Agenda item

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 on this agenda (namely, the setting of the budget) may do so. The deadline for registering is 5:00pm on Wednesday 27 February 2013.

The Lord Mayor announced that ten members of the public had registered to speak at the meeting.

Majella Gillam drew Members’ attention to a petition containing 1167 signatories, requesting that the authority bring back Education Maintenance Allowances.  The petition was due to be debated later in the meeting.  He stated that the removal of the EMA had deterred a number of young people from attending college.  Some London boroughs had reintroduced the allowance and its reintroduction in York would provide support for many students.

Megan Ollerhead also spoke in support of the petition as a York University student.  She stated that she had benefited from the EMA and it had supported her in progressing to higher education.  She stated that she believed that the funding was available to meet the costs of its reintroduction and stated that a failure to do so would be a betrayal. 

Leigh Wilkes, a member of Aviva and the Trades Council, also spoke in support of the EMA petition. He drew attention to protests that were taking place across Europe against cuts to public spending.  He stated that austerity measures were not working and drew attention to comments made by the Child Poverty Group.  He stated that without the EMA young people would be denied access to education and he urged Members not to implement cuts to spending. 

Nigel Smith, a former NUT representative and retired teacher, also spoke in support of the petition.  He expressed concerns about a recent Talk Back Panel and the lack of clear information that was provided about social enterprise.  He stated that ordinary people were suffering from the impact of the cuts and that he believed that the budget was immoral.

Simon Moss spoke against the budget cut to leave parks unlocked, particular Hull Road.  He stated that if parks remained unlocked at night they would be subject to damage and would become dangerous.  He urged that further consideration be given to this budget proposal.  He stated that York was one of the most beautiful cities in England and it was important that it remained so.  The parks in York had improved and the funds needed to be found to enable them to be locked in the evening.

Mr Richardson, a resident of York Road, Haxby, spoke in relation to the proposal to charge for green waste.  He also expressed concerns regarding increases in council tax and proposed expenditure on the barge project.  He stated that the public should not have to pay for the disposal of green waste and should not have to pay more council tax.  He stated that he believed that the meeting should be suspended to enable the budget proposals to be reconsidered, particularly in respect of the council tax increase.  

Rebecca Seddon spoke in support of the petition against the proposed budget cut to cease the locking and unlocking of parks.  She stated that the parks were well utilised by children, adults and local groups and organisations.  She drew attention to the number of signatories to the petition and stated that parks were fundamental to a good quality of life and were important for health and wellbeing.  If the parks were not locked at night, vandalism would occur and there would be damage to play equipment, litter and the loss of the green flag status.  She urged that further consideration be given to this proposed cut to the budget.

Malcom Dewhirst, a local resident and secretary to a number of bowling clubs, spoke against the proposed charges for bowling greens.  He stated that the proposed budget saving was insignificant in the context of the overall budget but would have a significant impact on bowlers.   The membership of the clubs was decreasing which would make the impact even more severe.  He drew attention to the custodian role that the clubs carried out.

Heather McKenzie of Unison spoke on the budget proposals.  She stated that the decision not to accept the grant available to councils who froze council tax was supported.  She expressed concerns regarding the proposals in respect of Lowfields and stated that the core provision should be provided by the council and not outsourced as this would drive down standards.  She stated that TUPE arrangements did not protect employees’ terms and conditions and that it was not morally acceptable to outsource services in order to reduce staff costs.  She drew attention to the implications of arrangements such as social enterprises and Local Authority Trading Companies.  She stated that the trade unions had worked hard with the authority in order to mitigate the impact of the cuts and they would continue to do so.

Andrea Dudding of Unison spoke on the budget proposals.  She stated that the cuts were as a result of the actions of central government.  She queried why it was palatable to make cuts to libraries, leisure and culture and stated that Germany was increasing its cultural spend and saw this as essential investment.  The cuts in the budget would mean that York was no longer a centre of culture.  She drew attention to the number of visitors to the city and stated that cuts to staffing would mean that a cultural offering could not be provided.  Expenditure on this type of provision was essential in growing the economy and building stronger communities.  She also questioned the rationale of making cuts to the library and archive service at a time when funding had been received to expand the city’s archive. She drew attention to the recommendations of the Fairness Commission and urged that services be run in an open and transparent manner.