Agenda item

Notices of Motion

Meeting of Council, Thursday, 10 April 2008 6.30 pm (Item 84.)

To consider the following Notices of Motion under Standing Order 11:

A – Motions referred from the Executive in accordance with Standing Order 11(a)(i)

(i) From Cllr Fraser:

“The Council is concerned that whilst businesses in the inner core of the City Centre are thriving, some of the City Centre peripheral streets such as Goodramgate, Micklegate and to a lesser extent Fossgate, were not perceived as benefiting from this prosperity and are, in some cases, taking on a somewhat “run down” look. Further, Council notes that a review of the Council`s footstreets scheme is currently under way and determines that regard should be had to this issue, in the conduct of that review. Finally, Council resolves to allocate adequate resources, including Officer time, to research this problem, and to develop an Action Plan, to include an economic regeneration strategy, to address this issue and to encourage a culture of vibrancy and prosperity, in these streets.”

Note: the above Notice of Motion was referred to Executive by Council on 4 October 2007, for consideration with an Officer report under Standing Order 11(a)(ii)(b), and referred back to Council by the Executive on 26 February 2008. The Executive recommendations and the Officer report are attached at pages 45-55.

(ii) From Cllr Potter:

“Bearing in mind that older people in York account for 19.4% (35,185) of the population compared with 13.6% nationally, the Older People's Assembly welcomes the recent World Health Organisation Guidance on building age-friendly cities. It invites the Council to support the adoption in York of the following key features in the Guidance in order to bring about significant improvements to the lives of older people locally:

1. A civic culture that respects and includes older people.

2. A Council that regularly seeks the views of older people and reflects their opinions in policy developments

3. Well - maintained and well - lit pavements.

4. Improved repair and renewal of uneven pavements, and visible enforcement of litter laws.

5. Increased attention to gully and drain cleansing and treatment of footpaths in icy weather.

6. Public buildings that are fully accessible to people with disabilities.

7. Improved bus travel with the use of smaller vehicles for routes off the main roads. Ensuring all bus drivers are more passenger focused and wait for older people to be seated before starting off.

8. Housing integrated in the community that accommodates changing needs and abilities, as people grow older.

9. Friendly and personalised information in plain language instead of automated answering services.

10. Sufficient and well signed public toilets that are clean, secure and accessible by people with disabilities.

11. Sufficient public seating that is well situated, well maintained, and safe.

12. Encouraging commercial premises to make their toilets available to the general public.”

Note: The above Notice of Motion was referred to Council by the Executive on 29/1/08. The Executive recommendations and the report to Executive are attached at pages 57-65.

(iii) From Cllr Scott:

“Council believes that residents should have the ability to influence the local provision of services. It recognises the importance of Neighbourhood Management and the need to link the Local Strategic Partnership and Local Area Agreement to neighbourhood initiatives rather than imposing decisions from the top. By listening to the local community, services are made more responsive whilst at the same time promoting democracy and participation.

Council proposes an approach to community leadership and neighbourhood management that recognises the key role that local councillors have to play in leading and inspiring communities to take pride in improvements that are driven by residents themselves. Current thinking demands that local councils step back from the traditional role of service provider and instead provide increasingly localised services that don’t assume ownership by the Council but whose development has been shaped by local residents. It recognises that one size doesn’t necessarily fit all. We believe that this Council must drive service improvement by empowering, building confidence and supporting residents. This will increase democratic participation.

Council requests the Executive to report back to Council on:

1) the possibilities for increasing localisation and devolvement of services to the community level:

2) progress with Neighbourhood Charters or Action Plans;

3) citywide consultation at household level, engagement and reporting provisions needed to ensure ward level delivery meets local expectations, and:

4) the extension of participatory budgeting and partnership delivery models.”

Note: The above Notice of Motion was referred to Council by the Executive on 26 February 2008. The Executive recommendations are attached at pages 67-71. Cllr Scott has given notice that he will seek to withdraw this motion, with Council’s consent, at the meeting and substitute the motion on web-casting listed as no. (vi) under B below.

B – Motions submitted for consideration directly by Council, in accordance with Standing Orders 11(a)(ii)

(iv) From Cllr Ayre:

“Council notes:

1) the increase in Landfill Tax from “24 per tonne to £32 per tonne from 1^st April 2008;

2) that when the Landfill Tax was established in 1996 it was stated that it would not be a net revenue raiser by HM Treasury;

3) that despite protests from councils of all political persuasions as co-ordinated by the Local Government Association (LGA) still no commitment has been made by central government to return the increased revenues to local government to assist with the provision of improved recycling services;

4) that revenues which could be utilised to boost still further the York recycling rate, through additional kerbside collections and improvements in the range of materials collected, will otherwise be lost from this local authority.

Council requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and to the four MPs for the City of York Council area stating the above concerns of this Council.”

(v) From Cllr Galvin:

“This Council instructs the appropriate officer to open discussion with the Post Office on the possibility of the Council taking over the running of the Fulford, Haxby Road, Micklegate and Clifton Green Post Offices and in so doing safeguard these valuable community assets. A report on the discussions to be brought back to the next Ordinary meeting of full Council. Furthermore, this Council expresses its dismay at our Labour Member of Parliament for failing to support the retention of Post Offices in the recent Commons debate.”

(vi) From Cllr Scott:

“Council notes the increasing use of technology by public institutions to communicate with the public. Such developments can be evidenced in every public sector organisation in the country. Mainstream political parties have taken advantage of new forms of communication such as YouTube and MySpace websites, as well as social networking websites such as Facebook and Bebo.

Council believes that technological developments in the public sector should not be limited to exercises such as consultations and voter registrations. The public should be given every opportunity to engage with the decision-making process and, more specifically, meetings of Full Council. This could open up the decision-making process to a whole new section of the local population, making it more inclusive and transparent. Not only will this enable the public to witness elected Members debating local issues, it could also prompt better communication between councillor and constituent, strengthening local democracy.

To this end, Council requests that:

1) Officers prepare a report on the feasibility of web-casting meetings of Full Council, as well as other Council meetings. The report should consider:

· The various options, from contracting outside services to providing services ‘in house’.

· The cost effectiveness of such an exercise, based on overall cost against numbers likely to view web-casts from outside City of York Council.

· The feasibility of recordings being placed on the Council’s website and other hosting websites.

2) Officers present this report to the Executive not later than 17 June, in order that the issue can be referred to the 30 June meeting of Full Council.”

(viii) From Cllr Firth:

“Council notes:

1) There is a major concern from the armed forces, local residents and the country as a whole, that the covenant between the armed forces and the government has been systematically destroyed over recent years, resulting in over-commitment of our limited forces, inadequate equipment and a total lack of quality, specialist medical care for servicemen.

2) York has a long-standing and important affiliation with the army and is currently home to a large number of Gurkha soldiers and their families. The recent decision to stop retired Gurkha servicemen from remaining in the UK and receiving desperately needed medical treatment is a disgrace and should be rescinded.

Council requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Secretary of State for Defence, and to the four MPs for the City of York Council area to request that the government affirms its commitment to the covenant with the armed forces, and to call for an end to the immoral and divisive treatment currently suffered by retired Gurkha soldiers.”

Minutes:

Prior to consideration of the Notices of Motion submitted under Standing Order 11, Cllr Scott moved, Cllr Gillies seconded and Council agreed, a motion to suspend Standing Orders to enable an additional motion to be moved, of which notice had not been given.

Cllr Simpson-Laing then moved, and Cllr Gillies seconded, the additional motion, as follows:

“The City of York Council calls upon its Chief Executive Officer to arrange urgent talks, with a view to preventing a reduction in bus service to the residents of York, with Moir Lockhead, the Chief Executive of First UK, Richard Eames, Managing Director of First York, the Executive Member for City Strategy, the Shadow Executive Member for City Strategy and the Director of City Strategy to discuss the changes to be made to bus services by First York, which will have drastic consequences in relation to:

the ability for York residents to travel to work, education, shop and access to health facilities
will result in increased traffic levels on many routes
will result in increased levels of poor air quality

Council requests that the meeting is convened before the 18^th April so that any alterations to the proposed changes to services can be lodged with the Traffic Commissioner before the closing date.”

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

“At the end of the motion, add:

‘Council calls upon Government to match its words by giving councils more control over bus company fares and routes, and to fully fund any changes to local authorities of national policies which impact on council transport budgets.”

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

The original motion was then put to the vote and was declared CARRIED and it was

RESOLVED: That the above motion be approved.¹

Seven Notices of Motion had been submitted under Standing Order 11, of which three had been referred from the Executive with recommendations and four submitted for consideration directly by Council.

(i) Businesses in City Centre Peripheral Streets

This motion had been referred to the Executive by Council on 4 October 2007 and referred back to Council on 26 February 2008.

It was moved by Cllr Fraser and seconded by Cllr Looker that:

“This Council is concerned that whilst businesses in the inner core of the City Centre are thriving, some of the City Centre peripheral streets such as Goodramgate, Micklegate and Fossgate, were not perceived as benefiting from this prosperity and are, in some cases, taking on a somewhat ‘run down’ look. Further, Council notes that a review of the Council’s footstreets scheme is currently under way and determines that regard should be had to this issue, in the conduct of that review. Finally, Council resolves to allocate adequate resources, including Officer time, to research this problem, and to develop an Action Plan, to include an economic regeneration strategy, to address this issue and to encourage a culture of vibrancy and prosperity, in these streets.”

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

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion, and the Executive recommendations thereon, be approved.²

(ii) Landfill Tax

It was moved by Cllr Ayre and seconded by Cllr Waller that:

“Council notes:

1) The increase in Landfill Tax from £24 per tonne to £32 per tonne from 1^st April 2008;

2) That when the Landfill Tax was established in 1996 it was stated that it would not be a net revenue raiser by HM Treasury;

3) That despite protests from councils of all political persuasions as co-ordinated by the Local Government Association (LGA) still no commitment has been made by central government to return the increased revenues to local government to assist with the provision of improved recycling services;

4) That revenues which could be utilised to boost still further the York recycling rate, through additional kerbside collections and improvements in the range of materials collected, will otherwise be lost from this local authority.

Council requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Local Affairs, and to the four MPs for the City of York Council area stating the above concerns of the Council.”

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

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion be approved.³

(iii) Age-Friendly Cities

This motion had been referred to Council by the Executive on 29 January 2008.

It was moved by Cllr Potter and seconded by Cllr D’Agorne that:

“Bearing in mind that older people in York account for 19.4% (35,185) of the population, compared with 13.6% nationally, the Older People’s Assembly welcomes the recent World Health Organisation Guidance on building age-friendly cities. It invites the Council to support the adoption in York of the following key features in the Guidance in order to bring about significant improvements to the lives of older people locally:

1) A civic culture that respects and includes older people.

2) A Council that regularly seeks the views of older people and reflects their opinions in policy developments.

3) Well-maintained and well-lit pavements.

4) Improved repair and renewal of uneven pavements, and visible enforcement of litter laws.

5) Increased attention to gully and drain cleansing and treatment of footpaths in icy weather.

6) Public buildings that are fully accessible to people with disabilities.

7) Improved bus travel with the use of smaller vehicles for routes off the main roads. Ensuring all bus drivers are more passenger focused and wait for older people to be seated before starting off.

8) Housing integrated in the community that accommodates changing needs and abilities, as people grow older.

9) Friendly and personalised information in plain language instead of automated answering services.

10) Sufficient and well signed public toilets that are clean, secure and accessible by people with disabilities.

11) Sufficient public seating that is well situated, well maintained and safe.

12) Encouraging commercial premises to make their toilets available to the general public.

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

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion, and the Executive recommendations thereon, be approved.⁴

(iv) Post Offices

It was moved by Cllr Gillies and seconded by Cllr Brooks that:

“This Council instructs the appropriate officers to open discussion with the Post Office on the possibility of the Council taking over the running of the Fulford, Haxby Road, Micklegate and Clifton Green Post Offices and in so doing safeguard these valuable community assets. A report on the discussions to be brought back to the next Ordinary meeting of full Council. Furthermore, this Council expresses its dismay at our Labour Member of Parliament for failing to support the retention of Post Offices in the recent Commons debate.”

Cllr Aspden then moved, and Cllr Vassie seconded, an amendment to the above motion, as follows:

In the first sentence:

before ‘taking over’, insert ‘either’

after ‘Clifton Green Post Offices’, insert: ‘or entering into partnership arrangements aimed at sustaining at least some basic SPO facilities in these areas,’.”

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

The motion, as amended, now read as follows:

“This Council instructs the appropriate officer to open discussion with the Post Office on the possibility of the Council either taking over the running of the Fulford, Haxby Road, Micklegate and Clifton Green Post Offices or entering into partnership arrangements aimed at sustaining at least some basic SPO facilities in these areas, and in so doing safeguard these valuable community assets. A report on the discussions to be brought back to the next Ordinary meeting of full Council. Furthermore, this Council expresses its dismay at our Labour Member of Parliament for failing to support the retention of Post Offices in the recent Commons debate.”

Cllr Scott then moved, and Cllr King seconded, a further amendment to the amended motion, as follows:

“Delete the second sentence and substitute the following:

‘Council recognises that these latest closures are difficult for the communities affected as they come on top of the previous cuts made by the last Conservative government of 3,542 branches.’

In the third sentence:

- after ‘dismay’, insert: ‘that the Conservative motion before Parliament failed to guarantee continued subsidies to maintain the Post Office Network and recognise the hard work of’

delete ‘at’ and substitute ‘the’, then insert: ‘City of York’

delete ‘our Labour’

delete ‘for failing to support’ and insert: ‘in trying to retain’

delete ‘the retention of’

delete ‘in the recent Commons debate and insert: ‘under threat in York’.

Insert a fourth sentence, as follows:

‘Council requests that a report is brought back to the Council meeting of June 2008 and that the Chief Executive communicates with the Post Office informing them of the intentions of the City of York Council so that there is no immediate disposal of the aforementioned premises’.”

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

The motion, as amended, was then put to the vote and was declared CARRIED unanimously and it was

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion, as amended by Cllr Aspden’s amendment, be approved.⁵

(v) Neighbourhood management

The following motion, which had been referred to Council by the Executive on 26 February 2008, was formally withdrawn by Cllr Scott, with the consent of Council:

(vi) Web-Casting Council Meetings

Cllr Scott moved, and Cllr Alexander seconded, that:

To this end, Council requests that:

1) Officers prepare a report on the feasibility of web-casting meetings of Full Council, as well as other Council meetings. The report should consider:

The various options, from contracting outside services to providing services ‘in house’.
The cost effectiveness of such an exercise, based on overall cost against numbers likely to view web-casts from outside City of York Council.
The feasibility of recordings being placed on the Council’s website and other hosting websites.

2) Officers present this report to the Executive not later than 17 June, in order that the issue can be referred to the 30 June meeting of Full Council.”

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

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion be approved.⁶

(vii) Armed Forces Covenant and Gurkha Soldiers

Cllr Firth moved, and Cllr Aspden seconded, that:

“Council notes:

At 9:30 pm, the meeting was adjourned to enable submission of a revised version of an amendment to the above motion of which notice had been given by Cllr King.

At 9:50 pm, the meeting was reconvened and this item was deferred pending consideration of agenda item 7 (Minute 85 refers).

At 10:10 pm the guillotine fell and the following revised amendment, with Council’s consent, was deemed to have been moved and seconded without debate:

“Delete paragraph 1 after ‘Council notes’ and replace with the following two paragraphs:

· That many present and former York residents have served the City and the Country by becoming members of the Country’s armed forces and thanks them for that service.

· That currently there is significant concern, as expressed by the Royal British Legion campaign, that the covenant between the Armed forces and the government has broken down over recent years and concern also that the Armed Forces are involved in too many fields of operation, resulting in concerns over conditions of service.’

In the second paragraph:

- Delete the number ‘2’ and insert before ‘York’ ‘Council also notes that.’

- After ‘their families’, insert: ‘Council welcomes the changes made in 2005 to allow those Gurkhas discharged after June 1997 (when their base was changed from Hong Kong to the UK) to allow them to settle in this country. However Council believes that Gurkhas retiring prior to this date should also have the right of settlement and to receive’

- Delete the remainder of the sentence except for the words ‘desperately needed medical treatment and insert: ‘considering their service for this country and calls on the government to make this further concession’.

In the third paragraph:

- After ‘area to’, delete the remainder of the sentence and substitute:

· ‘request that the government re-affirms its commitment to the covenant between the Armed Forces and those who serve in it’

· request that the MPs ensure that all Gurkhas, their families and dependents have the right to reside in this country as a right of service irrespective of their date of discharge and ensure that all non-UK nationals who serve in this country’s Armed Forces receive the same pay and pensions as those they serve with and the right to bring their wives and families to Britain.’”

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

The motion, as amended, now read as follows:

“Council notes:

That many present and former York residents have served the City and the Country by becoming members of the Country's armed forces and thanks them for that service.

Council also notes that York has a long-standing and important affiliation with the army and is currently home to a large number of Gurkha soldiers and their families. Council welcomes the changes made by the Labour Government in 2005 to allow those Gurkha's discharged after June 1997 (when their base was changed from Hong Kong to the UK) to allow them to settle in this country. However Council believes that Gurkhas retiring prior to this date should also have the right of settlement and to receive desperately needed medical treatment considering their service for this country and calls on the Government to make this further concession.

Council requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Secretary of State for Defence, and to the four MPs for the City of York Council area to:

Request that the government re-affirms its commitment to the Covenant between the armed forces and those who serve in it.
Request that the MPs ensure that all Gurkhas, their families and dependents have the right to reside in this country as a right of service irrespective of their date of discharge and ensure that all non-UK nationals who serve in this country’s Armed Forces receive the same pay and pensions as those they serve with and the right to bring their wives and families to Britain.’

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

RESOLVED: That the above notice of motion, as amended, be approved.⁷

Supporting documents: