Agenda item - Notices of Motion.

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

 

(a)               Bedroom Tax.  Proposed by Councillor Wilson.

 

(b)              Bedroom Tax.  Proposed by Councillor Duncan.

 

(c)               A Fair Deal for Brighton & Hove.  Proposed by Councillor Littman.

 

(d)              Providing Locally Sourced Hospital Food.  Proposed by Councillor C. Theobald.

 

(e)               Support Free School Meals for All Children in Poverty.  Proposed by Councillor Pissaridou.

 

(f)                 National Evacuees Memorial.  Proposed by Councillor Hyde.

(a)                     ‘Bedroom Tax’

(b)                    ‘Bedroom Tax’

 

111.1          The Mayor stated that as both notices of motion related to the issue of ‘Bedroom Tax’ he intended to take both motions together in one debate and to then put each motion to vote separately.

 

111.2          The Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor Wilson on behalf of the Labour & Co-operative Group and seconded by Councillor Morgan.

 

111.3          The Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor Duncan on behalf of the Green Group and seconded by Councillor Powell.

 

111.4          The Mayor then put the following motion from the Labour & Co-operative Group to vote:

           

“This council notes that the government will implement the ‘Bedroom Tax’ element of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 on the 1st of April 2013.

 

This council further notes:

 

·               That the Bedroom Tax will place an intolerable financial burden on over 1,000 households across Brighton and Hove, many of whom include working or disabled occupants and children living in poverty.

 

·               The Government’s rationale is for tenants who are under-occupying to downsize to alternate properties. However, there is not sufficient housing in Brighton and Hove to facilitate this.

 

·               The provisions of the ‘Bedroom Tax’ are inconsistent and fail to consider the additional needs of many households with regards to disabilities; adaption’s made to homes, foster carers, and parents who share custody of their children.

 

This Council therefore resolves:

 

1)      To urge the Secretary of State to amend the Welfare Reform Act 2012 in order to repeal changes to Housing Benefit, commonly known as ‘Bedroom Tax’.

 

2)      To continue to support council tenants that may be adversely affected by the ‘Bedroom Tax’ by means that are legal, financially sustainable and fair.

 

3)      To request that the Chief Executive write to the Secretary of State asking him to rethink his plans which would adversely affect 660,000 tenants nationally including over 1,000 of the poorest and most vulnerable in Brighton and Hove, and in the light of his recent U-Turn on those with a disability being excluded, speedily clarify this category of person in order to stop further anxiety and apprehension that this policy is causing.”

 

111.5          The motion was carried.

 

111.6          The Mayor then put the following motion from the Green Group to vote:

 

“This Council Notes:

 

From April 2013, the government is introducing a 'size criteria' which will limit how many bedrooms a family in council or social housing will receive benefit for- the so-called 'Bedroom Tax'.

 

If a household has more bedrooms than the Government says it needs, its Housing Benefit will be reduced: a 14% reduction in benefit for one 'spare' bedroom and a 25% reduction if a household has two or more 'spare' bedrooms.

 

This unjust change will affect an estimated 990 households living in accommodation owned by Brighton and Hove Council: resulting in a total reduction in Housing Benefit of some £750,000 a year.

 

These changes could force many households into real financial hardship, rent arrears – and ultimately, for some, homelessness. Many who are unable to prevent these outcomes may be forced to move home, in some cases away from the city.

 

This Council also notes the incredible work our officers and partners have been doing in preparing residents for welfare changes and acknowledges the difficult daily judgements they make to support those seeking their help.

 

This Council therefore condemns the 'Bedroom Tax' as an ideologically-driven attack on the least well-off in our society, and resolves to:

 

1.            Request that the relevant Council Committee considers this motion with a view to ensuring that the Council and its partners work with all those affected by this Housing Benefit cut, and all other welfare cuts, to wherever possible prevent further expensive and socially disruptive homelessness such as through evictions;

 

2.            Requests that the Chief Executive forward a copy of this motion to the city's three MPs, and asks them to raise the issue with Government.

 

111.7          The motion was carried.

 

 

(c)                     A Fair Deal for Brighton & Hove

 

111.8          The Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor Littman on behalf of the Green Group and seconded by Councillor Phillips.

 

111.9          The Mayor then put the following motion to vote:

 

“Brighton & Hove City Council supports the petition which calls on the Government to end its attack on local government and to reverse the public service cuts that unfairly target Brighton & Hove and will do so much damage to the city and its hard-pressed people.

 

Brighton & Hove is by far the worst-hit council in the south-east of England, when it comes to cuts in Central Government funding. It is, in fact, one of the most adversely affected in the country. This year, nationally, we have had the second heaviest reduction in terms of spending power of Upper Tier Authorities.

 

While all other councils in the south-east are being cut by less than £50 per head of population, Brighton and Hove faces cuts of more than £105; above other southern cities such as Portsmouth or Southampton, and far more than neighbouring authorities in Kent and East and West Sussex.

 

This comes at a time when Brighton & Hove, with its pockets of extreme deprivation, needs to be able to protect its low income people and families, who are facing iniquitous measures such the ‘bedroom tax’, benefits cap, 1% freeze in benefits, and Council Tax reduction.

 

The Government is simultaneously making things harder for the vulnerable people of the City and reducing the City’s ability to help these same people to cope with their changing circumstances.

 

If all Councillors, from across the political landscape, were to support this motion, it would help add strength to the petition from concerned local residents and put pressure on Government to give Brighton & Hove a fair deal.

 

Therefore this Council calls on the government to give Brighton & Hove a fair deal and requests the Chief Executive to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer informing him of the council’s support for the petition and calling on him to take appropriate action.”

 

111.10      The motion was carried.

 

 

(d)                    Providing Locally Sourced Hospital Food

 

111.11      The Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor C. Theobald on behalf of the Conservative Group and seconded by Councillor K. Norman.

 

111.12      The Mayor then put the following motion to vote:

 

“This Council recognises the vital importance of providing patients with nutritious and healthy food during their stay in hospital and endorses the philosophy of the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust that “food is treatment”. Patients who receive good nutrition in hospital are likely to have shorter hospital stays, fewer post-operative complications and less need for drugs and other interventions.

 

High quality, locally-sourced hospital food can also deliver other benefits such as supporting and promoting local businesses and suppliers and reducing food miles. For example, more than 80% of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust’s food budget is spent with local Cornish companies, and sourcing food locally has also cut carbon emissions from road transport by two-thirds.

 

Therefore, this Council notes with concern that the Campaign for Better Hospital Food has estimated that: one in every ten hospital meals in England is returned to the kitchen uneaten; six out of ten patients rely on their families to bring them food due to the poor quality of hospital food; and three quarters of hospital meals would be given a red traffic light for saturated fat by the Food Standards Agency.

 

This Council welcomes the excellent campaign – Operation Hospital Food - led by celebrity chef James Martin to highlight poor practice in the production of hospital food and how its quality and variety can be transformed by using locally sourced, sustainable and nutritious ingredients.

 

Further, this Council welcomes the new Department of Health standards for NHS hospital food which are to be backed up by new patient-led assessments, the results of which must be published online. This is a positive step forward in addressing some of the concerns raised by patients and campaigners.

Therefore, this Council requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Chief Executives of the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Sussex Community NHS Trust requesting:

 

1.            Details of where the Trusts and their contractors currently source their ingredients for patient meals at the Royal Sussex County and Brighton General Hospitals and details of any plans they have to improve local sourcing;

 

2.            Details of, and progress on, the new patient-led food assessments, including when information will be made available to members of the public.”

 

111.13      The motion was carried.

 

Note:      Councillors Jones and Mitchell having declared a pecuniary interest in the item withdrew from the chamber and took no part in the discussion or decision thereon.

 

 

(a)                     Support Free School Meals for All Children in Poverty

 

111.1          The Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor Pissaridou on behalf of the Labour & Co-operative Group and seconded by Councillor Gilbey.

 

111.2          Councillor Wealls moved an amendment to the notice of motion on behalf of the Conservative Group which was seconded by Councillor Brown.

 

111.3          The Mayor noted that the amendment had not been accepted by Councillor Pissaridou and put it to the vote which was lost.

 

111.4          The Mayor then put the following motion to vote:

 

“For many pupils, the free school meal is the only hot meal they will eat allday.  Without a proper breakfast, a hot lunch at school aids pupil concentration, boosts energy levels and increases ability to learn.

 

Nationally fewer than half of children in low income households receive a free school meal.  1.2 million children classified as living in poverty are not eligible for one.

 

Over six thousand children in poverty in Brighton and Hove are missing out on a free school meal; 1,400 in Brighton Pavilion Constituency, 1,600 in Hove and Portslade and 3,100 in Brighton Kemptown.

 

Under the rules as they stand, any household working more than 16 hours per week looses all entitlement to free school meals and the government has indicated that a similar situation will exist after the introduction of Universal Credit.

 

As well as the obvious nutritional and educational benefits, free school meals are an important household budget consideration for low income families, especially at a time of high food and fuel costs and changes to welfare.  Facing the loss of these meals creates further barriers for families seeking to move into work or take on more hours. This situation runs counter to the government’s stated intention of Universal Credit making work pay.

 

Therefore this council:

 

·               Pledges its support for the Children’s Society Campaign: ‘Fair and Square’ that calls on the government to ensure that all children in families receiving Universal Credit are eligible for free school meals.

 

·               Requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Work and Pensions Minister calling on him to make free school meals available to the children of families in receipt of Universal Credit as plans for its introduction are finalized and as part of the government’s expected review of free school meals.”

 

111.5          The motion was carried.

 

 

(b)                          National Evacuees Memorial

 

111.6          The Notice of Motion as detailed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor Hyde on behalf of the Conservative Group and seconded by Councillor Peltzer Dunn.

 

111.7          The Mayor then put the following motion to vote:

 

“This Council applauds the work of the Evacuees Association in highlighting the story of the great evacuation that took place in vulnerable parts of the country at the start of World War 2.  Brighton & Hove played a key part in the evacuation, initially as a safe haven for over 30,000 evacuees from London, many of whom settled with local families.  Then later, as the threat of a German invasion loomed, many of these children together with children from Brighton & Hove and other vulnerable people, were themselves evacuated to other safer areas of the country.

 

This Council welcomes the Evacuees Association campaign to establish a National Memorial to the Evacuation at the National Memorial Arboretum at Lichfield and notes the request from the local Royal British Legion Women’s Section that Brighton & Hove City Council make a contribution to the appeal, as other councils such as Barking and Dagenham have done.

 

Therefore, this Council resolves to request that Policy & Resources Committee agree a donation to the appeal of £1,000 to act as a lasting commemoration to the unique role of the evacuees, foster parents, teachers, nurses, billeting officers and train/bus drivers who played such a key part in the city’s history.”

 

111.8          The motion was carried.