Council and democracy
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Venue: Council Chamber, The Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge, CB2 3QJ
Contact: Democratic Services Committee Manager
Link: Video recording of the meeting
No. | Item |
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Public questions time Minutes: A member of the public asked a question as set out below. 1.
She
was a Biologist at Nottingham University and her husband was a Professor. His
work studied snails in the south pacific and it was found that some snail
species had become extinct. To try and protect certain snail species a further
snail was introduced to manage certain populations of snails in the area. Unfortunately the snail which was introduced
consumed snail species it was not expected to consume. They set up a charity called Frozen Ark,
whose purpose was to save genetic resources before they went extinct. The charity was a global charity and there
were 24 institutions which were collecting DNA samples so that this could be
used for breeding and future genetic studies. She noted the Motion on
Biodiversity and asked whether the Council would be interested in getting
involved with the Frozen Ark project. The Executive Councillor for Planning Policy
and Open Spaces responded: i.
Thanked the public speaker for attending
the meeting and bringing the Frozen Ark project to the council’s attention. She
commented that it was important that we had records of all the different
species so that we can work to reduce their decline. The Council was fortunate
to be able to contact such organisations for contributions. |
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To consider the following notices of motion, notice of which has been given by: |
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Councillor Martinelli: Proposed closure of Parkside Police station Council notes the Police
Constabulary’s intention to move its Southern Divisional HQ out of its current
site in Parkside to a location in the outskirts of Cambridge. It resolves to hold the Police
& Crime Commissioner to his public statement that community policing and a
Public Contact point will remain in the the city
centre. In particular the council calls on: 1. The Commissioner and the
Chief Constable for the proposed city centre public contact point to take
the form of a desk staffed 24/7, recognising the very high footfall in
Cambridge city centre, the size of the night economy, and the high
concentration of incidents to be found in any vibrant urban centre; 2. The City Council Chief
Executive to explore and if possible advance the opportunity for the Police
Neighbourhood Policing team to share an office facility within the city with
the city council’s Safer Communities team and potentially other enforcement
officers of the city and county council, a model which has been pioneered in
Peterborough, in order to further enhance joint working. Minutes: Councillor Martinelli proposed and Councillor Dalzell seconded the following motion: Council notes the Police
Constabulary’s intention to move its Southern Divisional HQ out of its current
site in Parkside to a location in the outskirts of Cambridge. It resolves to hold the Police
& Crime Commissioner to his public statement that community policing and a
Public Contact point will remain in the the city
centre. In particular the council calls on: 1. The Commissioner and the
Chief Constable for the proposed city centre public contact point to take
the form of a desk staffed 24/7, recognising the very high footfall in
Cambridge city centre, the size of the night economy, and the high
concentration of incidents to be found in any vibrant urban centre; 2. The City Council Chief
Executive to explore and if possible advance the opportunity for the Police
Neighbourhood Policing team to share an office facility within the city with
the city council’s Safer Communities team and potentially other enforcement
officers of the city and county council, a model which has been pioneered in
Peterborough, in order to further enhance joint working. Councillor Massey proposed and Councillor
Davies seconded the following amendment to motion (additional text underlined
and deleted text Council notes the Police Constabulary’s intention
to move its Southern Divisional HQ out of its current site in Parkside to a
location in the outskirts of Cambridge.
On a show of hands the amendment was carried by 22 votes to 11. Resolved (by 33 votes to 0): Council notes the Police Constabulary’s intention
to move its Southern Divisional HQ out of its current site in Parkside to a
location in the outskirts of Cambridge. The council calls on: The Police and Crime
Commissioner and the Chief Constable to retain a smaller city centre police
station with parking for patrol cars, particularly for our neighbourhood
policing officers to work from and to be able to walk and cycle from the
station and with a desk staffed 24/7, recognising the very high footfall in
Cambridge city centre, the high levels of tourism in our city the size of the
night economy, and the high concentration of incidents to be found in any
vibrant urban centre. |
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Councillor Cantrill: People's vote motion In the 2016 Referendum on the
European Union Cambridge voted over 73% in favour of
remaining in the European Union. The European elections on the 23 May,
provides residents with an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to remaining
in the European Union. The Council believes that the
interests of its residents would be best protected by a People’s Vote on Brexit
with the option of revoking Article 50 and remaining in the EU. The Council calls on all political parties
to commit to give Cambridge residents (including resident European citizens) a
vote on whether to accept whatever Brexit deal is agreed or to retain the many
benefits local residents currently enjoy by staying in the European Union. The Council should write to our two
local MPs calling on them to lobby their parties to unequivocally support a
People’s Vote. Minutes: Councillor Cantrill requested the Council’s consent under
Council Procedure Rule 26 to alter his motion. On a show of hands the request was lost (by 11 in favour to 22
against). Councillor Cantrill proposed and Councillor Gehring seconded the following motion: In the 2016 Referendum on the
European Union Cambridge voted over 73% in favour of
remaining in the European Union. The European elections on the 23 May,
provides residents with an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to remaining
in the European Union. The Council believes that the
interests of its residents would be best protected by a People’s Vote on Brexit
with the option of revoking Article 50 and remaining in the EU. The Council calls on all political
parties to commit to give Cambridge residents (including resident European
citizens) a vote on whether to accept whatever Brexit deal is agreed or to
retain the many benefits local residents currently enjoy by staying in the
European Union. The Council should write to our two
local MPs calling on them to lobby their parties to unequivocally support a
People’s Vote. Councillor Smith proposed and Councillor
Moore seconded an amendment to the motion (additional text underlined and
deleted text
The Council believes that the
interests of its residents would be best protected by a The Council calls on The Council should write to our two
local MPs On a show of hands the amendment was carried
by 22 votes to 11. Resolved (by 33 votes to 0, with Councillor Hipkin
recorded as abstaining): The Council believes that the
interests of its residents would be best protected by a Confirmatory Public
Vote on any Brexit deal agreed, with the option of revoking Article 50 and
remaining in the EU. The Council calls on Parliament to
commit to give Cambridge, and all UK residents (including resident European
citizens) a vote on whether to accept whatever Brexit deal is agreed or to
retain the many benefits local residents currently enjoy by staying in the
European Union. The Council should write to our two
local MPs thanking them for their consistent support in campaigning for a
confirmatory ballot. |
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Councillor Thornburrow: Declaration of a biodiversity emergency This Council notes with concern recent reports from the
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Services (IPBES) on global species and habitat loss, and also that Cambridgeshire & Peterborough combined
has one of the lowest percentages of land cover of priority habitats, natural
green spaces and designated nature conservation sites in England, with only 6.5% of the land surface having
statutory or non-statutory nature conservation designations and only
approximately 8.5% being
priority habitat. We recognise the importance of a healthy and biodiverse environment that
ensures our City’s future prosperity and supports the wellbeing of all who
live, work and study here. We therefore pledge to provide leadership and to ensure that we work
with partners and our communities to reverse the decline in biodiversity and
deliver measurable biodiversity net gain within Cambridge and the wider region.
Further to this, Council: (1) Declares its recognition of the global biodiversity
emergency and the local impact this could have on the communities and
businesses we serve (2) Pledges to act during the first year of Motion being
accepted, to work towards future measurable biodiversity net gain for
Cambridge, based on a full assessment of the scientific evidence on how best to
achieve this (3) Pledges to develop plans for further action, in second
year of Motion and beyond, to secure further biodiversity net gain. In recognition of this biodiversity emergency, during first year of
Motion being accepted Cambridge City Council will: ·
Make
the Council estate more hospitable to a wide range of plants and animals,
including on our parks and open spaces. ·
Publish
a Parks Biodiversity Toolkit to encourage community engagement with habitat
creation such as flowering meadows for pollinating insects. ·
Identify
how the City’s open spaces function as part of a Cambridgeshire coherent
ecological network and prioritise areas for protection and enhancement. ·
Set
measurable targets and standards for biodiversity increase, seeking to increase
community engagement with habitat creation such as bee banks and ponds. ·
Work
to improve the City Council Nature Conservation Strategy, building on the
significant work already delivered since its adoption in 2006, by embedding
measurable biodiversity net gain across the authority. ·
Work
in partnership with institutions, schools, businesses and community groups, to
raise awareness and encourage wider biodiversity action across the City by: o
Providing
a range of public engagement and awareness campaigns to provide advice to
residents and businesses on how to protect and enhance habitats within their
neighbourhoods. o
Promoting
the adoption of the Local Nature Partnership ‘Developing with Nature Toolkit’
within all new major developments to ensure biodiversity best practice is
implemented and recognised o
Continuing
to safeguard and enhance the trees of our urban forest to maximise their
biodiversity benefits through the implementation of the adopted Tree Strategy
(2016) o
Encouraging
and supporting urban agriculture as set out in the City Council Sustainable
Food Policy, o
Continuing
to support the Local Wildlife Trust through a service level agreement (SLA) to
ensure our designated Local Wildlife Sites reach and retain favourable
conservation status o Continuing to ... view the full agenda text for item 19/15/CNLc Minutes: Councillor Thornburrow proposed and Councillor Moore seconded the following motion: This Council notes with concern recent reports from the
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Services (IPBES) on global species and habitat loss, and also that Cambridgeshire & Peterborough combined
has one of the lowest percentages of land cover of priority habitats, natural
green spaces and designated nature conservation sites in England, with only 6.5% of the land surface having
statutory or non-statutory nature conservation designations and only
approximately 8.5% being
priority habitat. We recognise the importance of a healthy and biodiverse environment that
ensures our City’s future prosperity and supports the wellbeing of all who
live, work and study here. We therefore pledge to provide leadership and to ensure that we work
with partners and our communities to reverse the decline in biodiversity and
deliver measurable biodiversity net gain within Cambridge and the wider region.
Further to this, Council: (1) Declares its recognition of the global biodiversity
emergency and the local impact this could have on the communities and
businesses we serve (2) Pledges to act during the first year of Motion being
accepted, to work towards future measurable biodiversity net gain for
Cambridge, based on a full assessment of the scientific evidence on how best to
achieve this (3) Pledges to develop plans for further action, in second
year of Motion and beyond, to secure further biodiversity net gain. In recognition of this biodiversity emergency, during first year of
Motion being accepted Cambridge City Council will: ·
Make
the Council estate more hospitable to a wide range of plants and animals,
including on our parks and open spaces. ·
Publish
a Parks Biodiversity Toolkit to encourage community engagement with habitat
creation such as flowering meadows for pollinating insects. ·
Identify
how the City’s open spaces function as part of a Cambridgeshire coherent
ecological network and prioritise areas for protection and enhancement. ·
Set
measurable targets and standards for biodiversity increase, seeking to increase
community engagement with habitat creation such as bee banks and ponds. ·
Work
to improve the City Council Nature Conservation Strategy, building on the
significant work already delivered since its adoption in 2006, by embedding
measurable biodiversity net gain across the authority. ·
Work
in partnership with institutions, schools, businesses and community groups, to
raise awareness and encourage wider biodiversity action across the City by: o
Providing
a range of public engagement and awareness campaigns to provide advice to
residents and businesses on how to protect and enhance habitats within their
neighbourhoods. o
Promoting
the adoption of the Local Nature Partnership ‘Developing with Nature Toolkit’
within all new major developments to ensure biodiversity best practice is
implemented and recognised o
Continuing
to safeguard and enhance the trees of our urban forest to maximise their
biodiversity benefits through the implementation of the adopted Tree Strategy
(2016) o
Encouraging
and supporting urban agriculture as set out in the City Council Sustainable
Food Policy, o
Continuing
to support the Local Wildlife Trust through a service level agreement (SLA) to
ensure our designated Local Wildlife Sites reach and retain favourable
conservation status o
Continuing
to support the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Environmental Records Centre through
a SLA to ensure validated, up-to-date biodiversity data is captured and
available to decision makers when considering the implications of development,
land management and projects. o
Continuing
to support Natural Cambridgeshire, the Local Nature Partnership (LNP), to
deliver the shared vision for ‘Cambridgeshire to be an exemplar for the
landscape scale restoration of the natural environment’. We further aspire to: ·
Ensure
the delivery of biodiversity enhancements through our planning policy and
development control functions by providing guidance to support existing
biodiversity policies as part of the Greater Cambridge Sustainable Design and
Construction SPD and forthcoming Greater Cambridge Biodiversity SPD.
Development of the Joint Greater Cambridge Local Plan will enable the
development of a mandatory biodiversity net gain policy for Cambridge and South
Cambridgeshire, ensuring that this is a core principle for all future
development across the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service ·
Establish
a Cambridge Biodiversity Charter, calling on all organisations, businesses and
individuals in the city to each establish their own Biodiversity Action Plans
and to commit to enhancing their open spaces, to contribute towards a city’s
wide net gain ·
Design
new council housing for net gain of biodiversity and opportunities in the form
of integral swift boxes, biodiverse green roofs and hedgehog highways etc, where viable. ·
Work
with the Cambridgeshire County Council, Greater Cambridge Partnership and
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority to promote sustainable
transport by the implementation of biodiversity net gain targets ·
Establish
a Biodiversity recognition scheme for schools / community groups / business and
individual gardens. Supporting Information: Climate change, biodiversity and human health https://www.who.int/globalchange/ecosystems/biodiversity/en/ WWF Living Planet report 2018 https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-10/wwfintl_livingplanet_full.pdf
Biodiversity: state of emergency
https://news.cnrs.fr/articles/biodiversity-state-ofemergency
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/nature-conservation-strategy https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/tree-strategy Natural Cambridgeshire Vision https://naturalcambridgeshire.org.uk/vision/ Councillor Dalzell proposed and Councillor
McGerty seconded the following amendment to motion (additional text underlined
and deleted text This Council notes with
concern recent reports from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) on global species and habitat loss,
and also that Cambridgeshire & Peterborough combined has one of the
lowest percentages of land cover of priority habitats, natural green spaces and
designated nature conservation sites in England, with only 6.5% of
the land surface having statutory or non-statutory nature conservation
designations and only approximately 8.5% being priority habitat. We recognise the importance of
a healthy and biodiverse environment that ensures our City’s future prosperity
and supports the wellbeing of all who live, work and study here. We therefore pledge to provide
leadership and to ensure that we work with partners and our communities to
reverse the decline in biodiversity and deliver measurable biodiversity net
gain within Cambridge and the wider region. Further to this, Council:
(1)
Recognises the global biodiversity crisis, the impact this will have on our
local community and its close link to the Climate Emergency declared at our
last meeting. (2) Renews
this Council’s 2006 commitment to deliver a measurable biodiversity net gain
for Cambridge, based on a full assessment of the scientific evidence and
consultation with local stakeholders. (3) Pledges
to identify actions that can be taken this year to protect and improve
biodiversity in Cambridge, to bring a report to scrutiny committee in October
to report on progress and develop a long-term spending plan for future budgets. In recognition of this
biodiversity emergency, during first year of Motion being accepted Cambridge
City Council will: ·
Make the Council estate more hospitable to a wide range of
plants and animals, including on our parks and open spaces. ·
Seek to eliminate unnecessary use of
pesticides across the City Council estate. ·
Publish a Parks Biodiversity Toolkit to encourage community
engagement with habitat creation such as flowering meadows for pollinating
insects. ·
Identify how the City’s open spaces function as part of a
Cambridgeshire coherent ecological network and prioritise areas for protection
and enhancement. ·
Set measurable targets and standards for biodiversity increase,
seeking to increase community engagement with habitat creation such as bee
banks and ponds. ·
Work to improve the City Council Nature Conservation Strategy,
building on the significant work already delivered since its adoption in 2006,
by embedding measurable biodiversity net gain across the authority. ·
Work in partnership with neighbouring Councils,
institutions, schools, businesses and community groups, to develop
strategies raise awareness and encourage wider biodiversity action across
the City by: o
Providing a range of public engagement and awareness campaigns
to provide advice to residents and businesses on how to protect and enhance
habitats within their neighbourhoods. o
Promoting the adoption of the Local Nature Partnership
‘Developing with Nature Toolkit’ within all new major developments to ensure
biodiversity best practice is implemented and recognised. o
Continuing to safeguard and enhance the trees of our urban
forest to maximise their biodiversity benefits through the implementation of
the adopted Tree Strategy (2016) and committing to increase the number of
trees in Cambridge. o
Develop a Hedge Strategy to protect and
maximise the planting of high quality hedging across the city including major
GCP projects and housing developments. o
Encouraging and supporting urban agriculture as set out in the
City Council Sustainable Food Policy, o
Continuing to support the Local Wildlife Trust through a service
level agreement (SLA) to ensure our designated Local Wildlife Sites reach and
retain favourable conservation status. o
Continuing to support the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
Environmental Records Centre through a SLA to ensure validated, up-to-date
biodiversity data is captured and available to decision makers when considering
the implications of development, land management and projects. o
Continuing to support Natural Cambridgeshire, the Local Nature
Partnership (LNP), to deliver the shared vision for ‘Cambridgeshire to be an
exemplar for the landscape scale restoration of the natural environment’. We further aspire to: ·
Ensure the delivery of biodiversity enhancements through our
planning policy and development control functions by providing guidance to
support existing biodiversity policies as part of the Greater Cambridge
Sustainable Design and Construction SPD and forthcoming Greater Cambridge
Biodiversity SPD. Development of the Joint Greater Cambridge Local Plan will
enable the development of a mandatory biodiversity net gain policy for
Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, ensuring that this is a core principle for
all future development across the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service ·
Establish a Cambridge Biodiversity Charter, calling on all
organisations, businesses and individuals in the city to each establish their
own Biodiversity Action Plans and to commit to enhancing their open spaces, to
contribute towards a city’s wide net gain ·
Design new council housing for net gain of biodiversity and
opportunities in the form of integral swift boxes, biodiverse green roofs and
hedgehog highways etc, where viable. ·
Work with the Cambridgeshire County Council, Greater Cambridge
Partnership and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority to promote
sustainable transport by the implementation of biodiversity net gain targets ·
Establish a Biodiversity recognition scheme for schools /
community groups / business and individual gardens. Supporting Information: Climate change, biodiversity
and human health https://www.who.int/globalchange/ecosystems/biodiversity/en/ WWF Living Planet report 2018 https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-10/wwfintl_livingplanet_full.pdf Biodiversity: state of
emergency https://news.cnrs.fr/articles/biodiversity-state-ofemergency
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/nature-conservation-strategy https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/tree-strategy Natural
Cambridgeshire Vision https://naturalcambridgeshire.org.uk/vision/ On a show of hands
the amendment was lost by 11 votes to 22 (with Councillor Hipkin recorded as
abstaining) Resolved (unanimously): This Council notes with concern recent reports from the
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Services (IPBES) on global species and habitat loss, and also that Cambridgeshire & Peterborough combined
has one of the lowest percentages of land cover of priority habitats, natural
green spaces and designated nature conservation sites in England, with only 6.5% of the land surface having
statutory or non-statutory nature conservation designations and only
approximately 8.5% being
priority habitat. We recognise the importance of a healthy and biodiverse environment that
ensures our City’s future prosperity and supports the wellbeing of all who
live, work and study here. We therefore pledge to provide leadership and to ensure that we work
with partners and our communities to reverse the decline in biodiversity and
deliver measurable biodiversity net gain within Cambridge and the wider region.
Further to this, Council: (4) Declares its recognition of the global biodiversity emergency
and the local impact this could have on the communities and businesses we serve (5) Pledges to act during the first year of Motion being
accepted, to work towards future measurable biodiversity net gain for
Cambridge, based on a full assessment of the scientific evidence on how best to
achieve this (6) Pledges to develop plans for further action, in second
year of Motion and beyond, to secure further biodiversity net gain. In recognition of this biodiversity emergency, during first year of
Motion being accepted Cambridge City Council will: ·
Make
the Council estate more hospitable to a wide range of plants and animals,
including on our parks and open spaces. ·
Publish
a Parks Biodiversity Toolkit to encourage community engagement with habitat
creation such as flowering meadows for pollinating insects. ·
Identify
how the City’s open spaces function as part of a Cambridgeshire coherent
ecological network and prioritise areas for protection and enhancement. ·
Set
measurable targets and standards for biodiversity increase, seeking to increase
community engagement with habitat creation such as bee banks and ponds. ·
Work
to improve the City Council Nature Conservation Strategy, building on the
significant work already delivered since its adoption in 2006, by embedding measurable
biodiversity net gain across the authority. ·
Work
in partnership with institutions, schools, businesses and community groups, to
raise awareness and encourage wider biodiversity action across the City by: o
Providing
a range of public engagement and awareness campaigns to provide advice to
residents and businesses on how to protect and enhance habitats within their
neighbourhoods. o
Promoting
the adoption of the Local Nature Partnership ‘Developing with Nature Toolkit’
within all new major developments to ensure biodiversity best practice is
implemented and recognised o
Continuing
to safeguard and enhance the trees of our urban forest to maximise their
biodiversity benefits through the implementation of the adopted Tree Strategy
(2016) o
Encouraging
and supporting urban agriculture as set out in the City Council Sustainable
Food Policy, o
Continuing
to support the Local Wildlife Trust through a service level agreement (SLA) to
ensure our designated Local Wildlife Sites reach and retain favourable conservation
status o
Continuing
to support the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Environmental Records Centre
through a SLA to ensure validated, up-to-date biodiversity data is captured and
available to decision makers when considering the implications of development,
land management and projects. o
Continuing
to support Natural Cambridgeshire, the Local Nature Partnership (LNP), to
deliver the shared vision for ‘Cambridgeshire to be an exemplar for the
landscape scale restoration of the natural environment’. We further aspire to: ·
Ensure
the delivery of biodiversity enhancements through our planning policy and
development control functions by providing guidance to support existing
biodiversity policies as part of the Greater Cambridge Sustainable Design and
Construction SPD and forthcoming Greater Cambridge Biodiversity SPD.
Development of the Joint Greater Cambridge Local Plan will enable the
development of a mandatory biodiversity net gain policy for Cambridge and South
Cambridgeshire, ensuring that this is a core principle for all future
development across the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service ·
Establish
a Cambridge Biodiversity Charter, calling on all organisations, businesses and
individuals in the city to each establish their own Biodiversity Action Plans
and to commit to enhancing their open spaces, to contribute towards a city’s
wide net gain ·
Design
new council housing for net gain of biodiversity and opportunities in the form
of integral swift boxes, biodiverse green roofs and hedgehog highways etc, where viable. ·
Work
with the Cambridgeshire County Council, Greater Cambridge Partnership and
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority to promote sustainable
transport by the implementation of biodiversity net gain targets ·
Establish
a Biodiversity recognition scheme for schools / community groups / business and
individual gardens. Supporting Information: Climate change, biodiversity and human health https://www.who.int/globalchange/ecosystems/biodiversity/en/ WWF Living Planet report 2018 https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-10/wwfintl_livingplanet_full.pdf
Biodiversity: state of emergency
https://news.cnrs.fr/articles/biodiversity-state-ofemergency
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/nature-conservation-strategy https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/tree-strategy Natural Cambridgeshire Vision https://naturalcambridgeshire.org.uk/vision/ |
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Councillor Thittala: Supporting overseas nurses in developing their English proficiency Along with other UK
cities, Cambridge is suffering a severe shortage of trained nurses and nursing
staff in the NHS, and of care staff locally. Problems of recruitment and
retention are made far worse by the setting of English language standards not
always appropriate to the roles, and inadequate supplementary English classes
following the recruitment of staff from overseas, or for potential staff
already in the UK. The Council asks
the Leader of the Council to write to: 1. The
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to step in and address this unfair practice. The NMC
requires a score of 7 out of 9, which is about 78%, but requesting to conduct a
consultation to reduce it to 6.5, which is still a 72% pass mark, for those
nurses, worked and settled in the United Kingdom and worked in the health
sector for more than 4 years; 2. The NMC
requesting they conduct an immediate consultation on improving recruitment and
addressing the barriers to people where English is their second language;
3. CUHS and Addenbrookes asking them to review their overseas
recruitment policy, including of staff where their English can be improved
while in work; 4. The
Secretary of State for Health calling for Government intervention to address
the national shortage of nurses in our NHS, and in
Cambridge. Minutes: Councillors Gehring and Smith declared personal interests as being
employed by Cambridge University and Cambridge Assessment respectively and they
would not vote on the Motion. Councillor Thittala amended his motion under Council Procedure Rule 26
and Councillor McQueen seconded the following motion (additional text underlined and deleted text Along
with other UK cities, Cambridge is suffering a severe shortage of trained
nurses and nursing staff in the NHS, and of care staff locally. Problems of
recruitment and retention are made far worse by the setting of English language
standards not always appropriate to The
Council asks the Leader of the Council to write to: 1.The Nursing and Midwifery
Council (NMC) asking them to step in and address this unfair
practice and requesting that they conduct a consultation to reduce the
required English proficiency score. 2.The
NMC requesting they conduct an immediate consultation on improving recruitment
and addressing the barriers to people where English is their second
language; 3. 4.The
Secretary of State for Health calling for Government intervention to address
the national shortage of nurses in our NHS, and in Cambridge. Resolved (by 30 votes to 0) Along
with other UK cities, Cambridge is suffering a severe shortage of trained
nurses and nursing staff in the NHS, and of care staff locally. Problems of
recruitment and retention are made far worse by the setting of English language
standards not always appropriate to roles, and inadequate supplementary English
classes following the recruitment of staff from overseas, or for potential
staff already in the UK. The
Council asks the Leader of the Council to write to: 1.The Nursing and Midwifery
Council (NMC) asking them to step in and address this unfair practice
and requesting that they conduct a consultation to reduce the required English
proficiency score. The NMC requires a score of 7 out of 9, which is about 78%,
but the consultation should consider reducing it to 6.5, which is still a 72%
pass mark, for those nurses who 2.The
NMC requesting they conduct an immediate consultation on improving recruitment
and addressing the barriers to people where English is their second
language; 3.Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust asking them to
review their overseas recruitment policy, including of staff whose English can
be improved while in work; 4.The
Secretary of State for Health calling for Government intervention to address
the national shortage of nurses in our NHS, and in Cambridge. |
|
Written questions No discussion will take place on this
item. Members will be asked to note the written questions and answers document as
circulated around the Chamber.
Minutes: Members were
asked to note the written questions and answers that had been placed in the
information pack circulated around the Chamber. |