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.

The following declarations of interest were made at the meeting in relationto items on the agenda:

1. Councillor Quinn declared a personal interest in all matters under consideration as both his son and daughter-in law, work for the NHS, his wife works for the CAB and he is a member of the Trade Union, Unite and the Downs Syndrome Association.

2. Councillors David Jones and D Vernon declared personal interest in the CXXX Combined Authority update as retired Police Officers.

3. Councillor Simpson declared a personal interest in all matters under consideration as both herself and her son are employed by the NHS.

4. Councillor S. Wright declared a personal interest in all matters under consideration as his wife works for a school in the Borough.

5.  Councillors Susan Southworth and J Harris declared personal interest in any matters under consideration as members of the 6 Town Housing Board.

Minutes of the meeting held on 24^th February 2021 are attached.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Meeting of Council held on 24^th February 2021 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.

As this will be the last Full Council meeting of this municipal year the Mayor wanted to   place on record his thanks to all Elected members that would be standing down at the forthcoming local elections, these comments were supported by group leaders.

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.

Notice had been received of the following 2 questions:

Meeting of HWB 18^th November 2020 – Amended HWB Terms of reference

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

Resolved:

That Council approves the updated Health and Wellbeing Board Terms of Reference.

Meeting of Cabinet 23^rd February 2021 – Bury 2030 Strategy

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

RESOLVED:

That the Council endorses the strategy for adoption and encourages other public services and community leaders to do the same.

Meeting of HRA 25^th February 2021 – Pay Policy

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

Resolved:

The Pay Policy Statement [2021-2022] is approved.

Meeting of DAF 2^nd March 2021 – Member Allowance Scheme

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

RESOLVED:

Council;

(a)  Agrees the Members’ Scheme of Allowances for 2021/22 set out at Appendix 1;

(b)  Note that a new Independent Remuneration Panel will be appointed later this year by the Director of Law and Democratic Services in consultation with the Mayor to advise on a Scheme of Allowances for 2022/23 ahead of the all-out May 2022 Local Elections.

Meeting of DAF 2^nd March 2021 – Meetings Timetable

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

RESOLVED:

That the timetable of meetings for the 2021/22 Municipal Year, as set out, be approved.

Report attached.

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

RESOLVED:

That Council approves the Corporate Plan 2020-22 (2021 refresh).

Report attached.

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

RESOLVED:

That Council approves the:

·         Treasury Management Strategy for 2021/22

·         Minimum Revenue Provision Policy for 2021/22

·         Prudential Indicators forecast for 3 years

·         Schemes of Delegation and Responsibility attached at Appendices 2 and 6

Report attached.

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

On being put, with 29 voting for, 17 voting against, and with the Mayor abstaining, the Mayor resolved that:

Council;

a)            Notes the views of scrutiny members set out in the Report.

b)            Approves the establishment of a new Children and Young Persons Overview and Scrutiny committee and revised terms of reference for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Health Scrutiny effective from 1 June 2021.

c)            Authorises the Monitoring Officer to make consequential changes to the Constitution.

d)            Notes the LGA will support a review of the scrutiny function after the May elections.

Report attached.

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

On being put, with Councillors J Black, S Briggs, C Cummins, A Cummings, R Gold, S Haroon, M Hayes, T Holt, D Jones, G McGill, C Morris, B Mortenson, E O’Brien, A Quinn, T Rafiq, A Simpson, L Smith, S Smith, Sarah Southworth, Susan Southworth, T Tariq, K Thomas, S Walmsley, C Walsh and M Whitby for;

Councillors R Caserta, P Cropper, J Daly, I Gartside, D Gunther, J Harris, S Hurst, K Hussain, N Jones, G Keeley, O Kersh, A McKay, I Schofield, D Silbiger, M Smith, D Vernon, R Walker, and Y Wright voting against, and with the Mayor and Councillors M Powell, C Tegolo and S Wright abstaining, the Mayor resolved that:

That Council approves submission of the proposed new warding patterns to the LGBCE.

To receive a report 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, Cabinet Members and Chair of a Committee 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.

A member may ask a verbal question of the Leader, any Member of the Cabinet or Chair of a Committee about any matter on the Council agenda and which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the Borough.  Only one verbal question per Councillor.

(a)                Written question (Notice given)

The Leader of the Council, Councillor E O’Brien, 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 8 to 21 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) Verbal Questions

(A)        An update report on the work of the Combined Authority is attached.

(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 Rules.

(a)               The Council received a report on the work of the Combined Authorities.

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

Due to the lack of time to answer questions four, the Leader gave an undertaking that copies of that questions and responses will be circulated to all Councillors. The Leader also gave an undertaking to make these available on the Council Web Site.

(i)     The Right to Food

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

Councillors J Black, S Briggs, R Cathcart, A Cummings, C Cummins, R Gold, J Grimshaw, M Hayes, S Haroon, T Holt, D Jones, K Leach, G McGill, C Morris, B Mortenson, E O’Brien, A Quinn, T Rafiq, A Simpson, L Smith, S Smith, Sarah Southworth, Susan Southworth, T Tariq, K Thomas, S Walmsley, C Walsh and M Whitby

This Council notes that:

The Covid Pandemic has laid bare the vast inequalities that exist across communities.  The crisis has highlighted the levels of poverty and inequality that has manifested itself in the lack of access to food.  A recent analysis of Greater Manchester shows that an additional 4500 children have crossed the poverty threshold and have become eligible for free school meals.  Data from the DWP also shows the number of households who receive Universal Credit in the region has increased to 252, 609 from 149,638 in February 2020.  The government’s constant u-turns on the issue has added to the stress of food insecurity and increased workloads on key workers.  This insecurity is increased by the government’s failure to agree to incorporate the additional £20 uplift in Universal Credit payments as a permanent measure. 

The government is undertaking an independent review intended to set out a vision and a plan for a better food system for England, the National Food Strategy.  The review will include economic and social issues. 

The ‘Right to Food’ campaign, launched by Fans Supporting Foodbanks, calls for a change in the law to make access to food a legal right for all in the UK making Government legally responsible to help people suffering from food poverty. Greater Manchester has become the first city-region to support a campaign which calls for the ‘Right to Food’ to become a legal requirement.

In addition, Sustain a powerful alliance of organisations and communities working together for a better system of food, farming and fishing, and cultivating the movement for change, some of the measure it advocates are that Local Authorities should:

• Support fair pay by promoting the Real Living Wage to the local council and employers
• Ensuring children’s access to food 365 days a year
• Supporting services that provide financial crisis support and advice
• Developing an alliance and action plan to tackle food poverty. 
• Support measures to improve the uptake of Healthy Start vouchers

Measures that this Labour administration has supported.

This Council resolves to:

• Endorse the campaign for the ‘Right to Food’ to be incorporated into the ‘National Food Strategy’. 
• Endorsing a legal mechanism for enforcing the right to food.  The mechanism could set out responsibilities for the wide range of public bodies who would need to take action to improve incomes (such as the introduction of the RLW), control every day costs (such as utility costs) and improve access to good food (such as free school meals 365 days of the year). 
• To write to the Independent Lead of  ...  view the full agenda text for item C. 12

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

Councillors J Black, S Briggs, R Cathcart, C Cummins, A Cummings, R Gold, J Grimshaw, S Haroon, M Hayes, T Holt, D Jones, K Leach, G McGill, C Morris, B Mortenson, E O’Brien, A Quinn, T Rafiq, A Simpson, L Smith, S Smith, Sarah Southworth, Susan Southworth, T Tariq, K Thomas, S Walmsley, C Walsh and M Whitby.

              (i) Right to Food

This Council notes that:

The Covid Pandemic has laid bare the vast inequalities that exist across communities.  The crisis has highlighted the levels of poverty and inequality that has manifested itself in the lack of access to food.  A recent analysis of Greater Manchester shows that an additional 4500 children have crossed the poverty threshold and have become eligible for free school meals.  Data from the DWP also shows the number of households who receive Universal Credit in the region has increased to 252, 609 from 149,638 in February 2020.  The government’s constant u-turns on the issue has added to the stress of food insecurity and increased workloads on key workers.  This insecurity is increased by the government’s failure to agree to incorporate the additional £20 uplift in Universal Credit payments as a permanent measure. 

The government is undertaking an independent review intended to set out a vision and a plan for a better food system for England, the National Food Strategy.  The review will include economic and social issues. 

The ‘Right to Food’ campaign, launched by Fans Supporting Foodbanks, calls for a change in the law to make access to food a legal right for all in the UK making Government legally responsible to help people suffering from food poverty. Greater Manchester has become the first city-region to support a campaign which calls for the ‘Right to Food’ to become a legal requirement.

In addition, Sustain a powerful alliance of organisations and communities working together for a better system of food, farming and fishing, and cultivating the movement for change, some of the measure it advocates are that Local Authorities should:

·  Support fair pay by promoting the Real Living Wage to the local council and employers

·  Ensuring children’s access to food 365 days a year

·  Supporting services that provide financial crisis support and advice

·  Developing an alliance and action plan to tackle food poverty. 

·  Support measures to improve the uptake of Healthy Start vouchers

Measures that this Labour administration has supported. 

This Council resolves to

·  Endorse the campaign for the ‘Right to Food’ to be incorporated into the ‘National Food Strategy’. 

·  Endorsing a legal mechanism for enforcing the right to food.  The mechanism could set out responsibilities for the wide range of public bodies who would need to take action to improve incomes (such as the introduction of the RLW), control every day costs (such as utility costs) and improve access to good food (such as free school meals 365 days of the year). 

·  To write to the Independent Lead of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item C. 12

Details of a late additional urgent motion is attached.

(iii)  Community Safety in our Borough

An Emergency motion had been received in the names of:

Councillors R Caserta, P Cropper, J Daly, I Gartside, D Gunther, J Harris, S Hurst, K Hussain, N Jones, G Keeley, O Kersh, I Schofield, D Silbiger, D Vernon, R Walker, and Y Wright

The Council notes:

Safety in our towns comes before money. Street lighting is vitally important and helps residents feel safe at night.

This week in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chief Constables from across the country discussed ways to improve community safety following the tragic death of Sarah Everard in London.

Yesterday, the government announced it will double its Safer Streets fund to £45 million to provide better lighting and CCTV at night. The increased funding for the scheme will target parks, alleyways and routes from bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

In the February Budget the Labour Group put forward plans to dim streetlights to save £20,000 and reduce energy consumption in 2021/22 and £10,000 in 2022/23

The Conservative Group in February put forward an alternative budget which focused on community safety. This included:

·        Extra funding to install Hi-Tech CCTV

·        Reversing the proposal to dim streetlights

The Council resolves to:

·         Reverse the decision to dim streetlights and ensure all streetlights are switched on full through the night to ensure residents feel safe to walk the boroughs streets

·         A report to be put forward to Overview and Scrutiny Committee to outline how many streetlights are currently not working in the Borough and a full review to take place of the Operations Directorate – Task and Finish Group to be set up from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

·         SLAs to be implemented for streets lights to be fixed within 5 days of them being reported as not working.

·         The Council to conduct a full review of street lighting including alleyways or parks in the borough to ensure no street does not have sufficient lighting.

·         Introduce the Women’s Safety Charter – The charter will be a voluntary pledge for all licensed organisations within the borough, including but not exclusive to, bars and clubs. The charter will include five principles on how they will support women experiencing sexual harassment in their premisses.

This Council thanks Bury’s frontline staff, charities and organisations for their life saving work.

It was moved by Councillor L Smith and seconded by Councillor Susan Southworth as an amendment to:-

Remove:

In the February Budget the Labour Group put forward plans to dim streetlights to save £20,000 and reduce energy consumption in 2021/22 and £10,000 in 2022/23

The Conservative Group in February put forward an alternative budget which focused on community safety. This included:

·        Extra funding to install Hi-Tech CCTV

·         Reversing the proposal to dim streetlights

Amend:

·         Reverse the decision to dim streetlights and ensure all streetlights are switched on full through the night to ensure residents feel safe to walk the boroughs streets

To say:

·        To ensure all streetlights are working to ensure residents feel safe to walk  ...  view the full minutes text for item C. 13

There were no scrutiny review reports or specific items called in by   the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

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 on the work of Outside Bodies or Questions on the Delegated Decisions of the Council.

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