Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the meeting of Council held on 10 July 2019 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

            The Leader made the following announcements:-

·         The proposed merger of Halton and Warrington CCG would not now take place. The Council felt that it would not have been in the interests of either community. Halton would continue to work collectively with the CCG to provide the best health and social care services possible;

·         Government had announced a one year settlement on funding arrangements for local government for 2020/21. Specific grant figures would be made known in December 2019, which would have an impact on Halton’s preparations for the 2020/21 budget. The Budget Working Group would continue to meet over the coming months to consider budget options.

            The Council considered the minutes of the Executive Board meetings on 25 July 2019 and the 19 September 2019.

            RESOLVED: That the minutes be received.

The Council considered the minutes of the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting on 10 July 2019.

            RESOLVED: That the minutes be received.

            It was noted that no questions had been submitted under Standing Order No. 8.

Executive Board considered the attached report.

RECOMMENDED: That Council approve the revisions to the Council’s 2019/20 Capital Programme set out in paragraph 3.2 of the report.

            The Council considered a report of the Operational Director, Finance, on the 2019/20 revised Capital Programme.

            RESOLVED: That the revisions to the Council’s 2019/20 Capital Programme set out in paragraph 3.2 of the report, be approved.

            Executive Board considered the attached report.

RECOMMENDED: That Council make a change to the Capital Programme in order to finance the development of a Leisure Centre at Moor Lane, Widnes.

                        The Council considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, on the development of a leisure centre at Moor Lane, Widnes.

            RESOLVED: That Council make a change to the Capital Programme in order to finance the development of a leisure centre at Moor Lane, Widnes.

(N.B. Councillors Joan Lowe and Alan Lowe declared a Disclosable Other Interest in Minute HEA6 of the Health Policy and Performance Board as their daughter –in –law worked as a care worker for the provider)

            The Council considered the reports of the following Boards in the period since the meeting of Council on 10 July 2019:-

·         Children, Young People and Families;

·         Health;

·         Safer;

·         Environment and Urban Renewal:

·         Employment, Learning and Skills and Community;

·         Corporate Services; and

·         Business Efficiency.

            The Council considered the reports of the following Committees in the period since the meeting of Council on 10 July 2019:-

·         Development Control

ORGREAVE

Council considered a Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order No. 6.

            The following Motion was proposed by Councillor Lauren Cassidy and seconded by Councillor Geoff Zygadllo:-

‘This Council is concerned and disappointed by the previous Home Secretary’s rejection on the 31st October 2016 of an Inquiry into the policing of events at Orgreave. This Council notes, since this decision was taken, a new Home Secretary, Priti Patel, is now in office.

Council is pleased to note the decision by the Scottish Parliament on 7th June 2018 to order an independent review to investigate and report on the impact of policing on affected communities in Scotland during the period of the miners’ strike from March 1984- March 1985. This Council further praises the decision of the Welsh Assembly on 12th June 2018 to write to the Home Secretary, to ask for an independent review into policing in England and Wales during the miners’ strike, and on 13th June 2018 to also write again asking that the Home Secretary orders an inquiry specifically into the policing at Orgreave on 18th June 1984.

Council asks, in the light of such statements from the Scottish and Welsh government, what the Home Secretary has done since these statements, to take these into account and express her views, on a full public inquiry into the events at the Orgreave coking plant on 18th June 1984. Council notes that 95 miners were arrested and charged with offences, but were all later acquitted amid claims that police at the time had fabricated evidence.

Halton Council observes that the Independent Police Complaints Commission said about Orgreave on 18th June 1984 in their report released in June 2015 “that there was evidence of excessive violence by police officers, and a false narrative from police exaggerating violence by miners, perjury by officers giving evidence to prosecute the arrested men, and an apparent cover-up of that perjury by senior officers”.

This Council is of the view that the Home Secretary needs to acknowledge the action of the Scottish government and the call from the Welsh government and confirm her response.

Halton Council resolves to write to the Home Secretary to ask that they acknowledge the response of the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, explains what action she has taken in response and takes into account the opinion of this Council and accepts that there is widespread public concern about events at Orgreave and calls for her to order an inquiry into them’.

The motion was put and carried.

            RESOLVED: That the motion be approved.

PERSONAL CARE

Council considered a Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order No. 6.

            The following Motion was proposed by Councillor Pamela Wallace and seconded by Councillor June Roberts:-

‘This Council notes that over a million older people in England are struggling with unmet care needs and believes that given there is an ageing population we need changes to deliver better for social care. 

The government is not giving local authorities enough money to deliver a quality care service and social care funding is not ring-fenced. Since 2010,   £2 million has been taken out of the national social care budget every day and as our population ages and social care demand increases, we urgently need a stable, comprehensive solution to the funding crisis.

The Council takes the view that:

1. The government should address the funding crisis facing social care and should provide local Councils with the financial means to address the needs of all older people with care requirements.

2. The social care system needs major reform to provide a long-term sustainable funding solution and to make care free at the point of use. 

The Council calls on government to take the necessary steps to implement these changes as swiftly as possible to end the care crisis and properly support older people in Halton’.

The motion was put and carried.

            RESOLVED: That the motion be approved.

LEASEHOLD OWNERSHIP

Council considered a Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order No. 6.

            The following Motion was proposed by Councillor Geoff Logan and seconded by Councillor Andrew MacManus:-

‘This Council calls for changes to leasehold home ownership to prevent Halton home owners being exposed to the risk of excessive ground rents, punitive fees and onerous contract conditions, stating what homeowners can and can’t do to their own home.

Council notes that a significant number of houses and apartments in Halton are owned as leasehold and we call for government to introduce wide-ranging proposals, giving new and fairer rights to leaseholders.

Council resolves to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government urging that government take steps to:

1)    End the sale of new private leasehold houses with direct effect and the sale of private leasehold flats;

2)    End ground rents for new leasehold homes, and cap ground rents for existing leaseholders up to a maximum of £250 a year;

3)    Set a simple fair formula for leaseholders to buy the freehold to their home, or commonhold in the case of an apartment;

4)    Crack down on unfair fees and contract terms by publishing a reference list of reasonable charges, requiring transparency on service charges and giving leaseholders a right to challenge rip-off fees and conditions or poor performance from service companies; and

5)    Give residents greater powers over the management of their homes, with new rights for apartment owners to form residents’ associations and by simplifying the right to manage’.

The motion was put and carried.

            RESOLVED: That the motion be approved.

CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Council considered a Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order No. 6.

            The following Motion was proposed by Councillor Norman Plumpton Walsh and seconded by Councillor Bill Woolfall:-

‘This Council resolves to declare a Climate Emergency.

Council believes that climate change poses a severe risk to the future of our planet and global warming has serious consequences, affecting our economic, social and environmental well-being, both here in Halton and across the world.

In looking at our business activities Council agrees to:

·         Ensuring that Council takes responsibility for reducing, as rapidly as possible, the carbon emissions resulting from our business activities.

·         Strive towards ensuring all Council activities become carbon neutral.

·         Ensure all strategic decisions, budget priorities and approaches to managing our services give regard to shifting towards being carbon neutral.

·         Seek to achieve 100% clean energy across the full range of the Council’s functions.

Further, Council requests that each Policy & Performance Board reviews the impact of climate change when reviewing Council policies and strategies.

In looking at protecting our communities Council further agrees:

·         To help promote support from our communities for environmental change that will help reduce or eliminate carbon emissions and help raise public awareness.

·         To ask all Halton schools to cover climate change within the school curriculum. Council believes all young people should be educated about the ecological and social impact of climate change.

·         Work with, influence and inspire Council partners across the Borough, Cheshire and Liverpool City Region to put concern for climate change in all relevant strategies, plans and shared resources.

Council further calls upon the government to provide added resources and funding to help local authorities be best prepared to help tackle global warming at a local level’.

The motion was put and carried.

            RESOLVED: That the motion be approved.

FIGHTING FIRE IN OUR BOROUGH

Council considered a Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order No. 6.

            The following Motion was proposed by Councillor Peter Lloyd Jones and seconded by Councillor Lauren Cassidy:-

‘This Council pays tribute to the essential work undertaken by every member of staff at Cheshire Fire and Rescue. We recognise that it is their hard work,

everyday, that keeps people safe in their homes, in the place that they work,

or whilst they are here visiting our County.

This Council believes that government cuts to fire services in the UK have gone too far. We recognise the pressures faced by Cheshire Fire and Rescue and the Fire Authority, which has had to deal with cuts of £12 million over the past nine years.

This Council understands the high levels of public concern about fire cuts and the impact that this could have on the community where they live. We acknowledge the role that the campaign in Crewe played in raising awareness amongst members of the public about fire cover in the area. The level of public interest in both this campaign and campaigns in Chester and Ellesmere Port serves as a reminder to councils and other public services in the sub­ region about the need to be innovative in finding ways to involve and communicate with residents in the decisions we take.

This Council believes that all residents in Halton and across the County, need to feel confident about response times and fire cover where they live. Therefore this Council resolves to ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Policing and Fire Minister to lobby for:

• An urgent government review of the impact of austerity on fire services and response times;

• Restoration of the cuts to fire service finances over the last nine years;

• A decent pay rise for Cheshire Firefighters and staff;

And to write to the Chief Fire Officer at Cheshire Fire and Rescue to ask that

the Fire Authority considers the following recommendations:

• That as part of ongoing fire service reviews, the current 10 minute target

time for fire engines  to respond to dwelling fires is  expanded to  include historic buildings, office buildings, industrial sites, schools, hospitals and other

public buildings.

• Other Incident types such as Flooding, water rescue, rescue from Height and Incidents involving Hazardous materials are all included within the Cheshire 10 minute standard.

• That the Cheshire Fire and Rescue 10 minute standard is inclusive of the call handling time as advised by the Home Office, formerly Department for Communities and Local Government.

That  the Fire  Authority  considers  passing  their  own  Climate  Change

Emergency motion’.

The motion was put and carried.

            RESOLVED: That the motion be approved.

        In this case Council has a discretion to exclude the press and public and, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, it is RECOMMENDED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, having been satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

Please note that if this resolution is passed, members of the press and public will be asked to leave the room prior to the consideration of the following business.

Council considered:

(1)       whether Members of the press and public should be excluded from the meeting of the Board during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be considered, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972; and

(2)       whether the disclosure of information was in the public interest, whether any relevant exemptions were applicable and whether, when applying the public interest test and exemptions, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed that in disclosing the information.

            RESOLVED: That as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

(N.B. Councillor Ron Hignett declared a Disclosable Other Interest in the following item of business as he was on the Sci-Tech Public Joint Venture Board)

            Executive Board considered the attached report.

RECOMMENDED: That Council include the scheme in the 2019/20 Capital Programme, to be funded as set out in paragraph 3.2 to 3.4 of the report.

            Council considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which provided an update on the next phase of the Sci-Tech Daresbury Enterprise Zone Masterplan – Project Violet.

            RESOLVED: That the scheme be included in the 2019/20 Capital Programme, to be funded as set out in paragraph 3.2 to 3.4 of the report.