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 of the Council or the City, may do so.

The deadline for registering is 5:00pm on Wednesday 20 March

2019. To register to speak please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting, on the details at the foot of the agenda.

Filming, Recording or Webcasting Meetings

Please note this meeting will be filmed and webcast and that

includes any registered public speakers, who have given their permission. This broadcast can be viewed at

http://www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

Residents are welcome to photograph, film or record Councillors and Officers at all meetings open to the press and public. This includes the use of social media reporting, i.e. tweeting. Anyone wishing to film, record or take photos at any public meeting should contact the Democracy Officer (whose contact details are at the foot of this agenda) in advance of the meeting.

The Council’s protocol on Webcasting, Filming & Recording of

Meetings ensures that these practices are carried out in a

manner both respectful to the conduct of the meeting and all

those present. It can be viewed at

http://www.york.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/11406/protocol_f

or_webcasting_filming_and_recording_of_council_meetings_201

60809.pdf

Ten members of the public had registered to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

The first four speakers all addressed the council in relation to Motion no. 4 on the list of motions at agenda item 9, relating to declaring a Climate Emergency.

John Cossham, a representative from Extinction Rebellion, spoke in support of the climate emergency motion. He suggested that the city needed to adopt a more sustainable approach, along with employing a Climate Emergency Officer.

Amy Elliot, a resident spoke on the climate emergency and her concerns as a young person. She also spoke on local issues such as flooding in the city.

Tom Franklin, Chair of York Green party, also spoke on the Climate Emergency Motion. He highlighted that local leadership was needed to ensure the city was carbon neutral by 2030. He highlighted the importance of better public transport links and sustainable development.

Danyal Ismail, a resident, also spoke on the climate emergency motion. He stated that climate change was the biggest challenge facing his generation and radical action needed taking. He also expressed concerns around flooding and air quality in the city.

The fifth speaker, Merry Dickinson representing Extinction Rebellion, then spoke in relation to the Climate Emergency petition which was submitted by Councillor Craghill. She pointed to the actions taken by councils around the country to mitigate climate change and hoped that CYC would follow suit.

Anne Kerr then addressed the council on behalf of York Labour Women’s Forum in relation to the living wage petition which was submitted by Councillor Wells. She stated that the fall in weekly salaries between 2017 and 2018 was the largest in York. The city was now within the 10 bottom cities for weekly wages in the UK. She urged Members to pay all service workers the living wage.

Rachel Melly, also spoke in relation to the living wage petition submitted by Councillor Wells. She stated that a real living wage should be paid to all those providing council services and stressed the importance of fair pay for fair work. She also highlighted the increase in food bank use and the gender pay gap in the city.

Gwen Swinburn then spoke on agenda item 19 (Pay Policy) and matters relating to restructures. She expressed concerns about the implementation of another layer of management. She stated that no rationale had been provided for this and that the cost neutral assurance was absent.

Honorary Alderman Brian Watson spoke in relation to Park and Ride charges at the Community Stadium. He stated that such charges would impact on all of the facilities in the stadium when the city should be trying to attract fans and visitors.

Alasdair McIntosh, a resident, then spoke on agenda item 7 (the Executive Recommendation in relation to Hyper Hubs). He stated that he was fully supportive of hyper hubs but expressed his concern over the lack of charging facilities for those households without access to off street parking.

Finally Samuel Biram, a resident, spoke in support of the climate emergency motion. He stated that the Council should listen to young activists and push to be carbon neutral by 2030. He stated that 36 councils had already declared a climate emergency and stressed the importance of York following suit.