Agenda and minutes

Members of the Council are requested to declare any interests which they have in any items or issues before the Council for determination.

1.     Councillor S Wright declared a personal interests in any matter relating to staffing as his wife is employed in a Bury School.    

2.      Councillors Gartside, N Jones, Harris and Y Wright declared personal interests in respect of Item 6, Leader’s Question Time, as members of Bury Folk Keep It Green.

3.     Councillor Quinn declared a personal interest in relation to Item 6, Leader’s Question Time as his son and daughter in law work for the NHS.

4.     Councillors Leach and Simpson declared personal interests as they are employed by the NHS.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Meeting of Council held on 20 February 2019 be signed by the Mayor as a true and correct record.

To receive communications from the Mayor and any announcements by the Leader of the Council or the Chief Executive on matters of interest to the Council.

The Mayor reported on a recent visit to holocaust memorial sites in Poland.

The Mayor thanked the staff and organisers involved in the Bury Pride event, to be held on 13 April.

The Mayor reminded Members that the Gallipoli Service would be held on 28 April at the Parish Church.

The Mayor paid tribute to Councillors D’Albert, Hodkinson, James, Kelly, Preston and Skillen who are not seeking re-election in May.

To answer questions from members of the public, notice of which has been given, on any matter relevant to the Council or its services to the community. Up to 30 minutes will be set aside for this purpose. If time permits, further questions will be invited from members of the public present.

The Mayor reported the receipt of three written questions as set out below:

On inviting questions from members of the public present, the following issues were raised:-

Meeting of the Licensing and Safety Panel held on 10 January 2019 – Changes to the Constitutional Make-up and Frequency of Meetings

It was moved by Councillor D Jones and seconded by Councillor Shori that:-

Council accept the proposals with regard to altering the frequency and constitution of licensing and safety panel meetings dealing with hackney carriage and private hire matters.

It was moved by Councillor Kersh and seconded by Councillor N Jones as an amendment to:-

Retain the current constitutional arrangements

On being put, with 19 voting for, 31 voting against and with the Mayor abstaining, the Mayor declared the amendment lost.

On being put, with 31 voting for, 19 voting against and with the Mayor abstaining, the Mayor declared the substantive motion carried.

Meeting of the Cabinet held on 12 March 2019 – Mayoralty 2019/2020

It was moved by Councillor Shori and seconded by Councillor Simpson and it was:-                    

RESOLVED:

That Council note that Councillor Trevor Holt has been proposed as Mayor of Bury for 2019/20

Meeting of the Democratic Arrangements Forum held on 1 April 2019 – Timetable of Meetings 2019/20

It was moved by Councillor Shori and seconded by Councillor Daly and it was:-

RESOLVED:

That the Timetable of Meetings for 2019/20 be approved.

Meeting of the Human Resources and Appeals Panel held on 4 April 2019 – Pay Policy Statement 2019/2020

It was moved by Councillor Holt and seconded by Councillor Shori and it was:-

RESOLVED:

That the Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20 be approved.

To receive a Statement from the Leader of the Council on the work of the Cabinet and to answer written questions from Members of the Council to the Leader and Cabinet Members on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties which affect the Borough, provided the necessary written notice has been given.

Verbal questions on the work of the Cabinet since the last Council meeting will be allowed subject to a limit of one question per Councillor.

(a)   Written question (Notice given)

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Shori, made a statement on the work undertaken by him since the date of the last Council meeting.

The Leader and the relevant Cabinet Members answered questions raised by Councillors on the following issues:                                                         

Due to the lack of time to answer questions 12 to 23 inclusive, the Leader gave an undertaking that copies of those questions and responses will be circulated to all           

        Councillors. The Leader also gave an undertaking to make these available on the Council Web Site.   

(b)   Oral questions on Leader’s Speech and the work of the Cabinet since the last Council meeting (without Notice)

(A)        A report from the Council’s representative on the work of Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, Councillor Quinn

(B)        Questions (if any) on the work of the Joint Authorities to be asked by Members of the Council for which the necessary notice has been given in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.2

(a)        Councillor Quinn, the Council’s representative on the Greater Manchester Waste Authority reported on the work of the Authority to all Members of the Council.

(b)    The following questions had been received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.2.

The following Notices of Motion have been received:-

(i)      Better Buses

This Council notes that:

Buses account for around 80% of public transport journeys across Greater Manchester and are an important service to connect our residents and communities.

Whilst still the biggest provider of public transport, bus usage is decreasing. Since deregulation in the 1980s, bus use has gone down by 40% across Greater Manchester, while in London where they have a regulated network, it has doubled.

Under a deregulated service, private bus companies in Greater Manchester can set up, change and remove services when they like with little or no consultation or notification. This has led to vital but less profitable routes across the borough being cut or dependent on Local Authorities to subsidise.

A deregulated bus service has contributed to some of our largest public transport issues seen across the borough:

The decrease in bus services and usage has contributed to the increase in cars and traffic on our borough’s roads. This has caused an increase in air pollution, contributing to an increase in health issues and wear and tear on our roads, impacting the quality of the road network.

Due to the ongoing reduction in bus services, many of our communities, rural villages and some larger suburban areas are being cut off from the rest of the borough, particularly in the evening. This means that residents who do not drive have a further difficulty to access employment or leisure facilities and is impacting some of our more vulnerable residents who are unable to have their own mode of transport.

In areas where there isn’t a robust and regular bus network, residents are dependent on more expensive modes of transport such as private car ownership or taxis. This is creating pockets of transport poverty across the borough and limiting access to leisure, education and employment opportunities.

Despite Pilsworth being one of borough’s largest employment sites, there is no direct bus from Bury to Pilsworth and the lack of public transport in this area is further restricting access to employment opportunities.

Under a deregulated bus service, fares have increased by an average 55% in the last ten years making affordability more difficult for the poorest in our borough.

A regulated bus service could:

·            Introduce a smart ticketing and daily cap, making public transport more affordable and accessible.

·            Set and enforce the timetabling of buses across Greater Manchester, so buses are far more reliable and link up with other modes of transport.

·            Provide access to comprehensive easy-to-find fare and timetable information.

·            Profits from popular routes could be used to subsidise less busy routes, so all communities receive a good service.

·            The network could be expanded to run desperately needed evening and weekend services.

·            Introduce Greater Manchester standards of accessibility for disabled users.

This council resolves to:

Fully support the re-regulation of bus services across Greater Manchester.

When the Mayor of Greater Manchester formally consults on bus regulation later this year, this council will help distribute the consultation in our public  ...  view the full agenda text for item C. 439

Notices of Motion published in the Summons for the meeting had been withdrawn following advice provided by the Council Solicitor relating to Purdah.

There were no Scrutiny Review Reports or specific items “called in” by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to be considered at this Council meeting.

Questions on the work of Outside Bodies or partnerships on which the Council is represented to be asked by Members of the Council (if any).

There were no questions received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.2.

Questions on the delegated decisions made by the Regulatory Committees and Scrutiny Committees contained in the Digest of Decision 6 published since the last ordinary meeting of the Council, providing four clear working days’ notices has been given of the question.

There were no written questions asked on the delegated decisions of the Committees or Scrutiny Committee contained in the Digest of Decision 4 (2018/19).