Agenda and minutes

Venue: Civic Hall, Leeds

Contact: Kevin Tomkinson, Governance Services Unit 

Media

Items
No. Item

65.

Announcements

Additional documents:

Minutes:

a)  The Lord Mayor wished a Happy New Year to all those present.

 

b)  The Lord Mayor reminded those present that the meeting was to be webcast.

 

c)  The Lord Mayor referred to the letter on each Members seat providing an appeal update from Candlelighters setting out the latest amount raised towards the Lord Mayor’s Charity.

 

d)  The Chair congratulated the following who were honoured in the Queen’s New Year Honours List:-

 

·  Mr David Earnshaw CBE

·  Miss Diane Winder OBE

·  Mr Peter Heald MBE

·  Mrs Sheila Miller BEM

·  Mrs Phoebe Ethel Revill-Johnson BEM

·  Mr Steven Robinson BEM

·  Mrs Margaret Stead BEM

 

66.

Minutes of the last Meeting pdf icon PDF 111 KB

To approve the minutes of the Council Meetings held on 8th November 2017.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor Ogilvie, seconded by Councillor G Latty and

 

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meetings held on 8th November 2017 be approved.

 

67.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations of interest from Members

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interests.

 

68.

Communications

To receive such communications as the Lord Mayor, the Leader,  Members of the Executive Board or the Chief Executive consider appropriate.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chief Executive informed Council that the a response to a Council resolution has been received from Damian Hinds, the then Minister for Employment in respect of the White Paper on Universal Credit considered by Council in November 2017.

 

The response has previously been circulated to all Members of Council.

69.

Deputations

To receive deputations in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Four deputations were admitted to the meeting and addressed Council, as follows:-

 

1) “Chapel Allerton 20 is Plenty” regarding 20mph zones.   

 

2) A group regarding the cost of using public conveniences in the City, particularly Leeds Bus Station. 

 

3) A group regarding a Public Space Protection Order near to the Marie Stopes Centre

 

4) A group asking for more ‘changing places’ facilities in the City.

 

 

RESOLVED – That the subject matter in respect of deputation 1 be referred to the Director of City Development for consideration in consultation with the relevant Executive Member, that the subject matter in respect of deputation 2 be referred to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, that the subject matter in respect of deputation 3 be referred to the Director of Communities & Environment for consideration in consultation with the relevant Executive Member and that the subject matter in respect of deputation 4 be referred to the Director of Adults and Health for consideration in consultation with the relevant Executive Member.

 

 

 

70.

Lord Mayor's Ruling

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Lord Mayor informed Council that she had considered the submitted amendment to Item 5 (minute 71 refers) and had sought legal advice on the matter by consulting with the Council’s City Solicitor before she had taken the decision to rule the amendment out of order.

 

At the invitation of the Lord Mayor the City Solicitor addressed the Council and set out in detail the legal rationale as to why the Lord Mayor had ruled the amendment out of order.

 

In summarising this matter the Lord Mayor advised that the amendment was out of order as it had no relevance to the original motion.  If it were to be allowed, the council may make a decision to do something that was inappropriate, premature and improper; and it would set a potentially unlawful precedent of being allowed to introduce amendments which were not about the subject of the motion.

 

 

 

71.

Recommendations of the Executive Board - Amendments to the Leeds Site Allocations Plan pdf icon PDF 307 KB

To consider the report of the Director of City Development setting out recommendations from the Executive Board on 13 December 2017 to Full Council in respect of amendments to the Leeds Site Allocations Plan (SAP).

The report sets out an amended approach to progressing housing allocations and safeguarded land within the Leeds Site Allocations Plan through its Examination.  This is necessary to ensure that the Council responsibly reflects a recent Government consultation and new evidence therein, and to ensure that Leeds has a SAP in place as quickly as practicable to provide certainty for investors and communities as part of a plan-led approach.  Within this context, the DCLG consultation (‘Planning for the right homes in the right places’) incorporating a ‘standardised methodology’, suggests that the housing need in Leeds is to reduce when compared to that in the adopted Core Strategy and therefore despite being considered sound, the submission draft SAP may result in Green Belt being released for housing which is found not to be ultimately required in the longer term.

This report sets out proposed amendments to the Submission SAP for public consultation (Appendix 1 and 2) together with an updated timetable to the SAP Examination.  This report follows on from reports to Development Plan Panel (DPP) on the 3rd and 21st November and approval at Executive Board on 13th December which set out the reasons for the revised approach, the methodology to be used and the changes now considered necessary to the SAP.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor R Lewis, seconded by Councillor Ogilvie and

 

RESOLVED -

 

i  To note the following proposed amendments arising from the further technical work undertaken: :

§  Revised Submission Draft Schedule of Amendments (January 2018)

§  Revised Submission Draft Amendments (January 2018) (this document comprises extracts from the Submission Draft Plan (May 2017), as amended by the Revised Submission Draft Amendments)

§  Sustainability Appraisal Addendum (January 2018)

§  Revised Submission Draft Amendments (January 2018) Plan Background Paper

 

ii  To approve that this revised material (referenced in (i) above) be subject to 6 weeks public consultation between 15 January 2018 and 26 February 2018;

 

iii  To approve that, following the period of consultation, the Revised Submission Draft of the Site Allocations Plan (comprising the Submission Draft SAP (May 2017), as amended by the Revised Submission Draft Amendments (January 2018)  be submitted to the Secretary of State (subject to any amendments following public consultation), for Independent Examination prior to Stage 2 of the SAP Examination, pursuant to Section 20 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 as amended

 

iv  To delegate authority to the Chief Planning Officer, in consultation with the Executive Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning to make further amendments to the revised Submission Draft Plan in response to representations received during the consultation period that are considered to be required for the soundness of the Plan;

 

v  To grant authority to the independent inspectors appointed to hold the Stage 2 Public Examination, to recommend modifications to the Revised Submission Draft Site Allocations Plan, pursuant to Section 20 (7C) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 as amended.

 

vi  To delegate authority to the Chief Planning Officer, in consultation with the Executive Member, to a) approve the detail of any further technical documents and supporting evidence required to be submitted alongside the plan for consideration at Public Examination, b) continue discussions with key parties and suggest to the Inspector any edits and consequential changes necessary to be made to the Revised Submission Draft Plan following submission up to and during the Examination and c) prepare and give evidence in support of the Plan at Examination.

 

72.

Recommendations of General Purposes Committee - Community Governance Review - Final Recommendations pdf icon PDF 103 KB

To consider the report of the Head of Elections, Licensing and Registration setting out recommendations from the General Purposes Committee on 11 December 2017 to Full Council to agree final proposals for the community governance review.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor Blake, seconded by Councillor J Lewis and

 

RESOLVED –

 

a)  That the proposals set out at Addendum 2 to the report be approved; and

b)  Confirmed that the proposals set out at Addendum 3 to the report will not be progressed.

 

73.

Report on Appointments pdf icon PDF 100 KB

To consider the report of the City Solicitor on appointments.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor Ogilvie, seconded by Councillor G Latty and

 

RESOLVED – That the report of the City Solicitor on appointments as a result of a review of Committee places be approved, namely that;

·   Councillor C Dobson be appointed to an additional East Leeds Independent Group place on General Purposes Committee.

·   Councillor Harland be appointed to an additional Labour Group place on General Purposes Committee.

·   Councillor C Dobson be appointed to an additional East Leeds Independent Group place on Member Management  Committee

·   Councillor Ragan be appointed to an additional Labour Group place on Member Management Committee

·   That an additional Conservative Group place on Standards and Conduct Committee be agreed as a ‘whips nominee’.

·   That one Labour Group place be deleted from the Corporate Governance & Audit Committee and that be the place that Council previously appointed Councillor Sobel to. Councillor Sobel will therefore cease to be a member of that Committee.

That the following appointments requested by the relevant group whip be approved;

·   Councillor Ogilvie be appointed to a Labour Group vacancy on Scrutiny Board (Children & Families)

·   Councillor Harland be appointed to a Labour Group vacancy on North & East Plans Panel

 

74.

Report on the Calculation of the Council Tax and Business Rates Tax Bases for 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 149 KB

To consider the report of the Chief Officer - Financial Services seeking agreement to the 2018/19 council tax bases for Leeds and the parish/town councils set out in the report and providing indicative business rates shares for 2018/19 and to request Council to give delegated authority to the Chief Officer – Financial Services to finalise the shares and to submit them in the National Non-Domestic Rates Return 1 2018-19 on or before31st January 2018.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor J Lewis, seconded by Councillor Ogilvie and

 

RESOLVED –

a)  To agree that, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by the Council as its council tax base for the year 2018/19 shall be 225,055.2 for Leeds and for each parish as listed in Section 3.6, of the report, and detailed in Appendix 1 of the report;

b)  To note the indicative business rates shares set out in Section 3.9, of the report and delegate authority to the Chief Officer – Financial Services to make the detailed calculations and to submit the final figures to the Department for Communities and Local Government on or before 31st January 2018.

 

75.

Procedural Motion - Suspension of Council Procedure Rules

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor J Bentley, seconded by Councillor Campbell that under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule (CPR) 22.1 (Suspension of CPRs), that CPR 11.2 (Notice of Questions) be suspended to allow the question in his name (Question 2) to be replaced with the question set out in italics on the order paper.

 

Upon being put to the vote it was

 

 

RESOLVED – That Council Procedure Rule 11.2 (Notice of Questions) be suspended to allow the question in Councillor J Bentley’s name (Question 2) to be replaced with the question set out in italics on the order paper.

 

76.

Questions

To deal with questions in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Q1  Councillor R Wood to the Executive Member (Communities):-

 

Can the Executive Member for Communities set out what the council is doing to prevent illegal street traders from disrupting community events across the city, particularly at Christmas?

 

The Executive Member (Communities) replied.

 

Q2  Councillor J Bentley to the Executive Member (Environment & Sustainability):-

 

Can the executive member for environment and sustainability explain the reasons for the delay to the refuse route reorganisation and the additional cost it has led to the service incurring?

 

The Executive Member (Environment & Sustainability) replied.

 

Q3  Councillor J Pryor to the Executive Member (Health, Wellbeing and Adults):-

 

Will the Executive Member please provide an update on the state of A&E in Leeds?

 

The Executive Member (Health, Wellbeing and Adults) replied.

 

Q4  Councillor A Hussain to the Executive Member (Health, Wellbeing and Adults):-

 

Can the Executive Member please update Council on the recent launch of new services under the Better Lives Strategy?

 

The Executive Member (Health, Wellbeing and Adults) replied.

 

Q5  Councillor Andrew Carter to the Leader of the Council:-

 

Does the Leader of Council, like I do, fully support the pilot of 100% business rate retention in Leeds?

 

The Leader of the Councilreplied.

 

Q6  Councillor S Golton to the Executive Member (Communities):-

 

Does the exec board member feel the council should do everything in its power to avoid families facing eviction losing their home?

 

The Executive Member (Communities) replied

 

Q7  Councillor J Hesselwood to the Leader of the Council:-

 

Can the Leader of Council please update Council on what Leeds is doing to celebrate the centenary of women getting the vote?

 

The Leader of the Councilreplied.

 

At the conclusion of question time, the following questions remained unanswered and it was noted that, under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 11.6, written answers would be sent to each Member of Council:-

 

Q8  Councillor S Arif to the Executive Member (Employment, Skills and Opportunity)

 

Q9  Councillor B Anderson to the Executive Member (Environment and Sustainability)

 

Q10  Councillor C Campbell to the Executive Member (Regeneration, Transport and Planning)

 

Q11  Councillor Councillor D Ragan to the Executive Member (Children and Families).

 

Q12  Councillor M Iqbal to the Executive Member (Communities).

 

Q13  Councillor C Anderson to the Executive Member (Health, Wellbeing and Adults).

 

Q14  Councillor J Bentley to the Executive Member (Children and Families).

 

Q15  Councillor S McKenna to the Executive Member (Regeneration, Transport and Planning).

 

Q16  Councillor B Anderson to the Executive Member (Environment and Sustainability).

 

Q17  Councillor J Chapman to the Executive Member (Health, wellbeing and adults).

 

Q18  Councillor M Robinson to the Executive Member (Resources and Strategy).

 

Q19  Councillor S Lay to the Executive Member Economy and Culture).

 

Q20  Councillor C Anderson to the Executive Member (Environment and Sustainability).

 

Q21  Councillor C Campbell to the Executive Member (Regeneration, transport and planning).

 

Q22  Councillor B Anderson to the Executive Member (Regeneration, Transport, Planning).

 

Q23  Councillor S Golton to the Executive Member (Health, Wellbeing and Adults).

 

Q24  Councillor M Robinson to the Executive Member (Environment and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.

77.

Minutes of the Health and Wellbeing Board and the Executive Board pdf icon PDF 109 KB

To receive the minutes in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 2.2(i).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor Blake, seconded by Councillor Ogilvie that the minutes be received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 2.2(i).

 

 

RESOLVED – That the minutes be received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 2.2(i).

 

 

Council Procedure Rule 4, providing for the winding up of business, was applied prior to all notified comments on the minutes having been debated.

 

 

At the conclusion of this item Council adjourned from 16.25 to 17.00

78.

Announcements

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Lord Mayor reported the recent engagement of Councillor Matthew Robinson and Council offered their congratulations.

79.

Report on Devolution pdf icon PDF 110 KB

To consider a report of the Chief Executive updating Members on matters in the Leeds City Region LEP and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, specifically this report provides details of the latest public combined authority meeting in December.

 

 

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor Blake, seconded by Councillor J Lewis and

 

 

 

RESOLVED – That the report of the Chief Executive updating Members on matters in respect of devolution be received.

80.

White Paper Motion (in the name of Councillor Buckley) - Capital of Culture pdf icon PDF 51 KB

This Council is deeply disappointed by the recent announcement from the European Commission that appears to prevent a UK city from being named the European Capital of Culture in 2023.

 

Rather than lose the work that has already gone into this ambitious project, this Council calls for an alternative approach that would see Leeds host its very own ‘Year of Culture’ by 2023.

 

Working in partnership with organisations that have already pledged in support of the Capital of Culture bid this event would showcase the cultural heritage of Leeds, deliver exciting events and projects and would highlight Leeds as a thriving and successful city capable of delivering a cultural showpiece all of its own.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor Buckley, seconded by Councillor Blake that this Council is deeply disappointed by the recent announcement from the European Commission that appears to prevent a UK city from being named the European Capital of Culture in 2023.

 

Rather than lose the work that has already gone into this ambitious project, this Council calls for an alternative approach that would see Leeds host its very own ‘Year of Culture’ by 2023.

 

Working in partnership with organisations that have already pledged in support of the Capital of Culture bid this event would showcase the cultural heritage of Leeds, deliver exciting events and projects and would highlight Leeds as a thriving and successful city capable of delivering a cultural showpiece all of its own.

 

An amendment was moved by Councillor J Bentley, seconded by Councillor Campbell

 

Delete third paragraph and replace with:

 

“Working in partnership with organisations that have already pledged financial support and support in kind to the Capital of Culture bid, together with the acquisition of new sponsors, this event would showcase the cultural heritage of Leeds, deliver exciting events and projects, highlight Leeds as a thriving successful city capable of delivering a cultural showpiece all of its own with no higher financial burden to the Leeds council taxpayer.”

 

The amendment in the name of Councillor J Bentley was declared lost and upon being put to the vote it was

 

RESOLVED – That this Council is deeply disappointed by the recent announcement from the European Commission that appears to prevent a UK city from being named the European Capital of Culture in 2023.

 

Rather than lose the work that has already gone into this ambitious project, this Council calls for an alternative approach that would see Leeds host its very own ‘Year of Culture’ by 2023.

 

Working in partnership with organisations that have already pledged in support of the Capital of Culture bid this event would showcase the cultural heritage of Leeds, deliver exciting events and projects and would highlight Leeds as a thriving and successful city capable of delivering a cultural showpiece all of its own.

 

81.

White Paper Motion (in the name of Councillor R Lewis) - Rail Networks in Public Ownership pdf icon PDF 67 KB

“This Council believes modern, responsive and attractive rail and bus networks demand their operators are properly accountable to the passengers and communities they serve.

 

This Council therefore confirms its support for the rail network to return to public ownership. Council believes this would end the scandal of the use of public money to bail out private companies which have repeatedly failed to fulfil their financial obligations to the public purse, as reported recently with Stagecoach on the East Coast Mainline. 

 

The East Coast Mainline is particularly important to Leeds as it provides the gateway to city’s economy with Leeds station being one of, if not the, busiest stations on the Mainline.

 

Council believes bus services, not just in Leeds but across the country, would improve with increased public accountability, so Council welcomes the commitment from the Secretary of State for Transport calling for councils to consider putting forward proposals for bus franchising arrangements in their areas.

 

Council therefore calls on the Secretary of State to return the East Coast Mainline to public ownership without delay; and Council requests the Chief Executive works with the council’s partners to develop proposals as soon as possible for bus franchising in Leeds to present to the Secretary of State.” 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor R Lewis, seconded by Councillor Wakefield that this Council believes modern, responsive and attractive rail and bus networks demand their operators are properly accountable to the passengers and communities they serve.

 

This Council therefore confirms its support for the rail network to return to public ownership. Council believes this would end the scandal of the use of public money to bail out private companies which have repeatedly failed to fulfil their financial obligations to the public purse, as reported recently with Stagecoach on the East Coast Mainline. 

 

Council believes bus services would improve with increased public accountability, so Council welcomes the commitment from the Secretary of State for Transport calling for councils to consider putting forward proposals for bus franchising arrangements in their areas.

 

Council therefore calls on the Secretary of State to return the East Coast Mainline to public ownership without delay; and Council requests the Chief Executive works with the council’s partners to develop proposals as soon as possible for bus franchising in Leeds to present to the Secretary of State.” 

 

An amendment was moved by Councillor D Blackburn, seconded by Councillor Leadley

 

Add after the final paragraph:

 

“Council also believes that restrictions stopping Local Authorities setting up their own municipal bus companies are unhelpful and not in the interest of passengers.

 

Council therefore also calls on the Secretary of State to bring forward amended legislation that will allow all Local Authorities to do this, if they wish.”

 

A second amendment was moved by Councillor Campbell, seconded by Councillor J Bentley

 

In paragraph two, replace “the rail network to return to public ownership” with “publicly run and locally accountable rail services”.

 

 

A third amendment was moved by Councillor Andrew Carter, seconded by Councillor Buckley

 

Delete all after “This Council” and replace with:

 

“believes that passengers deserve modern, responsive and attractive rail and bus networks. 

 

“Council notes that since 2010 the rail industry has received new investment and seen a huge increase in the number of passengers. This success has inevitably led to the need for a refreshed approach that can tackle problems arising from a congested network and ensure that passengers receive a more reliable and efficient service.

 

“Council therefore welcomes proposals in the government’s new Strategic Vision for Rail, which aim to increase railway capacity, reform the franchising system to make it work more efficiently, improve passenger experience through the use of digital technology, introduce a new Rail Ombudsman to ensure fair treatment and boost accountability, and build a railway fit for the 21st Century. Council regards such proposals as a more realistic way of making improvements to the network, rather than falling back on the flawed and expensive dogma of rail re-nationalisation.

 

“This Council believes that more local control over bus services could lead to an improved passenger experience, and welcomes the government’s Bus Services Act, which includes options for local authorities to work more closely with bus operators and improve local services. Council requests the Chief Executive works  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

82.

White Paper Motion (in the name of Councillor Downes) - Children's Services pdf icon PDF 73 KB

This council notes with concern worsening trends in a number of areas of children’s services including:

·  Low educational attainment, with Leeds the second worst council in the worst performing region in England for reading, writing and maths among primary aged children and persistent gaps in attainment for children receiving free school meals and with English as an additional language

·  Worsening Ofsted results, in which the number of primary schools that have received a worse score in their 2017 assessment is three times higher than the number that have improved

·  Continued reliance on external providers for residential care and independent foster care agencies, which are currently projected to overspend by £1.2 million

·  Reduced senior management capacity to improve services

This council is deeply concerned at the effect this decline in service quality is having on vulnerable children and young people in the city. 

This Council lacks confidence in the current policies in place to deal with these issues and calls for the creation of an independent cross-party commission to investigate these issues and develop sustainable solutions for the city that will halt the decline in support for our most vulnerable children and help create the infrastructure needed to place the service on a stable footing.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.4(b) it was moved by Councillor Golton, seconded by Councillor Cleasby that this council notes with concern worsening trends in a number of areas of children’s services including:

·  Low educational attainment, with Leeds the second worst council in the worst performing region in England for reading, writing and maths among primary aged children and persistent gaps in attainment for children receiving free school meals and with English as an additional language

·  Worsening Ofsted results, in which the number of primary schools that have received a worse score in their 2017 assessment is three times higher than the number that have improved

·  Continued reliance on external providers for residential care and independent foster care agencies, which are currently projected to overspend by £1.2 million

·  Reduced senior management capacity to improve services

This council is deeply concerned at the effect this decline in service quality is having on vulnerable children and young people in the city. 

This Council lacks confidence in the current policies in place to deal with these issues and calls for the creation of an independent cross-party commission to investigate these issues and develop sustainable solutions for the city that will halt the decline in support for our most vulnerable children and help create the infrastructure needed to place the service on a stable footing.

 

An amendment was moved by Councillor Mulherin, seconded by Councillor Pryor

 

Delete all after “This Council notes” and replace with:

 

“…the sharp contrast between the current status of Children’s Services and that which the Labour administration inherited from the Conservative/Lib Dem/Morley Borough Independent coalition in 2010, when Ofsted deemed Children’s Services in the city to be inadequate.

 

Council notes that despite eight years of damaging cuts and policies by Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in central government, under the current Labour administration this Council has been recognised by the Department for Education as one of the leading local authorities in the country for children’s services.

 

This Council opposes the Government policy of forced academisation of schools, given the clear lack of accountability of multi-academy trusts, as evidenced by the atrocious conduct of Wakefield City Academies Trust before its collapse.

 

This Council is appalled by the real term cut in central government funding for children’s services nationally of £2.3bn between 2010 and 2016, with a further £2bn funding gap forecast by the cross-party Local Government Association by 2020 if cuts continue. 

 

Council calls on all political groups to lobby Government to urgently address the £2bn funding gap in children and young people services identified by the cross-party Local Government Association so the Council can continue to invest in early intervention services to ensure all young people in Leeds are given the best possible start in life.”

 

The amendment in the name of Councillor Mulherin was carried and upon being put to the vote it was

 

RESOLVED – That this Council notes the sharp contrast between the current status of Children’s Services and that which the Labour administration inherited  ...  view the full minutes text for item 82.