Agenda item

Notices of Motion

Meeting of Council, Thursday, 5 October 2006 6.30 pm (Item 21.)

To consider the following motions under Standing Order 11:

(i) From Cllr Potter:

“Council requests the restoration of the budgets for ward committee funding, making good the cuts in this year’s budget.”

(ii) From Cllr S F Galloway:

“Council notes with concern the recent announcements of job losses in the city. Council recognises the need for stability in, and the further diversification of, the local economy and welcomes proposals to establish new support arrangements for those facing redundancy and for an independent review of the prospects for, and actions necessary to ensure, the prosperity of the City over the next decade and beyond. Council remains concerned at the decline of manufacturing industry across the country, and in our area specifically, and calls upon central government to do more to support local businesses.”

(iii) From Cllr D Merrett:

“Council requests, as part of the Council’s response to the recent major job loss announcements across a number of important sectors of the City’s economy, and to questions as to how well the Council’s existing job creation strategies and spending levels match the profile and numbers of York residents losing employment, that the Director of City Strategy, in conjunction with local business leaders, partners and MPs urgently review and update the Council’s Economic Development Strategy and expenditure priorities.”

[Note: In accordance with Standing Order 14(r), motion (iii) above, might be ruled out of order by the Chair in light of the previous motion (ii) to be considered]

(iv) From Cllr Sue Galloway:

“Council believes that responsibility for NHS cuts at Selby & York PCT rests with the Labour Government and the Department of Health. Therefore, Council calls upon Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Health, to act to reverse the proposal to cut up to 60 beds at York District Hospital.

Council asks the Chief Executive to write to Patricia Hewitt to ask for her assurance she will protect local residents and give a guarantee that these bed closures will not go ahead.”

(iv) From Cllr D’Agorne:

Consultation on changes to planning processes

“This council notes with concern the Government proposals for new nuclear power stations and the intention to 'fast track' planning applications without full public inquiry processes. We condemn the lack of robust examination of the options during the recent government policy review and the failure to provide hard evidence of the economic and environmental case for new nuclear plants in the UK.

This Council believes that the response to climate change should be with a rapid programme of cutting energy and resource consumption, increased renewables etc rather than by developing new nuclear plants. It believes it is unacceptable to seek to avoid effective opposition by changing planning processes. It also believes any new plants will have a serious opportunity cost in relation to the development of new renewable technologies and will perpetuate the

terrorist threat and problems of managing a growing waste mountain.

Council resolves to instruct the Chief Executive to respond to the DTI

consultation before October 31st expressing these views on behalf of City of York Council.”

Minutes:

In accordance with Standing Order 11, five notices of motion had been received:

(i) Ward Committee Budgets

It was moved by Councillor Potter and seconded by Councillor King that:

“Council requests the restoration of the budgets for ward committee funding, making good the cuts in this year’s budget.”

On the advice of the Chief Executive, the Lord Mayor exercised her constitutional authority under Standing Order 11(ii) and referred the above motion directly to the Executive for an Officer report on the financial implications of the proposal.

(ii) Employment Issues in the City of York Area (Cllr Galloway)

It was moved by Councillor Steve Galloway and seconded by Councillor Waller that:

"Council notes with concern the recent announcements of job losses in the City. Council recognises the need for stability in, and the further diversification of, the local economy and welcomes proposals to establish the new support arrangements for those facing redundancy and for an independent review of the prospects for, and actions necessary to ensure, the prosperity of the City over the next decade and beyond. Council remains concerned at the decline of manufacturing industry across the country, and in our area specifically, and calls upon central government to do more to support local businesses.”

Councillor Merrett then moved, and Councillor Potter seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

“Remove the full stop at the end of the last sentence, substitute a comma, and add the words:

‘as well as asking the review to look at what more can be done locally’.

Add a second paragraph, to read as follows:

‘Council requests that in supporting this review the Director of City Strategy looks at how well the Council’s existing job creation strategies match the profile and numbers of York residents losing employment, and that the results of the review group, plus the representations of other stakeholders in the City, - including Members and MPs – be analysed by the Director of City Strategy and reported to the Executive as soon as possible together with recommendations about how the use of Council resources allocated for economic development purposes should be refined to address the changing needs of the local economy.’”

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

The motion, as amended, now read as follows:

Council requests that in supporting this review the Director of City Strategy looks at how well the Council’s existing job creation strategies match the profile and numbers of York residents losing employment, and that the results of the review group, plus the representations of other stakeholders in the City, - including Members and MPs – be analysed by the Director of City Strategy and reported to the Executive as soon as possible together with recommendations about how the use of Council resources allocated for economic development purposes should be refined to address the changing needs of the local economy.”

The amended motion was put to the vote and was declared CARRIED unanimously and it was

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion, as amended, be approved.

(iii) Employment Issues in the City of York Area (Cllr Merrett)

The third notice of motion had been submitted by Cllr Merrett, as follows:

“Council requests, as part of the Council’s response to the recent major job loss announcements across a number of important sectors of the City’s economy, and to questions as to how well the Council’s existing job creation strategies and spending levels match the profile and numbers of York residents losing employment, that the Director of City Strategy, in conjunction with local business leaders, partners and MPs, urgently review and update the Council’s Economic Development Strategy and expenditure priorities.”

In view of the above related notice of motion being agreed as amended, Councillor Merrett announced that he would withdraw this motion.

(iv) Bed Closures at York District Hospital

It was moved by Councillor Sue Galloway and seconded by Councillor Jamieson-Ballthat:

"Council believes that responsibility for NHS cuts at Selby and York PCT rests with the Labour Government and the Department of Health. Therefore, Council calls upon Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Health, to act to reverse the proposal to cut up to 60 beds at York District Hospital.

Council asks the Chief Executive to write to Patricia Hewitt to ask for her assurance that she will protect local residents and give a guarantee that these bed closures will not go ahead.”

In accordance with Standing Order 14(f), a named vote of those Members present was requested and put on the above motion, as follows:

For	Against	Abstained
Cllr Aspden	Cllr Blanchard	Cllr Hopton (Lord Mayor)
Cllr Bartlett	Cllr Evans
Cllr Bradley	Cllr Fraser
Cllr Cuthbertson	Cllr Kind
Cllr D’Agorne	Cllr King
Cllr Steve Galloway	Cllr Looker
Cllr Sue Galloway	Cllr Merrett
Cllr Greenwood	Cllr Potter
Cllr Hall	Cllr Scott
Cllr Hill	Cllr Simpson-Laing
Cllr Hogg	Cllr Brian Watson
Cllr Holvey	Cllr Wilde
Cllr Hyman
Cllr Jamieson-Ball
Cllr Kirk
Cllr Lancelott
Cllr Livesley
Cllr Macdonald
Cllr Moore
Cllr Morley
Cllr Orrell
Cllr Nimmo
Cllr Reid
Cllr Runciman
Cllr Sunderland
Cllr Vassie
Cllr Richard Watson
Cllr Irene Waudby
Cllr Mark Waudby
Cllr Waller
30	12	1

In accordance with this vote, the motion was declared CARRIED and it was

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion be approved.

(v) DTI Consultation on Proposed Changes to Planning Processes

It was moved by Councillor D’Agorne and seconded by Councillor Hillthat:

“This Council notes with concern the Government proposals for new nuclear power stations and the intention to ‘fast track’ planning applications without full public inquiry processes. We condemn the lack of robust examination of the options during the recent government policy review and the failure to provide hard evidence of the economic and environmental case for new nuclear plants in the UK.

This Council believes that the response to climate change should be with a rapid programme of cutting energy and resource consumption, increased renewables etc., rather than by developing new nuclear plants. It believes it is unacceptable to seek to avoid effective opposition by changing planning processes. It also believes any new plants will have a serious opportunity cost in relation to the development of new renewable technologies and will perpetuate the terrorist threat and problems of managing a growing waste mountain.

Council resolves to instruct the Chief Executive to respond to the DTI consultation before October 31^st expressing these views on behalf of City of York Council.”

Councillor Steve Galloway then moved, and Councillor Waller seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

“Prefix the motion with the words:

‘Council asks the Executive, in the light of Officer advice, to authorise a response to the DTI consultation document, on proposed changes to planning processes and, in doing so, to consider the following, together with any other views that Members may wish to submit for consideration.’

Delete the last paragraph of the motion.”

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

The motion, as amended, now read as follows:

“Council asks the Executive, in the light of Officer advice, to authorise a response to the DTI consultation document, on proposed changes to planning processes and, in doing so, to consider the following, together with any other views that Members may wish to submit for consideration:

This Council notes with concern the Government proposals for new nuclear power stations and the intention to ‘fast track’ planning applications without full public inquiry processes. We condemn the lack of robust examination of the options during the recent government policy review and the failure to provide hard evidence of the economic and environmental case for new nuclear plants in the UK.
This Council believes that the response to climate change should be with a rapid programme of cutting energy and resource consumption, increased renewables etc., rather than by developing new nuclear plants. It believes it is unacceptable to seek to avoid effective opposition by changing planning processes. It also believes any new plants will have a serious opportunity cost in relation to the development of new renewable technologies and will perpetuate the terrorist threat and problems of managing a growing waste mountain.

The amended motion was put to the vote and was declared CARRIED and it was

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion, as amended, be approved.