Agenda and minutes

1 valid question has been received from a member of the public for this meeting.

1.        Question to the Elected Mayor from H Murrell of Longbenton

Will the Council, on behalf of North Tyneside residents and scheme members, approach Tyne and Wear Pension Fund and South Tyneside Council to ask them to undertake a review of the current transparency arrangements and fully consider the introduction of live-streaming of the Pension Fund Committee meetings and allow questions from the public?

During the consideration of this Public Question, Councillor L Bones moved a Motion without Notice, seconded by Councillor J Johnsson, to suspend the standing for the member of the public to read out an extended version of their question.  The members approved the Motion unanimously.

The following extended question was asked:

Will the Council, on behalf of North Tyneside residents and scheme members, approach Tyne and Wear Pension Fund and South Tyneside Council to ask them to undertake a review of the current transparency arrangements and fully consider the introduction of live-streaming of the Pension Fund Committee meetings and allow questions from the public? Because of the severe climate emergency which I know North Tyneside Council recognizes our campaign is asking the Tyne and Wear Pension Fund to remove investments in fossil fuel companies is especially those that have plans for new oil and gas exploration which the Paris agreement recommended should not be drilled.  Recent guidance published in February 2024 by the financial markets law committee states local government pension funds must consider their duty to pensioners and future pensioners regarding sustainability and in terms of climate as well as shortterm financial returns because obviously medium and long-term financial returns on investments should be

removed from fossil fuels. Currently the public can attend the meetings at South Tyneside Town Hall in person as observers only they are not allowed to ask questions and the arrangements are inadequate.  The Fund covers a very wide geographic area from Berwick to Sunderland we believe if the public can already attend in person and the principle should be extended to live streaming and thereby give scheme members and the public much wider opportunity to access these meetings.  Public questions and observation online are allowed at joint committee meetings of the Boarder to Coast pension partnership which the Chair of Tyne and wear pension fund invests in and which the chair of Tyne and Wear pension fund attends with the chairs of 10 other local government pension fund committees.  The government's audit of the Tyne and Wear pension fund found that transparency was worse than other Pension funds.

The Elected Mayor replied as follows:

I have no doubt that this has been bothering you for a long time, because I've had lot of concerns addressed to me regarding this.  I certainly will do exactly what you ask, though I can't say when all those things you've highlighted can be addressed but I will send a letter to the Tyne and Wear Pension Committee and I'll send you a copy of their response.

Dr Murrell asked the following supplementary question:

Is  ...  view the full minutes text for item C44/24

You are invited to declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests in matters appearing on the agenda, and the nature of that interest.

Please complete the Declarations of Interests card available at the meeting and return it to the Democratic Services Officer before leaving the meeting.

You are also invited to disclose any dispensation from the requirement to declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests that have been granted to you in respect of any matters appearing on the agenda.

Councillor L Bones declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as he is a trustee of Pathways for all.

Councillor K Clark declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as she is a director and CEO of Justice Prince CIC.

Councillor E Darke declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as he is a trustee of Northumbria Youth Action.

Councillor D Drummond declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as his wife works for North Tyneside CAB

Councillor P Earley declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as he is a trustee of North Tyneside Carers Centre which contracts with the Council.

Councillor A Holdsworth declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as he is works for a charity addressing Homelessness.

Councillor J Hunter declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as she is a trustee of The Basement Project at St Barts.

Councillor A McMullen declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as he is in a position of management at a Charity.

Councillor J Montague declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as he is a director of a non-profit company.

Councillor R O’Keefe declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as she works for a Charity.

Councillor J O’Shea declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as he is a trustee of a Charity.

Councillor J Sharp declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 1 as she is on the Board of CAB North Tyneside.

Councillor J Shaw declared a personal interest in Item 8 Motion 5 as her husband works for Monkseaton High School.

Council are asked to confirm the minutes of the Extraordinary meeting and the Ordinary meeting held on 19 September 2024 (attached).

It was resolved that the minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 19 September 2024 be taken as read, confirmed and signed by the Chair.

It was resolved that the Minutes of the Ordinary Council meeting held on 19 September 2024 were also taken as read, confirmed and signed by the Chair.

Councillor Wallace noted that she was marked incorrectly as absent for the 19 September Ordinary Council meeting.  It was resolved that with that alteration the minutes of the Ordinary Council meeting held on 19 September 2024 be taken as read, confirmed and signed by the Chair.

The Authority is required to have in place a Members’ Allowances Scheme and to consider the recommendations of an Independent Remuneration Panel when determining such a Scheme.

The report attached sets out recommendations made by the Authority’s Independent Remuneration Panel (‘the Panel’) to full Council.  The Panel recommends that the present Members’ Allowances Scheme should remain unchanged for the 2025/26 year, except for an annual increase to the value of the Basic Allowance payable to all elected members in 2025/26; and that all other allowances should remain unchanged for 2025/26, and not be subject to any increase in that year.

A spokesman for the Independent Remuneration Panel firstly apologised that the review of the allowance scheme promised last year had not taken place due to the Panel being inquorate due to illness, and that the Authority have now recruited new members to this Panel.

Council considered the recommendation of the Independent Remuneration Panel in relation to the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2025/26.

The Panel recommended that

1)     the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2025/26 remains unchanged except for an annual increase to the value of the Basic Allowance payable to all elected members in line with the median pay point of the 24/25 annual pay award for employees working under the National Joint Council for Local Government Services National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service (a 4.11% increase). 

2)   that all other allowances, including Special Responsibility Allowances, in the North Tyneside Council Members’ Allowances Scheme should remain unchanged for 2025/26, and not be subject to any increase in that year

3)   that a fundamental review of all allowances in the North Tyneside Council Members’ Allowances Scheme should be undertaken by the Independent Remuneration Panel during 2025, in accordance with a detailed timetable for such a review which has been prepared by the Panel and included in its report, in advance of the 2026/27 year; and

4)   that the fundamental review recommended at 3 above is reported to a meeting of full Council not later than September 2025, with a decision taken by full Council as to the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2026/27 at that Council meeting.

It was moved by the Councillor C Johnson and seconded by Councillor A McMullen, who reserved the right to speak, that an amendment be made to the first recommendation made by the Panel, that the Members Allowance Scheme remains unchanged for 2025-26 and allowances previously set remain at the 2023-24 level.

Councillor Bones asked for it to be noted that the Conservative party supported the amendment and thanked the Independent Renumeration Panel for their input.

Votes for the amended recommendations:

Councillors T Bailey, J Bartoli, L Bartoli, Linda Bell, Louise Bell, L Bones, P Bunyan, B Burdis, S Burtenshaw, B Clark, K Clark, S Cox, E Darke, L Darke, J Day, S Day, D Drummond, P Earley, S Graham, C Gray, I Grayson, T Hallway, J Harrison, A Holdsworth, J Hunter, N Huscroft, C Johnson, H Johnson, J Johnsson, D Lilly, F Lott, W Lott, L Marshall, I McAlpine, C McGinty, A McMullen, J Montague, J Mudzingwa, T Mulvenna, M Murphy, A Newman, K Nott, P Oliver, R O’Keefe, J O'Shea, S Phillips, N Redfearn, W Samuel, J Sharp, J Shaw, A Spowart, J Walker, J Wallace, J Webster.

The recommendations as amended were approved unanimously with 54 votes.

The purpose of this report is to seek Council’s approval of the refreshed Children and Young People’s Plan 2024-2025 appended to this report, and for the refreshed Plan to be published on the Authority's website.

The current Children and Young People’s Plan 2021–2025 was developed in early 2020 and published in 2021 following approval by full Council on 18 March 2021. The Plan is due to be fully reviewed in 2025.

As Cabinet Member responsible for Supporting and Protecting Children, Councillor P Earley introduced a report seeking Council’s approval for the refreshed Children and Young People’s Plan 2024-2025 appended to the report, and for the refreshed Plan to be published on the Authority's website.

Councillor Earley confirmed that a detailed Action Plan covering the themes of the headline report would be shared with members.

It was moved by the Councillor P Earley and seconded by Councillor S Phillips, who reserved the right to speak, that Council:

1)           notes the work that has been undertaken by the Authority with its partners, to co-produce the refreshed Children and Young People’s Plan for 2024-2025 appended to this report, and

2)     approves the refreshed Children and Young People’s Plan for 2024-2025

A vote was taken on the report’s recommendations.

Votes for the report’s recommendations:

Councillors T Bailey, J Bartoli, L Bartoli, Linda Bell, Louise Bell, L Bones, P Bunyan, B Burdis, S Burtenshaw, B Clark, K Clark, S Cox, E Darke, L Darke, J Day, D Drummond, P Earley, S Graham, C Gray, I Grayson, T Hallway, J Harrison, A Holdsworth, J Hunter, N Huscroft, C Johnson, H Johnson, J Johnsson, D Lilly, W Lott, L Marshall, I McAlpine, C McGinty, A McMullen, J Montague, J Mudzingwa, T Mulvenna, M Murphy, A Newman, K Nott, P Oliver, R O’Keefe, J O'Shea, S Phillips, N Redfearn, W Samuel, J Sharp, J Shaw, A Spowart, J Walker, J Wallace, J Webster.

The recommendations as amended were approved with 52 votes.

The Authority is required by the Gambling Act 2005 (“the Act”) to publish a Statement of Licensing Policy and to revise the Policy at least every three years.  The Statement of Licensing Policy (Gambling) provides guidance as to how the Authority will exercise its functions under the Act. The Policy forms part of the Authority’s Budget and Policy Framework.

The purpose of this report is to advise Council of the final proposals for the three-yearly review of the North Tyneside statement of Licensing policy for gambling.  The Authority is required to produce and publish a statement of Licensing policy under the Gambling Act 2005 and review the policy every 3 years.  The formulation of this policy is a shared responsibility between Cabinet and Council the last policy took effect on the 31st of January 2022, with the next policy needing to be in place by 31 January 2025.

The policy outlines the final proposals for the revised policy which forms part of the Authority’s budget and policy framework covering the responsibilities of the Authority when licensing gambling activities.  There could be further amendments necessary to the policy due to a review of the Gambling Act 2005 expected in 2025, with the local policy needing to be refreshed in line with this in 2025 when the revised guidance is released.

It was moved by Councillor K Clark and seconded by Councillor C Johnson, who reserved the right to speak, that:

Councillors T Bailey, J Bartoli, L Bartoli, Linda Bell, Louise Bell, L Bones, P Bunyan, B Burdis, S Burtenshaw, B Clark, K Clark, S Cox, E Darke, L Darke, J Day, D Drummond, P Earley, S Graham, C Gray, I Grayson, T Hallway, J Harrison, A Holdsworth, J Hunter, N Huscroft, C Johnson, H Johnson, J Johnsson, D Lilly, F Lott, W Lott, L Marshall, I McAlpine, C McGinty, A McMullen, J Montague, J Mudzingwa, T Mulvenna, M Murphy, A Newman, K Nott, P Oliver, R O’Keefe, J O'Shea, S Phillips, W Samuel, J Sharp, J Shaw, A Spowart, J Walker, J Wallace, J Webster.

The recommendations were approved with 52 votes.

It was moved by Councillor D Lilly and seconded by Councillor I McAlpine that:

North Tyneside Council believes that the proposed closure of Monkseaton High School would have a profound and potentially detrimental impact on our community, educational structure, and neighbouring schools. This Authority is deeply concerned that such a significant decision has been advanced without adequate democratic oversight, with no opportunity for discussion within Full Council or the Overview & Scrutiny Co-ordination & Finance Committee. As a result, many parents and members are left with substantial questions, particularly regarding the political decision by the Labour group to press forward with closure.

Key questions remain unresolved, especially regarding the impact of the proposed closure on nearby schools, such as Whitley Bay High School. There is insufficient clarity on how these schools will accommodate displaced students and how the closure could destabilise the three-tier education system in Whitley Bay. This uncertainty exists against the backdrop of increased Government-mandated housing targets, which will drive substantial population growth in North Tyneside. Moreover, the Local Plan includes provisions for a new high school in Killingworth, raising fundamental questions: why invest in building a new secondary school while simultaneously closing a relatively new facility in Monkseaton?

Given the lack of clarity around the long-term implications of closing Monkseaton High School, Council asks the Mayor and Cabinet to:

•          Not proceed with the closure of Monkseaton High School

•          Commit the Authority to the three-tier schools system in Whitley Bay

•          Launch an independent inquiry into the financial issues which have led to the current deficit within the school

•          Work with the Department of Education to complete a borough-wide strategic education review which will look at the proposed new school in Killingworth, the lack of sixth form provision in North Shields and how Monkseaton High School can be part of a long term sustainable education system in North Tyneside

•          Consult with Full Council in advance of any future consultations on closure of schools in North Tyneside

Votes for the Motion:

Councillors J Bartoli, L Bartoli, L Bones, J Johnsson, D Lilly, I McAlpine, C McGinty, J Wallace.

Votes against the Motion:

Councillors T Bailey, Linda Bell, Louise Bell, P Bunyan, B Burdis, S Burtenshaw, B Clark, K Clark, S Cox, E Darke, L Darke, J Day, D Drummond, P Earley, S Graham, C Gray, I Grayson, T Hallway, J Harrison, A Holdsworth, J Hunter, N Huscroft, C Johnson, H Johnson, F Lott, W Lott, L Marshall, A McMullen, J Montague, J Mudzingwa, T Mulvenna, M Murphy, A Newman, K Nott, P Oliver, R O’Keefe, J O'Shea, S Phillips, N Redfearn, W Samuel, J Sharp, J Shaw, A Spowart, J Walker, J Webster.

The Motion was rejected by 45 votes to 8.

It was moved by Councillor L Bartoli and seconded by Councillor C McGinty that:

Council:

•          Acknowledges the vital role that our fishing community plays in North Tyneside’s economy, heritage, and culture. Our fishing industry is a living link to our maritime past and continues to provide employment, skill development, and community cohesion. It is an asset that the Authority is committed to preserving for future generations.

•          Recognises the historical and economic significance of Cullercoats, which remains an integral part of the Borough’s fishing and maritime heritage. Protecting the fishermen’s livelihoods and supporting their traditional way of life is essential to maintaining this heritage.

•          Understands the mounting pressures on the fishing community, from economic challenges to regulatory requirements, and acknowledges the Authority’s role in ensuring that this heritage asset is protected.

•          Notes the strong support from the local community of Cullercoats and the wider community for the Fishing industry, as demonstrated by a recently well-attended public meeting and a widely supported petition. It is essential that the Authority reflects this support in its decisions and actions.

Council asks the Mayor to refer the following matters to the Strategic Property Group to consider:

•          Granting a longer license to the Cullercoats Fishermen’s, securing their future use of the boat park/yard to the north of Cullercoats Harbour on Front Street. This licence will provide them with the stability needed to maintain their traditional practices and continue their important contribution to the community.

•          Permit the fishermen to conduct necessary statutory maintenance and repairs on their vessels on-site, ensuring they can continue their work efficiently without undue logistical or financial burden.

•          Provide assurances that the Seafront sustainable route will not Include any traffic calming measures, road narrowing, or other alterations that could create hazards, disrupt, or hinder the transportation of vessels and equipment between the northern boatyard and the southern harbour.

An amendment was moved by Councillor J Shaw and seconded by Councillor W Samuel, who reserved the right to speak. 

A recess was taken at 19:25 to allow the amendment to be circulated and read, and members returned at 19:30.  The amendments are as follows:

In the second paragraph remove ‘which remains an integral’ and insert the word ‘as’ before the word ‘part’.

Add ‘and the current coastal economy’ after the word ‘heritage’ and delete the second sentence beginning ‘ Protecting…’.

In the third paragraph, delete the word ‘and’ replacing it with ‘outwith the purview of ’. Delete the word ‘acknowledges’ and the rest of the sentence from the ‘’s’ from the word ‘Authority’ onwards. 

In the fourth paragraph, add the word ‘heritage’ after the comma following ‘industry’.

Replace ‘widely supported with ‘subsequent’ and replace ‘reflects’ with ‘takes into account’’

Insert the following three points after the fourth paragraph:

Acknowledges with thanks, the efforts currently being undertaken by the Strategic Property Unit to:

·       Improve the condition of the Cullercoats Boat Park, where of late the number of seaworthy vessels, parked in the yard, has decreased and the presence  ...  view the full minutes text for item C51/24

(Councillors L Bones, K Clark, E Darke, D Drummond, P Earley,  A Holdsworth, J Hunter, A McMullen, J Montague, R O’Keefe, J O’Shea and J Sharp left the Chamber having declared an interest in the Motion)

It was moved by Councillor J Johnsson, and seconded by Councillor L Bartoli that:

North Tyneside Council notes:

•         The 6.7% rise in the national living wage and the increase in employer National Insurance contributions to 15%, both effective from April 2025 introduced in the recent budget, will bring significant financial pressures for charities. In addition, the National Insurance contributions threshold has dropped from £9,100 to £5,000.

•         Nationally the charity sector employs over 1 million people and delivers around £17bn of services a year in areas such as social care, addiction, health, homelessness and hospice care.

•         While fair wages are important, these rising costs will intensify the “triple squeeze” charities face from increasing costs, reduced funding, and higher demand. The sector estimate they face an extra bill of £1.4bn because of the changes.

•         The chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said the National Insurance contributions rises were the biggest shock to charities’ existence since the COVID19 pandemic, and would have “massive consequences” for their users.

•         In North Tyneside smaller charities are likely to need to shift already limited resources away from essential services, putting the communities they support at risk.

North Tyneside Council asks the Elected Mayor to:

•         Write to the Chancellor to express her concerns about the combined impact of increasing the national living wage and increase in employer National Insurance on the charity sector in North Tyneside and ask for specific funding to be made available to support charities through these changes

•         Work with VODA to identify which charities and organisations are at particular risk in North Tyneside and establish what financial support can be given to support them through these changes, then provide a report back to Full Council on what support has been given.

An amendment was moved by Councillor C Johnson and seconded by Councillor H Johnson, who reserved the right to speak, as follows:

In the first paragraph replace ‘The 6.7% rise in the national living wage and the’ with ‘As a result of the £40 billion pound black hole left in public finances by the Last Conservative Government, the Government have had to’.

Delete the ‘, both’ from the first sentence. Delete ‘will bring significant financial pressures for charities.’ And replace with a full stop.

Insert ‘As a result of the austerity measures introduced by the last Conservative Government charities are facing increased demand with less resources.

Council welcomes the 6.7% increase in the national living wage putting more money in working peoples pockets.

The Government have increased employment allowance to £10,500 which means that next year 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all. Including many of the small charities in North Tyneside.

Notes North Tyneside council via either grants or commissioned services puts 3,287,000 into the  ...  view the full minutes text for item C52/24

This Motion was withdrawn by Councillor L Bones, seconded by Councillor J Bartoli.

The move to withdraw was approved unanimously.

It was moved by Councillor I McAlpine, and seconded by Councillor J Bartoli, who reserved the right to speak, that:

Metro travellers continue to pay over the odds due to the necessity in many cases to purchase physical tickets at machines, with a resident travelling from Whitley Bay to North Shields typically paying 55% more for their paper ticket. As well as having to queue every journey to use the machine, they also have to know in advance whether or not they'll be making a return journey. POP cards remove this complexity because the resident always benefit from the lowest, capped, fare.

Residents increasingly rely on keeping their dozens of loyalty cards, travel cards, etc on their mobile phone in a digital wallet.  Digital POP cards have been available for some time for Android users, and talked about for years for iPhone users but never materialised. Nexus have stated aspirations to bring fully-integrated contactless payments (similar to London) to the region, however it has not provided any detail on this or any updates for some time.

The POP smartphone app has not provided contactless ticketing on iPhones due to the perceived complexities involved in becoming an Apple Wallet partner. Recently, Apple has opened up its platform further allowing for additional options to deliver the functionality already available to Android users.

Council agrees that:

•         The Tyne and Wear Metro payment experience is not state-of-the-art and needs further improvement to match the modern experience in places like London & Manchester.

•         Seamless access to the POP system, via in-app ticketing and payments, will bring discounted tickets to a broader range of travellers and provide a better experience for our residents.

•         Priority should be given to e-ticketing support for iPhone (iOS) in the short term, given the platform is used by almost half of smartphone users in the UK.

Council agrees to write to the Mayor of the North East Combined Authority on behalf of residents of North Tyneside, asking the Combined Authority:

•         To ask Nexus & its partners to provide contactless ticketing to iOS users as an immediate priority, considering upgrading the POP app to use Apple’s NFC & SE APIs or by other means.

•         As a companion to the above, to allow users to top-up using Apple Pay & equivalent smartphone integrated payments.

•         To provide this Authority with an update on plans for fully-integrated contactless payments (noted as sub project NX28 in the Regional Transport plan) including current timescales.

Votes for the Motion:

Councillors T Bailey, J Bartoli, L Bartoli, Linda Bell, Louise Bell, L Bones, P Bunyan, B Burdis, S Burtenshaw, B Clark, K Clark, S Cox, E Darke, L Darke, J Day, D Drummond, P Earley, S Graham, C Gray, I Grayson, T Hallway, J Harrison, J Hunter, N Huscroft, C Johnson, H Johnson, J Johnsson, D Lilly, F Lott, W Lott, L Marshall, I McAlpine, C McGinty, A McMullen, J Montague, J Mudzingwa, T Mulvenna, M Murphy, A Newman, K Nott, P Oliver, R O’Keefe, J O'Shea,  ...  view the full minutes text for item C54/24

It was moved by Councillor J Bartoli, and seconded by Councillor L Bones, who reserved the right to speak, that:

Shoplifting is out of control across the borough.

Last year, there were over 15,000 reports of shoplifting to Northumbria Police - leading to just 1000 arrests. Shoplifting presents a danger to workers and other customers, many of whom put themselves in harm’s way to protect their livelihood. Northumbria Police have introduced a Shopwatch scheme for retailers in town centres to contact officers in an emergency - but it isn’t available to those out of town centres like convenience stores in the Borough’s estates or garages.

Council asks the Mayor to:

•          Invite the PCC to attend full Council urgently to provide an update on shoplifting in North Tyneside

•          Write to the PCC asking she extends the Shopwatch scheme to cover convenience stores and garages out of the town centres.

An amendment was moved by Councillor K Clark and seconded by Councillor A Newman as follows:

Remove the ‘is out of control across the borough’ from the title.

Replace ‘out of control across the borough’ in the first sentence with ‘an issue of national concern after years of inaction from the former Tory Government.’

Add ‘Since the Conservative Government introduced a rule making theft of good under £200 a summary only offence it has brought about a so-called shoplifters charter.

Only 431 penalty notices were issued in the previous year compared to 19,419 the year before the Conservative Governments changes to the law, a staggering 98% drop. The use of cautions as a punishment also saw an 87% drop with convictions down from 71998 to 28995 over the same time period.

Council welcomes the decision by the Labour government to scrap the rule introduced by the conservative Government. The labour Government through the Police and Crime bill will also give further powers to police to tackle the issue as well as investing in more front line police to tackle the issue.

The rate of recorded shoplifting offences in North Tyneside is 9.53 per 1,000 population which is lower than the rate for the Northumbria Police Force area and the rate for England.

Work has been done proactively between the Council, Northumbria Police and Businesses to change the approach to tackling shoplifting.’ after the first sentence.

Delete the word ‘PCC’ from the final sentence.

The amended Motion therefore read:

Shoplifting

Shoplifting is an issue of national concern after years of inaction from the former Tory Government.

Since the Conservative Government introduced a rule making theft of good under £200 a summary only offence it has brought about a so-called shoplifters charter.

Only 431 penalty notices were issued in the previous year compared to 19,419 the year before the Conservative Governments changes to the law, a staggering 98% drop. The use of cautions as a punishment also saw an 87% drop with convictions down from 71998 to 28995 over the same time period.

Council welcomes the decision by the  ...  view the full minutes text for item C55/24

To receive any announcements by the Chair of Council.

The Chair told the Meeting about some recent events where he had represented the Council.

The Chair attended the Cenotaph to honour the Veterans and at a Veteran’s 100^th Birthday Party.

The Chair also attended the 160^th anniversary of St Paul’s Church in Whitley Bay and International Day to learn about different histories and cultures at home in the North East.

The Chair announced his chosen charity, Acorns, based in North Shields which is a group that supports those directly impacted by abuse but also works to support the children and the young people from those families.  This can make a huge difference as children involved with the fallout of an abusive relationship may be impacted for the rest of their lives.  The Chair noted he would be contacting all the members soon and asking for their support.

The Chair recently welcomed her Royal Highness Princess Royal as she visited the Butler Trust and North Tyneside’s Youth Justice system to pay tribute to their nationally recognised work.  A visit was also made to Ovington Boats who are one of a very small number of manufacturers globally who make sailing boats used in the Olympics and other international events. Both great representatives for North Tyneside.

The Chair also hosted the Lord Lieutenant as she presented the British Empire medal to residents Ms Hannah Crane, who was awarded for her work in the NHS, and Ms Lilian Gallagher, who received her award for charity fundraising.

The Chair told the Meeting about some recent events where he had represented the Council for commemorative events for Remembrance Day - he attended the Field of Remembrance at Gateshead, the Cenotaph in Wallsend and Whitley Bay and the Armistice events at Killingworth.

The Chair reminded members of his charity event for Acorns, though who may wish to still attend should contact him directly of the Civic duty officers.

The Chair told members that he had been invited to attend the first anniversary party for the local charity Sarah’s Star. The charity works with those who have incurable illnesses and works with them with a very positive ethos.

To receive any announcements by the Elected Mayor.

The Elected Mayor reiterated to the Chamber how proud she was of her party’s members and their hard work for residents.

4 valid questions on notice have been received for a response at this meeting.

1.    Question to the Elected Mayor from Councillor Dave Lilly

Following the Chancellor’s budget, can the Mayor explain what she thinks the definition of a working person is?

Councillor Carl Johnson provided the following response:

People who work.

Councillor D Lilly asked the following supplementary question.

If the self-employed are not workers, what are they?

Councillor Carl Johnson provided the following response:

The Employment Rights Act 1996 Section 230 will give you the definitions.

2.   Question to the Elected Mayor from Councillor Liam Bones  

Can the Mayor provide an update on the current waiting list for Council and social housing in North Tyneside and how that number has changed over the past 12 years.

Councillor J Harrison provided the following response:

I think that we are all aware of the national shortage of social housing, this is well publicised and the crisis affects all parts of the UK, and North Tyneside is no exception.  To help combat that crisis, North Tyneside has started delivering an affordable Homes

program to deliver 5,000 new homes and has started to tackle the number of derelict properties in the Borough.  We have also included within our Local Plan that at least 25% of a new homes build is Affordable, we are working with registered providers to build homes with affordable rents.  In spite of our achievements across the Borough, demands for affordable homes outstrips our supply.  It should be highlighted that the number on the housing register only tells a partial picture, consideration must also be given to a number of other factors.  Since 2010 we have seen our Council stock reduced from 15,613 to just over 14,000.  In 2024, we have also seen an increase in the Borough’s population by 10,000.  With this said, further consideration must be given that on average the home finder team used to receive around 20 applications per day over four or five years ago.  Today as a service we typically receive an average of 50 applications per day demonstrating an overall increase in the demand and the need to build more social homes for rent.  The figures as of 21 November are that we currently have 4,222 people on the register, in 2015 it was 4,652 which is broadly in line with the previous years as we continue to rehouse people with the applications over the year.  Since April we have rehoused 500 applicants.

Councillor L Bones asked the following supplementary question.

Does the Mayor agree with me that Labour's plans to relax eligibility rules for Council and social housing, which will prioritize migrants for Council houses, will lead to longer waiting times and less choice for our most vulnerable North Tyneside residents?

Councillor J Harrison provided the following response:

No.

3.  Question to the Elected Mayor from Councillor Ian McAlpine:

The news that the Whitley Bay parkrun has been suspended to make way for the Seafront Cycle path is a blow to the local running community.  The run is a great event that brings together athletes  ...  view the full minutes text for item C58/24