Agenda item

Motions

(a)  Councillor Shields to move

“This Council is alarmed at the continuing financial crisis facing England’s adult and children’s social care systems which – between them account for over half of discretionary spending for upper tier local authorities like Southampton. This crisis is getting worse as a direct consequence of increased demand for Council-commissioned care services due to an ageing population and the negative impact of welfare reforms on vulnerable working age adults and their families. The problem is further compounded by the year-on-year Government reductions in Council finances since 2010 – with places like Southampton, hit particularly hard.

 

This Council accepts that local authority social care services up and down the country have reached a tipping point with some County Councils – like Northamptonshire, Somerset and West Sussex – facing bankruptcy. Moreover the social care funding crisis also threatens our valued NHS as we celebrate its 70th anniversary. For too long have governments – of all colours – put off meaningful action to address the chronic underfunding of our social care system and we look forward later this year to receiving a (thrice delayed) Government Green Paper on adult social care. We applaud the Local Government Association initiative in producing its own Green Paper for adult social care and wellbeing ‘The Lives We Want to Lead’ and the local response to this by the City’s Health & Wellbeing Board and other partners.

 

This Council urges the Government to commit to long-term funding for adult social care services along the same lines as for the NHS – i.e. free at the point of need and funded through general taxation. In recognition that a commitment of this magnitude may take time to fully implement, we call on the Government to avert the pending crisis in adult social care (requiring £3.56 billion more by 2025 just to stand still) by ensuring an immediate injection of an extra £2 billion to England’s local authorities in the autumn statement specifically for health and social care. This Council urges the City’s three MPs to make urgent representations to the ministers of state for care and public health (both Hampshire MPs) to ensure that Southampton receives a fair funding deal from Government in order to deliver its statutory care and health responsibilities.“

 

(b)  Councillor Mitchell to move

“This Council notes that Southampton has a relatively high incidence of domestic violence reporting and studies show that once in an unhealthy relationship economic abuse is one of the most common types of abuse faced by the abused partner.

 

This council believes that the system of paying universal credit to couples via a single household payment, rather than paying benefits to the separate individuals who claim, has the potential to exacerbate this kind of abuse by concentrating power and resources in the hands of a perpetrator.

 

This council recognizes that this puts individuals at further risk of coercive control and that it may also make it harder for them to leave an abusive relationship knowing they can’t put any money aside as a contingency without their abuser noticing.

 

This council believes that these sorts of barriers for victims of domestic abuse wanting to seek help are unacceptable.

 

Therefore this council will write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Parliamentary Under-secretary of state for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability asking them to rethink this policy and pay non housing elements of universal credit to individual’s claimants as standard.”

 

(c)  Councillor Galton to move

“This Council acknowledges the need to refocus and present a clear vision, with demonstrable local leadership, to create a clean and green City.

 

A Council determined to deliver a clean and green city in the quickest possible time would immediately change tack and work with our partners on the premise of incentivisation and not taxation; to produce the most sensible economic and long term sustainable solutions for creating a world class City.

 

We as a City Council will lead by setting a better example than we currently are; ensuring at every opportunity we take the whole City forward together.

 

This immediate change in Council approach and direction will be delivered by exploring and implementing innovative solutions such as:

 

·  Getting our city moving - especially by reducing the impact our current traffic light system has on creating local congestion during peak hours.

·  Delivering cleaner air through natural filtration and environmental greening across the City.

·  A new local Council planning policy to fully recognise air quality in the planning process and ensuring greener development including eco roofs and walls come forward as our City grows and prospers.

·  Leading by example by having a cleaner and greener Council fleet and supporting and encouraging businesses to follow our lead.

·  Immediately implementing eco driver monitoring for all Council vehicles. Not only will this immediately deliver cleaner air, it will also save the Council money on fuel bills.”

 

 

 

·  Putting the focus on cleaner and safer residential zones where the pedestrian is a higher priority and traffic speed limits are naturally lower.

·  Working with businesses to facilitate a greener modal shift from people to goods.

·  Supporting our local taxi trade so that they are a leading example of cleaner travel within our City.”

 

(d)  Councillor Keogh to move

Council is concerned about the significant decline in the number of apprentice starts since the introduction of the levy in 2017.

 

Council requests the appropriate Cabinet Member to write a joint letter signed by the Heads of the City's FE Institutions asking for the Government to start an immediate enquiry into why the levy is failing to deliver and what can be done to increase the quality and quantity of apprenticeship starts.

Minutes:

(a)  Councillor Shields moved and Councillor Bogle seconded.

 

“This Council is alarmed at the continuing financial crisis facing England’s adult and children’s social care systems which – between them account for over half of discretionary spending for upper tier local authorities like Southampton. This crisis is getting worse as a direct consequence of increased demand for Council-commissioned care services due to an ageing population and the negative impact of welfare reforms on vulnerable working age adults and their families. The problem is further compounded by the year-on-year Government reductions in Council finances since 2010 – with places like Southampton, hit particularly hard.

 

This Council accepts that local authority social care services up and down the country have reached a tipping point with some County Councils – like Northamptonshire, Somerset and West Sussex – facing bankruptcy. Moreover the social care funding crisis also threatens our valued NHS as we celebrate its 70th anniversary. For too long have governments – of all colours – put off meaningful action to address the chronic underfunding of our social care system and we look forward later this year to receiving a (thrice delayed) Government Green Paper on adult social care. We applaud the Local Government Association initiative in producing its own Green Paper for adult social care and wellbeing ‘The Lives We Want to Lead’ and the local response to this by the City’s Health & Wellbeing Board and other partners.

 

This Council urges the Government to commit to long-term funding for adult social care services along the same lines as for the NHS – i.e. free at the point of need and funded through general taxation. In recognition that a commitment of this magnitude may take time to fully implement, we call on the Government to avert the pending crisis in adult social care (requiring £3.56 billion more by 2025 just to stand still) by ensuring an immediate injection of an extra £2 billion to England’s local authorities in the autumn statement specifically for health and social care. This Council urges the City’s three MPs to make urgent representations to the ministers of state for care and public health (both Hampshire MPs) to ensure that Southampton receives a fair funding deal from Government in order to deliver its statutory care and health responsibilities.”

 

UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE MOTION WAS DECLARED CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED: that the motion be approved.

 

(b)  Councillor Mitchell moved and Councillor McEwing seconded

 

“This Council notes that Southampton has a relatively high incidence of domestic violence reporting and studies show that once in an unhealthy relationship economic abuse is one of the most common types of abuse faced by the abused partner.

 

This council believes that the system of paying universal credit to couples via a single household payment, rather than paying benefits to the separate individuals who claim, has the potential to exacerbate this kind of abuse by concentrating power and resources in the hands of a perpetrator.

 

This council recognizes that this puts individuals at further risk of coercive control and that it may also make it harder for them to leave an abusive relationship knowing they can’t put any money aside as a contingency without their abuser noticing.

 

This council believes that these sorts of barriers for victims of domestic abuse wanting to seek help are unacceptable.

 

Therefore this council will write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Parliamentary Under-secretary of state for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability asking them to rethink this policy and pay non housing elements of universal credit to individual’s claimants as standard.”

 

UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE MOTION WAS DECLARED CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED: that the motion be approved.

 

(c)  Councillor Galton moved and Councillor Fitzhenry seconded

 

“This Council acknowledges the need to refocus and present a clear vision, with demonstrable local leadership, to create a clean and green City.

 

A Council determined to deliver a clean and green city in the quickest possible time would immediately change tack and work with our partners on the premise of incentivisation and not taxation; to produce the most sensible economic and long term sustainable solutions for creating a world class City.

 

We as a City Council will lead by setting a better example than we currently are; ensuring at every opportunity we take the whole City forward together.

 

This immediate change in Council approach and direction will be delivered by exploring and implementing innovative solutions such as:

 

·  Getting our city moving - especially by reducing the impact our current traffic light system has on creating local congestion during peak hours.

·  Delivering cleaner air through natural filtration and environmental greening across the City.

·  A new local Council planning policy to fully recognise air quality in the planning process and ensuring greener development including eco roofs and walls come forward as our City grows and prospers.

·  Leading by example by having a cleaner and greener Council fleet and supporting and encouraging businesses to follow our lead.

·  Immediately implementing eco driver monitoring for all Council vehicles. Not only will this immediately deliver cleaner air, it will also save the Council money on fuel bills.”

·  Putting the focus on cleaner and safer residential zones where the pedestrian is a higher priority and traffic speed limits are naturally lower.

·  Working with businesses to facilitate a greener modal shift from people to goods.

·  Supporting our local taxi trade so that they are a leading example of cleaner travel within our City.”

 

Amendment moved by Councillor Rayment and Councillor Leggett seconded:

 

First Paragraph, first line delete “This Council acknowledges the need to refocus” and replace with “This Council presents a clear vision”.

 

Second Paragraph, first line after “A” insert “Labour”

 

Second Paragraph, second line after “time” delete “would immediately change tack and work” and replace with “working with our partners”.

 

Second Paragraph, second line delete “on the premise of incentivisation and not taxation;”

 

Third Paragraph, first line after “by” delete “setting a better”, same line after “example” delete “than we currently are,”.

 

Fourth Paragraph, first line after “This” delete “immediate change in Council” replace with “Councils”.  Same line delete “will be delivered by” replace with “is about delivering”.

 

Bullet Point 1 – delete “Getting” replace with “Keeping” same line delete “especially by reducing” replace with “by improving”. After “the impact” delete “our current” replace with “of the”. Second line delete “has on creating local congestion during peak hours” replace with “, with an improved ITS strategy”.

 

Bullet Point 2 – first line after “through” delete “natural filtration and environmental greening across the City” and replace with “ a greener City by protecting and developing our natural estate which covers 20% of the City. 

 

Bullet Point 3 – first line delete “A new local Council” and replace with “We are looking at”. After “planning policy” delete “to fully recognise air quality in” and replace with “in how the”. Second line after “planning process” delete” and ensuring” and replace with “ensures”. Third line after “walls” delete “come forward” and insert “along with other initiatives to move us forward”.

 

Bullet Point 4 – Before “Leading” insert “We are”

 

Bullet Point 5 – Delete

 

Bullet Point 6 – Delete “Putting the focus on” and replace with “As a council we are delivering Active Travel Zones ensuring”.  Second line after “pedestrian” delete “is” and replace with “are”.  Same line after “priority” delete “and traffic speed limits are naturally low”

 

Bullet Point 7 – Delete “Working with businesses” and replace withThe Access Group are working with businesses and schools along with the University”.  Same line after “shift” delete “from people to goods” and replace with “across the City”

 

Bullet Point 8 – Before ”Supporting” insert This Administration acknowledges and is”.  Same line after “trade” insert “and local bus companies”

  

Amended Motion to Read:

 

This Council presents a clear vision, with demonstrable local leadership, to create a clean and green City. 

A Labour Council determined to deliver a clean and green city in the quickest possible time working with our partners to produce the most sensible economic and long term sustainable solutions for creating a world class City.

We as a City Council will lead by example ensuring at every opportunity we take the whole City forward together.

This Councils approach and direction is about delivering, exploring and implementing innovative solutions such as:

·  Keeping our city moving - by improving the impact of the traffic light system, with an improved ITS strategy.

·  Delivering cleaner air through a greener City by protecting and developing our natural estate which covers 20% of the City. 

·  We are looking at planning policy in how the planning process ensures greener development including eco roofs and walls along with other initiatives to move us forward as our City grows and prospers.

·  We are Leading by example by having a cleaner and greener Council fleet and supporting and encouraging businesses to follow our lead

·  As a council we are delivering Active Travel Zones ensuring cleaner and safer residential zones where the pedestrian are a higher priority.

·  The Access Group are working with businesses and schools along with the University to facilitate a greener modal shift across the City.

This Administration acknowledges and is supporting our local taxi trade and local bus companies so that they are a leading example of cleaner travel within our City.”

 

 

UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE AMENDMENT IN THE NAME OF COUNCILLOR RAYMENT WAS DECLARED CARRIED.

 

UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE AMENDED MOTION WAS DECLARED CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED: that the amended motion be approved.

 

 

(d)  Councillor Keogh moved and Councillor McEwing seconded.

 

Council is concerned about the significant decline in the number of apprentice starts since the introduction of the levy in 2017.

 

Council requests the appropriate Cabinet Member to write a joint letter signed by the Heads of the City's FE Institutions asking for the Government to start an immediate enquiry into why the levy is failing to deliver and what can be done to increase the quality and quantity of apprenticeship starts.

 

UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE MOTION WAS DECLARED CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED: that the motion be approved.