Agenda and minutes

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Venue: Bury Town Hall

Contact: Leigh Webb  Democratic Services

Items
No. Item

C. 400

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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

Minutes:

1.   Councillor Connolly declared a personal interest in any item which related to staffing as his partner is an employee of the Local Authority Trading Company, Persona. Councillor Connolly also declared a personal interest in respect of the Police Funding Notice of Motion, as the Combined Authority Lead on the Police and Crime Panel

 

2.   Councillor Jones declared a personal interest in any item which related to staffing as his wife is an employee of Bury Council. Councillor Jones also declared a personal interest in respect of the Police Funding Notice of Motion as an ex Police Officer

 

3.   Councillor Bevan declared a personal interest in any item which related to staffing as his wife is an employee within a Bury School.

 

4.   Councillor Mallon declared a personal interest in any item which related to staffing as his wife is an employee within a Bury High School.

 

5.   Councillor Tariq declared a personal interest in respect of the Police Funding Notice of Motion as the Council’s Lead Member for Community Safety

C. 401

MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL pdf icon PDF 72 KB

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the last meeting of the Council held on 9 September 2015.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

 

That the Minutes of the Meeting of Council held on 9 September 2015 be signed by the Mayor as a true and correct record, subject to the inclusion of a personal declaration of interest on the Magistrates Notice of Motion from Councillor Bevan as a practising solicitor appearing at the Courts.

C. 402

MAYORAL COMMUNICATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

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.

Minutes:

1.   The Mayor offered birthday congratulations to Councillor Cassidy and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

 

2.   The Mayor informed Members of the Council of two upcoming events, namely, Remembrance Sunday on 8th November and the Civic Ball on 4th December. 

 

3.   The Mayor informed Members of the recent death of ex-Mayor of the Borough, Mr Paul Nesbit. Members of the Council stood in silent tribute to Mr Nesbit. 

 

C. 403

PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

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.

Minutes:

 

The Mayor reported the receipt of one written question as set out below:

No.

Issue

Questioner

Answered By

1.

Plans to Support Syrian Refugees

Ms A McKay

Councillor Connolly

 

 

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

No.

Issue

Questioner

Answered By

1.

Share of Parks/Play Area Funding across the Borough

Mr V Hagan

Councillor Connolly

2.

Children’s  Special Educational Needs Transport

Mr G Smith

Councillor Connolly

3.

Special  Educational Needs Transport incident

Mr M Szervanski

Councillor Connolly

 

4.

Special  Educational Needs Transport incident

Mrs Mortenson

Councillor Connolly

 

5.

Request for Skate Park in Elton

Mr B Hagan

Councillor Connolly

6.

Children’s  Special Educational Needs Transport

Ms. N Dyemore

Councillor Connolly

7.

Physiotherapy Services in Radcliffe

Mr I Henderson

Councillor Shori

 

 

C. 404

RECOMMENDATIONS OF CABINET AND COUNCIL COMMITTEES pdf icon PDF 70 KB

Committee/Date

Subject

Recommendation

Minute  LSP.267 Licensing and Safety Panel 2 September 2015

Review of Statement of Licensing Policy

(Report attached)

That Council agree to adopt the Licensing Policy as outlined in the report.

         

Cabinet 14 October 2015

Health and Wellbeing Board Annual Report and Refreshed Health and Wellbeing Strategy

(Report attached)

Minute to follow

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

1.   Minute LSP.267 of the meeting of the Licensing and Safety Panel held on 2 September 2015 – Review of Statement of Licensing Policy 

 

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

 

RESOLVED:

 

                That Council agree to adopt the Licensing Policy as outlined in the report.

 

2.   Minute CA.378 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 14 October 2015 – Health and Wellbeing Board Annual report and Refreshed Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2014/15

 

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

 

RESOLVED:

   

1.    That the Health and Wellbeing Annual Report and Refreshed Health and Wellbeing Strategy be approved.

 

 That the membership of the Health and Wellbeing Board be amended to include a representative of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

C. 405

LEADER' STATEMENT AND CABINET QUESTION TIME pdf icon PDF 83 KB

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.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A)Written question (Notice given)

 

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

 

Prior to the commencement of Cabinet Question Time, Councillor Gartside reported that 3 written questions from the Conservative Group had been ruled out of order in advance of the meeting by the Mayor following legal advice provided by the Monitoring Officer. Councillor Gartside indicated that as a result of this the Conservative Group would take no further part in the meeting.

 

(Nb: At this point in the meeting Councillors Bevan, Caserta, Gartside, Gunther, Hankey, Harris, Nuttall, R E Walker and Wright left the Chamber.) 

            

The Leader of the Council formally placed on record his acknowledgement of the Mayor’s ruling and expressed disappointment that the Conservative Group had chosen to leave the meeting.

 

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

 

 

No.

Issue

Questioner

Answered by

1.

Business Rates 

Councillor Jones

Councillor Shori

2.

Tax Credit Cuts

Councillor Susan Southworth

Councillor Walmsley

3.

Cuts to Social Rents

Councillor J Walker

Councillor Shori

4.

Ivan Lewis MP

Councillor Gunther

Councillor Connolly

5.

Greater Manchester Spatial Framework

Councillor Parnell

Councillor Walmsley

6.

Right to Buy Housing Association Properties

Councillor O’Brien

Councillor Shori

7.

Free Early Learning Places

Councillor James

Councillor Heneghan

8.

Bus Lane Fines

Councillor R Walker

 

9.

Homelessness

Councillor Pickstone

Councillor Shori

10.

Careers Advice

Councillor J Walker

Councillor Heneghan

11.

Refuse Collection Savings 

Councillor Susan Southworth

Councillor Connolly

12.

Social Isolation

Councillor Parnell

Councillor Simpson

13.

Tax Arrangements

Councillor Harris

Councillor Holt

14.

Persona

Councillor Black

Councillor Simpson

15.

Hate Crime

Councillor Preston

Councillor Tariq

16.

World Mental Health Day

Councillor Adams

Councillor Simpson

17.

Police Commissioner

Councillor Caserta

Councillor Connolly

18.

CAMHS Services

Councillor D’Albert

Councillor Heneghan

19.

Apprentices

Councillor Skillen

Councillor Holt

20.

Council Website

Councillor Kerrison

Councillor Walmsley

21.

Equal Pay Claims

Councillor Gartside

Councillor Shori

22.

GM Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme

Councillor Sarah Southworth

Councillor Connolly

23.

Sale of Fireworks

Councillor Cassidy

Councillor Walmsley

24.

Fuel Poverty

Councillor Mallon

Councillor Shori

25.

Living Wage

Councillor Pickstone

Councillor Shori

26.

Three Weekly Bin Collections

Councillor Black

Councillor Isherwood

27.

Empty Properties

Councillor D’Albert

Councillor Shori

 

Due to the lack of time to answer questions 14 to 27 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)

 

1.

Radcliffe Growth and Investment, Leisure, Civics and Housing

Councillor Pickstone

Councillor Connolly

2.

Chinese Investment in the Economy

Councillor Quinn

Councillor Connolly

3.

Civic Venues

Councillor James

Councillor Connolly

4.

Ambulance Response Times

Councillor Mallon

Councillor Connolly

 

C. 406

JOINT AUTHORITIES - REPORT BY THE COUNCIL'S REPRESENTATIVE AND QUESTIONS pdf icon PDF 29 KB

(A)        A report from the Council’s representative on the work of Greater Manchester Police, Councillor Connolly

(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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

a)  Councillor Connolly, the Council’s representative on the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel gave a verbal report on the work of the Panel to all Members of the Council.

 

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

No.

Issue

Questioner

Answered by

1.

Carriage of Dogs on Metrolink

Councillor D’Albert

Councillor Bayley (Representative on Transport for Greater Manchester)

2.

Impact of Government Spending on the Police

Councillor Pickstone

Councillor Connolly (Representative on the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel)

3.

Openness and Transparency Combined Authority and AGMA meetings

Councillor Pickstone

Councillor Connolly (Representative on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority)

 

C. 407

NOTICES OF MOTION

The following Notices of Motion have been received:-

 

          Plastic Bag Levy

          This Council notes:

-  That in the last year where figures are available (2013) shops in the UK handed out  8.3 billion plastic carrier bags

-  That plastic bags contribute to highly visible litter on our streets and countryside, pose a threat to wildlife and their disposal contributes significantly to green house gas emissions, taking 500 to 1,000 years to degrade.

    This Council therefore welcomes:

 -  The introduction of the Plastic Bag levy introduced by the previous Government which came into force on 5 October 2015.

 -  That the levy will be distributed to charitable good causes, and the expected     reduction in clean-up and waste disposal costs.

This Council resolves:

-    To liaise with our large supermarkets, and make available information on their grant schemes to local charities to maximise the amount of the levy which is distributed to local good causes

-     Provide information to small businesses in the Borough who may wish to voluntarily charge for plastic bags  to maximise the take-up of the scheme within the Borough.

 

In the names of Councillors D’Albert and Pickstone

 

         

Police Funding

 

This Council notes that Policing, along with the wider public sector, has faced several years of major challenges due to central Government’s unrelenting cuts to funding. 

In Greater Manchester, the police have not shied away from these financial challenges, transforming local policing services and working more closely with local authorities and other partner agencies to tackle the issues that place most demand on police services. 

However, the latest proposed cuts in funding mean that GMP are now at crisis point. The changing nature and complexity of crime combined with a dwindling budget and the loss of thousands of officers pose extraordinary challenges.  Add to that the uncertainty of future police funding and the Police and Crime Commissioner is faced with extremely difficult decisions to ensure the communities of Greater Manchester are kept safe. 

We are currently looking at a situation where senior GMP Officers are due to slash another £157m from the Force’s Annual Budget by 2019.  This will mean hundreds of policing posts being cut.  In numbers terms, this means only 4000 Officers left by 2019, half its levels from just five years ago. 

Policing needs the necessary resources so that communities such as Bury can be kept as safe as possible. This is fundamental to secure communities, economic prosperity and a socially just society.

This council is very concerned about the outcome of the latest government consultation on police funding, and commits to work with others to further raise the funding issues being faced by GMP.

In the first instance, we will write to the Secretary of State outlining our concerns, as well as entreating both of our Members of Parliament to intercede with the government on behalf of our Borough.

 

We also ask for a delegation from Bury Council to meet with the Interim Mayor/Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner and his team to put forward  ...  view the full agenda text for item C. 407

Minutes:

Two Notices of Motion had been received and set out in the Summons.

 

Plastic Bag Levy

 

A motion had been received and set out in the summons in the names of Councillors M D’Albert and T Pickstone

 

It was moved by Councillor Pickstone and seconded by Councillor D’Albert:-

This Council notes:

·         That in the last year where figures are available (2013) shops in the UK handed out  8.3 billion plastic carrier bags

·         That plastic bags contribute to highly visible litter on our streets and countryside, pose a threat to wildlife and their disposal contributes significantly to green house gas emissions, taking 500 to 1,000 years to degrade.

This Council therefore welcomes:

·         The introduction of the Plastic Bag levy introduced by the previous Government which came into force on 5 October 2015.

·         That the levy will be distributed to charitable good causes, and the expected reduction in clean-up and waste disposal costs.

 

 

This Council resolves:

 

·         To liaise with our large supermarkets, and make available information on their grant schemes to local charities to maximise the amount of the levy which is distributed to local good causes

·         Provide information to small businesses in the Borough who may wish to voluntarily charge for plastic bags  to maximise the take-up of the scheme within the Borough.

 

On being put, with no-one voting against and no abstentions, the Mayor declared the motion carried.

 

 

 

         

 

2.  Police Funding

 

A motion had been received and set out in the summons in the names of

 

Councillors P Adams, N Bayley, J Black, S Briggs, , D Cassidy, M Connolly, E FitzGerald, L Fitzwalter, J Grimshaw, S Haroon, P Heneghan, T Holt, A Isherwood, M James, D Jones, J Kelly, S Kerrison, J Lewis, J Mallon,

A Matthews, E O’Brien, N Parnell, C Preston, A Quinn, R Shori, A Simpson, R Skillen, Sarah Southworth, Susan Southworth, T Tariq, J Walker, S Walmsley and M Whitby.

 

It was moved by Councillor Lewis and seconded by Councillor Jones:-

This Council notes that Policing, along with the wider public sector, has faced several years of major challenges due to central Government’s unrelenting cuts to funding. 

In Greater Manchester, the police have not shied away from these financial challenges, transforming local policing services and working more closely with local authorities and other partner agencies to tackle the issues that place most demand on police services. 

However, the latest proposed cuts in funding mean that GMP are now at crisis point. The changing nature and complexity of crime combined with a dwindling budget and the loss of thousands of officers pose extraordinary challenges.  Add to that the uncertainty of future police funding and the Police and Crime Commissioner is faced with extremely difficult decisions to ensure the communities of Greater Manchester are kept safe. 

We are currently looking at a situation where senior GMP Officers are due to slash another £157m from the Force’s Annual Budget by 2019.  This will mean hundreds of policing  ...  view the full minutes text for item C. 407

C. 408

SCRUTINY REVIEW REPORTS AND SPECIFIC ITEMS "CALLED IN" BY SCRUTINY COMMITTEES

Minutes:

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

 

C. 409

QUESTIONS ON THE WORK OF OUTSIDE BODIES OR PARTNERSHIPS

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).

Minutes:

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

C. 410

DELEGATED DECISIONS OF THE COUNCIL COMMITTEES

Questions on the delegated decisions made by the Regulatory Committees and Scrutiny Committees contained in the Digest of Decision 3 (2015/16) published  since the last ordinary meeting of the Council, providing four clear working days’ notices has been given of the question.

 

Members are asked to bring to the meeting their copy of Digest 3 (2015/16).

Minutes:

There were no written questions asked on the delegated decisions of the Committees or Scrutiny Committee contained in the Digest of Decisions 3 (2015/16).