Venue: Council Chamber, Runcorn Town Hall
Contact: Angela Scott on 0151 511 8670 or Email: angela.scott@halton.gov.uk
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Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of Council held on 19 May 2017, having been circulated, were taken as read and signed as a correct record. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting be confirmed and adopted. |
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The Mayor's Announcements Minutes: The Mayor made the following announcements:- · A new display board had been installed in the Council Chamber, which contained the names of the Leaders of Halton Borough Council since 1974; and · He had attended an exhibition at Lunts Heath Primary School based on the storybook ‘The Night Garden’ and had been presented with a ceramic wall hanging, made by the children. |
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Leader's Report Minutes: The Leader made the following announcements:- · He had attended the opening ceremony of the new Alstom facility which was a centre for train modernisation and manufacture, and which had created 200 jobs for local people. A new skills training academy on the site was due to open in September 2017; · He reported that the Budget Working Group had met to consider and identify savings of £10m which needed to be achieved for 2018/19. He assured everyone that every effort would be made to minimise the impact on essential services which the Council provides in the Borough. |
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Minutes of the Executive Board PDF 192 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: The Council considered the minutes of the meetings of executive Board on 16 March 2017, 20 April 2017 and 15 June 2017. RESOLVED: That the minutes be received. |
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Minutes of the Health and Wellbeing Board PDF 147 KB Minutes: The Council considered the minutes of the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting held on 29 March 2017. RESOLVED: That the minutes be received. |
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Questions Asked Under Standing Order 8 Minutes: It was noted that no questions had been submitted under Standing Order No.8. |
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Extension of Brindley Cafe (Minute EXB 14 refers) PDF 216 KB Executive Board considered the attached report. RECOMMENDED: That Council include £80,000 within the 2017/18 Capital Programme for this scheme, to be funded as outlined in paragraph 5.1 of the report. Additional documents: Minutes: The Council considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, on a proposed extension of the Brindley Theatre Café to provide improved facilities for customers and to provide opportunities to generate additional income. RESOLVED: That Council approve the inclusion of £80,000 within the Capital Programme for the scheme, to be funded as outlined in paragraph 5.1 of the report. |
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Annual Reports of the Policy and Performance Boards PDF 179 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: The Council considered the report
of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator, outlining the Annual Reports for each of the
Policy and Performance Boards (PPBs) for 2016/17, which had been submitted and
which outlined their work and made recommendations for future work programmes. RESOLVED: That the 2016/17 Annual Reports, submitted from the
Policy and Performance Boards, be received. |
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Annual Report of the Standards Committee (Minute STC 2 refers) PDF 199 KB Minutes: Standards Committee had
considered the attached report of the Operational Director, Legal and
Democratic Services/Monitoring Officer, which summarised the work of the
Standards Committee in its Annual Report. RESOLVED: That
the report be noted. |
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(N.B. Councillor Joan Lowe and Councillor Alan Lowe declared a Disclosable Other Interest in Minute HEA 10 on the Health Policy and Performance Board minutes as their son’s partner worked for a domiciliary care provider in Halton) |
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Minutes of the Policy and Performance Boards and the Business Efficiency Board PDF 160 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: The Council considered the reports of the following Boards in the period since the meeting of Council on 8 March 2017:- · Children, Young People and Families; · Employment, Learning and Skills and Community; · Health; · Safer; · Corporate; and · Business Efficiency Board. In moving each set of minutes, the respective Chair’s made the following comments:- · The Healthy Child Programme had contributed to a number of child health improvements such as a decrease in infant mortality rates and an increase in immunisations; · The progress made towards Halton achieving the White Ribbon Award and the potential for Cheshire to become the first county to have all local authorities and police service receive corporate status; · The Corporate Policy and Performance Board had received a verbal report on security of the Council’s ICT systems, following the global cyber attack in May 2017. Members and Staff were reminded of the need to remain vigilant when using Council IT equipment. |
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Additional documents:
Minutes: The Council considered the reports of the following Committees in the period since the meeting of Council on 8 March 2017:- · Development Control; · Regulatory; and · Appeals Panel. |
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Notice of Motion - Support of The Votes at 16 Campaign PDF 332 KB Minutes: Support of The Votes at 16 Campaign Council considered a Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order Number 6. The following motion was proposed by Councillor Stef Nelson and seconded by Councillor Ron Hignett:- “The Council notes that
currently 1.5 million 16 and 17 year olds are denied the vote in public
elections in the UK and that the campaign to lower the voting age is supported
by thousands of young people across the UK. Furthermore, we note that following
a nationwide consultation, the UK Youth Parliament supported lowering voting to
16 years of age as their national campaign. This Council believes
that: 1] 16 and 17 year olds are
knowledgeable and passionate about the world in which they live and are as capable
of engaging in the democratic system as any other citizen. 2] Lowering the voting
age to 16, combined with strong citizenship education, would empower young
people to better engage in society and influence decisions that will define
their future; 3] People who can
consent to medical treatment, work full-time, pay taxes, get married or enter a
civil partnership and join the armed forces should also have the same voting
rights as people aged over 18. This Council resolves to: Write to the Secretary of State for
Communities and Local Government, asking that given their actions in lowering
voting for the Scottish Referendum, Government agree
to now also extend the right to vote from 16 years of age for all other
elections. Continue to work with all Halton Schools and
Colleges to enhance citizenship as part of the educational curriculum and to
promote interest of young people in both local and parliamentary democracy”. RESOLVED: That the Motion be agreed. |
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Notice of Motion - The Sun Newspaper PDF 243 KB Minutes: The Sun Newspaper Council considered a Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order Number 6. The following motion was proposed by Councillor Kevan Wainwright and seconded by Councillor Dave Cargill:- “This
Council expresses its support for the families of the Hillsborough disaster
that tragically occurred at Sheffield on the 15th April 1989. This
disaster directly affected families at Halton and we commend the continuing
efforts of relatives and friends of the victims of the disaster in their search
for justice. It is this Council’s hope that in due course the conclusions
reached by the Hillsborough inquest will come to finally result in justice for
the victims of this tragedy. Further,
we understand the continuing feelings being expressed by people throughout the
Liverpool City Region at the inaccurate and hurtful reporting of the disaster
by The Sun newspaper and support the efforts to raise awareness of this by the
campaign ‘Total Eclipse of the Sun’ “. RESOLVED: That the Motion be
agreed. |
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Notice of Motion - Dying to Work PDF 383 KB Minutes: Dying to Work Council considered a Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order Number 6. The following motion was proposed by Councillor Mike Wharton and seconded by Councillor Chris Loftus:- “This Council notes
the suggestion by the TUC in its Dying to Work document
that terminally ill employees are not currently protected under national
disability legislation and can therefore be dismissed if they are no longer
able to conduct their role with reasonable adjustments. This could mean that
terminally ill people can be subjected to stressful assessments, subsequent
dismissal and the loss of death in-service benefits - all following the
diagnosis of a terminal illness. This Council
believes in the dignity of work, and that those receiving a terminal diagnosis
should not be forced out of work. This Council
believes that there should be additional Government protection for terminally
ill employees, from the point of diagnosis. This Council
resolves to continue to treat staff members who receive a terminal diagnosis
with dignity, and to make adjustments to ensure that they are able to stay in
work as long as they wish. Council therefore agrees to
support the TUC's 'Dying to Work Campaign' currently being developed, and that
the Chief Executive writes to Derek Twigg MP, Mike
Amesbury MP and the Work and Pensions Minister, to request that they
support new legislation currently being drawn up which: - seeks
to ensure that terminally ill workers are covered by Protective Rights at Work
in line with those workers covered by pregnancy/maternity rights; -
seeks to protect death in service benefits; and -
seeks to allow workers with terminal illness to die with dignity “. RESOLVED: That the Motion be agreed. |
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(N.B. Councillor
Charlotte Gerrard declared a Disclosable Other Interest in the following item
of business as she was a member of UNISON and employed as a Social Worker with
Lancashire County Council) |
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Notice of Motion - Dignity in Social Care - Improving Social Care Services and Jobs PDF 481 KB Minutes: Dignity in Social Care – Improving Social Care Services and Jobs Council considered a Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order Number 6. The following motion was proposed by Councillor Bill Woolfall and seconded by Councillor Pauline Sinnott:- “This Council notes
with alarm the continuing crisis of social care underfunding that makes it hard
for local authorities and provider organisations to ensure decent jobs and
quality services. This Council
supports in principle the provisions of UNISON’s Ethical and Residential care
charters. The Council intends to implement the charters at the earliest
practicable opportunity, recognising that some aspects of the charters may
require additional funding. This Council
welcomes the additional short term funding that the Government pledged for
social care in the 2017 budget but notes that this does not go far enough and
does not represent a sustainable solution. This Council
welcomes UNISON’s Care Workers for Change
campaign initiative which aims to expand union membership within the sector
to give care workers the support and confidence to lead the public-facing
campaign to increase central Government funding and improve employee relations
within the sector. This Council
undertakes to encourage care providers we currently commission or purchase
provision from and require care providers we commission or purchase provision
from in future to:- 1)
Respect
the right of care staff to organise a union in their workplace and do nothing
to undermine the reasonable efforts of staff to organise a union. 2)
Allow
access to accredited union representatives and officials for membership
recruitment activity. Provider organisations should engage positively with
union requests for access to staff and, where necessary, agree arrangements
that do not disrupt service delivery. 3)
Pursue
a partnership approach to employment relations.
We would expect the provider to engage constructively with the union
including a recognition and facilities agreement to underpin collective
working. 4)
Work
with the providers and unions to pursue our shared objective of achieving the
provisions of the UNISON ethical care charters. The Council would
write to all current providers of Council-commissioned care services at the
earliest opportunity to advise them of our expectation that they support the
above points (1-4)” RESOLVED: That the Motion be
agreed. |