Agenda and minutes

Venue: Chamber - Quadrant, The Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside, NE27 0BY. View directions

Contact: Paul Wheeler  Email: democraticsupport@northtyneside.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

C34/22

Two Minute Silence

Minutes:

A two-minute silence was observed to reflect on the life and legacy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

C35/22

To receive any Declarations of Interest

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.

 

Minutes:

Declarations of interest were reported as follows:

 

Councillor C Johnson – Non-Registrable personal Interest – Item 4 Motion 1, Member of the North of Tyne Combined Authority Member and North-East Combined authority Joint Transport Committee – Tyne & Wear Sub-committee.

 

Councillor S Graham - Non-Registrable personal Interest – Item 4 Motion 1, Substitute Member of North of Tyne Combined and North-East Combined Authority Joint Transport Committee Authority Joint Transport Committee.

 

Elected Mayor Norma Redfearn - Non-Registrable personal Interest – Item 4 Motion 1, Substitute Member of North of Tyne Combined Authority Joint Transport Committee.

 

Councillor G Bell – Registerable Personal Interest – Item 4 Motion 2, Works in the Criminal Justice System and closely engage with the PCC Office.

C36/22

Minutes of the meeting held on 21 July 2022 pdf icon PDF 215 KB

Minutes:

Resolved that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 21 July 2022 be taken as read, confirmed and signed by the Chair.

C37/22

Motion 1 pdf icon PDF 73 KB

Five valid Motions on Notice, signed by at least three Members of the Council, have been received for consideration at this meeting.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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

 

Over the last few years the residents of Tynemouth and Cullercoats have had to suffer increasing levels of antisocial behaviour as visitor numbers to our coast have increased. This has ranged from vandalism and criminal damage to knife attacks and assaults and our residents have been left to pick up the mess. Our swimmers and dog walkers are met each morning with bottles, cans and used barbecues strewn across our beaches. Much of this antisocial behaviour comes via our Metro system and what is perceived by many as free travel to and from the coast. Those that wish to come and cause trouble do not even need to pay the price of a ticket. The Council believes that installing ticket barriers that are manned at strategic times would assist

in deterring and monitoring those who wish to come and cause antisocial behaviour.  The Council therefore ask The Mayor to write to Nexus requesting that:

 

1. They install ticket barriers on Tynemouth and Cullercoats Metro Station before Summer 2023 to assist in reducing ASB at the coast.

2. These barriers are manned by Nexus staff at strategic times to be agreed between the Police, Nexus and the Council when levels of antisocial behaviour are high.

 

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

 

To add the following paragraphs after paragraph 1:

 

“North Tyneside council notes the decision of NEXUS to make permanent the extra security officers which are currently on the network and as a direct result of this and the multi-agency operation coast watch saw ASB numbers on the metro go down year on year.

 

Notes the Conservative government have cut the NEXUS capital renewals program budget which would be used to fund investment into ticket barriers.

 

Notes North Tyneside council staff clean and litter pick the beach every day.”

 

To add an additional bullet point after bullet point 2:

 

“3. Write to the Transport Secretary asking him to increase NEXUS budget to allow for capital investment into ticket barriers.”

 

The amended motion therefore read:

 

Over the last few years the residents of Tynemouth and Cullercoats have had to suffer increasing levels of antisocial behaviour as visitor numbers to our coast have increased. This has ranged from vandalism and criminal damage to knife attacks and assaults and our residents have been left to pick up the mess. Our swimmers and dog walkers are met each morning with bottles, cans and used barbecues strewn across our beaches. Much of this antisocial behaviour comes via our Metro system and what is perceived by many as free travel to and from the coast. Those that wish to come and cause trouble do not even need to pay the price of a ticket. The Council believes that installing ticket barriers that are manned at strategic times would assist in deterring and monitoring those who wish to come and cause antisocial behaviour.

 

North  ...  view the full minutes text for item C37/22

C38/22

Motion 2

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor O Scargill and seconded by Councillor L Bones that:

 

Anti-social behaviour has been a huge problem for residents across North Tyneside.  It consistently appears in their top three priorities, but while some progress has been made with projects across the borough there is still a lot yet to be tackled.

 

As elected members we all need to work together to tackle the issue of crime and anti-social behaviour in North Tyneside. This includes the Police and Crime Commissioner.

 

In order to tackle Anti-social behaviour in this area North Tyneside Council asks the Mayor:

 

·       Ask the PCC to fully review and evaluate Police numbers in North Tyneside in light of the serious increase in anti-social behaviour

·       To request that the PCC meets with both groups on this Council every six

months to allow members to raise specific concerns

·       Invite the PCC to give an update on progress on her policing priorities

annually to Full Council, and take questions from members on the update

 

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

 

To add the following paragraphs after paragraph 2:

 

“North Tyneside Council thanks the Police and Crime Commissioner on her work on Anti-social behaviour, the PCC has formed a force wide strategic ASB board and has championed many initiatives to combat ASB including very successfully in North Tyneside with Operation Vita.

 

North Tyneside Council notes the investment made by the Mayor and Cabinet in increasing the size of the Community protection team in tackling Anti-social behaviour in the borough.

 

North Tyneside council notes the good work of Anti-social behaviour board which has partners such as Northumbria Police, Nexus, TWFRS, Schools, CVS, Businesses and is a cross party board chaired by the Deputy Mayor.

 

Notes that while Anti-social behaviour this council continues to take seriously, the latest statistics show a fall in both Anti-Social behaviour year on year.

 

Notes that the Conservative Government cut more than 1100 front line police officers and over £148 Million from the Budget since 2010

 

Notes the Police and Crime Commissioner has used the PCC precept to go above and beyond the force target for officer recruitment set by the Government adding an additional 60 officers.

 

To amend bullet point one to remove ‘PCC’ and replace with ‘Chief Constable’

 

To remove bullet point 2.

 

To add the following additional bullet point:

 

·       “Write to the Home Secretary asking them to provide Northumbria Police with the required funding to replace all officers lost since 2010”

 

The amended motion read:

 

Anti-social behaviour has been a huge problem for residents across North Tyneside. It consistently appears in their top three priorities, but while some progress has been made with projects across the borough there is still a lot yet to be tackled.

 

As elected members we all need to work together to tackle the issue of crime and anti-social behaviour in North Tyneside. This includes the Police and Crime Commissioner.

 

North Tyneside Council thanks the Police and Crime  ...  view the full minutes text for item C38/22

C39/22

Motion 3

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor W Samuel and seconded by Councillor M Fox that:

 

Council notes that proposed increase in the Ofgem energy cap will cause untold hardship to residents in North Tyneside and will result in residents being plunged into fuel poverty as well as impacting household budgets. Many of our residents, adults and children face a choice between heating and eating this winter in the face of eye watering increases in fuel prices and inflation.

 

The action of the Conservative Government is not sufficient setting a cap at £2500 will mean many families continue to struggle and businesses and charities will close because of this. The Conservative plan will rather than taxing unexpected excess profits of energy companies will disgracefully borrow to bail on the record profit making energy companies.

 

We commend North Tyneside Council for the action it is taking to try and mitigate these issues.

 

We firmly believe that the cap should be frozen at £1,971 per year and that this can be paid for by a combination of windfall taxes on energy companies and other measures. This will have the added benefit of reducing projected inflation rates.  Council asks the elected mayor to write to the Chancellor of The Exchequer to ask that the price cap is frozen at £1,971 per year and this is paid for by a windfall tax on unexpected excess profits of the energy companies.

 

Council also asks that the Mayor publicises as widely as possible all of the available information and help the Council has on offer to help with the Conservative cost of living crisis.

 

At this point in proceedings, Councillor C Johnson moved a motion to exclude Councillor Bartoli from the meeting due to concerns of improper behaviour during consideration of the motion.  The motion was seconded by Councillor M Thirlaway.

 

The motion, on being put to the meeting, was approved by 46 votes to 8 votes.  Councillor Bartoli left the meeting.

 

The substantive motion, on being put to the meeting, was approved by 46 votes to 7 votes.

C40/22

Motion 4

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor A Newman and seconded by Councillor D Drummond that:

 

End the practice of discharging sewage into waterways

 

Water companies continue to make huge of profits whilst continuing to dump raw sewage into our waterways. In 2020 water companies made £2.8 billion of collective profits whilst at the same time discharging raw sewage 400,000 times.

 

It’s clear that the water companies will not stop this practice and invest in the urgently needed upgrades to the water system until forced to do so. We therefore believe it’s time to completely ban sewage discharges in the UK.

 

Therefore we ask the mayor to write to the new Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs outlining this councils support for a total ban on sewage discharge by water companies.

 

The motion, on being put to the vote, was agreed unanimously.

C41/22

Motion 5

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor C Johnson and seconded by Councillor M Wilson that:

 

The south-east of England, the most affluent region in Britain outside London, last year received almost twice as much money as the north-east from the government’s levelling up fund aimed at boosting deprived areas.

 

Various Conservative levelling up funds have refused to back North Tyneside including the levelling up fund and towns fund, which instead of being available to North Tyneside was made available to often more affluent and often Conservative voting areas.

 

Child poverty continues to rise in the North East and 11 in 30 children in a school class are now facing child poverty.

 

We call on the Mayor to:

 

   Write to the Prime Minister urging action on child poverty in the North East and to set out an action plan on how the Conservative government will tackle child poverty.

 

   Urge the Prime Minister to fund both of our £20 million levelling up bids for North Shields and Wallsend.

 

The motion, on being put to the vote, was agreed unanimously.

C42/22

Audit Committee - Appointment of co-opted member pdf icon PDF 83 KB

To seek to appoint the Chair of the Audit Committee and to appoint a new independent co-opted member to serve as Deputy Chair of the Audit Committee.

 

Minutes:

Council received a report that sought approval to appoint the Chair of the Audit Committee and to appoint a new independent co-opted member to serve as Deputy Chair of the Audit Committee.

 

It was moved by Councillor M Rankin and seconded by Councillor C Johnson that:

 

Council appoint Mr Malcolm Wilkinson as the non-voting Chair of the Audit Committee for a 2-year term and appoint Dr Stuart Green as the non-voting Deputy Chair of the Audit Committee for a 2-year term.

 

The motion, on being put to the meeting, was approved unanimously.

C43/22

Request for Dispensation pursuant to Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 pdf icon PDF 93 KB

To seek to grant a dispensation in respect of Councillor Muriel Green, under Section 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1972. 

 

Minutes:

Council received a report that sought approval for a dispensation in respect of Councillor Muriel Green under section 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1972, based on medical grounds.

 

It was moved by Councillor C Johnson and seconded by the Elected Mayor that:

 

Council agrees to grant a dispensation for Councillor Muriel Green pursuant to Section 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1972, for a period up to and included 7 May 2023, and approves Councillor Green’s non-attendance at meetings of the Authority in that period on medical grounds, and

 

Council agreed that the best wishes of the Council to be conveyed to Councillor Green at this time.

 

The motion, on being put to the meeting, was approved unanimously.

C44/22

Chair's Announcements

To receive any announcements by the Chair of Council.

 

Minutes:

The Chair informed the meeting of some of the events she had attended since the last meeting, which included:

 

Events following the death of HRH Elizabeth II

 

The Chair stated that it was her honour and privilege of accompanying the Elected Mayor to the Regional Proclamation of Accession.

 

The Chair stated that a great deal of work was undertaken to ensure all arrangements and protocols were adhered to and expressed her thanks to all Council staff involved for their tireless work to ensure residents could express respects and condolences.

 

The Chair informed of services she attended at Christ Church for the Commemoration and Thanksgiving & celebrating Superintendent Peter Dade’s 30 years’ service to the Fisherman’s Mission.

 

She also had attended a performance by her nominated charity The True Colours Theatre at the Whitley Bay Playhouse.

C45/22

Elected Mayor's Announcements

To receive any announcements by the Elected Mayor.

 

Minutes:

The Elected Mayor expressed her gratitude to all Council Staff for their efforts for ensuring services continued during recent events.