Agenda item

The following Notices of Motion submitted to the County Council by the following Councillors and have been referred to the Cabinet in accordance with Standing Order 8(2) for consideration, to refer it to another Committee or make a recommendation back to the Council:

 

(a)  Armed Forces (Councillor Asvachin)

(b)  Loneliness and Isolation (Councillor Connett)

(c)  Children’s Social Workers (Councillor Brazil)

(d)  Rural Proofing Processes (Councillor Atkinson)

(e)  Climate Change and Fossil Fuel Projects (Councillor Atkinson)

(f)   Public Sector Pay (Councillor Atkinson)

(g)  British Horse Society – Dead Slow Campaign (Councillor Hannaford)

(a) Armed Forces (Councillor Asvachin)

 

(Councillor Asvachin attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 8 and the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item).

 

The original Motion outlined below:

 

‘We call upon the council to make their armed forces champions and lead officers aware of the difficulties experienced by commonwealth veterans and ensure that those who are currently experiencing problems, whether financial or immigration difficulties, are not disadvantaged whilst their applications are ongoing.

We also call upon the leader of the council to write to the Prime Minister, Kevin Forster the Minister of State for Immigration, and Johnny Mercer the Minister of State for Veterans Affairs, outlining this Councils support for all Commonwealth veterans who have served a minimum of 4 years being granted automatic and free of charge right to remain in the UK and that any veteran who completes 12 years of service to be automatically given British Citizenship.

Further, we call upon the Leader of the Council to write to our Devon MPs, on behalf of this council, to ask that they continue to press the government for a change in the legislation that affects those that have served diligently and honourably for this Country’

 

Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/21/1) which referred to the role of the Armed Forces Covenant and its main principles, the facilitation of the multi-agency (Civilian/Military) partnership of signatories to the Devon and Torbay Armed Forces Community Covenant, the Veterans Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, the work of the Forces Connect South West Consortium, the Devon Forces Family Website and the Council’s involvement with the Government Consultation regarding forthcoming legislation to enshrine the Armed Forces Covenant in Law. The Briefing Note also outlined the additional work of the Council (as an employer) to support  staff who were veterans, reservists or close family members who were serving and the achievement of the Employers Recognition Silver Award in the Autumn of 2020 which recognised organisations who pledged, demonstrated and advocated their support for the Defence community.

 

The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken.

 

RESOLVED that Council;

 

(a)  notes the work to date of Officers and the Council’s Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) Lead Member in terms of their involvement in and contribution to the Consultation about the forthcoming legislation to enshrine the Armed Forces Covenant in Law and that Officers and the Council’s AFC lead Member continue to work with “Forces Connect South West” (consortium of SW Councils) on matters concerning AFC including Commonwealth Veterans;

 

(b)  welcomes this impending legislation and will act upon its requirements as soon as has become enshrined in law;

 

(c)  recognises the situation regarding Commonwealth Veterans and therefore asks the Leader to write to Kevin Foster MP (Minister for Immigration) and Johnny Mercer MP (Minister of State for Veteran Affairs) asking that Commonwealth members of the Armed Forces be given adequate guidance on the steps required to obtain legal immigration status in Britain ahead of leaving their Service, in particular,

 

                            (i)        that a longer period for application for leave to stay (12 - 18 months rather than currently the case where this must happen before or immediately upon leaving service);

                          (ii)        during this period, they have the same rights that they had when in Service e.g. register with GP and find work;

                         (iii)        apply for assistance from Local Authorities. (i.e. Housing); and

                         (iv)        that the process of immigration in these cases is sped up with fair and affordable administrative charges.

 

(d)  continues to implement and apply policies that support former Armed Forces personnel and reservists as well as understanding the issues that veterans, reservist and their family members face and continue to work towards ‘Gold’ status in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, with improving the provisions of career based and personal support even more; and

 

(e)  ask the Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee to consider the issues in more depth, building on its previous task group work relating to the Armed Forces Covenant.

 

(b) Loneliness and Isolation (Councillor Connett)  

 

(Councillor Dewhirst attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item). 

 

The original Motion outlined below:

‘This Council notes that loneliness and isolation are a public health issue that must be tackled at a local, as well as at a national level. It is estimated one in ten people of pensionable age living in the Devon County Council area are likely to be classed as lonely or severely lonely. And that the Covid 19 pandemic will have increased the chronic nature of this loneliness.

This Council believes:

1.    Loneliness increases the risk of heart disease and puts people at greater risk of blood clots.

2.    Being chronically lonely is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

3.    Loneliness makes people more likely to drink more alcohol, eat more and exercise less.

4.    Raising awareness of the health impact of loneliness is important because it affects older people’s mortality and morbidity.

5.    Councillors and the authority as a whole can play a key leadership role in ensuring Devon is an area in which people maintain and forge social connections.

6.    The Health and Wellbeing Board must play a central role in mapping local services and supporting local interventions to help reduce social isolation and loneliness.

Devon County Council will work at three levels to address loneliness:

One to one:

1.    Improve information and advice on existing services and activities that reduce loneliness and isolation. Make sure this information is available both off and online.

2.    Launch a local campaign to raise awareness of the health effects of loneliness and isolation amongst target risk groups.

Neighbourhood:

3.    Set up a pilot scheme in a selected Division to map local assets for, and barriers to, keeping connected in older age. Involve local businesses, police officers and voluntary organisations in the project.

4.    Involve older people, including those experiencing or at risk of loneliness, in mapping local assets, determining responses, and co-producing solutions.

5.    Support the voluntary and community sector to build referral partnerships with frontline healthcare staff, fire services and social workers.

Strategic:

6.    To take an active interest and role in ensuring the public health problem of social isolation in Devon is recognised and assessed.

7.    To regularly measure loneliness and mapping need through Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and/or lifestyle surveys. Use this to monitor impact of interventions.

8.    To ensure addressing loneliness and isolation is part of any ‘ageing well’ or ‘mental health’ or other relevant priority in the Health and Wellbeing Board’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

9.    Protect subsidies for public transport for over-60s, and improve accessibility to public and community transport.

10.Agree a plan, in conjunction with the Health and Wellbeing Board’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, to take action to prevent and reduce loneliness.

 

Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/21/1) which summarised the current evidence around loneliness in Devon and the UK, including the detrimental impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on loneliness and mental wellbeing referencing the ‘Covid-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing Surveillance Report’ and ‘Build Back Fairer: The Covid-19 Marmot Review’ both of which were summarised in the Report. It also reflected on the impacts on services as well as Age UK data on the risk of loneliness by Devon neighbourhood

 

The Devon Health and Wellbeing Board had identified loneliness as a priority across partners in Devon, with a specific sub-priority on reducing loneliness in all age groups. Specific activities had included the Devon Charter to End Loneliness.

 

The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken and any other relevant factors including public health impact):

 

RESOLVED that the Council be recommended to support and promote the actions outlined in Devon’s Charter to End Loneliness.

 

(c) Children’s Social Workers (Councillor Brazil)

 

(Councillor Brazil attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 8 and

the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item). 

 

The original Motion outlined below:

‘Once again Devon’s Children’s Social Care Services has failed its OFSTED inspection. DCC continues to fail some of the most vulnerable, the very people we should be doing our upmost to support and protect. Cornwall Children’s Social Care Services is rated excellent. In comparison Devon’s children’s social workers have worse terms and conditions of employment including training and career progression. Not surprisingly Devon has a high turnover of social workers and employs a higher number temporary (and more expensive) agency staff.

As a matter of urgency DCC will commit to improving the terms and conditions of employment and invest in the support of these social workers’.

Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/21/1) which referred to the recent recruitment and retention strategy to address the current difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified social workers.  It also referred to the analysis of a staff survey on retention and the issues raised (comparable annual leave, career pathway, recruitment and retention payments, achievement recognition, flexible working arrangements etc) which were being implemented as part of the new approach.

 

The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions already undertaken.

 

RESOLVED that Council be asked to support the recent Cabinet proposals to improve the recruitment and retention of qualified social workers in Devon.

 

(d) Rural Proofing Process (Councillor Atkinson)

 

(Councillor Hannaford attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item).

 

The original Motion outlined below:

 

‘Given the Government’s failure to fair fund rural Devon’s schools economy health services police and local government  and to recognise the Great South West’s Industrial strategy  this councils considers the Government needs comprehensively to rethink and reform the rural proofing process across Government, to ensure that relevant policies and legislation are attuned to the needs of rural communities and rural economies like Devon.  This council considers a reformed approach to rural proofing should be introduced and take into account the following:

 

·         A rural assessment should take place at the start of the policy process, including engagement with rural stakeholders, and be treated as integral, rather than as an adjunct to urban-focused policy. No legislation should be brought forward without an accompanying rural assessment statement;

 

·         The impact of new policies on rural areas should be systematically and consistently monitored as they are implemented. This would include an update on the performance of rural proofing across government in the Government’s annual report on the implementation of the rural strategy

 

·         All relevant public bodies including government, Devon County Council and the HoSW LEP should be required to rural proof, monitor and report annually on the rural impacts of relevant policies.

 

·         The Government should put in place the appropriate structures to facilitate a more robust rural proofing regime.

 

·         Agrees to write to the Government and MPs across the SW and the LEP in response to this motion’.

 

 

Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/21/1) which referred to the anticipated Government Report into rural proofing (the date for release was yet to be announced), to ensure that Government departments gave real consideration to the impact of policies in rural areas. The briefing note highlighted a number of issues previously identified by the Council regarding rural proofing.

 

The Council intended to provide comment to Government on the Report and would refer to the Motion to help guide that response as well as revisiting the identified issues in terms of new input, information and evidence using additional information from partner organisations.

 

The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken and any other relevant factors.

 

RESOLVED that Council be recommended to:

 

(a)  await the publication of the Government report and when this is issued, review accordingly and provide a Devon County Council response, using the Notice of Motion to help guide that response, seeking input from partner organisations and evidence where relevant, highlighting the rural opportunities and challenges across a number of service areas;

 

(b)  note the issues previously identified by the Council that require addressing in relation to rural proofing; and

 

(c)  to follow up, as appropriate, on any matters arising.

 

(e) Climate Change and Fossil Fuel Projects (Councillor Atkinson)

 

(Councillor Hannaford attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item). 

 

The original Motion outlined below:

 

‘The UK export finance (UKEF) has used £3.5bn of public funds to support polluting projects since the government signed up to the Paris climate agreement and has directed £6bn of public money into fossil fuel projects around the world in the last decade.

It is considering requests for financial support for seven projects involving fossil fuels that may be agreed in 2021, and has received a further 10 applications for trade finance support in the sector.

Britain must lead by example by urgently aligning our stated net zero priorities at home with our practices abroad in view of our COP presidency next year.  The government’s seeming willingness to pump billions of pounds of UK public money into overseas oil and gas demonstrates a reckless and inconsistent approach to climate action.

Devon County Council calls on the government to

·         end all financing for new foreign fossil fuel projects immediately or risk undermining its own commitment to tackling the global climate crisis.

·         change the mandate of its credit agency, UK export finance (UKEF), to stop offering billions of pounds in financial support to companies that bid for work on fossil fuel projects overseas despite a pledge to be carbon neutral at home’.

 

Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/21/1) which referred to UK Export Finance (the operating name of the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD)) and its role in helping UK companies access export finance as well as the investigation by Newsnight, in conjunction with Unearthed that UKEF had helped to finance oil and gas projects. An earlier investigation by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee highlighted the environmental implications of financing provided through UKEF and its apparent conflict with the UK’s international development and climate change targets.  The Government responded to each of the 13 recommendations made by the Committee.  The issues raised in the motion and reports mentioned above demonstrated the need to look beyond the climate implications of the UK’s carbon emissions but to also address those internationally which were supported either by UK finance or, were serving UK-based consumption of resources and services.  Whilst it was a complex issue, it was one which needed to be tackled to achieve reductions in carbon emissions.

 

The Cabinet then considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken and any other relevant factors (e.g. environmental and public health).

 

RESOLVED that Council be recommended as follows:

 

(a)  Whilst supporting the objectives of facilitating international trade and assisting viable UK export businesses, shares the concern highlighted by the Notice of Motion about the environmental consequences of UK trade finance support directed towards the fossil fuel sector; and

 

(b)  Call on Government to accelerate the change in policy and approach through UK Export Finance to achieve consistency with the international commitment to tackle climate change as well as the UK’s own net zero carbon target and the recently published Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

 

 

(f) Public Sector Pay (Councillor Atkinson)

 

(Councillor Asvachin attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item).

 

The original Motion outlined below:

‘Research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed that public sector pay is 1.5% lower than in 2010 after inflation, and among the lowest levels relative to private sector earnings in decades.

Devon County Council

·         deplores the governments renewed squeeze or pay freeze on public sector pay and should not be attacking public sector workers who have done much to support the emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic.

·         considers this will seriously affect morale and services at DCC;

·         will exacerbate difficulties with hiring workers and retaining existing employees; and

·         agrees to write to the Government to and local M.Ps to ask it to not implement this’.

 

Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/21/1) which referred to how local government annual pay increases were negotiated and determined. Principal authorities would be consulted to establish an Employers’ position on pay once the Trade Unions’ pay claim had been submitted, anticipated to be early in the New Year.  

 

The Briefing Note also reflected on the Local Government Association response to the Spending Review which highlighted issues such as the affordability of pay increases and that Government could not impose a pay freeze in local government unless it used a legislative route to do so.  The LGA would be seeking clarity on which groups of local authority employed staff, if any, were covered by the announced pay increase for health staff including nurses. 

 

Pay for teaching staff was set by a pay review body following a remit set by the Government. However, teachers had been a key part of the community response during the pandemic, ensuring schools remained open, therefore any pay freeze could exacerbate existing recruitment and retention challenges. 

 

The Cabinet then considered the recommendation now before them and the actions proposed.

 

RESOLVED that Council

 

(a)  recognises and is very appreciative of the work of the Local Government workforce in response to the Pandemic and also believes it is important to try to maintain pay parity across the public sector and with the NHS;

 

(b)  notes there are specialist areas within the Local Government workforce where professional shortages significantly impact on service delivery, such as teachers, social workers, engineers and solicitors and a decline in the pay and conditions of the public sector workforce will not help with recruitment and retention and the perceived value society puts on the local government; and

 

(c)  through the Leader of the Council, will write to Devon MP’s to request they encourage proposals which support pay parity, to ensure that the Public Sector is held in equal value and doesn’t fall behind the NHS.  

 

 

(g) The British Horse Society - Dead Slow Campaign (Councillor Hannaford

 

(Councillor Hannaford attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 8 and the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item). 

 

The original Motion outlined below:

 

‘Council notes with concern that:

Numbers of road collisions involving horses in the South West are higher than anywhere else in the country, according to the latest figures.

New statistics released by the British Horse Society (BHS) show that 203 incidents were reported to the charity during 2019-20, down slightly from 239 in 2018-19.

Devon reported over half of the overall total with 104 incidents, one human fatality and 33 horse fatalities, also making it the county with the highest equine fatality rate in the UK.

The BHS has collated incident statistics to tie in with Road Safety Week (November 16-22) run by Brake, the road safety charity, to understand the rate of incidents involving horses on UK roads.

Of the 1,037 incidents reported nationally, 80 horses have died and 136 have been injured.

Furthermore, the BHS reveals that 81% of them occurred due to vehicles passing by too closely and close to half (43%) of riders were subject to road rage or abuse. It adds that 40% of incidents occurred because a vehicle passed by too quickly.

Overall, since November 2010, 4,774 road incidents have been reported to the BHS, 44 people have lost their lives and 1,220 have been injured, and 395 horses have been killed, with another 1,080 injured.

Council supports:

The Dead Slow campaign that can be visited at the website bhs.org.uk/dead slow, consists of four key behavioral change messages to drivers in relation to horses and riders:

·         Slow down to a maximum of 15mph;

·         Be patient – I won’t sound my horn or rev my engine;

·         Pass the horse wide and slow (if safe to do so), at least a car’s width if possible;

·         Drive slowly away.

Council Resolves: 

With the documented increase in speeding incidents we support the charity in urging drivers to be very careful when passing horses on the road, and for them to adhere to its Dead Slow campaign messages.

We join with the BHS to encourage all riders and horse owners to report their incidents to the charity at horseincidents.org.uk.

Furthermore, as Devons highways authority we will aim to work with horse owners & riders, local communities, District, Town and Parish Councils, charities and others to wherever possible promote this campaign, in tandem with other measures such as better signage, to achieve behavioral change and secure better equine safety for all’.

 

 

Members considered the Officer’s factual Briefing Note on the matter (CSO/21/1) which referred to the Department for Transport collision records (STATS19) for Devon (recorded by Devon & Cornwall Police) which identified any personal injury collision recorded on the highway which included collisions involving ridden horses / horse drawn carriages and any collisions where an animal (except ridden horse) was recorded as a carriageway hazard in a collision.

 

Data provided by the BHS (Between 28/02/2019 to 29/02/2020) identified 54 reported horse incidents on roads across the three Devon local highway authority areas, although there was a total of 104 incidents in Devon, which included loose ponies recorded as injured or killed on Dartmoor.

 

It was clear that the collision data recorded by Police forces did not represent the full picture of incidents involving horses that occurred on the roads. An independent study published in 2020 looked in detail at the issues of equestrian safety on UK roads. This identified that the Devon Council area had the seventh highest horse collision rate per 100,000 population. The study concluded that drivers needed to understand horse perception limitations, flight behaviours, and horse rider signals and recommended that collision frequency and severity could be reduced with education-based initiatives and equally, equestrian riders needing to be skilled in communicating correctly with their horses and in approaching drivers.

 

The BHS as a charity offered a range of resources, education and training opportunities and was proactive in promoting road safety and the Council could support this through the road safety team. 

 

The Cabinet then considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken.

 

RESOLVED that Council be recommended to;

 

(a)  work with local communities, through partnerships with other agencies, and on-line to support the BHS in urging drivers to be very careful when passing horses on the road, and for them to adhere to its Dead Slow campaign messages;

 

(b)  join with the BHS to encourage all riders and horse owners to report their incidents to the charity at horseincidents.org.uk;

 

(c)  undertake a study of the detailed data from the BHS of the reported equestrian incidents within the county; and

 

(d)   use the results of the study to identify any problem areas and patterns for signing intervention to improve driver awareness and to target education.