Agenda item

To consider the following Motions on Notice under Standing Order B10:

 

Motions submitted for consideration directly by Council, in accordance with Standing Order B10:

 

i)                From Cllr Whitcroft

 

Introduction of a Visitor Levy

 

“Council notes:

 

·     that York attracts over 8 million visitors annually, significantly contributing to the local economy but placing additional strain on infrastructure, public services, and the local environment;

·     that many cities, such as Venice and Amsterdam, successfully employ tourist levies to offset these impacts, without deterring visitors to the local economy;

·     a visitor levy could provide additional revenue for maintaining public spaces, public transport, heritage conservation, waste management, sustainability projects, supporting the city’s long-term goals and for promoting York;

·     that recent budget consultations demonstrated strong public support for the introduction of a visitor levy in York, with around 90% of York residents who responded to the consultation in favour. 

 

Council believes:

 

·     it is great to live in a place that millions of people from all over the world want to come and spend time in;

·     welcome though visitors are, a visitor levy would allow York to ensure visitors contribute fairly to the city's upkeep and to its sustainability, and to better manage the pressures that mass tourism brings;

·     funds should be ring-fenced for projects and initiatives that enhance the visitor and resident experience, improve public services, provide better facilities and reduce the environmental impact of tourism;

·     evidence from numerous cities shows a modest visitor levy would not deter tourists and is now an accepted contribution across Europe to the costs of maintaining and enhancing popular visitor destinations;

·     the council should work to develop the case for a tourism visitor levy with its partners, including the hospitality, arts and culture sectors, as well as with business and residents’ groups.

 

Council resolves to ask Executive to continue to progress:

 

·    exploring the feasibility and practical mechanisms for introducing a visitor levy for overnight stays, including for short-term holidays lets, in consultation with local businesses, residents, and hospitality industry stakeholders;

·    researching visitor levy models from other cities to determine the best approach for York, including an Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID) option;

·    lobbying central government to grant local authorities the necessary legal powers to implement a compulsory visitor levy;

 

in order to ensure York’s tourism remains sustainable, benefiting residents and visitors alike.”

 

ii)             From Cllr Fenton

 

Changes to disability and long-term sickness benefits

 

“Council notes that:

 

·    The Government is bringing forward a Green Paper on changes to disability and long-term sickness benefits, including Personal Independence Payments (PIP)

·    PIP is a benefit not linked to work that is designed to help people with the additional unavoidable costs of their disablement

·    Reports have suggested that the Government is considering freezing PIP payments in 2026 and tightening eligibility criteria, including for reassessments

·    Many disabled people use PIP to cover the cost of getting to and from work, for paying for essential equipment and for meeting social care charges

·    The Resolution Foundation has commented that “Freezing PIP next year will result in a real-terms income loss for around four million people, 70 per cent of whom are in low-to-middle income households”

·    The York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said that “If the Government cuts disability and long-term sickness benefits it will be unethical, short-sighted and can only deepen hardship.”

·    York Central MP Rachael Maskell has said that “it is right that the Chancellor has oversight over all those budgets but not at the expense of pushing disabled people into poverty.”

·    York Outer MP Luke Charters has signed a letter which states “As MPs, we understand that delivering this new social contract requires hard choices to be made. We welcome the work that has begun to rebuild our welfare system, and we are fully supportive of it.”

·    If reports of a £5bn cut to PIP turn out to be true, this would be greater than the cut that led former Conservative Work & Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to resign from Government in 2016

 

Council believes that:

 

If the Government does decide to make significant cuts to PIP and other disability and long-term sickness benefits, there is likely to be a direct impact on City of York Council and its partners in a number of ways, such as:

·    An increase in demand for council financial assistance through schemes such as the York Financial Assistance Schemes

·    An increase in demand for the council’s means-tested Disabled Facilities Grant

·    Increased demand for advice and support from the council’s Local Area Co-ordinators (with the team already carrying vacancies) and partners such as Citizens Advice York

·    An increase in the number of disabled residents who may be unable to afford care charges, impacting on their ability to continue to live independently

·    Those disabled people currently in receipt of the high rate mobility component of PIP whose awards are downgraded will lose entitlement to a Motability vehicle, which would impact significantly on social isolation and create further dependence

 

Council resolves:

 

·    To request the relevant Scrutiny Committee to undertake a review via a Task and Finish Group, when detailed Government proposals on disability and long-term sickness benefits are known in order to identify likely impacts on the demand for support from the council and its local partners.”

 

iii)           From Cllr Baxter

 

Working to tackle the growing epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG)

 

“Council notes:

 

·    its approved 2021 VAWG motion and the worsening situation four years on;

·    the Government’s commitment to halve VAWG in the next decade but recognises that this bold ambition requires action from everyone;

·    that VAWG is significantly underreported. North Yorkshire Police recorded 2000 domestic abuse incidents for York last year but estimates indicate more than 4000;

·    that commissioned support services in York and North Yorkshire supported 14,000 victims and survivors of domestic abuse in 2023/24;

·    that children witnessing domestic abuse causes them significant harm;

·    the physical and emotional cost of VAWG on survivors and their families, friends and communities is devastating and includes depression, PTSD, brain injuries, long-term pain, self-harm, miscarriage and other pregnancy complications;

·    National Police Chiefs Council reported that between April 2022 to March 2023 more women died by suicide following domestic abuse than by being killed by a partner;

·    research has drawn a link between misogynistic online content and unhealthy and negative attitudes to relationships;

·    the York Schools Survey highlights around 15% of children disagree that hitting or kicking and sharing undressed or sexual photos of a person with someone else is always wrong in a relationship.  Under half thought that telling a partner what to wear, checking where they are all the time and being jealous is always wrong;

·    approval of York and North Yorkshire’s Domestic Abuse Strategy in 2024, the council’s recent Domestic Abuse Resident and Tenant Policy and the council’s commitment to work towards Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) accreditation.

 

Council believes:

 

·    VAWG is an epidemic and responding to it is everyone’s responsibility;

·    sexism and misogyny, as some of the drivers of domestic abuse, must be addressed early through prevention work with children and young people;

·    action is needed from councillors, the justice system, education and NHS partners and Combined Authorities to turn the tide on VAWG in our communities;

·    that survivors in York should have the right to access specialist, trauma-informed support;

·    specialist services are best placed to support survivors and likely to result in less need for additional service support in the future.

 

Council resolves:

 

·    that City of York Council’s (CYC) Domestic Abuse Awareness Day, which took place last December during 16 days of action to tackle VAWG, be repeated each year, with learning shared with CYC Human Resources and partner organisations encouraged to run similar events;

·    to ask the Council Leader to write to other council leaders in our region to encourage them adopt a similar approach around awareness raising across services and about VAWG being everyone’s responsibility;

·    to work closely with survivors and local specialist and ‘by and for’ services to understand the impact of VAWG in York;

·    building on existing good work at Vale of York Academy, to work through both the council and local Multi Academy Trust chains to ensure comprehensive education on healthy relationships and respect for women and girls is available in all schools across York;

·    that the Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities uses the new council reporting format to frequently update the public on steps being taken to reduce VAWG, and to hold the council and partners to account on these commitments.”

 

 

 

i.       Introduction of a Visitor Levy

 

Moved by Cllr Whitcroft and seconded by Cllr Clarke.

 

“Council notes:

 

·     that York attracts over 8 million visitors annually, significantly contributing to the local economy but placing additional strain on infrastructure, public services, and the local environment;

·     that many cities, such as Venice and Amsterdam, successfully employ tourist levies to offset these impacts, without deterring visitors to the local economy;

·     a visitor levy could provide additional revenue for maintaining public spaces, public transport, heritage conservation, waste management, sustainability projects, supporting the city’s long-term goals and for promoting York;

·     that recent budget consultations demonstrated strong public support for the introduction of a visitor levy in York, with around 90% of York residents who responded to the consultation in favour. 

 

Council believes:

 

·     it is great to live in a place that millions of people from all over the world want to come and spend time in;

·     welcome though visitors are, a visitor levy would allow York to ensure visitors contribute fairly to the city's upkeep and to its sustainability, and to better manage the pressures that mass tourism brings;

·     funds should be ring-fenced for projects and initiatives that enhance the visitor and resident experience, improve public services, provide better facilities and reduce the environmental impact of tourism;

·     evidence from numerous cities shows a modest visitor levy would not deter tourists and is now an accepted contribution across Europe to the costs of maintaining and enhancing popular visitor destinations;

·     the council should work to develop the case for a tourism visitor levy with its partners, including the hospitality, arts and culture sectors, as well as with business and residents’ groups.

 

Council resolves to ask Executive to continue to progress:

 

·     exploring the feasibility and practical mechanisms for introducing a visitor levy for overnight stays, including for short-term holidays lets, in consultation with local businesses, residents, and hospitality industry stakeholders;

·     researching visitor levy models from other cities to determine the best approach for York, including an Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID) option;

·     lobbying central government to grant local authorities the necessary legal powers to implement a compulsory visitor levy;

 

in order to ensure York’s tourism remains sustainable, benefiting residents and visitors alike.”

 

Cllr Warters then moved, and Cllr Rowley seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

 

“After ‘Council notes’ and after the fourth bullet point add a fifth bullet point with the following wording;

·     In addition there is of course the long standing public support in York for an end to the Council Tax Educational Exemption that sees York, as a University City, disproportionately affected with a loss in Council Tax revenue now approaching £7 million a year.

 

After ‘Council believes’ and after the second bullet point insert a further bullet point to read;

·     Reforming the Council Tax system to ensure students living in York also contribute fairly to the City’s upkeep, its sustainability and to better manage the pressures that being a University City brings.

 

After ‘Council resolves to ask Executive to continue to progress’ and after the third bullet point add a fourth bullet point to say the following;

·     Lobbying Central Government for a urgent review of Council Tax legislation with a request for removal of the Council Tax Educational Exemption in the interests of residents, visitors and students and the equitable treatment of all in being levied taxation to support the places they live or visit.

 

In the final sentence of the motion delete of the words ‘York’s tourism’ and to add after the word ‘ensure’ the following;

‘the maintenance of York is better funded and’.”

 

On being put to the vote the amendment was declared LOST.

 

Cllr Widdowson then moved, and Cllr Mason seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

 

“Under ‘Council resolves…’, after the third bullet point add two additional bullet points:    

·     ‘the introduction of a tourism levy – in voluntary or mandatory form - by May 2027 at the latest;

·     the start of consulting the existing BID and Hospitality Association of York over the introduction of the tourism levy;’”

 

In relation to a point of order raised by Cllr Crawshaw pursuant to Rule B19 (1) (e), the Monitoring Officer confirmed that there was presently no legislation in place allowing for the introduction of a mandatory tourism levy, and that any voluntary levy would need to be done via the York BID rather than by the Council; the amendment remained valid as it asked the Executive to undertake an action rather than committing Council to take an action, and therefore the Executive were at liberty to disregard it.

 

On being put to the vote the amendment was declared LOST.

 

Following debate, a vote was taken on the substantive motion, which was declared CARRIED and it was

 

Resolved: That the above motion be approved.

 

ii.       Changes to disability and long-term sickness benefits

 

With Council’s agreement Cllr J Burton’s amendment was incorporated into Cllr Fenton’s motion. Cllr Fenton then moved, and Cllr J Burton seconded, the following motion.

 

“Council notes that:

 

·     The Government is bringing forward a Green Paper on changes to disability and long-term sickness benefits, including Personal Independence Payments (PIP)

·     PIP is a benefit not linked to work that is designed to help people with the additional unavoidable costs of being disabled;

·     Reports have suggested that the Government is considering freezing PIP payments in 2026 and tightening eligibility criteria, including for reassessments

·     Many disabled people use PIP to cover the cost of getting to and from work, for paying for essential equipment and for meeting social care charges

·     The Resolution Foundation has commented that “Freezing PIP next year will result in a real-terms income loss for around four million people, 70 per cent of whom are in low-to-middle income households”

·     The York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said that “If the Government cuts disability and long-term sickness benefits it will be unethical, short-sighted and can only deepen hardship.”

·     The fear that many disabled people feel around the impact of any cut to PIP

·     The need for careful language when discussing issues around welfare or disability so as not to unnecessarily demonise those in need or give any validation to those who wrongfully or maliciously characterise welfare recipients as scroungers or undeserving;

·     York Central MP Rachael Maskell has said that “it is right that the Chancellor has oversight over all those budgets but not at the expense of pushing disabled people into poverty.”

·     York Outer MP Luke Charters has signed a letter which states “As MPs, we understand that delivering this new social contract requires hard choices to be made. We welcome the work that has begun to rebuild our welfare system, and we are fully supportive of it.”

·     If reports of a £5bn cut to PIP turn out to be true, this would be greater than the cut that led former Conservative Work & Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to resign from Government in 2016

 

Council believes that:

 

·     Reviewing welfare support to ensure all members of society are able to engage with society and live fulfilling lives is welcome;

·     Any review of welfare support should not be predicated on a pre-determined cost saving;

·     Support for disabled people has been severely impacted by years of austerity. Disabled people need better support, not a cut in income.

 

If the Government does decide to make significant cuts to PIP and other disability and long-term sickness benefits, there is likely to be a direct impact on City of York Council and its partners in a number of ways, such as:

·     An increase in demand for council financial assistance through schemes such as the York Financial Assistance Schemes

·     An increase in demand for the council’s means-tested Disabled Facilities Grant

·     Increased demand for advice and support from the council’s Local Area Co-ordinators and partners such as Citizens Advice York

·     An increase in the number of disabled residents who may be unable to afford care charges, impacting on their ability to continue to live independently

·     Those disabled people currently in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of PIP, who have a Motobility vehicle and whose awards are downgraded would lose entitlement to a Motability vehicle, which would impact significantly on social isolation and create further dependence and could stop them being able to get to and from work. (PIP is not an out of work benefit).

 

Council resolves:

 

·     To ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Prime Minister to express;

o    this Council’s strong belief that welfare reform must not be predicated on financial savings and in particular, cuts to PIP;

o    that as a Council we recognise the difficult financial situation the country faces and believe the correct way to address this is by tackling the enormous wealth inequalities that exist in our society, not by removing desperately needed support from those least able to bear the cost;

o    the severe impact of austerity on support services and the soaring levels of need;

o    that following the social model of disability necessitates that National and Local Government work tirelessly to remove barriers – whether physical or financial – to ensure disabled people are able to live socially, emotionally and financially secure and fulfilling lives which puts them on an equal footing with non-disabled people;

 

·     To request the relevant Scrutiny Committee to undertake a review via a Task and Finish Group, when detailed Government proposals on disability and long-term sickness benefits are known in order to identify likely impacts on the demand for support from the council and its local partners.”

 

During the debate, Cllr Crawshaw moved and Cllr Ayre seconded a motion without notice to extend the length of the meeting by up to 30 minutes to allow for a full debate on motions ii. and iii. On being put to the vote this was declared CARRIED unanimously.

 

Following a point of order being raised by Cllr Webb pursuant to Rule B19 (1) (b) in relation to the language used by Cllr Warters, Cllr Webb moved and Cllr Lomas seconded a motion without notice pursuant to Rule B25 that Cllr Warters no longer be heard and that the next speaker be moved to. This motion was declared CARRIED, and the next speaker was moved to.

 

Following further debate, on being put to the vote the substantive motion was declared CARRIED and it was

 

Resolved: That the above motion be approved.

 

iii.      Working to tackle the growing epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG)

 

Moved by Cllr Baxter and seconded by Cllr Steels-Walshaw.

 

“Council notes:

 

·     its approved 2021 VAWG motion and the worsening situation four years on;

·     the Government’s commitment to halve VAWG in the next decade but recognises that this bold ambition requires action from everyone;

·     that VAWG is significantly underreported. North Yorkshire Police recorded 2000 domestic abuse incidents for York last year but estimates indicate more than 4000;

·     that commissioned support services in York and North Yorkshire supported 14,000 victims and survivors of domestic abuse in 2023/24;

·     that children witnessing domestic abuse causes them significant harm;

·     the physical and emotional cost of VAWG on survivors and their families, friends and communities is devastating and includes depression, PTSD, brain injuries, long-term pain, self-harm, miscarriage and other pregnancy complications;

·     National Police Chiefs Council reported that between April 2022 to March 2023 more women died by suicide following domestic abuse than by being killed by a partner;

·     research has drawn a link between misogynistic online content and unhealthy and negative attitudes to relationships;

·     the York Schools Survey highlights around 15% of children disagree that hitting or kicking and sharing undressed or sexual photos of a person with someone else is always wrong in a relationship.  Under half thought that telling a partner what to wear, checking where they are all the time and being jealous is always wrong;

·     approval of York and North Yorkshire’s Domestic Abuse Strategy in 2024, the council’s recent Domestic Abuse Resident and Tenant Policy and the council’s commitment to work towards Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) accreditation.

 

Council believes:

 

·     VAWG is an epidemic and responding to it is everyone’s responsibility;

·     sexism and misogyny, as some of the drivers of domestic abuse, must be addressed early through prevention work with children and young people;

·     action is needed from councillors, the justice system, education and NHS partners and Combined Authorities to turn the tide on VAWG in our communities;

·     that survivors in York should have the right to access specialist, trauma-informed support;

·     specialist services are best placed to support survivors and likely to result in less need for additional service support in the future.

 

Council resolves:

 

·     that City of York Council’s (CYC) Domestic Abuse Awareness Day, which took place last December during 16 days of action to tackle VAWG, be repeated each year, with learning shared with CYC Human Resources and partner organisations encouraged to run similar events;

·     to ask the Council Leader to write to other council leaders in our region to encourage them adopt a similar approach around awareness raising across services and about VAWG being everyone’s responsibility;

·     to work closely with survivors and local specialist and ‘by and for’ services to understand the impact of VAWG in York;

·     building on existing good work at Vale of York Academy, to work through both the council and local Multi Academy Trust chains to ensure comprehensive education on healthy relationships and respect for women and girls is available in all schools across York;

·     that the Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities uses the new council reporting format to frequently update the public on steps being taken to reduce VAWG, and to hold the council and partners to account on these commitments.”

 

During debate, following a point of order being raised by Cllr Lomas pursuant to Rule B19 (1) (b) in relation to the language used by Cllr Warters, Cllr Lomas moved and Cllr Webb seconded a motion without notice pursuant to Rule B25 that Cllr Warters no longer be heard and that the next speaker be moved to. This motion was declared CARRIED, and the next speaker was moved to.

 

[Cllr Warters left the meeting at 10:03 pm].

 

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

 

Resolved: That the above motion be approved.

 

Action Required
1.   Note approval of the motion relating to Introduction of a Visitor Levy and take any action required. 2.   Note approval of the motion relating to Changes to disability and long-term sickness benefits and take any action required. 3.   Note approval of the motion relating to Working to tackle the growing epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and take any action required.	DM/NW/KL/PK     NW/CD/SS/PS/LSW       HW/PR/NW/ MS/LSW/CD/MP