Agenda item

Notices of Motion

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 regarding the money available for public expenditure; and

· In the coming 2011-2012 fiscal year CYC will be facing a reduced grant settlement combined with a mandatory low or a zero council tax rise, resulting in substantial additional fiscal pressures well beyond those addressed by the More4York programme

Therefore, this Council instructs the Executive to provide to all Council Members, before 16 November 2010, details of the More for York programme, its contribution to meeting savings targets for 2011/12, broad details of savings areas in individual directorates and full details of the extent to which the More for York programme will meet the financial targets in 2011/12, in order to:

· build an understanding across York regarding the economic choices facing the city and

· allow our staff, private and voluntary sector partners the opportunity to propose potential alternative delivery measures.”

(iv) From Cllr Brian Watson

“Council condemns the demolition of the former Peaseholme Centre and asks the Executive to agree to reserve the site for public use.”

(v) From Cllr Runciman

“This Council acknowledges:

· The excellent results achieved by students in schools across the City and the hard work of children, staff and parents to gain those results

· The significant role of local authority officers in challenging and supporting schools to drive up and maintain standards

· The importance of the ‘family’ of York schools, working together co-operatively to support and help each other in the best interests of all York’s children.

Council notes the recent representations by the Local Government Association with all-party support, stating that:

· The strategic role of the local authority should be retained within the forthcoming Academies Bill

· That local authorities should retain responsibility for improving and maintaining standards in all schools

· That local authorities should continue to ensure fair access to school places, appropriate provision according to numbers of children and

· Ensure by careful scrutiny that public money is used wisely and not wasted.

Council resolves to write to the Secretary of State supporting the views of the LGA and stating:

· That, particularly in a unitary authority the size of the City of York, the local authority’s role in maintaining and strengthening the family of schools is vital and should remain

· That experience in managing the local education system is one of the most important contributing factors to the success of local schools and that they should not be centrally controlled

· That there should continue to be clear local accountability through the local authority and the knowledge that elected Members bring to the education of the City’s children

· That all these significant factors should be taken into account during the development of the Academies Bill as it progresses through Parliament.”

Minutes:

(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 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;

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.”

On being put to the vote, the motion was declared LOST and it was

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion not be approved.

(iii) ‘More for York’ Programme

Cllr Healey moved, and Cllr Gillies seconded, that:

“Whereas:

· build an understanding across York regarding the economic choices facing the city and

· allow our staff, private and voluntary sector partners the opportunity to propose potential alternative delivery measures.”

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

In the first paragraph, first bullet point, delete all from ‘Thirteen years’ to coupled with’.

In the second paragraph:

- add to the end of the first bullet point ‘how this will affect residents’ daily lives and’

- in the second bullet point, after ‘our staff’ insert ‘the Unions and’ and after ‘delivery measures’ add ‘and provide them with realistic funding information and service quality expectations so that there is an understanding of service requirements.’”

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. ²

(iv) Former Peaseholme Centre

Cllr Brian Watson moved, and Cllr Boyce seconded, that:

“Council condemns the demolition of the former Peaseholme Centre and asks the Executive to agree to reserve the site for public use.”

On being put to the vote, the motion was declared LOST and it was

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion not be approved.

At this point in the meeting the guillotine fell and the remaining business was moved, seconded and voted on without debate.

(v) The Future Role of Local Authorities in Education

Cllr Runciman moved, and Cllr Firth seconded, that: