Agenda item - Notices of Motion.

The following Notices of Motion have been submitted by Members for consideration:

 

(a)         Investing in the City’s Housing - Proposed by Councillor Mears (copy attached).

 

(b)        Enhancing Brighton & Hove’s Trees and Woodland - Proposed by Councillor Janio (copy attached).

 

(c)         A Financial Inclusion Programme for the City - Proposed by Councillor Mitchell (copy attached).

 

(d)        The Impact of Police Cuts in Brighton and Hove - Proposed by Councillor Morgan (copy attached).

 

(e)         Educational Reforms and Their Effect on the City - Proposed by Councillor Fryer (copy attached).

 

(f)           Reducing the Effects of Alcohol Abuse on the City - Proposed by Councillor Randall (copy attached).

(a)               Investing in the City’s Housing

 

94.1         The Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor Mears and seconded by Councillor Caulfield.

 

94.2         Councillor Simpson moved an amendment on behalf of the Labour and Green Groups which was seconded by Councillor Randall.

 

94.3         The Mayor noted that the joint amendment moved by Councillor Simpson had not been accepted by Councillor Mears and therefore put the proposed joint amendment to the vote which was carried.

 

94.4         The Mayor then put the following motion as amended to the vote:

 

“This Council welcomes the close involvement of Brighton & Hove’s tenants and leaseholders in deciding how housing services are planned and delivered in the City and in setting the Council’s housing budget strategy for 2011-12. Their identified priorities include:

 

·         Continued investment in the Turning the Tide strategy to tackle anti-social behaviour and reduce social exclusion;

·         Identifying measures to tackle overcrowding through an enhanced housing options approach;

·         Leasing properties to Brighton & Hove Seaside Community Homes, the housing company set up by the council to raise investment for improvements to council tenants’ homes;

·         Working in partnership to develop an estates “masterplan” to inform best use of our assets and identify opportunities to build new Council homes;

·         Maximising the level of revenue resources available to support the Decent Homes Programme and working with residents to ensure that we are able to respond to opportunities to generate renewable energy.

 

However, this council is disappointed by the government’s record on housing so far, which includes:

 

·         Controversially reducing housing benefit which risks driving thousands of vulnerable people from their homes in areas where housing costs are high.

·         Not adjusting the formula to limit the rise in social housing rents, at a time of high inflation, to help Brighton & Hove tenants during the financial downturn;

·         Housing associations being allowed to charge rents of up to 80% of market rate to fund new provision, which is likely to price vulnerable tenants out of their homes in these tough economic times.

·         Ending the universal right to secure tenancies for existing as well as new tenants, despite promising in the 2010 Conservative Party Manifesto to “respect the tenures and rents of social housing tenants.”

·         Extending the amount of time a home is allowed to stand empty, before a council can intervene, from 6 months to 2 years, meaning more empty homes for longer periods in Brighton & Hove.

·         Reducing the affordable housing budget by 60% which will lead to a decline in affordable house-building nationally and locally.

·         Taking-back 75% of right-to-buy income, rather than allow 100% of income from sales to be given to local authorities, such as Brighton & Hove.

·         Abandoning previous planning targets, which could lead to fewer new homes locally and nationally.

·         Failing to end the sale of council homes, leading to a reduction in the availability of affordable housing in Brighton & Hove.

·         Doing nothing to regulate rents in the private rented sector or regulate the work of letting agents, thus failing to ease the many problems faced by private sector tenants who account for almost a quarter of the tenancies in Brighton and Hove – more than twice the national average ­– and whose average tenancy length is between only 12 and 18 months.

 

The Council believes that the above measures, taken together, will have significant adverse impact on the availability of, and investment in, housing in the City.

 

Therefore, this Council resolves:

 

(i)      to place on record its sincere gratitude to the city’s tenants and leaseholders for all their excellent partnership working with the Council in helping to deliver improvements to their housing;

 

(ii)     to continue to involve them closely in budget and policy setting, which affect their lives and homes;

 

(iii)    to request that the Chief Executive writes to the Housing Minister – Grant Shapps MP – with a copy of this motion highlighting this council’s concerns with his government’s housing polices, but also the excellent partnership working taking place in Brighton & Hove.

 

(iv)   notes that the Cabinet member for Housing has publicly stated that the potential sites for the building of new council homes in the city are “clearly mapped out” and requests that these maps and details are distributed to all members of the council forthwith.”

 

94.5         The motion was carried.

 

 

Motion to terminate the meeting:

 

94.6         In accordance with Procedural rule 17, the Mayor noted that the meeting had been in session for over four hours and he was therefore required to move a closure motion to effectively terminate the meeting.

 

94.7         The Mayor therefore moved the closure motion and put the matter to the vote which was lost and therefore resulted in the continuation of the meeting.

 

 

(b)       Enhancing Brighton and Hove’s Trees and Woodland

 

94.8         The Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor Janio and seconded by Councillor Fallon-Khan.

 

94.9         Councillor Kennedy moved an amendment on behalf of the Green and Labour Groups which was seconded by Councillor McCaffery.

 

94.10    The Mayor noted that the joint amendment moved by Councillor Kennedy had not been accepted by Councillor Janio and therefore put the proposed joint amendment to the vote which was carried.

 

94.11    The Mayor then put the following motion as amended to the vote:

 

“This Council recognises the hugely important role that is played by Brighton & Hove’s 9,000 street trees, and 500 hectares of woodland. In particular:

 

·         Woodlands and parks provide invaluable space for recreation and exercise for residents.

 

·         Trees and woodland play a crucial role in global climate regulation and, therefore, help to enable people and wildlife to adapt to climate change.

 

·         Trees and woods also help in the reduction of urban temperatures, alleviate flooding, absorb pollution, and provide sustainable building materials.

 

Furthermore, Brighton & Hove plays a national role in tree conservation and biodiversity, hosting the official National Elm Collection and the former National Lilac Collection at Withdean Park.  The Council also runs a successful Tree Trust, which enables residents to have a dedicated tree planted on their behalf to mark a significant event or simply to enhance the character of their chosen area.

 

This Council notes the woodland access standard developed by the Woodland Trust, which has a goal that no person should live more than 500m from at least one area of accessible woodland of no less than 2ha in size, and that there should be at least one area of accessible woodland of no less than 20ha within 4km of people’s homes.  Currently access to woodland within 500m is 3.6% for Brighton and Hove, which compares to an average of 13.2% for East Sussex and 15.6% for the UK.

 

This Council is also pleased to note that the coalition government has been forced to abandon its plans to sell off England’s treasured 1,400 national forests, including nearby forests visited and enjoyed by the people of this city, thanks to the Save Our Forests Campaign, organised by 38 Degrees and backed by organisations including the Woodland Trust, Greenpeace, the WWF, the National Trust, and the Ramblers, heralding a victory for people power with over 530,000 people signing a petition opposing the Government’s plan to privatise public forests.

 

This Council is, however, disappointed that this government still plans to sell 15 per cent of the Public Forest Estate, the maximum sales allowed under the law as it stands, where they have simply delayed the sale until the autumn. This will concern local people who enjoy visiting adjacent natural forests and woodland, such as the nearby Friston Forest,

 

Therefore, this Council resolves to:

 

1.      Congratulate all Brighton & Hove residents involved in the Save Our Forests Campaign for their success in achieving a u-turn from the coalition government on these unpopular proposals to sell off our national forests;

 

2.      Request that the Cabinet Member for Environment:

 

a)     Works with the Woodland Trust to examine options for further woodland creation and tree planting in Brighton and Hove, with particular reference to the Mayor of London’s Street Trees campaign which aims to plant 10,000 new street trees in the capital;

 

b)     Investigates the possibility of a developing a stand alone trees and woodlands policy, in consultation with the relevant scrutiny committee.

 

c)      Explores the option of a free tree scheme, such as the one in Kent, which enables residents to apply for up to 25 free trees, of which nearly 7 tonnes of CO2 would be absorbed in their lifetime, and can be planted as single trees or used to create a woodland or hedgerow.”

 

94.12    The motion was carried.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motion to terminate the meeting:

 

94.13    In accordance with Procedural rule 17, Councillor Kennedy moved a closure motion to effectively terminate the meeting in view of the length and time of the meeting.

 

94.14    Councillor Randall formally seconded the motion.

 

94.15    The Mayor therefore put the motion to the vote which was carried and noted that each of the remaining items would need to be taken and voted on or withdrawn by the mover before the meeting was concluded.

 

 

(c)       A Financial Inclusion Programme for the City

 

94.16    Councillor Mitchell confirmed that she wished the Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda to be taken and that she was willing to accept both the Conservative and Green Groups’ proposed amendments.

 

94.17    The Mayor noted that the Conservative and Green Groups’ amendments had been accepted and therefore put the following motion as amended to the vote:

 

“This Council acknowledges the need to build a sustainable economy in Brighton & Hove and recognises that an essential part of this should be a comprehensive information and advice strategy to ensure that people are supported in coping with increasingly complex financial pressures.

 

Regrets that today, in Brighton & Hove:

 

·         10,700 people in Brighton & Hove are without jobs and want to work.

·         17% of households have incomes below £10,000 per year

·         20% of children live in households with no working adults.

·         Average earnings in the city are also below national levels, while property prices are above average.

 

There is a lack of awareness about affordable credit and problem debt is increasing. Exclusion from financial services creates barriers and can lead to additional costs, particularly for those on the lowest incomes.

 

This Council acknowledges that social and financial exclusion is economically inefficient, representing a waste of people’s potential and generating unnecessary welfare costs.

 

Around 70% of financially excluded people live in social housing and this Councilbelieves that any financial inclusion programme must include social housing tenants.  This Council recognises that effectively helping people achieve financial inclusion involves tackling the various factors that result in exclusion. For example, a person may be in debt through not claiming their full benefit entitlement, be paying punitive rates of interest to a doorstep lender, lack insurance cover to meet unexpected costs and be unable to budget effectively.

 

Therefore this Council:

 

1.      Welcomes the work already undertaken to improve financial inclusion in the City; for example, through grant funding to agencies including Brighton Housing Trust, Credit Union (East Sussex) and St Luke’s Advice & Money Advice Community Support and through the City’s Advice and Information Services Partnership.

 

2.      Requests the Leader and Cabinet to consider launching a campaign to increase East Sussex Credit Union membership among Brighton and Hove council staff and members led by  the Council Leader, the Chief Executive and senior council staff;

 

3.      Welcomes the decision of Full Council to provide funding to develop a Citywide Financial Inclusion Strategy, including support for existing money and debt advice services and credit unions;

 

4.      Requests the Cabinet Member for Finance to immediately begin exploring options for commissioninga strategy which would aim to:-

 

·         target disadvantaged areas to assist local residents in managing their money,

·         increase the number of residents having a basic bank account,

·         provide access to affordable credit – such as joining a credit union,

·         offer debt advice and tackle illegal loan sharks including support for existing money and debt services and credit unions;

 

5.      Requests the Cabinet Member for Finance to continue toensure that all potential partners are fully liaised with and consulted, including existing money advice organisations, Citizens Advice Bureau, the local credit union and the Advice and Information Services Partnership of the LSP;

 

            And

 

6.      Requests the Chief Executive to write to the city’s three MPs urging them to lobby the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the introduction of a cap on interest rates, bringing the UK in line with Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Poland and most European countries.”

 

94.18    The motion was carried.

(d)       The Impact of Police Cuts in Brighton and Hove

 

94.19    Councillor Morgan confirmed that he wished the Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda to be taken and that he was not willing to accept the Green Group’s proposed amendment.

 

94.20    The Mayor noted that the Green Group’s proposed amendment had not been accepted and put it to the vote which was lost.

 

94.21    The Mayor then put the following substantive motion to the vote:

 

“This council wishes to acknowledge its good working relationship with Sussex Police at both a central command and neighbourhood policing level.

 

However, it expresses concern at the government’s policy of making deep and front-loaded cuts to our local police services.

 

The Sussex Police Authority has been placed in an impossible position in having to reduce the number of police officers and staff, both of whom play a vital role in protecting local residents from crime and work hard to make Brighton & Hove a safer city.

 

This council has huge reservations over the impact these cuts will have locally, with Sussex Police facing cuts of £28.6m in real terms over the next two years, as well as last year announcing cuts to 1,050 Police officer posts over the next five years.

 

Over the four years of the Government’s Spending Review, police forces will see their funding cut by around 20 per cent in real terms. Sussex Police will lose 550 police staff as a result of this.

 

Meanwhile, the Government is spending over £100m on replacing police authorities with 42 directly elected police commissioners, an unwanted and currently unnecessary organisational upheaval, which goes against a 150-year tradition of keeping politics out of day to day policing.

People will be justifiably angry that, at the same time as cutting funding for frontline police, the government wants to spend the equivalent of 600 full time police officers on bringing in directly elected police commissioners.

This council therefore expresses concern at the following;

 

·         That the future of Hove Police Station is under threat with no confirmed alternative proposals for a publicly accessible front desk service.

·         That the station’s viability was placed in doubt following the departure of the Road Policing Unit, due to budget cuts.

 

·         That there will be no police station in Sussex open after midnight and that it is proposed that the John Street Police Station in Brighton closes its doors between midnight and 8am.

 

            This council also;

 

·         Believes strongly, that the residents of Brighton, Hove and Portslade need a local Police Station, with full policing capabilities and an accessible, public front desk;

 

·         Notes that when the previous government left office, there were record numbers of Police on the street, nearly 17,000 more than in 1997, in addition to 16,000 new PCSOs. Accordingly, crime fell by 43% and the chance of being a victim of crime was at a thirty year low;

·         Notes that the number of young people first time entrants to the criminal justice system and ending up in custody had fallen by 25% by 2010.

This council therefore;

 

Requests that the council’s Chief Executive writes to the Home Secretary, The Rt. Hon Theresa May MP to express this council’s concerns as set out in this motion with a copy also sent to the Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP and the city’s three local MPs.”

 

94.22    The motion was carried.

 

 

(e)       Educational Reforms and Their Effect on the City

 

94.23    Councillor Fryer confirmed that she wished the Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda to be taken.

 

94.24    The Mayor then put the substantive motion to the vote:

 

“This council acknowledges that the above average proportion of highly educated residents is one of the main reasons for the success of Brighton and Hove’s diverse and resilient economy ^[1].
 
Therefore, it notes with concern proposals for wholesale cuts to educational funding in the city, which will see further increases in the university tuition fees introduced by the previous government and cuts to the Education Maintenance Allowance that will seriously affect the education chances of more than 2,600 young people from low-income families in Brighton and Hove ⁽²⁾.

 

It recognises these cuts will:

 

·         Have a serious impact on the local economy by seriously reducing the number of jobs at the city’s universities and further education colleges

·         Reduce the number of well-educated people entering the city’s work-force

·         Increase the 8.2 per cent of the working population in the city who have no qualifications at all ⁽³⁾

·         Reinforce social inequality by increasing the gap between rich and poor.

This Council therefore: 

 

Requests that the Chief Executive writes to the government urging it to introduce a business education tax levied on the top 4 per cent of UK companies, which would generate enough income annually to abolish all tuition fees, maintain the EMA and bring our public investment in higher education up to the average in other comparable countries.”

[1] According to 2008 figures, 40.25 per cent hold a degree or equivalent qualification, and the city’s skills base places us in the top 20 per cent of districts across the country (Brighton and Hove Local Intelligence Service)

[2] Young People's Learning Agency report on EMA take-up in Brighton and Hove, 2004/05 to 2009/101

[3] Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, Brighton and Hove City Council, 2010

 

94.25    The motion was carried.

 

 

(f)        Reducing the Effects if Alcohol Abuse on the City

 

94.26    Councillor Randall confirmed that he wished the Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda to be taken and that he did not accept the Conservative Group’s proposed amendment.

 

94.27    The Mayor noted that the Conservative Group’s proposed amendment had not been accepted and put it to the vote which was lost.

 

94.28    The Mayor then put the following substantive motion to the vote:

 

“This council expresses its concern about alcohol consumption in Brighton and Hove, its cost to the local economy and its damaging effect on the well-being of the local community.

 

 

It notes that:

 

·         The number of licensed premises in the city increased from 1099 in 2006 to 1427 in 2010, an increase of nearly 50 per cent, following the introduction of the Licensing Act 2003; ⁽¹⁾

·         45 per cent of all crime in the city is fuelled by alcohol ⁽²⁾ including crimes of violence, among them domestic violence;

·         The city has almost double the regional rate of alcohol related crime;

·         The annual financial cost to the city is estimated at more than £106 million;

·         57 per cent of adults in the city are estimated to be hazardous or harmful drinkers;

·         Many of those at highest risk live in deprived areas;

·         13 per cent of all 10-15 year-olds reported being drunk at least once.

 

Locally, this council welcomes the work in hand by the council to address the problems associated with alcohol consumption in the city. However, it deplores the ineffectual ‘Responsibility Deal’ introduced by the Government, which depends on self-regulation through voluntary agreements on issues such as promotions and labeling.

 

It therefore:

 

(1)    Joins the British Medical Association, The Royal College of Surgeons, The British Liver Trust, Alcohol Concern, the Institute of Alcohol Studies and the Royal College of Physicians in condemning the ‘Responsibility Deal’;

 

(2)    Calls on the Chief Executive to write to the Government on behalf of the city council urging it to:

 

·         Produce a coherent and comprehensive strategy to deal with alcohol calling on the expertise of health professionals and others;

 

·         Engage with the drinks industry, after the strategy is produced, to establish what contribution it can make to implementing the strategy.”

 

(1) All figures from Brighton and Hove City Council except

(2) A Sussex Police Authority figure.

 

94.29    The motion was carried.