Agenda item
The following Notices of Motion submitted to the County Council by the following Councillors 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) Bus Passes- Councillor Brazil
(b) Housing White Paper - Councillor Cllr Atkinson
(c) Funding for Local Government - Councillor Whitton
(d) Second Homes and Council Tax Premium - Councillor Brazil
(e) Pedestrian Priority in Highways Policies - Councillor Wrigley
(f) Environmental Protections - Councillor Bailey
(g) Glyphosate Use on all Council Owned Land - Councillor Hodgson
Decision:
(a) Bus Passes- Councillor Brazil
RESOLVED that the County Council keeps the time of free travel the same for all eligible residents as now – from 0930 Monday to Friday.
(b) Housing White Paper - Councillor Cllr Atkinson
RESOLVED that Council notes the issues raised and will continue to work as part of the Devon Housing Task Force.
(c) Funding for Local Government - Councillor Whitton
RESOLVED
(a) that the County Council supports the LGA and CCN in calling for the earliest possible resumption of the Government’s Fair Funding Review to ensure that the true costs of delivering public services particularly in rural areas are properly funded and the needs of all our communities – rural, coastal and urban – are met;
(b) that the County Council supports the LGA and CCN in calling on Government to ensure this year’s Local Government Settlement recognises the unprecedented pressures on the sector so that Councils are adequately funded to protect public services;
(c) that the County Council calls on Government to delay the charging reforms to adult social care services, and to reinvest funding earmarked for these proposals in local government to help ease the pressures on social care;
(d) that the County Council calls on Government to rebalance funding between health and social care, by allocating more of the £13bn committed to tackling the NHS backlog to Councils who can work with NHS partners to invest in preventative social care and help ease the pressure on our hospitals; and;
(e) that the County Council calls on Government to urgently approve the Council’s Safety Valve Intervention Fund proposal or provide temporary respite by rolling the Dedicated Schools Grant deficit forward a further year.
(d) Second Homes and Council Tax Premium - Councillor Brazil
RESOLVED that as soon as legislation allows the County Council will ask each of the District Councils to give consideration to adding the Council Tax premium on second homes to their Council Tax schemes.
(e) Pedestrian Priority in Highways Policies - Councillor Wrigley
RESOLVED that Council recognises that the safety of pedestrians and vulnerable road users is paramount in the planning, delivery, operation and maintenance of highway infrastructure and the planned review of the Local Transport Plan should be used to reinforce the hierarchy of users.
(f) Environmental Protections - Councillor Bailey
RESOLVED that it is recommended that the County Council writes to the Secretary of State for the Environment to highlight:
(a) the concerns about the currently perceived policy threats to nature;
(b) the importance of strong environmental protection alongside other statutory considerations to achieve our strategic aim of supporting sustainable and inclusive economic prosperity that improves the health and wellbeing of our residents; and
(c) that careful streamlining of the delivery of regulatory requirements, rather than their weakening or removal, is the most effective way of ensuring that environmental interests do not cause inappropriate delay or constraint to future growth.
(g) Glyphosate Use on all Council Owned Land - Councillor Hodgson
RESOLVED that in line with its adopted Environmental Policy, County Council services should only use glyphosate if absolutely necessary, where practical alternatives are not available.
Minutes:
(a) Bus Passes- Councillor Brazil
(Councillor Brazil attended in accordance with Standing Order 8 and spoke to this item)
The text of the motion is below:
Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/22/16) which referred to the key premise of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme and that within the scheme, a Local Transport Authority could apply discretion. It highlighted where the Council applied discretion and that the Concessionary Bus Travel budget for 2022/23 was £7.6million.
The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed:
It was MOVED by Councillor Hart, SECONDED by Councillor McInnes, and
RESOLVED that the County Council keeps the time of free travel the same for all eligible residents as now – from 0930 Monday to Friday.
(b) Housing White Paper - Councillor Cllr Atkinson
The text of the motion is below:
Historically, the Government’s answer to the housing shortage has been to broaden access to home ownership with schemes such as the discounted sale of council housing to sitting tenants. Effectively, this has provided each buyer with a subsidy of up to £100,000 via discount entitlement. The programme has contributed little to the supply of affordable housing in a locality yet its cost to local government is and has been colossal.
Because such costs have been incurred by means of accepting a below market price for a publicly owned asset rather than by direct government expenditure, the true cost of the scheme to the public purse has never been easily identifiable. However, if the government wishes to pursue its recently declared intention to promote housing association right to buy sales this would change as the associations concerned would expect Treasury compensation for the value of discounts approved.
What has not been identified is where would this money for the extension of the right to buy to Housing Associations would come from. It is worth noting that when this was last proposed in 2015 it was to come from the sale of high value council houses, which proved unworkable and the proposal was dropped.
This Council believes that the government should instead focus its policy on increasing the supply of affordable houses through measures such as the following first-time buyer assistance proposals and social housing development proposals:
1. Mandating developers to include below-market price housing for sale (as well as affordable rental) in residential developments on the grounds that the discount is effectively financed by taxing land value
2. Lowering both the income and wealth threshold for home ownership access, to the benefit of lower income households via the shared equity model (e.g. Help to Buy).
3. Enabling development of for-sale housing offers by state agencies such as local authorities or housing associations as a means of providing dwellings that can be sold to qualifying applicants at cost price (i.e. no need to factor-in profit), while also expanding overall housing supply to the benefit of the wider market
4. Provide a subsidy per dwelling to local authorities and housing associations to build houses for rent at social housing and affordable rents in areas where there is a waiting list for such properties and for those who do not qualify for the help to buy provisions in 2 & 3 above.
This Council resolves to propose the above measures to the Devon Housing Forum and to make representations supporting such recommendations to the government in response to the White Paper.
Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/22/16) which referred to the importance of a balanced housing market for positive health and socio-economic outcomes (even though the Council was not a housing provider). It outlined the work of the Devon Housing Task Force and its objectives. The Council had committed resources to support the ongoing work of the Devon Housing Task Force.
The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken:
It was MOVED by Councillor Hart, SECONDED by Councillor McInnes, and
RESOLVED that Council notes the issues raised and will continue to work as part of the Devon Housing Task Force.
(c) Funding for Local Government - Councillor Whitton
The text of the motion is below:
This Council
· Notes the National Audit Office figures show central Government funding for local authorities in England has been cut by 52.3 percent overall in real terms between 2010-11 and 2020-21; in Devon County Council it has been closer to 75%.
· Believes the Government must address the financial challenges arising from this decade of underinvestment together with the additional financial pressures local authorities now face because of such factors as increasing fuel and staffing costs, increased social care referrals, high vacancy rates across frontline services and other challenges associated with covid-19, and loss of income.
· Notes recent Local Government Association analysis that social care-providing authorities are spending more than 60 percent of their outgoings on these essential care services.
· Believes we need locally led initiatives to improve equality, sustainability and resilience, including providing genuinely affordable, energy efficient homes, supporting socially necessary bus services, providing adult and child social care, support for older people, looked-after children, care leavers, people with disabilities or special educational needs, survivors of domestic violence and low-income families in crisis.
· Believes the government must take action to ensure the financial stability of local government and its ability to plan, sustain and improve community and essential frontline services.
· Believes the need for the government to address the financial pressures on local authorities and their ability to deliver frontline services is urgent and immediate.
This Council resolves
To call on the Government to develop a national funding strategy that will provide Devon and other local authorities with the funds required to protect and restore spending on social care, community and frontline services to sustainable levels and reset local economies in the autumn budget.
Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/22/16) which referred to the support to the Local Government Association and County Councils Network in seeking the earliest possible resumption of the Fair Funding Review by Government and that reform of Local Government finance that recognised the true costs of delivering
public services in rural areas, and that addressed the needs of Devon’s urban,
rural and coastal communities was more pressing than ever.
The Briefing further referred to the work of Team Devon, championing the case for the devolution of power and finance from Government as well as the financial pressures facing the Council and the practical measures that could be implemented quickly to ease some of the pressures.
The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken.
It was MOVED by Councillor Hart, SECONDED by Councillor McInnes, and
RESOLVED
(a) that the County Council supports the LGA and CCN in calling for the earliest possible resumption of the Government’s Fair Funding Review to ensure that the true costs of delivering public services particularly in rural areas are properly funded and the needs of all our communities – rural, coastal and urban – are met;
(b) that the County Council supports the LGA and CCN in calling on Government to ensure this year’s Local Government Settlement recognises the unprecedented pressures on the sector so that Councils are adequately funded to protect public services;
(c) that the County Council calls on Government to delay the charging reforms to adult social care services, and to reinvest funding earmarked for these proposals in local government to help ease the pressures on social care;
(d) that the County Council calls on Government to rebalance funding between health and social care, by allocating more of the £13bn committed to tackling the NHS backlog to Councils who can work with NHS partners to invest in preventative social care and help ease the pressure on our hospitals; and;
(e) that the County Council calls on Government to urgently approve the Council’s Safety Valve Intervention Fund proposal or provide temporary respite by rolling the Dedicated Schools Grant deficit forward a further year.
(d) Second Homes and Council Tax Premium - Councillor Brazil
(Councillor Brazil attended in accordance with Standing Order 8 and spoke to this item).
The text of the motion is below:
This Council will adopt a 100% Council Tax premium on second homes as soon as legislation allows.
Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/22/16) which referred to the work of the Devon Housing Task Force which was looking at the collective action that authorities could take to deal with the housing issues across the County, which included a range of measures including Council Tax premiums on second homes that could help mitigate the strain on housing availability and affordability.
The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken:
It was MOVED by Councillor Hart, SECONDED by Councillor McInnes, and
RESOLVED that as soon as legislation allows the County Council will ask each of the District Councils to give consideration to adding the Council Tax premium on second homes to their Council Tax schemes.
(e) Pedestrian Priority in Highways Policies - Councillor Wrigley
(Councillor Wrigley attended in accordance with Standing Order 8 and
spoke to this item).
The text of the motion is below:
In January 2022 the new version of the Highway code reinforced the principles that pedestrians have higher priority than cars, as do cyclists and others.
In Devon County Highway discussions, too often the impression is given that car drivers have priority of consideration in the design of road layout, speeds and other considerations.
This Council asks for a systematic review and re-appraisal of priorities in Highways policies such that pedestrians are actively and always considered first, and vehicle traffic takes second place, in line with the new highway code.
In particular this should be emphasised in the considerations of speed limits and restrictions, pedestrian crossings, parking restrictions and in consultation responses for planning of new developments. Consideration of pedestrians must include safety and the perception of safety from a pedestrian point of view.
Council asks for this review to be done within 6 months and to receive reports on changes required in currently applied policies or demonstration of how pedestrian considerations and experience is prioritised.
Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/22/16) which highlighted each of the ‘Place’ based services across the Climate Change, Environment and Transport directorate focused on both the safety and priority of vulnerable road users, particularly pedestrians throughout the various roles they delivered. The briefing highlighted how this was achieved through Transport Planning, Highway Design, Highway Maintenance and Operation, Development Management and Vision Zero South West.
The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken:
It was MOVED by Councillor Hart, SECONDED by Councillor McInnes, and
RESOLVED that Council recognises that the safety of pedestrians and vulnerable road users is paramount in the planning, delivery, operation and maintenance of highway infrastructure and the planned review of the Local Transport Plan should be used to reinforce the hierarchy of users.
(f) Environmental Protections - Councillor Bailey
(Councillor Bailey attended in accordance with Standing Order 8 and spoke to this item).
The text of the motion is below:
This Council is strongly opposed to the reckless ripping up of environmental protections by the Conservative Government including the creation 38 new investment zones which have been described by the RSPB as “an attack on Nature”. This Council urges the Government to uphold the legal protections which are vital for wildlife particularly as the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world (it is in the bottom 10% of the world’s countries well below China and the last among the G7 group of nations).
Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/22/16) which referred to the work of the Wildlife and Countryside Link in campaigning on the perceived Government threat to environmental protection. They highlighted three specific points, the first relating to the potential removal or weakening of important laws that protected nature and ensured standards for water quality, pollution and pesticides. Second, the commitment to introduce a Planning and Infrastructure Bill, designed to accelerate infrastructure delivery by “minimising the burden of environmental assessments” and by “reforming habitats and species regulation” and third, a signalled review of Environmental Land Management (ELM) and concern over the amount of funding different ELM schemes would receive and whether alternatives to ELM funding would be introduced.
Other threats included the lifting of the moratorium on fracking, proposals for new offshore drilling and the expected financial cuts to public bodies.
The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed.
It was MOVED by Councillor Hart, SECONDED by Councillor McInnes, and
RESOLVED that it is recommended that the County Council writes to the Secretary of State for the Environment to highlight:
(a) the concerns about the currently perceived policy threats to nature;
(b) the importance of strong environmental protection alongside other statutory considerations to achieve our strategic aim of supporting sustainable and inclusive economic prosperity that improves the health and wellbeing of our residents; and
(c) that careful streamlining of the delivery of regulatory requirements, rather than their weakening or removal, is the most effective way of ensuring that environmental interests do not cause inappropriate delay or constraint to future growth.
(g) Glyphosate Use on all Council Owned Land - Councillor Hodgson
The text of the motion is below:
This Council will ban the use of the pesticide Glyphosate on all Council owned land from January 1st 2023.
Members considered the Officer’s factual briefing note on the matter (CSO/22/16) which referred to previous reviews of Glyphosate which had identified limited instances where it or other herbicides were, routinely, applied. For Council services, the main use of glyphosate was through a small number of highway maintenance activities, but attempts were made to reduce such use. Herbicide use was, sometimes, the only practical option, for example in treating invasive and non-native weeds such as Japanese / Giant Knotweed.
Glyphosate could also be used on Council owned land forming part of its Farms Estate, with this being at the discretion of individual tenants. The Council was unable to ban such herbicide use for existing tenants and would not want to do so for new tenants while it remained a licenced and freely available product and until there was a suitable alternative on the market which would not disadvantage them.
However, the desirability of reducing direct pesticide use, including glyphosate, through Council services was recognised by its Environmental Policy which stated that the Authority will, “only use pesticides if absolutely necessary where practical alternatives are not available.”
The Cabinet considered the recommendation now before them and the actions now proposed and already undertaken:
It was MOVED by Councillor Hart, SECONDED by Councillor McInnes, and
RESOLVED that in line with its adopted Environmental Policy, County Council services should only use glyphosate if absolutely necessary, where practical alternatives are not available.
Supporting documents:
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