Agenda item

The Council’s Constitution provides for a maximum of two hours for debate on motions.  The time limit for member speeches is three minutes and the time limit for proposing a motion is five minutes.

 

In accordance with Procedural Rule 10.2 in Part 4 of the Council Constitution, the Chief Executive has prepared a short accompanying note for each motion in respect of any implications for climate change, resources, human rights and any other pertinent factors they may wish to include in accordance with the Council’s Policy Framework.

 

Motion 895 – Ukraine

Proposed by Cllr Mark Hawthorne

Seconded by Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, Cllr John Bloxsom and Cllr Cate Cody

 

This Council:

·         Wholeheartedly condemns the barbaric and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. As a democratic chamber, we are appalled by what we have seen unfold over recent weeks and we support the Ukrainian people in their fight to maintain democracy and self-determination as a nation.

·         We applaud countries across the world who have come out to condemn the Russian regime and President Putin’s leadership.

·         Welcomes the sanctions placed on Russia by the Government of the United Kingdom and other nations to target those Russian individuals responsible for the aggression and the organisations which benefit from, and fund, the corrupt and oppressive Russian regime.

·         Approves of the decision by our Pension Committee to prohibit new investments in Russian assets and to disinvest from all Russian-controlled and Russian-owned assets.

 

We also note that as of 8 March 2022, over 2 million people have fled Ukraine – a figure which will only increase further – and that Gloucestershire has a proud record of welcoming refugees.

 

This Council therefore agrees and affirms:

·         We stand with Ukraine and offer our full support for the people and their government in the face of unprovoked aggression.

·         To provide any reasonable help and support to all Ukrainian nationals living in Gloucestershire.

·         To work with District colleagues and GARAS to provide support for all refugees who arrive in Gloucestershire.

Finally, this council extends its thoughts and prayers to members of the Gloucestershire Ukrainian communityand pays tribute to the incredible generosity the people of Gloucestershire have shown in their personal efforts to support the humanitarian response to this crisis.

 

 

Motion 893 - Policing and anti-social behaviour

Proposed by Cllr Jeremy Hilton

Seconded by Cllr David Brown

 

This Council believes that improved police patrols, especially on foot, by Gloucestershire Constabulary would help reduce the incidence of petty crime and anti-social behaviour.

 

This Council notes that Chris Nelson, the newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), committed in his manifesto to cut anti-social behaviour in our communities by 50% and to employ an additional 300 police officers during this term in office.

 

This Council notes however, with some concern, that the PCC’s recently announced budget paper will only see 106 additional officers employed during this term.

 

This Council therefore:

• Invites the PCC to provide a public presentation to the County Council on how he intends to deliver on his commitment to halve anti-social behaviour in Gloucestershire over the next two years and explain why his manifesto commitment on officer numbers has been cut by nearly two thirds.
• Calls on the new PCC to deliver on all of his manifesto pledges by the end of his current term in office.

 

 

Motion 894 - Road Safety in Gloucestershire

Proposed by Cllr Paul Hodgkinson

Seconded by Cllr Roger Whyborn

 

This Council notes:

·         That 2022 has seen a significant number of incidents with motor vehicles in Gloucestershire, resulting in 53 serious injuries and 8 deaths in just the first two months.

·         That these serious incidents have not been confined to one road or area, but across the county’s highways.

·         That according to the incident data, our roads have seen a generally rising trend in serious injuries, with the number of deaths being stable at best, over the periods from 2010 to 2015 and 2016 to date.

·         The falling trend in minor injuries, over the same periods, which is to be welcomed – though may be as much a result of changes to car design as improvements to road safety.

 

This Council believes that road safety needs to be proactively managed, with the emphasis on preventing deaths and serious injuries, and should not wait until tragedy strikes for changes to be made.

 

This Council welcomes the road safety policy review being undertaken but is concerned at the loss of County Council-led road safety partnerships across the county and districts – to be replaced by a much less transparent and more centralised Road Safety Forum held behind closed doors. 

 

This Council resolves to:

·         Ask officers to provide Environment Scrutiny with a thorough briefing on recent accidents and their causations.

·         Call on Cabinet to ensure that communities and all levels of governance in Gloucestershire are thoroughly consulted on the refreshed Road Safety Policy.

·         Call on Cabinet to work with Environment Scrutiny to develop a policy of ongoing dialogue with our residents to see road safety measures proactively installed in our communities.

 

 

Motion 896 - Knife crime

Proposed by Cllr Nick Housden

Seconded by Cllr Alastair Chambers

 

This Council notes the profound impact that the death of Ramarni Crosby had on the City of Gloucester. This Council never wants to see another of our young children harmed through knife crime. We want all of our children and young people to feel safe in their communities and for no one to carry a weapon – either with intent for violence or for perceived protection.

 

Therefore, this Council resolves to call on Cabinet to develop an action plan alongside our partners in the Police, schools and youth groups to ensure that the County Council is doing all than it can to deter young people from carrying knives.  This action plan should focus on what we can ‘do differently’ to ensure we’re learning lessons from the past as well as successes from other council areas.

 

We will listen and work with partners in areas of high knife crime to learn what more we can be doing to support those communities and prevent young people from carrying knives in the first place.

 

 

Motion 897 - Violence against women and girls

Proposed by Cllr Kathy Williams

Seconded by Cllr Philip Robinson

 

This Council believes that women and girls deserve to live free from intimidation, violence and harassment. This Council condemns all violence against women and girls (VAWG) and notes that it can take many forms, including physical, financial, and emotional.

 

We want Gloucestershire to be the safest county in the UK for women and girls.

 

We welcome the launch of the Home Office’s new ‘Enough’ campaign which seeks to educate the public by highlighting VAWG and its various forms. 

 

We are also pleased that our Police and Crime Commissioner has made VAWG one of his top priorities in his Police and Crime Prevention Plan. We are particularly grateful to the work of the OPCC and Gloucestershire Constabulary to eradicate VAWG from Gloucestershire and note especially the introduction of the ‘Flare App’ which gives women the opportunity to report inappropriate behaviour directly to the police.  

 

To ensure that this county is the safest in the country for women and girls, we propose that:

·         The Council strives to become the first public body in Gloucestershire to receive a ‘White Ribbon Accreditation’ for its commitment and work to end male violence against women.

·         We write to all District Councils and Head Teachers in the county asking them to become White Ribbon Champions to show a clear signal that Gloucestershire stands united against VAWG.

·         We invite the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office and Gloucestershire Constabulary to run a session for all councillors on the nature of VAWG in Gloucestershire and what we can all be doing in communities to tackle it.

·         We will also utilise our strong relationships with Head Teachers to invite them to a similar session to ensure that they are supported in combatting VAWG in schools so that we can prevent unhealthy and dangerous behaviours in young people.

We ask the Adult Social Care and Communities Scrutiny Committee to investigate and produce a report for Cabinet on any steps the County Council can be taking to end VAWG in Gloucestershire.

 

 

Motion 898 - County deals

Proposed by Cllr John Bloxsom

Seconded by Cllr Wendy Thomas

 

Council welcomes the widening of the prospects for devolution in the recent White Paper. We support the view of the LGA that every part of England should be able to decide for themselves what form of devolution would best improve opportunities and life chances for local people.  

 

We reaffirm the commitment in the Council Strategy to encourage the development of a single plan for Gloucestershire’s future growth through partnership working between all local authorities and other stakeholders.

 

We note that it is up to the County Council to lead a devolution discussion for Gloucestershire, however, in line with our commitment to partnership working, we resolve to seek broad local support for any devolution deal which should include support of our District Councils.

 

Given opportunities for extra powers and funding, we should have an open mind. When entering discussions with government, we should consider the advantages and disadvantages of different options, the scope for bespoke arrangements and not take options off the table at this stage.

Council would not support negotiations over any devolution deal taking place privately behind closed doors through bilateral talks between this Council’s leadership and Central Government and we therefore call for our District Councils and stakeholders to be partners in this dialogue.

 

We further believe that this dialogue should be widened, be beyond the public sector organisations represented in Leadership Gloucestershire and should include full public consultation with residents together with business, the voluntary sector and District, Town and Parish Councils. 

 

Motion 895 – Ukraine

Cllr Mark Hawthorne proposed and Cllrs Paul Hodgkinson, John Bloxsom and Cate Cody seconded this cross-party motion included on the agenda.

 

For all Group Leaders, this motion represented the Council standing united against the horrific and illegal invasion of Ukraine, against the human suffering and humanitarian crisis unfolding and against this attack on democracy and freedom.

 

The Leader categorised the county’s response into three areas. He emphasised the importance of a political response with Members adding their voice to the chorus of outrage against Putin’s regime. The Council had also followed suit with economic sanctions on Russian related investments. He detailed the Council’s humanitarian response in making sure GCC did everything it could to coordinate, collect and distribute aid. Members were extremely proud of the response from residents in this effort also. Finally, he details the support for refugees. The county had a proud track record for helping resettle refugees, and teams across Gloucestershire would continue to offer a safe haven for those fleeing conflict. Cllr Hawthorne ended with the words, “We are all Ukrainian”.

 

Cllr Paul Hodgkinson spoke on behalf of the Liberal Democrat Group. He thanked the other political groups for supporting this cross-party motion and offering a united voice from the Council. He paid tribute to the inspiring leadership in Ukraine in the face of the atrocities that everyone had all watched unfold over the past 4 weeks. He also praised the community’s response in Gloucestershire on aid and offers of homes for refugees. On behalf of the group, he also welcomed the recent removal of ‘red tape’ from the Government’s resettlement plans, enabling an easier transition for those coming the country and county in months to come. Cllr Hodgkinson ended with the words, “We stand with Ukraine”.

 

Cllr John Bloxsom spoke on behalf of the Labour Group. They too welcomed and thanked other groups for the cross-party voice, condemning the military aggression and standing with the people of Ukraine, for democracy and their right to choose European identity should they wish. He welcomed the economic sanctions against Russia to date but called for these to go further and become broad enough to impact every aspect of their economy. He praised the courage of Russian citizens taking to the streets in protest against the illegal invasion, whilst under threat themselves of oppression. He stressed the need for ‘wrap around services’ to be available for refugees settling in Gloucestershire, and to ensure that GARAS (Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) was enabled to remain resilient and viable, not becoming overwhelmed.

 

Cllr Cate Cody spoke on behalf of the Green Group and echoed all comments that had been made so far, describing the war in Ukraine as ‘catastrophic’ and a complete and utter waste, of human life (both soldiers and civilians), but also environmentally. She went on to cite the carbon waste of weapons, transport, medical supplies etc., the destruction and rebuilding of homes schools, roads and hospitals. She stated that the group recognised the mindless physical, emotional, and psychological pain that war brought and noted that it was time for everyone to look hard at their politics, to consider whether our governments were trading with immoral leaders and dictatorship regimes, and to ask how we could reduce our demand for oil which Putin benefited so massively from. She welcomed that the Government had confirmed that single-occupied households would not lose their council tax discount if they offered their homes to refugees. She ended with a plea that the world did not forget about Afghan refugees who were still in dire need of our support.

 

Cllr Chambers had recently joined a convoy to the Polish boarder which had included over 20 lorries filled with 160 tonnes of aid from all over Gloucestershire. The county had been identified as the quickest area in the country by the Government to organise and move aid for the humanitarian effort. The councillor saw first-hand the life changing difference every donation had made to Ukrainians.

The Cabinet Member responsible for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service highlighted that the Service had donated surplus vehicles/equipment to support rescue efforts and protect fire fighters in Ukraine. This included an aerial ladder platform that had given 20 years of service to Gloucestershire. GFRS employees on and off duty had also helped sorting and loading lorries with aid.

Several members commended the bravery of the Ukrainian people, civilians, and military, in defending their country. They recognised that the challenges to come of resettling refugees in the county would be different to those faced before, but again commended residents who had already come forward to offer refuge in their homes. It was also reinforced that Gloucestershire had not forgotten about the support needed for refugees that had recently come from Syria and Afghanistan either.

The Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills recognised that schools would play a vital role in the response effort. Gloucestershire had a proud record for supporting refugees into the education service. It already had well-established practises which provided support to families with school applications, and schools had been very supportive and flexible. There was already a regular migrant settlement meeting which coordinated the work of all relevant organisations in the county and was now acting as the key communication hub for Ukrainian refugees.

A member suggested that the Council could write a letter to the Ukrainian ambassador to show solidarity and also a letter of support to John Major and Gordon Brown for their suggestion for a Nuremberg-style trial for Russian officials.

Cllr Williams, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Delivery, had been appointed as the council’s lead for the refugee response effort. There would be a reliance on members to link into their communities, making sure refugees were being looked after and supporting host families in the short/long term. Members would be provided with regular updates.

The Leader, as proposer of the motion, summarised the discussion by stating that the strongest message we could send now was to continue our actions in supporting Ukraine at all levels. Our efforts would remain united, our message strong and our support unwavering to see down this illegal invasion and attack on democracy. He reminded members that we needed to do our bit to ensure there was a free Ukraine to which its residents could return home (should they wish) and protect their right to choose their own future.

On being put to the vote, the Council unanimously supported the motion as published on the agenda.

 

Motion 893 - Policing and anti-social behaviour

Cllr Emma Nelson left the room for this debate having made a declaration of interest in it.

Cllr Jeremy Hilton proposed and Cllr David Brown seconded the motion included on the agenda.

 

Cllr Hilton highlighted that GCC used to be the Police Authority before Government introduced the Police and Crime Commissioner model which aimed to improve democracy and the police service. Unfortunately, statistics showed that things had not got better since this model was introduced. He stated in July 2021 there were 26,000 cases of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in a 12-month period; between 2009-18 the number of uniformed police officers dropped by 299 officers; and government grants had seen a £8m decrease since 2010. He acknowledged that under the previous Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) these statistics had begun to approve and for example, to date Gloucestershire was 156 officers short of the level in 2009.

Looking at the new PCC (Chris Nelson) who was elected last May, Cllr Hilton outlined that he had made 6 manifesto pledges, 1 of which was to see a reduction in ASB by 50% and another to increase police numbers (Officers or Community Support Officers) by 300. He stated however, that recent statements made by the PCC had suggested he would only be able to increase full-time police by 106 in his term. This motion therefore called for the PCC to come and address the council and enable members to hold him to account for his manifesto pledges.

Cllr Brown seconding the motion stated that the focus and intention of the motion was to support the excellent work of front-line officers who were under tremendous pressure. He also acknowledged and appreciated Gloucestershire’s Neighbourhood Watch volunteers and welcomed the passion the PCC showed recently in wanting to see the Watch membership grow.

He highlighted that a similar motion had been brought to the council four years ago. The aim then was to increase front-line resource in the police to help reduce crime. Unfortunately, the same objective remained today and it was important to make sure that a promise made by the PCC was a promise kept. Recent comments by the PCC suggested that his aim was now to employ an additional 102 officers and 4 PSCOs This represented a 65% reduction in his ambition which, Cllr Brown said, was very disappointing for the county. This motion gave the PCC a public platform to share details on how he planned to meet the manifesto pledges on which he was elected.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne proposed the following amendment:

This Council believes that improved police patrols, especially on foot, by Gloucestershire Constabulary would help reduce the incidence of petty crime and anti-social behaviour.

This Council notes that Chris Nelson, the newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), committed in his manifesto to cut anti-social behaviour in our communities by 50% and to deploy an additional 300 police officers pairs of boots on the ground during this term in office.

This Council notes however, with some concern, that the PCC’s recently announced budget paper will only see 102 additional officers employed during this term as well as 200 Special Constables, 178 police staff, 12 new Police Community Support Officers and 30 volunteer PCSOs, a new role championed by the Commissioner.

This totals at least 340 extra pairs of boots on the ground in our county providing a visible policing presence and tackling the issues that matter to our residents like anti-social behaviour.

There will also be more than 170 extra specialist police staff cutting waiting times on our 101 number and improving the support for victims of crime and supporting the front line.

This council therefore:

·         invites the PCC to provide a public presentation to the County Council on how he intends to deliver on his commitment to halve anti-social behaviour in Gloucestershire over the next two years and explain why his manifesto commitment on officer numbers has been cut by nearly two thirds.

·         calls on the new PCC to deliver on all of his manifesto pledges by the end of his current term in office.

 

The meeting was adjourned to allow members to consider the amendment and resumed at 12:00.

 

Cllr Hawthorne introduced his amendment. He stated that the opposition had, for the previous 8 years, supported a failing and inadequate service run by the previous PCC and last May, the voters of Gloucestershire overwhelming backed change. Voters backed a PCC that wanted to see more policing on our streets, to address chronic underfunding of the service and to reduce waiting times for non-emergency calls made to the 101 number. He stressed that he needed to put the record straight today; the PCC was delivering on his manifesto promises, real investment was happening for the county and that’s why members should back the amendment.

 

Cllr Norman spoke as the seconder of the amendment. He explained that he had direct experience of working with the PCC and his team to address ASB issues in his division, and that the PCC would welcome any member of council to approach him for the same support. It was noted that the PCC was active in wanting to work in partnership across the county, such as recent collaborative work on improving road safety. He added that the PCC budget recently been supported unanimously by Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Panel.

Several members spoke against the amendment. They thought the changed wording of “340 extra pairs of boots on the ground” was disingenuous and misleading, that the PCC had been elected on a manifesto pledge of 300 additional officers, and that members of the public expected exactly that. A member acknowledged that there were some useful additions in the amendment, particularly the reference to volunteer PSCOs.

They added that the PCC should be held accountable for the manifesto pledges on which he was elected. The offer of addressing a full council meeting allowed the PCC a chance to outline to the public how he expected to deliver these, and for members to act as a critical friend.

Several members also spoke in support of the amendment. They stressed that the PCC was a hardworking and committed individual who took his promises on election very seriously. He was someone who would go above and beyond to make sure he delivered change for Gloucestershire. Many gave examples of their experiences working with the PCC on ASB in their area, evidencing he was committed to tackling these issues. They added that the amendment still kept the request for the PCC to address members but also set the record straight on his commitments.

On being put to the vote the amendment was carried and became the substantive motion.

The substantive motion was then put to the vote.

It was RESOLVED that

This Council believes that improved police patrols, especially on foot, by Gloucestershire Constabulary would help reduce the incidence of petty crime and anti-social behaviour.

This Council notes that Chris Nelson, the newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), committed in his manifesto to cut anti-social behaviour in our communities by 50% and to deploy an additional 300 pairs of boots on the ground during this term in office.

This Council notes, that the PCC’s recently announced budget paper will see 102 additional officers employed during this term as well as 200 Special Constables, 178 police staff, 12 new Police Community Support Officers and 30 volunteer PCSOs, a new role championed by the Commissioner.

This totals at least 340 extra pairs of boots on the ground in our county providing a visible policing presence and tackling the issues that matter to our residents like anti-social behaviour.

There will also be more than 170 extra specialist police staff cutting waiting times on our 101 number and improving the support for victims of crime and supporting the front line.

This council therefore:

·         invites the PCC to provide a public presentation to the County Council on how he intends to deliver on his commitment to halve anti-social behaviour in Gloucestershire over the next two years.

·         calls on the new PCC to deliver on all of his manifesto pledges by the end of his current term in office.