Agenda item

“Council notes that this authority has received just over £51m from the sale of Leeds/Bradford International Airport.  This Council believes that all the citizens throughout the whole of the Leeds region should benefit from this one-off windfall.  Council therefore resolves to distribute this income as follows:

1.  Each of the 33 city wards is allocated £1m to be spent on local priorities by local people and their ward councillors within a framework to be set out by the Chief Executive. The council believes all citizens in Leeds should benefit from this windfall and must have their say in how this once in a lifetime money is spent.

2.  A central fund of £15m to be established which will finance the building of council housing all across the city. The criteria for allocation to be set out by the Chief Executive.

3.  The remainder of the money will then be used to improve the standard of sports pitches and public green spaces across the city.

This Council therefore instructs that the Chief Executive submit a report setting out the criteria for each of these proposals to the next meeting of Council.”

  P GRUEN

It was moved by Councillor Gruen seconded by Councillor J Lewis

Council notes that this authority has received just over £51m from the sale of Leeds/Bradford International Airport.  This Council believes that all the citizens throughout the whole of the Leeds region should benefit from this one-off windfall.  Council therefore resolves to distribute this income as follows:

1.  Each of the 33 city wards is allocated £1m to be spent on local priorities by local people and their ward councillors within a framework to be set out by the Chief Executive. The council believes all citizens in Leeds should benefit from this windfall and must have their say in how this once in a lifetime money is spent.

2.  A central fund of £15m to be established which will finance the building of council housing all across the city. The criteria for allocation to be set out by the Chief Executive.

3.  The remainder of the money will then be used to improve the standard of sports pitches and public green spaces across the city.

This Council therefore instructs that the Chief Executive submit a report setting out the criteria for each of these proposals to the next meeting of Council

An amendment was moved by Councillor Brett seconded by Councillor A Carter

Delete all after “This Council” in line 2 of the motion and replace with :-

“congratulates the present administration on overseeing the successful sale of Leeds Bradford Airport which raised more than 30 times the Airport’s current earnings, the highest ratio achieved for an Airport Sale in recent years; and :-

a)  producing a Capital Programme which invests in every geographic area of the City;

b)  their commitment to further invest in all areas of the City;

c)  their commitment to improve our parks, playing pitches and public areas after years of neglect;

d)  their commitment to resume council house building in Leeds, providing rented accommodation and affordable housing in targeted areas across the city, without encroaching on greenbelt land

e)  their proposals to invest :-

·  in an Arena

·  in the refurbishment of the City Varieties

·  in a City Centre Swimming facility

·  in a Parks Urban Renaissance programme

·  in Building Schools for the Future

·  in Highways Maintenance over the period 2008 – 2011

and rejects the Labours Group’s suggestions that these proposals should be sacrificed or massively reduced to pay for their plans.

The amendment was carried and upon being put as the  substantive motion it was

RESOLVED – That Council notes that this authority received just over £51m from the sale of Leeds/Bradford International Airport.

This Council congratulates the present administration on overseeing the successful sale of Leeds Bradford Airport which raised more than 30 times the Airport’s current earnings, the highest ratio achieved for an Airport Sale in recent years; and :-

a)  producing a Capital Programme which invests in every geographic area of the City;

b)  their commitment to further invest in all areas of the City;

c)  their commitment to improve our parks, playing pitches and public areas after years of neglect;

d)  their commitment to resume council house building in Leeds, providing rented accommodation and affordable housing in targeted areas across the city, without encroaching on greenbelt land

e)  their proposals to invest :-

·  in an Arena

·  in the refurbishment of the City Varieties

·  in a City Centre Swimming facility

·  in a Parks Urban Renaissance programme

·  in Building Schools for the Future

·  in Highways Maintenance over the period 2008 – 2011

and rejects the Labours Group’s suggestions that these proposals should be sacrificed or massively reduced to pay for their plans.

On the requisition of Councillors Gruen and Taggart the voting on the amendment was recorded as follows:

YES

Anderson, Andrew, Bale, Barker, Bentley, A Blackburn, D Blackburn, Brett, Campbell, A Carter, J L Carter, Castle, Chapman, Downes, Elliott, Ewens, Mrs R Feldman, R D Feldman,  Finnigan, Fox, Gettings, Golton, Grayshon, M Hamilton, Harker, Harrand, Harris, Hollingsworth, Jennings, Kendall, Kirkland, Lamb, Lancaster, Latty, Leadley, Lobley, Monaghan, Morton, J Procter, R Procter, Pryke, Rhodes-Clayton, Robinson, Russell, Shelbrooke, Smith, Taylor, Townsley, Wadsworth, Wilkinson, Wilson

  51

NO

Armitage, Atha, Beverley, Blake, Congreve, Coupar, Davey, Dobson, Dowson, Driver, Dunn, Gabriel, Grahame, Gruen, S Hamilton, Hanley, Harington, A Hussain,  K Hussain, G Hyde, Illingworth, Jarosz, Langdale, J Lewis, R Lewis, Lowe, Lyons, A McKenna, J McKenna, Minkin, Morgan, Mulherin, Murray, Ogilvie, Parker, Selby, Taggart, Wakefield

  38

On the requisition of Councillors A Carter and J L Carter the voting on the substantive motion was recorded as follows:

YES

Anderson, Andrew, Bale, Barker, Bentley, Beverley, A Blackburn, D Blackburn, Brett, Campbell, A Carter, J L Carter, Castle, Chapman, Downes, Elliott, Ewens, Mrs R Feldman, Finnigan, Fox, Gettings, Golton, Grayshon, M Hamilton, Harker, Harrand, Harris, Hollingsworth, Jennings, Kendall, Kirkland, Lamb, Lancaster, Latty, Leadley, Lobley, Monaghan, Morton, J Procter, R Procter, Pryke, Rhodes-Clayton, Robinson, Russell, Shelbrooke, Smith, Taylor, Townsley, Wadsworth, Wilkinson, Wilson

  51

ABSTAIN

Armitage, Atha, Blake, Congreve, Coupar, Davey, Dobson, Dowson, Driver, Grahame, Gruen, S Hamilton, Hanley, Harington, A Hussain, K Hussain, G Hyde, Illingworth, Jarosz, Langdale, J Lewis, R Lewis, Lowe, Lyons, A McKenna, J McKenna, Morgan, Mulherin, Murray, Ogilvie, Parker, Selby, Taggart, Wakefield

  34

(The meeting concluded at 3.10 pm)