Name

Item

Interest

Reason

Councillor Jordan

Minute 20 – Motion on Notice: Tackling Child Poverty

Personal

Director of Routeways

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Mrs Pengelly)

Minute 21 – Questions by Councillors (Question 23)

Personal

Involvement with Plymouth Raiders

(1)

the following appointments -   

  Committees and Other  Bodies

Membership

Appointments 2013/14

(a)

Plymouth Arts Centre

up to two observers

Cllr Jarvis

Cllr Jordan

(b)

Local Government Association General Assembly

up to four representatives

Current representative is Cllr Evans (five votes)

Councillor Nicholson (Deputy Leader).

No further nominations were submitted by the Labour Group

(c)

Pembroke Street Estate Management Board

Resignation of Councillor Coker

Councillor Stevens

(2)

that the two vacancies arising from resignations of former Councillor Browne and Councillor Williams from the Plymouth Community Homes Board are deferred at the present time.

  Joint Committee

Membership

Mount Edgcumbe Joint Committee

Councillor Monahan

Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee

Councillor Drean

(a)

the progress of the pledges made by the Labour administration;

(b)

Adam Broome (Director for Corporate Services) who was leaving the council in the summer.  He thanked Adam for his work, particularly his pivotal role in the improvement of the council, and he wished him well in the future.    

The Lord Mayor also wished him well and indicated that there would be further opportunities for individual councillors to express their thanks before he left.  

Question No

Question By

Cabinet Member

Subject

Q1/13-14

Mr R Aldred

Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Cooperatives and Community Development)

‘Bedroom’ Tax: Reclassification by Housing Associations

Will the council be writing to the housing associations in the Plymouth area and encouraging them to reclassify their social housing as a way to properly oppose this bedroom tax as done by Leeds Council and the Knowsley Housing Trust?

Response:

The council has been working cooperatively and proactively for over a year with partners to look at ways to mitigate the worst impact of the Government’s Welfare Reforms.

We are aware that the government’s ‘Bedroom’ Tax is hitting our partners, their tenants and the Plymouth economy significantly. We have already been in discussions with partners around reclassification of bedrooms in some detail, and they are clear in pointing out that it is not a simple issue.

National Government has made it almost impossible to find ways to legally lessen the impact on some of our poorest families. We are aware that within the first eight weeks of the ‘Bedroom’ Tax, our local housing associations have seen a steep rise in rent arrears, with it affecting at least 400 households in the city.

Unfortunately the argument around reclassification is not simple and while the impact on councils who own their stock is minimal, housing associations have least room to manoeuvre. They have said that the main impacts would be:

·         a loss of income as they would be required by law to cut their rents;

·         a potential reclassification of premises impacted by the ‘Bedroom’ Tax would lead to different rent charges being applied to identical properties based solely on who is paying the bill, a clearly unfair situation;

·         a potential reclassification of all identical properties where any are impacted by the ‘Bedroom’ Tax would lead to an immediate increase in overcrowded properties exacerbating the current situation, a course of action which neither they nor we would want to take;

·         financial viability as accommodation size is an important part of their housing stock value; this value is used to lever operating capital, improvement works and new housing developments.

As part of our on-going work with our local housing associations, I have already written to them to ask them to consider reclassification.

We will continue to support and work proactively with our partners to find ways of mitigating the impact of the government’s ‘Bedroom’ Tax.

Question No

Question By

Cabinet Member

Subject

Q2/13-14

Mr Samuel Taylor-Wickenden

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance)

Debts from non-payment of Council Tax

What will it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

(1)

that the provisional outturn position as at 31 March 2013 is noted;  

(2)

the additional transfers to reserves reflected in the outturn figures -   

?

transfer to Plymouth Life Centre Dowry for 2012/13;

£0.150m

?

transfer to Pensions Reserve;

£0.150m

?

transfer to General Reserve for community economic development trust development;

£0.050m

(3)

that the adjusted revenue deficit for the year of £0.504m is noted and approval is given to the deficit being met by a transfer from the General Fund Working Balance;    

(4)

the following net nil transfers between reserves and provisions:  

?

creation of a Transformational Change Reserve 

£0.250m

?

transfer to Plymouth Life Centre Dowry (2013/14)

£0.150m

?

transfer to Pension Reserve;

£0.600m

?

net reduction to Insurance Provision and Reserves

£(0.394)m

?

reduce VAT repayment reserve

£(0.185)m

?

reduce Icelandic Bank legal reserve

£(0.164)m

?

reduce Housing Rents provision

£(0.171)m

?

reduce general commuted maintenance reserve

£(0.086)m

(5)

that the capital financing requirement of £46.504m is noted and approval is given to the borrowing requirement of £4.806m for 2012/13;  

(6)

the additional use of capital receipts totalling £0.840m and increasing the revenue Investment Fund Reserve by the same amount;

(7)

that the re-profiling changes to the capital programme identified during the outturn process subsequent to council approval in February 2013 are noted and approval is given to the latest revised forecasts totalling £122.670m for 2013/14 – 2015/16 which also include new approvals since February 2013 as set out in Table 5 in the report.

(7)

to add ‘welfare reform’ to the terms of reference of the Cooperative Scrutiny Board;

(8)

to amend the Partnership Links in the terms of reference for the Caring Plymouth panel where Children’s Partnership (for social care matters) should read Children’s Partnership (for health matters) and the link in the Ambitious Plymouth panel where Children’s Partnership (for education matters) should read Children’s Partnership (for social care and education matters).

(1)

move Human Resources and ICT to the terms of reference for the Co-operative Scrutiny Board;

(2)

evidence a link between ‘Working Plymouth’ and ‘Ambitious Plymouth’ with respect to ‘apprenticeships’;

(3)

move Children’s social care, adoption and fostering, early intervention and prevention, corporate parenting and the leadership and delivery of all services for children and young people out of the terms of reference for ‘Caring Plymouth’ and into the terms of reference for ‘Ambitious Plymouth’;

(4)

to amend the wording of the terms of reference for Caring Plymouth from ‘Adult and Children’s Health and Social Care’ to Adult and Children’s Health’ to reflect (3) above;

(5)

add ‘customer services’ to the terms of reference for ‘Your Plymouth’;

(6)

update the ‘corporate plan priorities’ section of all terms of reference as and when the draft corporate plan is approved by City Council;

(7)

to add ‘welfare reform’ to the terms of reference of the Cooperative Scrutiny Board;

(8)

to amend the Partnership Links in the terms of reference for the Caring Plymouth panel where Children’s Partnership (for social care matters) should read Children’s Partnership (for health matters) and the link in the Ambitious Plymouth panel where Children’s Partnership (for education matters) should read Children’s Partnership (for social care and education matters).

‘TACKLING CHILD POVERTY

Child poverty is essentially a result of poverty in families.

Child poverty matters because it means children suffer now and their future lives can be blighted.

Income is central to the lives of all families in poverty. This reflects the current national measurewhich classes families earning less than £251 per week as living in poverty. In Plymouth this equates to 11,560 children, of which 10,190 are aged under 16[1].

Amidst the deepening economic crisis, it is an opportune time to develop our local plan to tackle child poverty. Falling incomes, unemployment, rising cost of living, reduced economic activity and major changes to the way that welfare assistance is provided are having a real impact on Plymouth families both in the short and long term. For example, stressors such as job loss, home foreclosure, or loss in family savings can place strain on parental relationships and on the family as a whole. It can affect educational achievement of children by reducing families’ abilities to provide a supportive learning environment or adequate nutrition, or by forcing a delay or abandonment of higher education plans.

Plymouth has shaped its response to child poverty based on its understanding of child poverty as the outcome of economic, environmental and social factors that can damage a child’s development and limit or prevent children and young people from having many of the experiences and opportunities that others take for granted[2].

Our three year strategy presents how Plymouth aims to tackle the causes and impact of child poverty, while also acknowledging the limits and challenges presented by the current economic and social environment.

Council therefore:

(1)

commends the Cross Party Working Group on Child Poverty, our partners, officers, Youth Council, the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board and Cabinet for their cooperation in developing a new Child Poverty Strategy for the city;

(2)

commits to encourage partners to work with us to deliver the Child Poverty Strategy and action plan;

(3)

will actively support and promote the work of the new Standing Conference on Child Poverty;

(4)

instructs officers to share all background information, consultation responses and thinking from the last two years of work in developing the Child Poverty Strategy and action plan with the Plymouth Fairness Commission;

(5)

encourages members to act as Child Poverty Champions within their wards; working to mitigate the impact of child poverty now and take action to stop future generations lives being blighted by child poverty.’

(a)

the DVD viewed by councillors before the council meeting, which had been made by young people and showed what living in child poverty meant for them. The DVD and the action plan would be available on the website, the following day;

(b)

actions which could be taken to minimise the impact of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

From

To

Subject

1

Councillor Ball

Councillor Coker

Would he agree that the current levels of noise and air pollution were excessive on the A38 Parkway and was exacerbated by the Highways Agency reducing vegetation?  Would he press the agency to undertake noise and air pollution tests?

Councillor Coker had made representations to the Highways Agency and would press the agency to undertake tests.  He also asked that Councillor Ball and he lobby Oliver Colville MP and Alison Seabeck MP.

2

Councillor Sam Leaves

Councillor Williams

When would she sign off funding for the replacement of boilers at Knowle Primary School?

Councillor Williams indicated that it was currently being looked at and she would forward the details to her.

3

Councillor Jordan

Councillor Vincent

Would the city be participating in Prince Charles’ initiative to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation with a coronation meadow or any other commemorative events? 

Councillor Vincent indicated that he would raise the coronation meadow with the officers.

4

Councillor Dr Salter

Councillors Coker and Evans

Was there any progress made on rail connectivity when Patrick McLoughlin (Secretary of State for Transport) came to Plymouth or any future plans? Should the Council do something more visible?

Councillors Coker and Evans responded that the council had not been invited to attend the visit. Progress was being made. The council had the Spine Report and there was also another report being produced by officers. The Chief Executive had been also working with a peninsula task force.

5

Councillor Singh

Councillor Coker

How long would the improvements at the railway station take and would notifications be published in the press?

Councillor Coker responded that the work would be completed before the Christmas shopping rush.  Information would be published on the website and businesses and residences would be notified in the usual manner. 

6

Councillor Nicholson

Councillor Vincent

Why was the council slow to act to remove the gypsy encampment at Horsham Field and would he review the policy and its implementation, and report back in due course?

Councillor Vincent responded that the delay was as a result of the Bank Holiday at the end of May 2013. The process relied on court availability and the site was cleared as soon as practical. The policy had been reviewed when this process commenced.

7

Councillor Mrs Beer

Councillor Peter Smith

A message left with the call centre concerning an overflowing waste bin, had not been passed to the department concerned and Councillor Smith was asked to find out why.

Councillor Smith responded that if Councillor Mrs Beer sent him the relevant information, he would ensure that she received a response.  

8

Councillor Parker

Councillor Penberthy

Did he think that the scheme to provide cheaper energy in Plymouth and create employment was a positive step?

Councillor Penberthy responded that a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.