would the Executive Member confirm that the recent coalition government announcement about the abolition of the RSS imposed housing number targets means that the City's draft green belt is now free from the threat of development?”

(vi)       To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Horton:

“Can the Executive Member for City Strategy comment on the current running reliability of the ftr, whether this meets agreements made between the City of York Council in 2006 and how he plans to ensure that First improve service reliability, with particular concern to early morning running?”

(vii)      To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Firth:

“In view of the promise by the newly elected Member of Parliament for the Outer York Constituency that he would ensure that funding was made available to provide a dual carriageway on the line of the A1237 northern by pass, would the Executive Member for City Strategy indicate how much additional funding for transport has been made available to York as a result of the MPs representations?”

(viii)     To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Potter:

“Will the Executive Member for City Strategy write to the Transport Minister and support his call to introduce a 20 mph speed limit to all town centres and residential streets across the country?”

(ix)       To the Executive Member for City Strategy from Cllr Keith Orrell:

“Would the Executive Member for City Strategy pass on the congratulations of the Council to all who have been involved in reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents in the City by 36% during the last 2 years?”

(x)        To the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, from Cllr D’Agorne:

            “What is the projected impact on recycling rates for 2011-12 and 2012-13 of the roll-out of kerbside recycling  ...  view the full agenda text for item 26.

Fourteen questions had been submitted to Executive Members under Standing Order 11.3(a).  The guillotine having fallen at this point, Members agreed to receive written answers to their questions, as set out below:

(i)         To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr Potter:

“Will the Executive Member for City Strategy join with me in expressing great disappointment at the cut to the funding for Park & Ride sites at Askham Bar, the A59 and Wigginton Road and will he inform Council what action he is taking to get his government to reverse this situation?”

            Reply

The funding for the Access York Phase 1 scheme has not been cut but suspended pending a review of the entire programme. It is understood that progress on all of the Transport Major Schemes across the country (approximately 60) which had not already commenced has been halted pending the spending review and update of the government's scheme prioritisation methodology.

The Park & Ride scheme has a relatively low cost, a high value for money (when assessed against the previous criteria) and excellent sustainability credentials. It is therefore anticipated that funding for the scheme will be released once the review is complete however delivery of the full package may be over a longer timeframe than originally anticipated.

Alternative funding sources are being investigated but the low level of match funding (10%) available locally severely restricts options. Lobbying of the relevant Minister will be pursued however it is highly unlikely that there will be any movement until the funding and prioritisation parameters are finalised in the autumn.

(ii)        To the Executive Member for City Strategy, from Cllr D’Agorne:

“Regarding Fulford Road public transport improvements, what is the average inbound bus journey time now, compared with the experience prior to the changes to the layout?”

            Reply

Here is the data for service 7 showing the average AM Peak (0700-0930) timings inbound on Fulford Rd on two comparable weeks in June 2009 & 2010.

The figures shown in the 'Actual Run Time' section are the average number of minutes elapsed since departing the Park & Ride site. The figures in the 'Dwell time' section are the average time in minutes spent at each stop.

At a glance, it appears that buses are taking longer on average to get from the site to Fulford Main St, but moving along Fulford Rd substantially faster than in 2009

However it is perhaps a little early to draw too many conclusions as the change has not really had time to bed down yet. Further checks will be made later in the year.