Agenda and minutes

The Council stood and observed a minute’s silence in memory of Mr Andy King, former Mayoral Chauffeur and Attendant, and the former Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service, Lord Heywood, who was born in Glossop. 

The following declarations of interest were made with regards to Item 7a Treasury Management Update:  Mid-Year Report 2018/19:

Councillor Kemp – Other Interest - Council nominee (DCC) on Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust.  Interests of DCC and HPBC declared at Executive meeting on 11 October 2018 and withdrew during discussion.

Councillor Thrane – Other Interest – Council Nominee on Crescent Trust. Interest declared and withdrew when considered at Executive meeting on 11 October 2018.

RESOLVED:

It was moved by Councillor Ashton and seconded by Councillor Kemp that

the minutes of the Ordinary meeting of Council held on 13 September 2018 be approved as a correct record.

The motion was carried and the Mayor was authorised to sign the minutes.

It was moved by Councillor Ashton and seconded by Councillor Kemp that

the minutes of the Special meeting of Council held on 7 November 2018 be approved as a correct record.

The motion was carried and the Mayor was authorised to sign the minutes.

The Mayor made the following announcements:

·         A letter of thanks had been received from Hayfield Royal British Legion with regards to the Freedom of the Borough Ceremony held on 7 November 2018. 

·         Councillors were invited to contribute to a collection for the Mayoral charities in lieu of sending Christmas cards.

·         Councillors were reminded that the Civic Dinner would take place on 9 March 2019.

It was moved by Councillor Thrane and seconded by Councillor Ashton that the updated Medium Term Financial Plan be approved.

When put to the meeting, it was RESOLVED accordingly.

It was moved by Councillor Douglas and seconded by Councillor Sloman that the treasury management position (as at 30th June 2018) be noted and that a loan to the Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust, subject to the terms contained within the Individual Executive Decision issued 24 October 2018, be approved.

When put to the meeting, it was RESOLVED accordingly.

It was moved by Councillor Douglas and seconded by Councillor Sloman that at its meeting on 12 December 2018 Council confirm that the Labour Group be invited to make a nomination for the appointment of Mayor of the Borough and Chairman of the Council for the municipal year 2019/20.

When put to the meeting, it was RESOLVED accordingly.

It was moved by Councillor Perkins and seconded by Councillor R McKeown that the revised Statement of Principles 2019 – 2022 be approved.

When put to the meeting, it was RESOLVED accordingly.

It was moved by Councillor Sloman and seconded by Councillor Kappes that the report be noted.

When put to the meeting, it was RESOLVED accordingly.

It was moved by Councillor Greenhalgh and seconded by Councillor A. McKeown that:

This Council notes that many council budgets are now at Breaking Point. Austerity has caused huge damage to communities up and down the UK, with devastating effects on key public services that protect the most defenceless in society – children at risk, disabled adults and vulnerable older people – and the services we all rely on, like clean streets, libraries, and children’s centres;

This council further notes :

•      Conservative Government cuts mean councils have lost 60p out of every £1 that the last Labour Government was spending on local government in 2010;

•      With an aging population and growing demand adult social care faces a gap of £3.5 billion – with only 14% of council workers now confident that vulnerable local residents are safe and cared for

•      Government cuts have seen over 500 children’s centres and 475 libraries close, potholes are left unfilled, and 80% of councils workers now say have no confidence in the future of local services

•      Northamptonshire has already gone bust, and more councils are predicted to collapse without immediate emergency funding

•      Councils now face a further funding gap of £7.8 billion by 2025 just to keep services ‘standing still’ and meeting additional demand. Even Lord Gary Porter, the Conservative Chair of the Local Government Association, has said ‘Councils can no longer be expected to run our vital local services on a shoestring’

This Council condemns Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss for stating on BBC Newsnight on 1^st October 2018 that the government is “not making cuts to local authorities”, when all independent assessments of government spending show that this is entirely false; and that this Council further notes that Prime Minister Theresa May has also claimed that “austerity is over” despite planning a further £1.3bn of cuts to council budgets over the next year;

This Council agrees with the aims of the ‘Breaking Point’ petition signed by labour councillors across the country, in calling for the Prime Minister and Chancellor to truly end austerity in local government by:

•      Reversing next years planned £1.3bn cut to council budgets;

•      Immediately investing £2bn in children’s services and £2bn in adult social care to stop these vital emergency services from collapsing;

•      Pledging to use the Spending Review to restore council funding to 2010 levels over the next four years

This Council resolves to:

·         Support the ‘Breaking Point’ campaign, recognising the devastating impact that austerity has had on our local community

·         Ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Prime Minister, and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government setting out the funding pressures faced by our local council, and calling on the Government to truly end austerity in local government.

Councillor A. McKeown  supported by one quarter of members present and voting, requested a recorded vote, the result of which was as follows:

It was moved by Councillor A. McKeown and seconded by Councillor Greenhalgh that:

This Council notes :

1.    Budget constraints mean councils face significant pressure to collect all the tax they’re owed.

2.    That in 2016/17 this council referred 1153 council tax cases to bailiffs.

3.    For residents in vulnerable or complicated circumstances intervention by bailiffs can cause unnecessary additional stress and added fees making clearing outstanding debt more complicated.

This Council resolves :

1.    To put in place a formal policy concerning the use of bailiffs and collection agents covering residents in vulnerable circumstances.

2.    Exempt residents in receipt of Council Tax Support from Bailiff action.

3.    To sign the Citizens Advice Council Tax Protocol which was jointly developed between the Citizen’s Advice and the Local Government Association.

An amendment was proposed by Councillor Thrane and seconded by Councillor Fox as follows:

The Council notes the statements and proposals in relation to council tax collection put forward by Councillors McKeown and Greenhalgh. The Council requests the Chair of the Corporate Select Committee to establish a sub-committee to consider the proposals in detail.

When put to the meeting, the amendment was RESOLVED accordingly.

It was moved by Councillor Todd and seconded by Councillor Kerr that:

This Council notes: 

• Most plastic does not decompose; a plastic bottle can last for 450 years in the marine environment. Plastic slowly fragments into smaller pieces but never truly go away- these are known as microplastics.
• Everyday approximately 8 million pieces of plastic are entering the oceans. Estimates suggest that by 2050 there could be more plastic in our oceans than fish.
• Approximately 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution have been found per mile of beach in the UK. Plastic bottles and packaging make up a third of plastic pollution entering the sea. Tyre dust, maritime waste, nurdles and synthetic microfibers make up another 47% of the problem.
• Plastic pollution causes harm to wildlife such as fish, seabirds and dolphins. Recent research has found marine plastic in 100% of marine turtles, 59% of whales, 36% of seals and 40% of seabirds. 100,000 marine mammals and turtles are killed by plastic pollution every year. 1 in 3 fish caught for human consumption contains plastic.
• UK rivers have been found to be heavily polluted with microplastics. Recent studies have also found microplastics in both tap and bottled water.
• The plastics crisis requires action by national and local governments to reduce plastic pollution by increasing recycling rates and eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic (SUP).

This Council believes:

• We need to move away from a linear plastics economy, where we take, make and dispose of plastic, towards a circular system where we capture the value of plastics material - keeping plastic in the economy and out of the oceans.
• National government are not taking decisive action to deal with the problem of plastic pollution.

This Council therefore commits to:

• To become a full signatory of the ‘Plastic Free Pledge’ by eliminating all single-use plastics within Council managed buildings and facilities by 2020.
• Incorporate the reduction of single-use plastic into the Council’s waste strategy, and investigate ways to further improve our recycling performance by making it easier for residents to recycle by seeking ways in which a wider range of plastics and other dry recyclable materials can go into the brown bins.
• Consider with partners the installation of water fountains across the High Peak.
• Work with and encourage the public, local businesses, partners and institutions to go ‘plastic free’.
• Investigate incentivising traders on Council land to sell re-usable or non-plastic bio-degradable containers and invite customers to bring their own, with the aim of phasing out single-use plastics, including investigating the possibility of requiring food and drink vendors to avoid SUPs as a condition of their event permission.
• Work with existing local and national groups and experts such as Keep Britain Tidy to implement these changes.
• Ask the cabinet member responsible for the environment to write to the Government Minister for Environment, requesting that the reduction of single-use plastic form part of the government’s Resources and Waste Strategy.
• Ensure, where practical, all future council procurement exercises eliminate the use of single-use plastics, replacing them with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18/28c