Agenda and draft minutes

6 valid questions have been received from members of the public for this meeting.

1.      Question from R Smithson of Whitley Bay

According to the "State of Nature" report published in 2024 the UK has suffered alarming reductions in biodiversity in recent decades but the Environment Act of 2021 established the principle of "Net Biodiversity Gain" by which all new developments since February 2024 are now required to demonstrate a 10% increase in biodiversity following completion.  If a developer cannot achieve the necessary increase in biodiversity required they can buy "biodiversity credits" instead which are used to fund projects anywhere in the country.

Is North Tyneside Council confident that current levels of biodiversity within the Borough can be maintained or will our wildlife be effectively moved elsewhere with our ever increasing levels of urbanisation?

Councillor S Graham replied as follows:

As you have explained in your question, the Environment Act requires all developments to meet the statutory 10% biodiversity net gain. This can be delivered on-site or off-site, or a combination of both. 

Developers must follow the ‘Mitigation Hierarchy’ and adhere to statutory guidance provided by the Government when setting out their net gain requirements.  They are also required to follow the Biodiversity Gain Hierarchy which very much emphasises prioritising on-site measures before exploring off-site options.

The Environment Act (2021) also requires Local Nature Recovery Strategies to be produced by Responsible Authorities across the country to assist with nature recovery. The emerging North of Tyne Local Nature Recovery Strategy will set out priorities for nature recovery and help identify locations for net gain delivery in the future, as well as nature recovery projects.

We are confident, that through these measures, along with existing wildlife protections that are addressed through the planning system, that biodiversity will continue to thrive in North Tyneside.

R Smithson  asked the following supplementary question:

How closely will the amount of off-site spending credit be monitored and will the results of the off-site spending be published?

Councillor S Graham replied as follows:

Developers are required to follow the Biodiversity Gain Hierarchy which is distinct from, but complementary, to the Mitigation Hierarchy referenced.  This Hierarchy emphasizes on-site measures before exploring off-site options and this is to ensure that developments make the most effective contributions to the areas.  Local biodiversity and developers must demonstrate how they followed this Hierarchy.  Furthermore, off-site net gain measures located further away from the development site hold less net gain value.  This is designed to encourage developers to ensure their projects contribute positively to local biodiversity and the government's statutory credit scheme is purposely cost prohibitive to ensure that it is the very last resort for any development.  In addition, it's important to note that biodiversity net gain does not replace existing Wildlife legislation or local plan policies that currently protect a range of important habitats and species.  Landscape and habitat mitigation is secured for any development that impacts habitats or species protected under the law and to address planning policy requirements.

2.     Question from A Stenning, North Shields

North Tyneside Council recently completed renovations to Northumberland Square  ...  view the full minutes text for item C61/24

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.

The Monitoring officer advised members in relation a number of inquiries regarding C68/24 Motion 5: Reviewing the Impact Assessment of Grant Funding to Voluntary, Community, and Social Organisations (VSCOs) and Community Interest Companies (CICs).

Where the majority of a VSCO and CICs funding comes from the council and a Member, or a close associate of that member, benefits financially through their employment by that organisation, Members have been advised to declare an Interest and leave the meeting for the duration of the discussion for that item. 

Other voluntary groups or organisations which appear in the Member’s Register of Interest who do not receive funding from the Council do not need to be declared.

The Monitoring officer also advised Members on C66/24 Motion 3, saying that while members should declare any interest in relation to the Motion’s content, they did not regard the likely interest as being significant enough to warrant leaving the room for the duration of the item.

Item C68/24 Motion 3 - Compensation for 1950s born women affected by changes in the State Pension Age ("WASPI" women)

The following Councillors declared the interests shown below:

Councillor Nigel Huscroft, Personal, Married to potentially eligible WASPI woman..

Councillor David Lilly, Personal, Married to potentially eligible WASPI woman.

Councillor Bruce Pickard, Personal, Married to potentially eligible WASPI woman.

Item C68/24 Motion 5 - Reviewing the Impact Assessment of Grant Funding to Voluntary, Community, and Social Organisations (VSCOs) and Community Interest Companies (CICs)

The following Councillors declared the interests shown below:

Councillor Paul Bunyan, Registerable Personal, Trustee of Burradon Juniors Football Club.

Councillor Bryan Clark, Registerable Personal, Related to Employee of Justice Prince CIC.

Councillor Karen Clark, Registerable Personal, Unpaid Director and Employee of Justice Prince CIC.

Councillor Julie Cruddas, Registerable Personal, Unpaid Director and Employee of Justice Prince CIC.

Councillor Davey Drummond, Registerable Personal, Trustee of CAB.

Councillor Eddie Darke, Registerable Personal, Director of Northumbria Youth Action.

Councillor Peter Earley, Registerable Personal, Trustee of North Tyneside Carers Centre.

Councillor Andy Holdsworth, Registerable Personal, Employed by a charity addressing Homelessness.

Councillor Janet Hunter, Registerable Personal, Trustee of Basement Project at St Barts.

Councillor Anthony McMullen, Registerable Personal, Position of management at a Charity.

Councillor Josephine Mudzingwa, Registerable Personal, Works with the Culture & Diversity African Group.

Councillor Joanne Sharp, Registerable Personal, Board Member of CAB North Tyneside.

Item C70/24 Questions by Members of the Council.

The following Councillors declared the interests shown below:

Councillor Karen Clark, Registerable Personal, Question 5 - Unpaid Director and Employee of Justice Prince.

Councillor Julie Cruddas, Registerable Personal, Question 5 - Unpaid Director and Employee of Justice Prince.

For Council to approve the minutes of the meetings held on 21 November 2024 and 6 January 2025 respectively.

Councillor Lilly asked that it be noted that he did vote in support of the Substantive Motion for C55/24 on 21 November 2024.

It was resolved that the minutes of the previous two meetings held on 21 November 2024 and the meeting on 6 January 2025 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

It was moved by Councillor Dr O Scargill and seconded by Councillor D Lilly, who reserved the right to speak, that:

This Council endorses the request of colleagues at Oldham Council in their call for a national inquiry into rape gangs and believes it is inappropriate for government ministers to expect local Councils to conduct inquiries of such importance or to be able to appropriately resource them, especially under the current legislation which means any such inquiry would be unable to compel witnesses to give evidence.

Council notes the recent comments of Professor Alexis Jay, chair of the Child Sexual Abuse inquiry established by the Conservative government in 2016, who has said of her review recommendations that “locally people need to step up to the mark and do the things that have been recommended”.

Council therefore agrees to meet this challenge and asks the Mayor to implement all of the Jay Review recommendations that can practicably be adopted locally. The acting Chief Executive should be the named responsible person for their implementation.  This should include as a minimum:

·       Exploring and implementing ways to make employees aware of the need to report safeguarding concerns to the authority in their roles and private lives.

·       Ensuring that all employee contracts are explicit in the requirement for us all to report child sexual exploitation.

·       Considering how a mandatory reporting clause can be embedded into Council contracts through procurement processes so that all Council contractors or grant recipients must agree to a mandatory reporting statement.

·       An ongoing public communications plan on the best ways to report child sexual exploitation.

Council also asks the Mayor to write to the Prime Minster and the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls to join cross-party calls for a time limited national inquiry into rape gangs.

An amendment was moved by Councillor P Earley and seconded by Councillor C Johnson as follows:

Remove the remainder of the first paragraph after the word “gangs”.

Insert the following text after the second paragraph “The last Conservative government issued an “awful, inconsequential, insubstantial response” in failing to implement the Jay Review findings according to the Professor Alexis Jay chair of the Independent enquiry into Sexual Abuse.

Council notes the current Labour Government are getting on with the job of implementing the recommendations in the Jay Report

In November 2024 the local authorities’ children services were inspected by Ofsted who examined our arrangements in relation to missing and those who experience exploitation.  The report recently published (on the 13th January) found our arrangements to be robust, and as a result children were safer because of the work the service is doing.  North Tyneside Children’s services were found to be outstanding in all areas.

North Tyneside Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and adults at risk of harm. All staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment and to familiarise themselves with all relevant policies, procedures, and guidance.  Within North Tyneside, safeguarding is  ...  view the full minutes text for item C64/24

(Councillor L Bartoli left the meeting at 18:48, and did not return)

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

This Council Notes:

·       The demand for social housing in North Tyneside has grown significantly, with the Homefinder service now receiving an average of 50 applications per day compared to 20 applications five years ago.

·       The previous Conservative Government’s plan to prioritise British nationals and long-term residents in council housing allocations was intended to ensure fairness and restore public confidence in the allocation process.

·       The current Labour Government has chosen to abandon this policy, removing the “UK connection test” - a decision that risks further undermining trust in the social housing system and failing to address the concerns of our communities.

Council Believes:

·       British nationals and long-term residents who have contributed to the system deserve to be prioritised in social housing allocations.

·       The Labour Government’s decision to scrap plans for prioritising British nationals demonstrates a lack of understanding of the concerns faced by residents across North Tyneside who are waiting for social housing allocations.

·       A fair, transparent housing allocation system that prioritises those with strong local connections is essential to maintain public trust and community cohesion.

Council Resolves:

To request that the Elected Mayor of North Tyneside write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to:

·       Express this council’s disappointment in the Labour Government’s decision to abandon the “UK connection test” and plans to prioritise British nationals and long-term residents in social housing allocations.

·       Call on the Government to urgently reconsider this decision and introduce measures to ensure British nationals and long-term residents are given appropriate prioritisation in housing allocation policies.

An amendment was moved by Councillor J Harrison and seconded by Councillor A Newman as follows:

Insert the following text after the second bullet point

·       North Tyneside Council Lettings Policy gives priority for housing applications to those with a local connection to the borough and did so long before the previous government introduced the measures. 

·       The right to rent test means applicants must prove they are eligible to rent housing include immigration status and nationality.

·       North Tyneside also has a long tradition of welcoming households who have been at risk of or subjected to actual violence and persecution in their home countries.  Several Government funded schemes support the relocation of refugees and asylum seekers.  Each scheme has its own criteria, including housing and support arrangements.

·       The “UK connection test” has little to no discernible policy impact and that eligibility criteria for social housing is already tightly defined, Migrants arriving in the UK on student or work visas, as well as those arriving in the country illegally with no leave to remain, will remain ineligible for an allocation of social housing, as they are now.”

Remove the third and fifth bullet point.

Replace “A fair” with “North Tyneside has a fair” on the sixth bullet point.

Insert the following bullet points after the sixth bullet  ...  view the full minutes text for item C65/24

(Councillor C Gray left the meeting)

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

In March 2024, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman made a landmark ruling calling for a one-off compensation payment to women born in the 1950s who were impacted by changes to the state pension age.

The report upholds the view of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign that the change in State Pension age from 60 to 65 (subsequently raised to 66) was not properly communicated.  This left many financially unprepared for their retirement, with little to no time make alternative arrangements.

In December 2024, the government announced it would not provide the compensation recommended by the Ombudsman.

This council has previously expressed its own view that a one-off compensation payment (as then recommended by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on State Pensions) should be offered to the women affected.

Council notes that

·     The PHSO's report lays out necessary compensation measures that should be implemented by the government in full;

·     A swift resolution is still needed to address this ongoing injustice, as this cohort of woman are still dying waiting for compensation;

·     This injustice continues to have a profound effect on the individuals involved, and the wider community in North Tyneside and on local government and public sector finances.

Council calls upon The Elected Mayor to write to the local Members of Parliament and to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to:

·       Reaffirm the council’s commitment to the 1950s women, and to reiterate the effects of the injustice to upon them, their families and the communities in North Tyneside.

·       Request on behalf of the residents of North Tyneside that the compensation measures laid out in the PHSOs report are implemented.

The Motion was approved unanimously by 52 votes.

Councillors T Bailey, J Bartoli, Linda Bell, Louise Bell, L Bones, P Bunyan, B Burdis, B Clark, K Clark, S Cox, J Cruddas, E Darke, L Darke, J Day, S Day, D Drummond, P Earley, S Graham, I Grayson, T Hallway, J Harrison, AHoldsworth, J Hunter, N Huscroft, C Johnson, H Johnson, J Johnsson, J Kirwin, 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, J O'Shea, S Phillips, B Pickard, N Redfearn, W Samuel, Dr O Scargill, J Sharp, J Shaw, A Spowart, J Walker and J Webster.

It was moved by Councillor C McGinty and seconded by Councillor J Johnsson, who reserved the right to speak, that:

The National Pensioners Convention (NPC) is deeply concerned about projected poverty levels following statements from the Secretary of State.  The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has acknowledged that up to 100,000 pensioners in England and Wales could fall into poverty because of cuts to winter fuel payments.  The NPC is shocked by the government’s admission.

Water bills are projected to increase by an average of 36% over the next five years, which will be a significant concern for older people who are already facing high bills.

People who are not on water meters have their water bills calculated based on the rateable value of their property.  The amount of financial support someone receives for their water bill should not be influenced by the address of the property.  The NPC along with other charities have written to the Minister for Water and Flooding to make a case for a single social tariff.

Council believes swift action is needed to end the unfair postcode lottery by introducing a single water social tariff which would provide fair and consistent support for those in financial hardship.

Council calls upon the Mayor to write to the Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, making the case for a single social tariff for England and Wales.

An amendment was moved by Councillor W Samuel and seconded by Councillor C Johnson as follows:

Insert the following after the fourth paragraph

“Council believes Water Companies have continued to profit millions of pounds all while bills go up and the services gets worse.  It is time for Water companies to be nationalised.”

Insert the following sentence at the end of the final paragraph “As well as making the case for the Water companies to be nationalised.”

The amended Motion therefore read:

The National Pensioners Convention (NPC) is deeply concerned about projected poverty levels following statements from the Secretary of State. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has acknowledged that up to 100,000 pensioners in England and Wales could fall into poverty because of cuts to winter fuel payments. The NPC is shocked by the government’s admission.

Water bills are projected to increase by an average of 36% over the next five years, which will be a significant concern for older people who are already facing high bills.

People who are not on water meters have their water bills calculated based on the rateable value of their property.  The amount of financial support someone receives for their water bill should not be influenced by the address of the property.  The NPC along with other charities have written to the Minister for Water and Flooding to make a case for a single social tariff.

Council believes swift action is needed to end the unfair postcode lottery by introducing a single water social tariff which would provide fair and consistent support for those in financial hardship.

Council believes Water Companies  ...  view the full minutes text for item C67/24

(Councillors B Clark, K Clark, J Cruddas, D Drummond, P Earley, A Holdsworth, A McMullen, J Mudzingwa, J Sharp left the meeting)

It was moved by Councillor L Bones and seconded by Councillor D Lilly, that:

Council notes:

·       The importance of providing grant funding to Voluntary, Community, and Social Organisations (VSCOs) and Community Interest Companies (CICs) to deliver valuable community services and initiatives.

·       The responsibility of the Council to ensure that public funds are spent effectively, transparently, and in the best interests of residents.

·       Ongoing pressure within the Council’s finances resulting in reducing staffing numbers within the authority.

·       The recommendation of the Budget Study Group that “Cabinet considers the amount of funding provided to voluntary and community sector organisations, especially in light of the requirement to reduce directly employed staff.”

Council believes:

·       That grant funding must deliver measurable benefits for local residents and communities, prioritising service delivery.

·       That there is a need for robust scrutiny of the financial practices of organisations receiving public funds to ensure accountability and public trust.

·       That councillors should provide full transparency about any personal financial benefits derived from grant-funded organisations to avoid any conflict of interest or perception of impropriety.

Council resolves to:

Ask the Mayor to Conduct a review of its grant funding policies, with particular focus on how the impact of grant funding to VSCOs and CICs is assessed.  This review should ensure:

·       Grant funding provides maximum benefit to the communities served.

·       Adequate safeguards are in place to prevent disproportionate payouts to directors of CICs from public funds.

·       That monitoring and reporting requirements are strengthened to ensure transparency and accountability.

Ask the Monitoring officer to review ways the Members’ Declaration of Interests form could be strengthened to ensure any members benefiting financially from a VCSO or CIC which receives the majority of its funding from North Tyneside Council are transparent and easily understandable to the public.

Report back to Council within six months with both the Mayor’s review and any recommendations from the Monitoring Officer for any necessary policy changes or updates based on the outcomes of the review.

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

To add the following text after the fourth bullet point:

“Council further notes

·       The Authority does not award contracts without compliance with Contract Standing Orders;

·       The Authority does not award grants to VCSE organisations, without them first going through a competitive process.

 This involves:

·       Advertise a grant opportunity for organisations to apply for

assessing applications against agreed criteria and by an appropriate group of experienced and independent people - ensuring value for money and suitability of the organisation/individual to meet the outcomes required by the grant.

·       Awarding a grant, using one of the Authority’s agreed payment mechanisms, contained within the grant funding agreement.

·       Active and proportionate monitoring of grant deliverables or outcomes, ensuring the outcomes have been met.

·       Any organisation awarded any form of contract or grant by the Authority, will be  ...  view the full minutes text for item C68/24

The report presents to Council a draft programme of Council and Committee meetings for the 2025/26 municipal year.  It also requests Council to determine which Council meetings during 2025/26 should be designated for the purposes of public question time.

(Councillor O’Shea left the meeting)

Council received a report which presented a draft programme of Council and Committee meetings for the 2025/26 municipal year.  It also requested Council to determine which Council meetings during 2025/26 should be designated for the purposes of public question time.

It was moved by Mayor N Redfearn and seconded by Councillor C Johnson, who reserved the right to speak, that Council:

(1)      Agree the programme of meetings for 2024/25 as set out in Appendix A to the report; and

(2)      Agree that the meeting of the full Council proposed for 24 July 2025, 27 November 2025 and 29 January 2026 be those at which questions will be taken from members of the public.

Votes for the report:

Councillors T Bailey, J Bartoli, Linda Bell, Louise Bell, L Bones, P Bunyan, B Burdis, B Clark, K Clark, S Cox, J Cruddas, E Darke, L Darke, J Day, S Day, D Drummond, P Earley, S Graham, I Grayson, T Hallway, J Harrison, AHoldsworth, J Hunter, N Huscroft, C Johnson, H Johnson, J Johnsson, J Kirwin, 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, S Phillips, B Pickard, N Redfearn, W Samuel, Dr O Scargill, J Sharp, J Shaw, A Spowart, J Walker and J Webster.

The report was approved by 51 votes.

(Councillor O’Shea returned to the meeting)

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

(Councillor C Gray returned to the meeting)

Question 1 – Councillor L Bones

Councillor Bones informed the Chair he would be withdrawing his question in the interests of time.

Question 2 – Councillor D Lilly

With the confirmed closure of Monkseaton High School what criteria will be applied to allocate future pupils to their High Schools?

Councillor S Phillips provided the following response:

The Authority has and continues to work closely with the Headteachers of secondary and high schools in North Tyneside to ensure that capacity exists to accommodate displaced pupils from Monkseaton High School, now and in the future. 

The Authority has coordinated extraordinary admissions arrangements, for current Year 9 pupils at Monkseaton High School, to identify their school place for September 2025.  The Authority is also coordinating extraordinary admissions arrangements for current Year 8 pupils at a North Tyneside Middle School, for parents and carers who either did not apply for a Year 9 school place for September 2025 or included Monkseaton High School as one of their preferences.  The extraordinary arrangements use the same criteria as our cabinet agreed, annual published admissions arrangements.

Councillor D Lilly asked the following supplementary question:

As has been confirmed upon the closure of Monkseaton High School, not all displaced pupils will be accommodated at Whitley Bay High School.  Consequently, pupils who would have expected to walk to school will now have to travel the length and breadth of the borough.   This will incur families unexpected travel costs and will place a burden on family finances.  What assistance will be offered to these families to ameliorate this extra expense?

Councillor S Phillips provided the following response:

There has never been a guarantee that children living in the North East Planning Area would be able to attend a specific school in that area.  Not all parents and carers living in the North East Planning Area apply for schools in that area.  Where there are more applications than places, schools’ oversubscription criteria will be applied

Currently, there is more capacity in each year group in the North East Planning Area than there are pupils in each year group living in that area.  Subsequent to the closure of Monkseaton High School, the Council forecasts that the future structure of and capacity in the three-tier system will be more reflective of the resident pupil population living in the North East Planning Area.  The same principle will be applied across the Borough, ensuring that there are sufficient places for all resident pupils to attend their local catchment school.

When we have found out what's happening on January 31 2025, we'll obviously be able to look at individual cases for affected students from those schools.

Question 3 – Councillor D Lilly

Will the Mayor guarantee the future of Monkseaton Middle School in light of the Labour Cabinet’s decision to close Monkseaton High School?

Councillor S Phillips provided the following response:

The Authority is currently undertaking a Strategic Education Review across North Tyneside, seeking to ensure that a sustainable,  ...  view the full minutes text for item C70/24

To receive any announcements by the Chair of Council.

The Chair reiterated that the Members’ questions asked and answered in this meeting were legal and valid and stated that he was disappointed that those members that had left had chosen not to listen to the responses given. 

The Chair reminded those present that as the meeting is streamed live and recorded, the answers are available for members to look at in their own time.

To receive any announcements by the Elected Mayor.

The Mayor thanked all members of Children’s Services, Authority partners and all other Stakeholders in relation to their recent Outstanding graded Ofsted report.

The Mayor also expressed her dismay that a number of elected members had left the meeting early.