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

(a)          Making Vacant Council Buildings Available for Use as Homeless Shelters.  Proposed by Councillor Druitt (copy attached).

(b)          Our Services Our Say.  Proposed by Councillor Littman (copy attached).

(c)           Roadside Litter.  Proposed by Councillor G. Theobald (copy attached).

(a)          Making Vacant Buildings Available for Use as Homeless Shelters

73.1      The Notice of Motion as listed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor Druitt on behalf of the Green Group and seconded by Councillor Gibson.

73.2      Councillor Meadows moved an amendment on behalf of the Labour & Co-operative Group, which was seconded by Councillor Moonan.

73.3      The Mayor noted that the Labour & Co-operative amendment had not been accepted and put it to the vote, which was lost by 22 votes to 29 against as detailed below:

73.4      The Mayor then put the following motion as listed in the agenda to the vote:

“That the Council requests the Policy, Resources & Growth Committee to commission and give consideration to an urgent report that would enable the city council to: 

1.    Make policy that allows for all vacant City Council buildings to be made freely available for use as temporary homeless shelters, to be run by community charity and voluntary organisations that are able and willing to do so;

2.    Publicises the availability of vacant City Council buildings to the voluntary and community sector, and calls for expressions of interest from the community to operate these spaces;

3.    Make preparations for this at the earliest possible time, given the onset of winter, and offers clear guidance frameworks and assistance to all interested groups, particularly with navigating any regulatory requirements; and

4.    Sets Terms of Reference for use of the spaces, Conditions of use and clearly details the arrangements for reclaiming possession of the relevant premises when circumstances require it.”

73.5      The Mayor confirmed that the motion as listed had been carried by 51 votes to 0 votes as detailed below:

73.6      The motion was carried.

(b)         Our Services Our Say

73.7      The Notice of Motion as listed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor Littman on behalf of the Green Group and seconded by Councillor Sykes.

73.8      The Mayor then put the following motion as listed to the vote:

“This Council requests that the Leader of the Council:

1.      Write to the We Own It campaign to express our support for their ‘Our Services, Our Say’ campaign;

2.      Write a statement, to be made available through both the Council’s and the We Own It websites; explaining what the Council is doing in practical terms to support and protect the principles of transparency, accountability, and people before profit; and

3.      Write to the Cabinet Office to propose that the FOI regime be extended to cover contracts with private providers, including the scope for an FOI provision to be included in standard contract terms.”

73.9      The Mayor confirmed that the motion had been lost by 11 votes to 18 with 22 abstentions as detailed below:

73.10   The motion was lost.

(c)          Roadside Litter

73.11   The Notice of Motion as listed in the agenda was proposed by Councillor G. Theobald on behalf of the Conservative Group and seconded by Councillor Janio.

73.12   Councillor Littman moved an amendment on behalf of the Green Group, which was seconded by Councillor Mac Cafferty.

73.13   The Mayor noted that the Green amendment had not been accepted and put it to the vote which was carried by 31 votes to 18 as detailed below:

73.14   The Mayor the put the following motion as amended to the vote:

“This Council recognises that elements of the Government’s recently leaked new Litter Strategy, in particular the plan to give councils the power to issue fixed penalty notices to drivers who allow litter to be thrown from their cars onto the roadside, may alleviate the current roadside litter problem.

However, this Council recognises that the proposals fail to provide the additional funding required for local Councils and Highways England to adequately conduct litter picking and detritus removal across all areas of our natural environment.

Given the appalling state of the verges and environment on some of Brighton & Hove’s natural spaces, including our beachesand key arterial roads, this Council:

(i)     Calls on the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment urging her to introduce such funding and the measures in the new Strategy as a matter of urgencyand to allocate additional resources to enable them to be effectively implemented;

(ii)    Requests that the Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee meets with the Council’s enforcement contractor at the earliest opportunity to discuss how the new powers could be introduced in Brighton & Hove.”

73.15   The Mayor confirmed that the motion as amended had been carried by 31 votes to 18 as detailed below:

73.16   The motion was carried.