Agenda item

Motions on Notice

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 Cllr Crawshaw

“Council notes:

· that culture is in the eye of the beholder and can mean different things to different people or groups;

· that offering a broad and balanced mix of culture, available to all York residents, is a crucial part of creating ‘a city that works for all’;

· that a musical performance can take many forms and the lines between musician, DJ, artist and performer are becoming increasingly blurred;

· that the recently developed Cultural Strategy makes little reference to the cultural significance of live music venues and nightclubs;

· that several of York’s high-profile music venues, Working Men’s Clubs and nightclubs have closed in recent years, with several others under threat.

Council believes:

· that there is an inherent value in bringing people together and sharing experiences;

· that the enjoyment of music and rhythm – live or recorded – crosses all social, cultural and economic boundaries;

· that pre-existing music venues should be supported and protected, particularly where the changing nature of the city centre, with increasing residential development, brings them into conflict with new neighbours;

· that nightclubs and performance venues can vary significantly, but that any problems – whatever their nature - should not preclude a venue from delivering greater cultural value through a different incarnation in the future;

· that a thriving, vibrant, diverse and responsibly managed early-evening, evening and night-time offer is a crucial part of the city’s economy.

Council resolves to call on Executive:

· to support the establishment of a York Music Venues Network, building on the existing work of the national charity Music Venues Trust at a local level;

· to work closely with the York Music Venues Network to assist in supporting and developing this crucial part of the city’s night-time economy;

· to include the York Music Venues Network in all future discussions relating to the city’s cultural offer;

· to include the York Music Venues Network as statutory consultees on all future developments in the city;

· to proactively work with ‘problem venues’ to ensure they are adding value to the city, giving them every chance to develop and change before the cultural potential of the space they occupy is lost;

· to endorse recognition of nightclubs and other ‘non-traditional’ performance spaces alongside live music venues as ‘Cultural Spaces’ under Local Plan Policy D3;

· to endorse routinely applying relevant Planning Conditions, in line with the “Agent of Change” policies reflected in Paragraph 182 of the 2019 NPPF, to all development surrounding “Cultural Venues” as recognised under Policy D3;

· to lobby the Government for legislative change to ensure music venues are eligible for business rate relief in the future.”

(ii) From Cllr Widdowson

“Council notes that the Conservative Government’s disastrous Brexit strategy, despite suffering numerous defeats in the House of Commons, will have serious consequences for jobs, our economy, our NHS and our place in the World. Council also notes that the national Labour Party leadership has failed to provide effective opposition to the Government’s Brexit plans, unlike the Liberal Democrats and other opposition parties.

Council further notes the hard work of ‘York for Europe’ supporters who have campaigned tirelessly to highlight the adverse consequences of Brexit for York and its citizens.

Council regrets:

· The unlawful proroguing of Parliament, supported by York Outer’s Conservative MP, which led to the biggest constitutional crisis faced by this country in recent years;

· That according to research produced by think tank ‘The UK in a Changing Europe’, Boris Johnson’s new Brexit deal could reduce UK GDP, per capita, over ten years by between 2.3% and 7%, when compared to remaining in the EU;

· That Conservative and some Labour MPs continue to risk crashing the UK out of the EU with no deal, as demonstrated by the votes against the recent and succesful ‘Letwin’ amendment;

· That Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, if agreed, does not remove the threat of ‘No Deal’, for the reason that if the Government fails to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with the EU, the UK will still crash out of the EU without a deal and any opportunity for parliamentary intervention;

· That the Labour Party has faced two ways on Brexit and have recently adopted a party policy which effectively abandons the 58% of York residents who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum; and

· That both private businesses and public-sector organisations, such as the NHS, are facing labour shortages, and that inflation caused by Brexit-related depreciation of the pound is further driving up living costs for York residents.

Council resolves:

· To continue its work to make preparations for the impacts of Brexit, including participating in the Local Resilience Forum; communicating with local stakeholders; investing £10K into Citizens Advice York to assist with EU Settlement Scheme applications and allocating a further £100K to create a Community Involvement Officer post, tasked with engaging EU nationals;

· To make clear in all that it does that citizens from the other 27 EU member states living and working in York are welcome and will continue to be welcome in our city;

· To lobby the Government to ensure that the rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK are protected; and

· That Group Leaders send a letter to the Government, lobbying for a final say to be given to the public in a referendum, before we leave, with the option to remain.”

(iii) From Cllr Kilbane

“Council believes that increased county lines activity has amplified the problem of illegal drug use in York and exacerbated a public health crisis that is causing significant harm to some of York’s most vulnerable residents and their communities. Council believes it is now an urgent priority to take a public health harm reduction approach to tackling illegal drug use and work with those directly affected by the problem.

Council notes:

· the devastating impact that the trade in drugs has on individuals and communities, including the exploitation of vulnerable adults and children, increased crime and anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods and the ensnaring of people into a life of illicit drug dependency;

· that multiple agencies, individuals and communities have made great efforts to combat the problem, and have achieved progress in spite of the difficulties involved;

· that most people develop dependencies on illicit drugs for multiple complex reasons and that mental health difficulties can be a common factor;

· that all York residents, regardless of age or social status, have the right to live healthy lives free from the harm caused by such drugs.

It further believes that to effectively tackle such activity, North Yorkshire Police relies on the engagement of those on the ground who are embedded in their communities - residents, people working on the front line and those taking illicit drugs themselves.

Council resolves to request that Executive:

· building on existing work, commissions a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy with partners based upon a public health harm reduction approach to drug misuse that runs alongside the criminal enforcement activities of North Yorkshire Police;

· develops that strategy, informed by global best practice, in conjunction with drug recovery practitioners, the CCG, mental health services, social services, housing and those who have lived or are living with the effects of illicit drug dependency;

· considers options for providing a package of support for those caught up in illegal drug use from drug outreach to specialist housing and social workers, mental health practitioners and/or other types of support workers;

· considers options to support those communities being targeted by drug dealers, such as community outreach workers;

· supports the inclusion of those working at street level in any partnership working approach between the council and other agencies;

· recognises the scale of the challenge and considers reversing cuts to substance misuse services.”

Minutes:

(i) Protecting Live Music Space

Moved by Cllr K Taylor and seconded by Cllr Lomas.

“Council notes:

· that culture is in the eye of the beholder and can mean different things to different people or groups;

· that offering a broad and balanced mix of culture, available to all York residents, is a crucial part of creating ‘a city that works for all’;

· that a musical performance can take many forms and the lines between musician, DJ, artist and performer are becoming increasingly blurred;

· that the recently developed Cultural Strategy makes little reference to the cultural significance of live music venues and nightclubs;

· that several of York’s high-profile music venues, Working Men’s Clubs and nightclubs have closed in recent years, with several others under threat.

Council believes:

· that there is an inherent value in bringing people together and sharing experiences;

· that the enjoyment of music and rhythm – live or recorded – crosses all social, cultural and economic boundaries;

· that a thriving, vibrant, diverse and responsibly managed early-evening, evening and night-time offer is a crucial part of the city’s economy.

Council resolves to call on Executive:

· to support the establishment of a York Music Venues Network, building on the existing work of the national charity Music Venues Trust at a local level;

· to work closely with the York Music Venues Network to assist in supporting and developing this crucial part of the city’s night-time economy;

· to include the York Music Venues Network in all future discussions relating to the city’s cultural offer;

· to include the York Music Venues Network as statutory consultees on all future developments in the city;

· to endorse recognition of nightclubs and other ‘non-traditional’ performance spaces alongside live music venues as ‘Cultural Spaces’ under Local Plan Policy D3;

· to lobby the Government for legislative change to ensure music venues are eligible for business rate relief in the future.”

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

Resolved: That the above motion be approved.¹

(ii) Brexit

Moved by Cllr Widdowson and seconded by Cllr Wann.

Council further notes the hard work of ‘York for Europe’ supporters who have campaigned tirelessly to highlight the adverse consequences of Brexit for York and its citizens.

Council regrets:

· The unlawful proroguing of Parliament, supported by York Outer’s Conservative MP, which led to the biggest constitutional crisis faced by this country in recent years;

· That Conservative and some Labour MPs continue to risk crashing the UK out of the EU with no deal, as demonstrated by the votes against the recent and succesful ‘Letwin’ amendment;

· That the Labour Party has faced two ways on Brexit and have recently adopted a party policy which effectively abandons the 58% of York residents who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum; and

Council resolves:

· To make clear in all that it does that citizens from the other 27 EU member states living and working in York are welcome and will continue to be welcome in our city;

· To lobby the Government to ensure that the rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK are protected; and

· That Group Leaders send a letter to the Government, lobbying for a final say to be given to the public in a referendum, before we leave, with the option to remain.”

Cllr Perrett then moved, and Cllr Myers seconded, and amendment to the motion, as follows:

“In the first paragraph:

- In the first sentence, after ‘Council notes that the’, insert ‘current’

- In the second sentence, after ‘Council also notes’:

· delete ‘that’

· delete all from ‘national’ to ‘alongside’ and insert ‘ongoing efforts of’

· delete all from ‘the’ to ‘other and insert after ‘opposition parties’…..‘nationally, in holding the Government accountable on the impact of its approach to Brexit.’

In the second paragraph:

after ‘citizens’, insert ‘, and who worked constructively, cross-party, on its recent concordat, in which all signatories committed to finding a way to heal the current divide.’

Under the section ‘Council regrets’:

- in the 3^rd bullet point, add ‘the’ after ‘That’ and after ‘Conservative’ add ‘Government’ and remove the words ‘and some Labour MPs’

- in the 5^th bullet point, after ‘That’ add ‘the opportunity to’ and remove from ‘the’ to ;and’ and add ‘negotiate a final say referendum may be lost through short-term political posturing;’

- Add a new 6^th bullet point as follows:

‘That the political leadership required to bring both sides of the Brexit argument together, respecting the democratic principles of this country and upon which far more than Brexit is dependent, has been largely absent’

Under the section ‘Council resolves’:

- Add a new 1^st bullet point as follows:

‘To seek common ground across the political spectrum and to do our part to avoid a damaging deal or no-deal Brexit’;

- Add a new 2^nd bullet point as follows:

‘To commit to ending the divisive nature of the discourse surrounding Brexit by respecting those with whose views we may disagree, by working to end the current harmful polarisation and bring the city and country back together again;’

- Former bullet point 1 becomes bullet point 3. After the word ‘applications’, delete all of what remains of that bullet point;

- Former bullet point 2 becomes bullet point 4, after which add the following new bullet point 5:

‘To request that the Executive commits to details Brexit impact assessments on Council Departments without which, significant future costs to the Council could remain hidden and unplanned for’;”

The motion, as amended, now read as follows (amendments in italics):

“Council notes that the current Conservative Government’s disastrous Brexit strategy, despite suffering numerous defeats in the House of Commons, will have serious consequences for jobs, our economy, our NHS and our place in the World. Council also notes the ongoing efforts of opposition parties nationally, in holding the Government accountable on the impact of its approach to Brexit.

Council further notes the hard work of ‘York for Europe’ supporters who have campaigned tirelessly to highlight the adverse consequences of Brexit for York and its citizens, and who have worked constructively, cross-party, on its recent concordat, in which signatories committed to finding a way to heal the current divide.

Council regrets:

· The unlawful proroguing of Parliament, supported by York Outer’s Conservative MP, which led to the biggest constitutional crisis faced by this country in recent years;

· That the Conservative Government continues to risk crashing the UK out of the EU with no deal, as demonstrated by the votes against the recent and successful ‘Letwin’ amendment;

· That the opportunity to negotiate a final-say referendum may be lost through short-term political posturing;

· That the political leadership required to bring both sides of the Brexit argument together, respecting the democratic principles of this country and upon which far more than Brexit is dependent, has been largely absent;

Council resolves:

· To seek common ground across the political spectrum and to do our part to avoid a damaging deal or no-deal Brexit;

· To commit to ending the divisive nature of the discourse surrounding Brexit by respecting those with whose views we may disagree, by working to end the current harmful polarisation and bring the city and country back together again;

· To make clear in all that it does that citizens from the other 27 EU member states living and working in York are welcome and will continue to be welcome in our city;

· To request that the Executive commits to detailed Brexit impact assessments on Council Departments without which, significant future costs to the Council could remain hidden and unplanned for;

· To lobby the Government to ensure that the rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK are protected; and

· That Group Leaders send a letter to the Government, lobbying for a final say to be given to the public in a referendum, before we leave, with the option to remain.”

On being put to the vote, the amendment was declared CARRIED and it was

Resolved: That the above motion, as amended, be approved.²

(iii) County Lines

Moved by Cllr Kilbane and seconded by Cllr Douglas.

Council notes:

· that multiple agencies, individuals and communities have made great efforts to combat the problem, and have achieved progress in spite of the difficulties involved;

· that most people develop dependencies on illicit drugs for multiple complex reasons and that mental health difficulties can be a common factor;

· that all York residents, regardless of age or social status, have the right to live healthy lives free from the harm caused by such drugs.

Council resolves to request that Executive:

· considers options to support those communities being targeted by drug dealers, such as community outreach workers;

· supports the inclusion of those working at street level in any partnership working approach between the council and other agencies;

· recognises the scale of the challenge and considers reversing cuts to substance misuse services.”

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

Resolved: That the above motion be approved.³