This Council expresses its deep concern about the profound impact of child poverty on outcomes for educational attainment, employment, health and safeguarding.
With 23.4% of children and young people in Leeds growing up in poverty, Council reaffirms its commitment to work with partners to achieve the ambitions set out in the Leeds Child Poverty Strategy.
However, with 59% of poor children living in a household where at least one adult works, Council also reiterates, in the strongest possible terms, the damaging cumulative impact of Government welfare reforms on low income families in this city.
Council requests that officers produce a report for consideration by the Executive Board detailing the anticipated impact of welfare reform on both child poverty and advice services in the city.
Given that economic deprivation has a direct correlation to reduced outcomes for children, especially in areas of entrenched poverty, Council calls on the Government to:-
§ Reassess welfare reforms in light of the impact on its own commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
§ Swiftly empower the newly created Financial Conduct Authority to limit the impact of high cost credit and high interest rates on poor families with a view to ultimately ensuring all families have access to mainstream financial services.
§ Reinstate the Early Intervention Grant to help support some of our most challenging and vulnerable young people.
Council therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to all Leeds MPs asking them to work with us to highlight the devastating impact of child poverty on our communities and to lobby the Government to take action on the issues above.
J BLAKE
Minutes:
It was moved by Councillor Blake, seconded by Councillor Hanley, that this Council expresses its deep concern about the profound impact of child poverty on outcomes for educational attainment, employment, health and safeguarding.
With 23.4% of children and young people in Leeds growing up in poverty, Council reaffirms its commitment to work with partners to achieve the ambitions set out in the Leeds Child Poverty Strategy.
However, with 59% of poor children living in a household where at least one adult works, Council also reiterates, in the strongest possible terms, the damaging cumulative impact of Government welfare reforms on low income families in this city.
Council requests that officers produce a report for consideration by the Executive Board detailing the anticipated impact of welfare reform on both child poverty and advice services in the city.
Given that economic deprivation has a direct correlation to reduced outcomes for children, especially in areas of entrenched poverty, Council calls on the Government to:-
· Reassess welfare reforms in light of the impact on its own commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
· Swiftly empower the newly created Financial Conduct Authority to limit the impact of high cost credit and high interest rates on poor families with a view to ultimately ensuring all families have access to mainstream financial services.
· Reinstate the Early Intervention Grant to help support some of our most challenging and vulnerable young people.
Council therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to all Leeds MPs asking them to work with us to highlight the devastating impact of child poverty on our communities and to lobby the Government to take action on the issues above.
An amendment was moved by Councillor S Bentley, seconded by Councillor Golton, to insert the following in the second paragraph, after ‘Leeds Child Poverty Strategy’:-
‘and the constructive, all party approach that Leeds has taken in engaging with the government on this issue to date.
Council welcomes the positive coalition government policies to help tackle child deprivation and inequality, including:-
§ The pupil premium which will total £28 million extra funding for Leeds pupils entitled to free school meals in 2013/14.
§
The raising of the income tax threshold that has
resulted in people earning the minimum wage paying half the income
tax they did in 2010.
§
The expansion of early learning for two year
olds.
§
The creation of an apprenticeship academy and
apprenticeship hub network as part of the Leeds City Region
Deal.
§
The £1 billion youth contract to help young
unemployed people find work.
§ The removal of child benefit from the highest earning families.’
In the eighth paragraph/third bullet point, after ‘Reinstate’, insert words ‘the cut to’.
The amended motion would read:-
This Council expresses its deep concern about the profound impact of child poverty on outcomes for educational attainment, employment, health and safeguarding.
With 23.4% of children and young people in Leeds growing up in poverty, Council reaffirms its commitment to work with partners to achieve the ambitions set out in the Leeds Child Poverty Strategy and the constructive, all party approach that Leeds has taken in engaging with the government on this issue to date.
Council welcomes the positive coalition government policies to help tackle child deprivation and inequality, including:-
§ The pupil premium which will total £28 million extra funding for Leeds pupils claiming free school meals in 2013/14.
§ The raising the income tax threshold that has resulted in people earning the minimum wage paying half the income tax they did in 2010.
§
The expansion of early learning for two year
olds.
§
The creation of an apprenticeship academy and
apprenticeship hub network as part of the Leeds City Region
Deal.
§
The £1 billion youth contract to help young
unemployed people find work.
§ The removal of child benefit from the highest earning families.
However, with 59% of poor children living in a household where at least one adult works, Council also reiterates, in the strongest possible terms, the damaging cumulative impact of Government welfare reforms on low income families in this city.
Council requests that officers produce a report for consideration by the Executive Board detailing the anticipated impact of welfare reform on both child poverty and advice services in the city.
Given that economic deprivation has a direct correlation to reduced outcomes for children, especially in areas of entrenched poverty, Council calls on the Government to:-
§ Reassess welfare reforms in light of the impact on its own commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
§ Swiftly empower the newly created Financial Conduct Authority to limit the impact of high cost credit and high interest rates on poor families with a view to ultimately ensuring all families have access to mainstream financial services.
§ Reinstate the cut to the Early Intervention Grant to help support some of our most challenging and vulnerable young people.
Council therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to all Leeds MPs asking them to work with us to highlight the devastating impact of child poverty on our communities and to lobby the Government to take action on the issues above.
A second amendment was moved by Councillor Lamb, seconded by Councillor Latty, to delete all after ‘health and safeguarding’ and replace with:-
This Council believes that welfare plays a vital role in providing a safety net for people experiencing financial challenges in their day to day lives. However, Council also believes that the welfare system should encourage people back into work and not discourage employment or provide an alternative lifestyle choice as the current system does.
Council notes that eradicating child poverty, while a worthy ambition, was a commitment introduced by the previous government and further notes that their record in addressing the child poverty agenda during far better economic times was completely lamentable.
This Council regards child poverty as an issue of the utmost importance and that far reaching reform of the policies and structures put in place by the previous Government should be introduced along with new initiatives from Leeds City Council. The following actions should be considered:
§ Giving consideration to further increasing the tax threshold to £12,500 thereby providing hard working families with a living wage without placing the onus on the private sector to pay higher wages that are not affordable in the current climate.
§ Swiftly empower the newly created Financial Conduct Authority to limit the impact of high cost credit and high interest rates on poor families with a view to ultimately ensuring all families have access to mainstream financial services.
§ Supporting far reaching reform of the education system including innovative projects such as University Technical Colleges that would see poor performing schools challenged and our young people prepared for the world of work.
Council understands that many of these issues are national in scope but recognises the significant difference that solutions local to Leeds can make to this important issue. This Council therefore calls for a report to be brought to Executive Board into what co-ordinated strategies can be introduced in Leeds to help to deliver these goals.’
Motion would read:-
This Council expresses its deep concern about the profound impact of child poverty on outcomes for educational attainment, employment, health and safeguarding.
This Council believes that welfare plays a vital role in providing a safety net for people experiencing financial challenges in their day to day lives. However, Council also believes that the welfare system should encourage people back into work and not discourage employment or provide an alternative lifestyle choice as the current system does.
Council notes that eradicating child poverty, while a worthy ambition, was a commitment introduced by the previous government and further notes that their record in addressing the child poverty agenda during far better economic times was completely lamentable.
This Council regards child poverty as an issue of the utmost importance and that far reaching reform of the policies and structures put in place by the previous Government should be introduced along with new initiatives from Leeds City Council. The following actions should be considered:
§ Giving consideration to further increasing the tax threshold to £12,500 thereby providing hard working families with a living wage without placing the onus on the private sector to pay higher wages that are not affordable in the current climate.
§ Swiftly empower the newly created Financial Conduct Authority to limit the impact of high cost credit and high interest rates on poor families with a view to ultimately ensuring all families have access to mainstream financial services.
§ Supporting far reaching reform of the education system including innovative projects such as University Technical Colleges that would see poor performing schools challenged and our young people prepared for the world of work.
Council understands that many of these issues are national in scope but recognises the significant difference that solutions local to Leeds can make to this important issue. This Council therefore calls for a report to be brought to Executive Board into what co-ordinated strategies can be introduced in Leeds to help to deliver these goals.
The amendments were declared lost and, upon the motion being put to the vote, it was
RESOLVED – That this Council expresses its deep concern about the profound impact of child poverty on outcomes for educational attainment, employment, health and safeguarding.
With 23.4% of children and young people in Leeds growing up in poverty, Council reaffirms its commitment to work with partners to achieve the ambitions set out in the Leeds Child Poverty Strategy.
However, with 59% of poor children living in a household where at least one adult works, Council also reiterates, in the strongest possible terms, the damaging cumulative impact of Government welfare reforms on low income families in this city.
Council requests that officers produce a report for consideration by the Executive Board detailing the anticipated impact of welfare reform on both child poverty and advice services in the city.
Given that economic deprivation has a direct correlation to reduced outcomes for children, especially in areas of entrenched poverty, Council calls on the Government to:-
· Reassess welfare reforms in light of the impact on its own commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
· Swiftly empower the newly created Financial Conduct Authority to limit the impact of high cost credit and high interest rates on poor families with a view to ultimately ensuring all families have access to mainstream financial services.
· Reinstate the Early Intervention Grant to help support some of our most challenging and vulnerable young people.
Council therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to all Leeds MPs asking them to work with us to highlight the devastating impact of child poverty on our communities and to lobby the Government to take action on the issues above.
On the requisition of Councillors Lamb and G Latty, the voting on the first amendment in the name of Councillor S Bentley was recorded as follows:-
YES
J Bentley, S Bentley, Campbell, Cleasby, Elliott, Finnigan, Gettings, Golton, M Hamilton, Lay, Leadley, Varley.
12
NO
Akhtar, Anderson, Atha, A Blackburn, D Blackburn, Blake, Bruce, Buckley, J L Carter, Charlwood, Cohen, Collins, Congreve, Coulson, Cummins, Davey, Dawson, Dobson, Dowson, Dunn, Fox, Gabriel, P Grahame, R Grahame, Groves, C Gruen, P Gruen, S Hamilton, Hanley, Hardy, Harington, Harland, G Harper, J Harper, Harrand, A Hussain, G Hussain, G Hyde, Illingworth, Ingham, Iqbal, Jarosz, Khan, Lamb, G Latty, P Latty, J Lewis, R Lewis, Lowe, Lyons, Macniven, Maqsood, Marjoram, A McKenna, J McKenna, Mitchell, Morgan, Mulherin, Murray, Nagle, Nash, Ogilvie, J Procter, Rafique, Renshaw, Selby, Sobel, Taggart, E Taylor, Towler, Truswell, Urry, Wadsworth, Walker, Walshaw, Wilkinson, Wood, Yeadon.
78
ABSTAIN
0
On the requisition of Councillors Lamb and G Latty, the voting on the second amendment in the name of Councillor Lamb was recorded as follows:-
YES
Anderson, Buckley, J L Carter, Cohen, Collins, Elliott, Finnigan, Fox, Gettings, Harrand, Lamb, G Latty, P Latty, Leadley, Marjoram, J Procter, Varley, Wadsworth, Wilkinson, Wood.
20
NO
Akhtar, Atha, J Bentley, S Bentley, A Blackburn, D Blackburn, Blake, Bruce, Charlwood, Cleasby, Congreve, Coulson, Cummins, Davey, Dawson, Dobson, Dowson, Dunn, Gabriel, Golton, P Grahame, R Grahame, Groves, C Gruen, P Gruen, M Hamilton, S Hamilton, Hanley, Hardy, Harington, Harland, G Harper, J Harper, A Hussain, G Hussain, G Hyde, Illingworth, Ingham, Iqbal, Jarosz, Khan, Lay, J Lewis, R Lewis, Lowe, Lyons, Macniven, Maqsood, A McKenna, J McKenna, Mitchell, Morgan, Mulherin, Murray, Nagle, Nash, Ogilvie, Rafique, Renshaw, Selby, Sobel, Taggart, E Taylor, Towler, Truswell, Urry, Walker, Walshaw, Yeadon.
69
ABSTAIN
0
On the requisition of Councillors J Lewis and Taggart, the voting on the motion in the name of Councillor Blake was recorded as follows:-
YES
Akhtar, Atha, A Blackburn, D Blackburn, Blake, Bruce, Charlwood, Congreve, Coulson, Cummins, Davey, Dawson, Dobson, Dowson, Dunn, Gabriel, P Grahame, R Grahame, Groves, C Gruen, P Gruen, S Hamilton, Hanley, Hardy, Harington, Harland, G Harper, J Harper, A Hussain, G Hussain, G Hyde, Illingworth, Ingham, Iqbal, Jarosz, Khan, J Lewis, R Lewis, Lowe, Lyons, Macniven, Maqsood, A McKenna, J McKenna, Mitchell, Morgan, Mulherin, Murray, Nagle, Nash, Ogilvie, Rafique, Renshaw, Selby, Sobel, Taggart, E Taylor, Towler, Truswell, Urry, Walker, Walshaw, Yeadon.
63
NO
Anderson, Buckley, J L Carter, Cohen, Collins, Fox, Harrand, Lamb, G Latty, P Latty, Marjoram, J Procter, Wadsworth, Wilkinson, Wood.
15
ABSTAIN
J Bentley, S Bentley, Campbell, Cleasby, Elliott, Finnigan, Gettings, Golton, M Hamilton, Lay, Leadley, Varley.
12