Agenda item - Notices of Motion.

The following Notices of Motion have been submitted by Members for consideration (copies attached).

 

(a)               Traveller Encampments on Sensitive Sites in Brighton & Hove.  Proposed by Councillor G. Theobald.

(b)              Impact of parking charges on the local economy.  Proposed by Councillor Cox.

(c)               Maintain a Democratic Planning System.  Proposed by Councillor Meadows.

(d)              Delivering Replacement Affordable Homes.  Proposed by Councillor Mitchell.

(e)               Fuel Poverty.  Proposed by Councillor Sykes.

(f)                 Fracking.  Proposed by Councillor Phillips.

(a)               Traveller Encampments on Sensitive Sites in Brighton & Hove

 

42.1         Councillor G. Theobald confirmed that he wished the Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda to be taken and that he did not accept the amendment from the Green Group.

 

42.2         The Mayor then put the Green Group amendment to the notice of motion to the vote which was lost and then put the following motion to the vote:

 

“This Council notes the powers contained in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 that allow Sussex Police, in conjunction with Brighton & Hove City Council, to move unlawful encampments off public land in the city where they consider that (i) there is disruption to local community activity; (ii) damage has been caused to the land/property, e.g. forced entry; (iii) there is evidence of arrestable offences being committed by the trespassers; or (iv) there is proof that any of the trespassers have used threatening behaviour.

 

Council further notes that the recent Traveller Scrutiny Panel recommended that, as a matter of priority, the Council produce a plan for identifying and securing sensitive sites in the city.

 

Given the unprecedented scale of unauthorised encampments in the city in recent months, many of which have occurred on sensitive parkland sites, this Council:

 

1)      Requests that the Environment & Sustainability Committee considers the adoption of a sensitive site protocol, in partnership with Sussex Police, as a matter of urgency and that any future incursions on sensitive sites be the subject of immediate eviction utilising the powers described above.

 

2)      Believes that any areas not included on a sensitive sites list should not automatically become ‘tolerated’ sites for unauthorised camping.”

 

42.3         The motion was carried.

 

 

(b)              Impact of Parking Charges on the Local Economy

 

42.4         Councillor Cox confirmed that he wished to withdraw the motion.

 

 

(c)               Maintain a Democratic Planning System

 

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

 

42.6         The Mayor put the following motion to the vote:

 

“This Council, wishing to safeguard the quality of the built environment in Brighton and Hove and to help promote community cohesion, supports the Local Government Association in rejecting the government’s claim that the planning system is stifling economic growth and opposes the government’s proposals to significantly extend permitted development rights and to allow the removal of affordable housing requirements from developers.”

 

42.7         The motion was carried.

 

 

(d)              Delivering Replacement Affordable Homes

 

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

 

42.9         The Mayor put the following motion to the vote:

 

“From April 2^nd this year the regional cap on Right to Buy discounts has been changed to a discount of £75,000 for all areas of the country.  The existing Buy Back provision has been retained with authorities able to fund up to 50% of the cost of re-purchasing a former council home.

 

The previous arrangements for 25% of Right to Buy receipts being retained by local councils has been removed.

 

In Brighton & Hove the need for good quality, affordable rented homes is acute and the Government’s changes to Right to Buy legislation could potentially see an escalation of the loss of council owned homes.  Since April 2012 Right to Buy applications in Brighton and Hove have increased 5 fold from previous low levels since the economic collapse.

 

This council therefore calls on the Housing Committee to request officers tobring forward a report that;

 

·         Evaluates whether the council would benefit from entering into the Right to Buy receipts scheme that would enable the receipts from any additional sales generated to be retained by the council in order to fund the provision of replacement housing stock.

 

·         Explores whether the retention of Right to Buy receipts under the scheme could enable the council to buy back ex-council homes that come onto the housing market either from estate agents’ repossessions or at auction.

 

·         Considers the possibility of the scheme being used in relation to leaseholders where the high cost of major works are causing particular difficulties.

 

·         Demonstrates whether and if so, how entering into such a scheme could compliment the other initiatives being pursued in relation to the provision of affordable housing.”

 

42.10    The motion was carried.

 

 

(e)               Fuel Poverty

 

42.11    Councillor Sykes confirmed that he wished the Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda to be taken and that he was willing to accept the amendment from the Labour & Co-operative Group but not the amendment from the Conservative Group.

 

42.12    The Mayor then put the Conservative Group amendment to the notice of motion to the vote which was lost.

 

42.13    The Mayor then put the following notice of motion as amended to the vote:

 

“This Council notes with concern the impacts of the energy bill crisis faced by this country, with millions of people struggling to adequately heat their homes.

 

1 in 4 households in the UK are now in fuel poverty, meaning they need to spend more than 10% of their income on keeping their homes warm. The problem is likely to get worse with 1 in 3 households nationally projected to be in fuel poverty by 2016.

 

In Brighton and Hove nearly 16,000 households were calculated by DECC to be in fuel poverty in 2010. On the basis of the proportion of households in fuel poverty, our city is in the worst-performing 10% of Local Authorities in the South East including London.

 

Cold homes are damaging the health of vulnerable members of society, including children, older people and people with disabilities. Diseases such as asthma are made worse, and people are more likely to have strokes and heart attacks. Illnesses caused by cold homes cost the NHS nearly one billion pounds each year. Over the past five years, there have been on average 26,000 ‘Excess Winter Deaths’ in the UK; a far higher proportion of our population than in countries with a colder climate such as Norway and Sweden.

 

The main reasons for fuel poverty are that gas, oil and coal prices are high and rising, and that the UK’s homes are some of the most energy inefficient in Europe. Bringing the homes of the fuel poor up to the energy efficiency standards of homes built today would reduce their fuel bills by an average of 52%, taking the majority out if fuel poverty.

 

This Council welcomes the forthcoming Green Deal and ECO initiatives but considers them inadequate responses in the face of the urgency and scale of the fuel poverty crisis.

 

Further to the above, this Council:

 

-        Asks Policy & Resources Committee to consider signing the Local Authority Fuel Poverty Commitment promoted by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition(1);and that Brighton & Hove City Council joins with other councils who are actively promoting co-operative energy switching schemes and to promote the benefits to this to local residents;

 

-        Calls on Secretary of State Ed Davey to recommit to the target that no household should be living in fuel poverty by November 2016;

 

-        Calls on HM Treasury to use the funds raised from carbon taxes (the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and the Carbon Floor Price) to invest in a national programme to improve the heating and insulation standards of low income and fuel-poor households.”

 

(1) Text available here: http://bit.ly/QFeVZG   

 

42.14     The motion was carried.

 

 

(f)                 Fracking

 

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

 

42.16    The Mayor put the following motion to the vote:

“This Council notes with concern the effects of unconventional shale gas extraction, namely the case of Blackpool where minor earthquakes followed as a result of drilling in the area. (1).

This activity has also been linked with the contamination of local water sources such as aquifers, which provide about 30% of the UK’s water. This puts both local communities who rely upon these water supplies, and the local environment at risk.

 

There are as yet no plans at present to extract gas in this way in Brighton and Hove - however Quadrilla, an American company, has already gained planning permission to use hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking' nearby in Balcombe, East Sussex. This could have an unquantified detrimental impact on the surrounding area including our city, and there are fears that any subsequent earth tremors could be a threat to the crucial London to Brighton railway route.

 

Fracking uses massive volumes of water, 1 million gallons(1) for each frack, which is also of great concern in a region only recently taken out of drought conditions. Methane gas produced at drilling sites is a significant contributor to climate change – far more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

This Council also notes that the production of hard-to-reach fossil fuels is incompatible with efforts to achieve statutory UK carbon targets. A focus on gas extraction detracts from and delays investment in renewable energy sources.

The European Parliament is due to report shortly on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety impacts of shale gas and shale oil extraction activities. There is considerable concern across Europe with Bulgaria having banned it and moratoriums have been put in place in France, New South Wales and Westphalia (a German state). A citizens’ petition has also been initiated on the subject.

Further to the above, this Council:

 

-          Asks Policy & Resources committee to resolve that Brighton and Hove should become a ‘frack-free’ zone;

 

-          Asks the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment calling on him to impose a moratorium on onshore and offshore exploration, development and production of Coal Bed Methane, Shale Oil and Shale Gas, at least until a full independent environmental impact of the processes involved has been carried out;

-          Calls on the Government to make it easier for co-operatives such as the Brighton Energy Co-op, housing associations and local authorities to generate their own renewable energy.”

 

(1) BBC News, 2^nd November 2011: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-15550458

 

(2) Figure from Tyndall Centre on Climate Change report of last year. Gasland & Josh Fox suggest the actual amount is higher.

 

42.17    The motion was carried.