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 Tuesday, 4 November 2025.

To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill in an online registration form. If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting then please contact Democratic Services. Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this public meeting will be webcast including any registered public speakers who have given their permission.  The remote public meeting can be viewed live and on demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

It was reported that there had been eight registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Gwen Swinburn spoke in relation to general governance matters within the remit of the Council. She expressed concern about having been denied a public speaking opportunity at the Extraordinary Council Meeting to appoint a new City of York Council (CYC) Chief Executive. That the Statutory Officer had altered the public participation protocol in the Council’s Constitution. She welcomed the appointment of the new CYC Chief Executive from North Yorkshire Council. That North Yorkshire Council was a beacon of good governance in many ways.

Flick Williams spoke remotely in relation to agenda item 7, Report of the Leader of the Council, and agenda item 14.1, Motions on Notice – Access to Transport for All. In relation to Dial-a-Ride, it was considered a travesty that there were continued delays after 22 months. That since its demise, changes to eligibility for hospital patient transport meant that people were declining medical appointments because they had no means of getting to them.

In relation to concessionary bus passes for disabled people there was agreement with the issues identified by the Liberal Democrat motion. That the cost was relatively low as it affected less than 10% of concessionary passes and did not affect holders of blind persons passes as these were already valid at any time of day. That bus operators should properly train their drivers because many were not aware, and visually impaired people were regularly challenged if they tried to use their pass before 9.00 a.m.

Another local anomaly was that concessionary passholders who boarded a bus at a park and ride site did not enjoy free travel between the specified times, merely a discounted ticket. There was disappointment that this was missing from the motion. That with the demise of the Bus Enhanced Partnership, individuals had lost the ability to raise issues such as these affecting disabled bus users and the promise of monthly reports on the tracker created by the Bus Accessibility Task and Finish Group was also lost.

Ben French spoke in relation to agenda item 14.2, Motions on Notice – Tackling Pollution in York’s Rivers. He spoke as a representative of York Green Party in support of the Labour Group motion proposed by Councillor Kent. He highlighted the need for a modern and fit for-purpose drainage system and proper pollution reduction. He also highlighted support for the Conservative Group amendment proposed by Councillor Steward in relation to locally driven action on pollution in rivers. That it was right to listen to partners and officers for direct practical solutions. There was a need for York's leaders and wider regional leaders to keep holding corporate bosses to account because ultimately taxpayers paid the price with the water system when things went wrong.

Christopher Copland spoke in relation to agenda item 14.2, Motions on Notice – Tackling Pollution in York’s Rivers. He spoke as a representative of York Friends of the Earth Group. That this motion was not only about sewage as the main issue with the poor state of rivers, water bodies and coastal waters related to a complex mix of chemicals and substances often masked by sewage. Run off from roads, engine oil, brake dust, fluids, tire particles. Run off from pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides from farmed fields. The spreading of sewage on farmland passed off as fertiliser. And the breakdown of litter, packaging, and other consumer items.

The fact that rivers remained in a heavily engineered state was also considered an issue. Concrete channels and infrastructure prevented rivers from being resilient to pollution as well as to the swings between flooding and drought, which had become more frequent, and resulted in rivers playing less of a part in natural flood management.

Michael Gray spoke in relation to agenda item 14.2, Motions on Notice – Tackling Pollution in York’s Rivers. He spoke as a representative of The River Society. It was highlighted that the Foss was not a healthy river. Water quality had been monitored, particularly organic pollution, by measuring nitrate, phosphate, and dissolved oxygen levels along the river. The river had always suffered from low flows which compounded the effect of pollution. The intensively drained farmland through which it flowed, and the extensive hard surfaces of its suburban areas all led to rapid run off so that water levels rise and fall rapidly. Monitoring had shown that both nitrate and phosphate levels caused problems in the Foss. According to University of York's published research, many other chemical pollutants were present in the river. There were long-term detrimental effects of dredging which destroyed the biological communities that mitigated pollution. It was agreed that phosphate loadings need to be reduced significantly, but it was nitrate that was the principal problem. Reducing nitrate concentrations would go a long way to improving water quality.

Heather Disley spoke in relation to York unity and safety. That York had always been one of the happiest and most welcoming cities in the country. But there was some concern that in recent months, certain groups had sought to intimidate. That their actions

had coincided with a rise in hate crimes, leaving international students, visitors, and lifelong residents feeling unsafe to walk through the city at night. There was concern that too often actions had gone unchecked. That silence emboldened these types of groups and sent out the wrong message that intimidation was tolerated. After undoubtedly costing City of York Council more than the initially quoted £250,000 in removals and repairs, groups had changed their approach. They were now misusing the image of the remembrance poppy and placing cheap plastic poppies on lamp posts without permission from the Royal British Legion. The poppy was not a weapon of intimidation. It was a symbol of remembrance and unity, honouring all those who gave their lives, not just white British servicemen, but the millions of soldiers from every background and corner of the Commonwealth who stood together in defence of freedom. That we must remember, reclaim, and defend the poppy's true meaning of respect, solidarity, and the hope for a peaceful world.

Geoff Beacon spoke in relation to agenda item 11, Recommendations of Executive. He reported on the effect of housing costs on poverty. That one solution to this was the development of eco-park homes, which given the level of biogenic carbon stored in them, could be carbon negative and provide an affordable alternative. This would help poor people in York who were paying a significant proportion of their income on housing costs.

Dr John Wilkinson spoke in relation to agenda item 14.2, Motions on Notice – Tackling Pollution in York’s Rivers. Dr John Wilkinson informed Council that he was a research scientist and studied chemical pollution in rivers around the world at the University of York. It was reported that research at the University of York had shown that the River Foss was amongst the most polluted for pharmaceutical contaminants across Europe. As part of his role he led the Aqua Project, Action for Quality Aquatic Environments. It brought together over 1,700 members of the public along with local charities, businesses, community groups, all to better understand and to reduce chemical and microbial pollution that threatened

York's rivers.  There was a shared mission as part of the Aqua Project towards a non-toxic aquatic environment. That just as the beauty of our city reflected the generations who cared for it, the

pollution in our rivers reflected the many pressures of modern life. The motion to tackle pollution in York's rivers, was a vital step in

changing that reflection. It's one that acknowledged the science, empowered communities, and looked towards a future non-toxic aquatic environment. This was not an issue that should be divided by politics. Clean water united us all and was essential to our health, to our environment, and to our city's identity.