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.      Councillor L Smith declared a personal interest in relation to Item 6, Leader’s Question Time as her partner works for the NHS.

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.

5.     Councillor R Hodkinson declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the Notice of Motion relating to Ramsbottom Additional Car Parking, as the owner of a car park and business in Ramsbottom and as the Treasurer of the Ramsbottom Business Group. Councillor Hodkinson left the meeting during consideration of this item.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the last meeting of the Council held on 28 November 2018

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Meeting of Council held on 28 November 2018 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 congratulated Rabbi Warren Elf, Susan Lomas and Kate Brown who had been recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s honours.

The Mayor thanked all those who supported the Mayoral Ball in December and provided an update on the work of her Mayoral Charities.

The Mayor reported on a proposal to twin the new Town Hall toilets with those in a developing country.

The Mayor reminded Members that she will be hosting an Interfaith breakfast in early February.

Members stood in silent tribute to ex-Mayor of Bury, Mr Peter Ashworth, who had recently passed away.

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.

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

Meeting of the Corporate Parenting Board held on 28 November 2018 – Annual Report 2017/18

It was moved by Councillor O’Brien and seconded by Councillor Briggs and it was:-

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the report and progress made by the Corporate Parenting Board over the past year be noted.

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 the Greater Manchester Waste 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

Due to the lateness of the hour and with the consent of the meeting, the Mayor undertook to ensure that the Joint Authority report on Waste and responses to Joint Authority questions be provided in writing to Elected Members and published on the Council’s website.

The following Notices of Motion have been received:-

(i)                 People’s Vote on Brexit

This Council notes:

1. That it is now two and a half years since the EU referendum, and  a matter of weeks until the scheduled date of leaving the EU;

2  That the government has still to present to the public a deal with the European Union which can command the suport of Parliament that secures a stable and sustainable place for Britain in the world and delivers on the promises of the Leave campaign.

This Council Meeting further notes:

1  The UK economy is now the slowest growing economy in Europe, reducing the prosperity of the UK and Bury residents;

2  Both private business and public-sector organisations, such as the NHS, are facing labour shortages;

3  New investment in Greater Manchester is being jeopardised and new job opportunities are being lost for residents of Bury and across the North West;

4  There are a large number of non-UK EU nationals living in Bury who are concerned about the impact of Brexit on their lives, and that their current rights are not being fully protected;

5  Inflation caused by Brexit-related depreciation of the pound is driving up living costs for the residents in Bury and further squeezing living standards; and

6  Impact of any Brexit will reduce funding for the public sector, further restricting resilience and capacity to respond to shocks to our economy and limiting services for the poorest in our society.

This Council Meeting believes that the public should be given the final say on the most important decision to affect this Country in decades, in knowledge of the full facts.

This Council Meeting therefore resolves to call on the government to abandon any plans for a “hard Brexit” and to give the British people a final say on the deal finally negotiated, alongside the opportunity for a vote on keeping the many benefits Britons currently enjoy by staying in the European Union

In the names of Councillors M D’Albert, T Pickstone and S Wright

(ii)                           Bury To Become a Plastic Free Council

    This Council notes:-

·         The recent Government consultation [ending on 3 December 2018] into the elimination of single use plastics in respect of plastic stirrers, cotton buds and straws.

·         The new Government Resources and Waste Strategy launched on 18 December 2018.

·         Notes the environmental impact of both excess plastics in natural environment and in relation to Global Warming

     Council welcomes:

A.   Welcomes the opening of the borough’s first plastic free shop ‘Fulfilled’ in Ramsbottom in September 2018.

B.  The significant increase in recycling achieved in the Borough since 2011. Up from 27% in 2011 to 60% today.

C.  The call for the introduction of Deposit Return Schemes in July 2017 by Bury Council. We were the first council in England to debate this, which has now been taken up by the government in their English waste strategy document.

     This Council therefore resolves that:

1.   Develop  a plastics strategy with the objective that  ...  view the full agenda text for item C. 302

(i)              Bury to Become a Plastic Free Community

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

Councillors N Bayley, J Black, S Briggs, R Cathcart, A Cummings, J Grimshaw, M Hayes, S Haroon, T Holt, M James, D Jones, J Kelly, K Leach, G McGill, E O’Brien, C Preston, A Quinn, T Rafiq, R Shori, A Simpson, R Skillen, L Smith, S Smith, Sarah Southworth, Susan Southworth, T Tariq, K Thomas, J Walker, S Walmsley and M Whitby.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 14.7 (a), consent was given for the  motion as set out in the summons to be altered, and it was moved by Councillor Thomas and seconded by Councillor Leach that:-

This Council notes:-

·         The recent Government consultation [ending on 3 December 2018] into the elimination of single use plastics in respect of plastic stirrers, cotton buds and straws.

·         The new Government Resources and Waste Strategy launched on 18 December 2018.

·         Notes the environmental impact of both excess plastics in natural environment and in relation to Global Warming

Council welcomes:

A.           The opening of the borough’s first plastic free shop ‘Fulfilled’ in   Ramsbottom in September 2018.

B.     The significant increase in recycling achieved in the Borough since 2011.

C.     The introduction of Deposit Return Schemes.

        This Council therefore resolves that:

1.   Develop  a plastics strategy with the objective that Bury will become a Plastic Free Community by 2022;

2.   That the requirement to be plastic free (where allowable) will be incorporated into the Council’s Social Value Policy, to ensure that the Council’s supply chain is plastic free by 2026;

3.   Create plastic free community spaces in our parks, libraries, community and leisure centres with a £20,000 being made available to community groups from the Council’s Social Capital Fund (19/20 allocation) whose ambitions are to support the plastic free agenda.

4.   Support Plastic Free Community initiatives in the area

5.   Nominate a member of the council to sit on the Plastic Free Community Steering Group

On being put, with 42 voting for, 0 voting against and with 2 abstentions including the Mayor, the Mayor declared the Motion carried.

(ii)         Additional Car Parking – Ramsbottom

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

In the names of Councillors R Caserta, P Cropper, J Daly, I Gartside, D Gunther, M Hankey, J Harris, K Hussain, N Jones, G Keeley, O Kersh, S Nuttall,  I Schofield, D Silbiger,  R Walker, and Y Wright

It was moved by Councillor Daly and seconded by Councillor Schofield that:-

Ramsbottom is a fantastic place to live and work in the north of our Borough.

However, this Council notes:

1.    The need for additional long stay parking capacity in the town to address congestion and reduce the number of cars and other vehicles parked in residential streets causing inconvenience and disruption for local residents.

2.    Extra car parking capacity will provide parking areas for those who  ...  view the full minutes text for item C. 302

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 4 (2018/2019) 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).