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.”