(1) Protecting the public’s say in the planning process
A motion had been received and set out in the Summons in the names of:
Councillors M Powell, C Tegolo and S Wright
This Council notes:
1 The publication by Government of the White Paper, ‘Planning for the Future’ on 6 August 2020, which set out proposals on reforms to the planning process for the future.
2
That the vast majority of planning applications are
given the go ahead by local authority planning committees, with
permission granted to around 9 out of 10 applications.
3 That research by the Local Government Association has said that there are existing planning permissions for more than one million homes that have not yet been started.
This Council is concerned that the proposals seek to:
1 Reduce or remove the right of residents to object to applications near them.
2 Grant automatic rights for developers to build on land identified as ‘for growth’.
3 Remove section 106 payments for infrastructure and their replacement with a national levy.
This Council Further Notes:
1 The Royal Institute for British Architects called the proposals ‘shameful and which will do almost nothing to guarantee delivery of affordable, well-designed and sustainable homes’. RIBA also said that proposals could lead to the next generation of slum housing.
2 The reforms are opposed by the all-party Local Government Association, currently led by Conservative Councillors.
This Council Believes:
1 That existing planning procedures, as currently administered by our own team in Bury, allow for local democratic control over future development, and give local people a say in planning proposals that affect them.
2
That proposals for automatic rights to build in
‘growth’ areas, and increased permitted development
rights, risk unregulated growth and unsustainable
communities.
3 That local communities must be in the driving seat on shaping the future of their communities, and local determination of the planning framework and planning applications play an important part in this process.
This Council resolves to:
1
Take part in the consultation in the planning
proposals, and to make representations against the proposals as
outlined in this motion.
2
Write to and lobby both of our Members of
Parliament, urging them to oppose these proposals and to circulate
their replies to members.
3. Highlight its concerns over these proposals with the public and local residents.
(ii) Thank Our Key Workers Properly and Deliver Fair Funding for Bury Public Services
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
We the undersigned wholeheartedly thank our key workers, NHS staff and council employees for keeping essential services running throughout this pandemic. We thank many of our officers who have moved into different roles to support our communities and thank the trade unions for working with us to enable this.
We commend our care workers, who cared for our most vulnerable residents in the most difficult of circumstances. However, whilst we clapped our carers every week during lockdown, many are still not fairly paid for the vital work they do. The Resolution Foundation estimates that half of all frontline care workers are not paid the Foundation Living Wage.
Bury Council currently has a projected budget deficit of £7m and this is likely to rise over the next five years to £77m as a direct result of Covid, loss of income to council services and additional cost pressures over the period of the pandemic. After 10 years of austerity and with £100m already cut from our budget, our financial position is extremely challenging.
This means that in Bury, we cannot afford to pay our own employees and our social care providers the real Living Wage. In order to do this, we would need an additional £11.4m over the next five years, with £5.6m needed in the first year.
As the government undertakes its Comprehensive Spending Review, we are calling on all parties to join our campaign to thank our key workers properly, protect their jobs and fight for fair funding so that we can afford to pay the real Living Wage. This would not only enable us to deliver high quality public services and value our staff, but deliver on our priorities for our borough. From creating jobs to improving our environment, investing in our roads and transforming health and social care, we will continue to be hamstrung by significant underfunding by national government if we are not funded fairly.
The Secretary of State promised to fund councils to ‘do what it takes’ in response to coronavirus, but we need more than just to cover our costs in this crisis. If we really want to build back better and level up, we need a fair settlement for Bury that empowers and enables our council and our communities to reach their potential.
Therefore, this Council resolves to:
1) Put on record our thanks to our key workers, NHS and Council staff
2) Thank our trade unions for their support and cooperation during the Coronavirus response
3) Write to the Secretary of State calling for all costs from Covid to be covered, as he promised, and fair funding for public services to be guaranteed
4) Demand that the costs of paying the real Living Wage be covered in future finance settlements for local authorities
(iii) Shop Safe, Shop Local
A motion had been received and set out in the Summons 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 Councils Notes:
Businesses on our high streets, business parks and markets operating throughout the Borough have suffered greatly as a result of COVID-19. Many of whom shut their doors and found ways to help out in the community during this difficult time. As things slowly return to normal, it’s now time for Bury Council to give back to our local businesses to help get them back on their feet.
The Council has received £169,235 in funding from the Government’s Reopening High Street Safety Fund. However, there are still too many barriers for people in visiting our high streets, such as parking charges and concerns surrounding the safety of paying a visit to our six townships of Prestwich, Whitefield, Radcliffe, Tottington, Ramsbottom and Bury.
As the restrictions lift slowly and we move back to a sense of normality we need to encourage residents to shop local. We need play our part in protecting Bury’s prosperity and safeguarding local jobs. In doing this, we need to kick start our local economy.
The Council Resolves:
Bury Council to introduce the following measures to encourage residents to Shop Safe, Shop Local and support our high streets.
Minutes:
A motion had been received and set out in the Summons in the names of:
Councillors M Powell, C Tegolo and S Wright
(i) Protecting the public’s say in the planning process
This Council notes:
1. The publication by Government of the White Paper, ‘Planning for the Future’ on 6 August 2020, which set out proposals on reforms to the planning process for the future.
2.
That the vast majority of planning applications are
given the go ahead by local authority planning committees, with
permission granted to around 9 out of 10 applications.
3. That research by the Local Government Association has said that there are existing planning permissions for more than one million homes that have not yet been started.
This Council is concerned that the proposals seek to:
1. Reduce or remove the right of residents to object to applications near them.
2. Grant automatic rights for developers to build on land identified as
‘for growth’.
3. Remove section 106 payments for infrastructure and their replacement with a national levy.
This Council Further Notes:
1. The Royal Institute for British Architects called the proposals ‘shameful and which will do almost nothing to guarantee delivery of affordable, well-designed and sustainable homes’. RIBA also said that proposals could lead to the next generation of slum housing.
2. The reforms are opposed by the all-party Local Government Association, currently led by Conservative Councillors.
This Council Believes:
This Council resolves to:
1.
Take part in the consultation in the planning
proposals, and to make representations against the proposals as
outlined in this motion.
2.
Write to and lobby both of our Members of
Parliament, urging them to oppose these proposals and to circulate
their replies to members.
3. Highlight its concerns over these proposals with the public and local residents.
On being put, with 46 for voting for, 0 voting against, and with the Mayor and Councillor James Daly abstaining, the Mayor declared the motion carried.
(ii) Thank Our Key Workers Properly and Deliver Fair Funding for Bury Public Services
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
We the undersigned (detailed above) wholeheartedly thank our key workers, NHS staff and council employees for keeping essential services running throughout this pandemic. We thank many of our officers who have moved into different roles to support our communities and thank the trade unions for working with us to enable this.
We commend our care workers, who cared for our most vulnerable residents in the most difficult of circumstances. However, whilst we clapped our carers every week during lockdown, many are still not fairly paid for the vital work they do. The Resolution Foundation estimates that half of all frontline care workers are not paid the Foundation Living Wage.
Bury Council currently has a projected budget deficit of £7m and this is likely to rise over the next five years to £77m as a direct result of Covid, loss of income to council services and additional cost pressures over the period of the pandemic. After 10 years of austerity and with £100m already cut from our budget, our financial position is extremely challenging.
This means that in Bury, we cannot afford to pay our own employees and our social care providers the real Living Wage. In order to do this, we would need an additional £11.4m over the next five years, with £5.6m needed in the first year.
As the government undertakes its Comprehensive Spending Review, we are calling on all parties to join our campaign to thank our key workers properly, protect their jobs and fight for fair funding so that we can afford to pay the real Living Wage. This would not only enable us to deliver high quality public services and value our staff, but deliver on our priorities for our borough. From creating jobs to improving our environment, investing in our roads and transforming health and social care, we will continue to be hamstrung by significant underfunding by national government if we are not funded fairly.
The Secretary of State promised to fund councils to ‘do what it takes’ in response to coronavirus, but we need more than just to cover our costs in this crisis. If we really want to build back better and level up, we need a fair settlement for Bury that empowers and enables our council and our communities to reach their potential.
Therefore, this Council resolves to:
1) Put on record our thanks to our key workers, NHS and Council staff
2) Thank our trade unions for their support and cooperation during the Coronavirus response
3) Write to the Secretary of State calling for all costs from Covid to be covered, as he promised, and fair funding for public services to be guaranteed
4) Demand that the costs of paying the real Living Wage be covered in future finance settlements for local authorities
On being put, with 32 for voting for, 0 voting against, and with the Mayor and the Conservative Group abstaining, the Mayor declared the motion carried.
(iii) Shop Safe, Shop Local
A motion had been received and set out in the Summons 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 Councils Notes:
Businesses on our high streets, business parks and markets operating throughout the Borough have suffered greatly as a result of COVID-19. Many of whom shut their doors and found ways to help out in the community during this difficult time. As things slowly return to normal, it’s now time for Bury Council to give back to our local businesses to help get them back on their feet.
The Council has received £169,235 in funding from the Government’s Reopening High Street Safety Fund. However, there are still too many barriers for people in visiting our high streets, such as parking charges and concerns surrounding the safety of paying a visit to our six townships of Prestwich, Whitefield, Radcliffe, Tottington, Ramsbottom and Bury.
As the restrictions lift slowly and we move back to a sense of normality we need to encourage residents to shop local. We need play our part in protecting Bury’s prosperity and safeguarding local jobs. In doing this, we need to kick start our local economy.
The Council Resolves:
Bury Council to introduce the following measures to encourage residents to Shop Safe, Shop Local and support our high streets.
On being put, with 20 for voting for, 26 voting against, and with the Mayor abstaining, the Mayor declared the motion lost.