Agenda item

Motions on Notice

Meeting of Council, Thursday, 25 October 2018 6.30 pm (Item 34.)

To consider the following Motions on Notice under Standing Order 22:

Motions submitted for consideration directly by Council, in accordance with Standing Order 22.1

(i) From Councillor Doughty

York’s Northern Ring Road

“Council notes:

The Secretary of State for Transport’s announcement that dualling a significant portion of York’s Northern Ring Road will be one of the first schemes under the Government’s new Major Road Network programme;

Discussions are underway between stakeholders and Highways England regarding the dualling of the A64 from the Hopgrove roundabout to Barton Hill, a development of interest to all of York but particularly to residents on the east side of the city who bear the greatest brunt of tailbacks and delays;

That discussions regarding the A64 upgrade require sustained local support from the public and private sectors to put the project on the Highways England priority list and both schemes together represent an opportunity to promote projects which are best developed to complement each other for the maximum benefit to local residents and businesses.

Council therefore resolves:

To ask officers to engage with the business community and York’s LEPs to encourage active, supportive representations in favour of the A64 scheme and to work with neighbouring local authorities along the A64 corridor to organise business support throughout the area;

To ask the Chief Executive to write to both York MPs to ask for their public support of the Northern Ring Road and A64 upgrades and to seek support from other MPs with constituencies impacted by the proposed improvements.”

(ii) From Councillor Cuthbertson

Fracking

“Council believes that climate change poses a real threat to the future and environment of York and more widely, the UK.

Council notes:

· That fracking (hydraulic fracturing for shale gas), contributes to the threat of climate change;

· The recent IPCC report into climate change;

· That over a thousand residents have added their names to ‘Ban Fracking Now’ petition;

· That the Public Attitudes Tracker Survey showed that only 19% of the British public support fracking, while 81% support renewable energy;

· If widespread fracking is allowed to take place across York and North Yorkshire, it will mean the irreversible industrialisation of our rural areas; areas which currently provide sustainable jobs in key local industries such as tourism and agriculture;

· That Conservative Government policy to allow fracking as ‘permitted development’ will bypass local decision making and accelerate fracking in our region;

· That if the 500m buffer/zone policy is achieved in the North Yorkshire Minerals & Waste plan through inspection, this will help to protect residents and the local environment from fracking development, should Government persist.

The UK has a vast potential for clean energy. Investment in renewable energy, public transport and energy efficiency will create far more jobs than fracking, deliver energy security, boost York’s local economy and allow us to play our part in avoiding dangerous climate change.

Therefore, Council resolves:

· That Council lobby against the Conservative Government’s fracking proposals.

· That Council contact the Secretary of State for BEIS, Julian Sturdy MP and Rachael Maskell MP to outline the Council’s objections to ‘permitted development’ and fracking and ask them to reconsider the Government’s proposals.”

(iii) From Councillor Wells

Boosting the supply of homes people can afford

“Council notes:

· The Executive decision in July to proceed with developing homes on council owned land with a ratio of 6:4 in favour of market sale over tenures deemed ‘affordable’ under current government definitions;

· The Government’s desire to change the perception of social housing from a place of last resort to a housing type that accommodates a wide range of people, including key workers;

· The impact of York’s housing affordability problem on recruitment and retention of hospital staff, teachers and other key workers.

It further notes and welcomes the Prime Minister’s recent announcement of plans to remove the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) debt cap, meaning councils will be able to develop longer term business plans that deliver more homes that people can afford to rent or buy.

The Government has stated that local councils are not delivering enough social housing and are encouraging them to provide sufficient housing for the needs of their communities.

Council welcomes any decision that empowers local councils and enables them to better address housing need in their areas.

Council therefore resolves to request that Executive:

· reviews its decision to proceed on the above market/affordable split on all publicly owned sites other than Lowfield (given the extent to which it is already progressed);

· includes within such a review a range of options that seek to boost social rent and discounted sale tenures, that will still create settled, mixed tenure communities;

· commits to reviewing the council’s HRA Business Plan once full details of the HRA debt cap removal are known, with a view to boosting the supply of homes local people can afford;

to demonstrate to the residents that it will act where it can to tackle York’s affordability crisis.”

Minutes:

Motions were submitted for consideration directly by Council, in accordance with Standing Order 22.1.

(i) York’s Northern Ring Road

(Proposed by Cllr Doughty, seconded by Cllr Dew)

In moving his motion, Cllr Doughty indicated that he was minded to accept the amendment to be proposed by Cllr Fenton, which was as follows:

To inserta third paragraph under ‘Council therefore resolves’:

‘To ask officers to identify opportunities for future sustainable transport initiatives which could complement works to dual the ring road, recognising the balance between future expansion of road space and the ambition to make York an exemplar sustainable city.’

Upon being formally asked, Council then agreed to accept the motion as altered above for debate so that it now read.

“Council notes:

Council therefore resolves:

To ask officers to identify opportunities for future sustainable

transport initiatives which could complement works to dual the ring

road, recognising the balance between future expansion of road

space and the ambition to make York an exemplar sustainable

city.”

Cllr Williams then moved, and Cllr Crawshaw seconded, an amendment to the motion (as now altered by Cllr Fenton’s original amendment), as follows:

· Insert two further paragraphs after ‘Council notes:’

‘The problems besetting the Government’s road building

programme which is almost £3bn over budget, with major

slippage to planned schemes;

The need to consider not only new road capacity but also

public transport improvements and the urgent need to deliver

modal shift, a key objective of the city’s third Local Transport

Plan, by giving people alternatives when travelling across the

city;’

· Insert a final paragraph after ‘Council therefore resolves:

‘To request that officers consider how dualling might ease

congestion throughout the city, provide an opportunity for a

transhipment centre to deliver goods into the city centre and

how each of these can contribute to an improvement in air

quality across York.’

On being put to the vote this amendment was CARRIED.

A vote was then taken on the original motion, as altered by the incorporation of Cllr Fenton’s original amendment and subsequently by Cllr Williams’ further amendment, which was CARRIED and it was:

Resolved: That the original motion, as altered above, be approved as set out below. ¹

“Council notes:

The problems besetting the Government’s road building

programme which is almost £3bn over budget, with major slippage

to planned schemes;

The need to consider not only new road capacity but also public

transport improvements and the urgent need to deliver modal shift,

a key objective of the city’s third Local Transport Plan, by giving

people alternatives when travelling across the city;

Council therefore resolves:

area;

To ask officers to identify opportunities for future sustainable transport initiatives which could complement works to dual the ring road, recognising the balance between future expansion of road space and the ambition to make York an exemplar sustainable city.

To request that officers consider how dualling might ease

congestion throughout the city, provide an opportunity for a

transhipment centre to deliver goods into the city centre and how

each of these can contribute to an improvement in air quality

across York.”

(ii) Fracking

(Proposed by Cllr Cuthbertson and seconded by Cllr Kramm)

“Council believes that climate change poses a real threat to the future and environment of York and more widely, the UK.

Council notes:

· That fracking (hydraulic fracturing for shale gas), contributes to the threat of climate change;

· The recent IPCC report into climate change;

· That over a thousand residents have added their names to ‘Ban Fracking Now’ petition;

· That the Public Attitudes Tracker Survey showed that only 19% of the British public support fracking, while 81% support renewable energy;

· That Conservative Government policy to allow fracking as ‘permitted development’ will bypass local decision making and accelerate fracking in our region;

Therefore, Council resolves:

· That Council lobby against the Conservative Government’s fracking proposals.

Cllr Stuart Barnes moved, and Cllr Looker seconded an amendment to the above motion as follows:

- Insertthe following bullet points after ‘Council notes:’

· ‘The contradiction of this council’s continued investment in companies that explore for and extract fossil fuels;

· The many councils up and down the country seeking ways to divest from fossil fuels due to their impact on climate change, including Oxford, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cambridge, Norwich, Sheffield and many others;’

- After the paragraph ending ‘avoiding dangerous climate change’ to insert a further paragraph:

‘Council reaffirms its agreed motion of October 2014 on fracking, recognising the contribution fracking makes to climate change, as well as local public feeling against fracking.’

- Insertthe following bullet points after ‘Therefore, Council

resolves:’

· ‘To put its words into action on fossil fuels, by preparing for a programme of divestment from fossil fuels, beginning with a review of its investment strategy, including a review of its pension fund investments within the broader North Yorkshire Pension Fund,

· Writes to fellow North Yorkshire Pension Fund partner organisations to ask them to join with City of York Council in taking direct action by committing to divestment from fossil fuels, just as other public sector and private sector organisations are committing to doing, both nationally and internationally.’

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

A vote was then taken on the original motion, as altered by Cllr Stuart Barnes’ amendment, which was CARRIED, and it was:

Resolved: That the original motion, as altered by Cllr Stuart Barnes’ amendment, be approved as set out below. ²

“Council believes that climate change poses a real threat to the future and environment of York and more widely, the UK.

Council notes:

· That fracking (hydraulic fracturing for shale gas), contributes to the threat of climate change;

· The contradiction of this council’s continued investment in companies that explore for and extract fossil fuels;

· The recent IPCC report into climate change;

· That over a thousand residents have added their names to ‘Ban Fracking Now’ petition;

· That the Public Attitudes Tracker Survey showed that only 19% of the British public support fracking, while 81% support renewable energy;

· That Conservative Government policy to allow fracking as ‘permitted development’ will bypass local decision making and accelerate fracking in our region;

Council reaffirms its agreed motion of October 2014 on fracking, recognising the contribution fracking makes to climate change, as well as local public feeling against fracking.

Therefore, Council resolves:

· That Council lobby against the Conservative Government’s fracking proposals.

· To put its words into action on fossil fuels, by preparing for a programme of divestment from fossil fuels, beginning with a review of its investment strategy, including a review of its pension fund investments within the broader North Yorkshire Pension Fund.

(iii) Boosting the Supply of Homes People Can Afford

(Proposed by Cllr Wells, seconded by Cllr Pavlovic)

“Council notes:

· The Government’s desire to change the perception of social housing from a place of last resort to a housing type that accommodates a wide range of people, including key workers;

· The impact of York’s housing affordability problem on recruitment and retention of hospital staff, teachers and other key workers.

The Government has stated that local councils are not delivering enough social housing and are encouraging them to provide sufficient housing for the needs of their communities.

Council welcomes any decision that empowers local councils and

enables them to better address housing need in their areas.

Council therefore resolves to request that Executive:

· reviews its decision to proceed on the above market/affordable split on all publicly owned sites other than Lowfield (given the extent to which it is already progressed);

· includes within such a review a range of options that seek to boost social rent and discounted sale tenures, that will still create settled, mixed tenure communities;

· commits to reviewing the council’s HRA Business Plan once full details of the HRA debt cap removal are known, with a view to boosting the supply of homes local people can afford;

to demonstrate to the residents that it will act where it can to tackle York’s affordability crisis.”

Cllr Reid moved, and Cllr Hunter seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

- To remove bullet points 1 and 2 after ‘Council therefore resolves

to request that Executive’

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

A vote was then taken on the original motion, as altered by Cllr Reid’s amendment, which was CARRIED and it was

Resolved: That the original motion, as altered by Cllr Reid’s amendment, be approved as set out below.³

“Council notes:

· The Government’s desire to change the perception of social housing from a place of last resort to a housing type that accommodates a wide range of people, including key workers;

· The impact of York’s housing affordability problem on recruitment and retention of hospital staff, teachers and other key workers.

The Government has stated that local councils are not delivering enough social housing and are encouraging them to provide sufficient housing for the needs of their communities.

Council welcomes any decision that empowers local councils and

enables them to better address housing need in their areas.

Council therefore resolves to request that Executive commits to reviewing the council’s HRA Business Plan once full details of the HRA debt cap removal are known, with a view to boosting the supply of homes local people can afford; to demonstrate to the residents that it will act where it can to tackle York’s affordability crisis.”