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Venue: Council Chamber, The Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge, CB2 3QJ [access the building via Peashill entrance]. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services Committee Manager
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To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 26 February 2015 Minutes: The minutes of the meetings held on 26 February 2015 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor. |
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Mayors Announcements Minutes: APOLOGIES Apologies were received from Councillors Cantrill, Pitt, Sanders & Reid. REACH FAIR The Mayor announced that the annual Proclamation of Reach Fair would take
place on Bank Holiday Monday 5 May. Newly minted pennies would be
available from the Civic Office from 16 April. CITY COUNCIL
ANNUAL MEETING The Mayor confirmed that the Council’s Annual Meeting would take place on
Thursday 28 May. Members were asked to contact Eleanor Reader-Moore or Claire
Tunnicliffe in Committee Services if they required guest tickets. DINNER AT ANGLIA
RUSKIN UNIVERSITY Councillors were advised that the Vice-Chancellor and members of Anglia
Ruskin University would be hosting a civic dinner at the University on
Thursday, 17 September; further details would be circulated in due course. ELECTIONS The Mayor expressed sincere appreciation to those Members who had decided
not to stand at the next election on 7 May for the service they had given to
the City of Cambridge DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST No declarations were
made. |
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Public Questions Time Minutes: There were no public questions. |
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To consider the recommendations of Committees for Adoption |
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Planning Committee_04.02.15: Planning Code of Good Practice Additional documents: Minutes: Resolved (unanimously)
i.
To endorse the approval of the updated Planning
Code of Good Practice.
ii.
That
the Code be reviewed every two years |
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Civic Affairs_18.03.15: Members Allowance Scheme Additional documents:
Minutes: Resolved (by 37 votes
to 0 with 1 abstention) i. That the existing Allowances scheme be continued for 2015/2016 municipal year. ii. To review the allowances scheme in 2015/16, noting that a report would be submitted to the June Civic Affairs Committee seeking approval for how this will be achieved |
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To deal with Oral Questions Minutes: 1) Councillor Perry to the Executive Councillor for Community,
Arts and Recreation Can the Executive
Councillor update Council on the launch of Cambridge Live that happened on April
1st, and inform Council on the proposed summer event programme to be organised
by the cultural trust? The Executive Councillor
confirmed that the launch was successful with free performances and
entertainment throughout the day. Cambridge Live staff had been working hard to
ensure that it “was business as usual” for the summer programme. The Cambridge
‘Big Weekend would be taking place in July, details were soon to be released
and the headlining acts remained confidential but this weekend event would be
the best the one yet. Regular events such as Midsummer Fair, Jazz and Brass in
the Park had also been planned. 2) Councillor Sinnott to the Leader Given that the 2012 national election of Police & Crime
Commissioners cost tax-payers £50m and given that the budget for
Cambridgeshire's PCC's office is £1.2m, would Cllr Herbert join me in welcoming
Labour's plan to scrap PCCs and Labour's pledge to safeguard and strengthen
Neighbourhood policing? The Leader replied that he had
two major concerns regarding the changes that had been made by Central
Government. Firstly there was no longer a voice from each corner of
Cambridgeshire. The Police & Crime Commissioner could not as an individual
represent all parts of the County. In the process the accountability of the
Chief Constable had also been lost. 3) Councillor Smith to the Chair of Civic Affairs In
light of the County Council's reluctance to accept signatures from an on-line
petition, will the City Council review is provisions to ensure that petition
signatures can be collected online? The Chair advised that the petition referred to did not get submitted
using the County Council’s own e-petition scheme but another (namely “38
degrees”) which was difficult to validate on-line who lived, worked or studied
in the County. The City Council has a different e-Petition facility available on the
website which is common to many local authorities. There is guidance set out in
the Council’s Petition Scheme on how to use the e-petition facility and
officers will always work with petitioners whilst the petition is live. However, with the other e-petition products available, it is possible
they would not be validated easily or be somehow invalid if applying the
current scheme and it would be appropriate to review the scheme and submit a
report to Civic Affairs Committee. In the meantime the City Council will
continue to take a pragmatic approach in its interpretation of its rules on
petitions and public engagement at committee meetings to help ensure people
have their say on issues that matter to them. 4) Councillor
Catherine Smart to the Executive Councillor for Housing Will the Councillor indicate which repairs
are classified as emergency, which urgent and which routine? What proportion of
each has been dealt with within the time limits during the last six months (or
the latest available data)? The Executive Councillor responded that the classification of information is set out on the Council’s website, as are highlighted below. Performance in all categories are very good and having checked we are not aware of any significant issues about failures recently. Responsive Repairs categories. 1. Emergencies 2. Urgent repairs 3. Routine repairs 1. Emergencies: response target within 24 hours but generally same day as reported and attended within 2-3 hours: • blocked drains in certain circumstances • serious electrical faults • faulty smoke alarms, if they are council-installed and you cannot turn them off • complete power failure • burst or leaking supply pipes • a toilet not flushing (if this is your only toilet) • major overflows (when water is gushing out) • major roof leaks • broken heating systems - we will provide temporary heating within eight hours if needed • broken lifts. Sometimes we can only make safe (temporary repair) and then have to come back later to finish the work, for example out-of-hours repairs or if major work/specialist parts have to be ordered. In the event of an emergency that is life-threatening or causing major damage to property then we always aim to attend immediately and can divert labour from other works. OVERALL
PERFORMANCE APRIL 14 – MARCH 15:
2. Urgent Repairs: response target within three working days subject to tenant access • emergency repairs that we have already made safe • electrical faults where there is no risk of injury • problems with the hot-water supply • Leaking waste pipes • taps that cannot be turned off completely • minor roof leaks • faulty entry phones • broken heating systems (in summer) Appointments can be made to suit tenants, but this may mean waiting longer. OVERALL
PERFORMANCE APRIL 14 – MARCH 15:
3. Routine repairs: response target 20 working days, or by later appointment if tenant preference. • Fireplaces • Roofs • Gutters and drainpipes • Noisy ball valves in toilets • Broken vents and airbricks • Minor re-pointing and rendering • Sinks, baths, kitchen units and fittings • Plastering • Woodwork and minor fencing work OVERALL
PERFORMANCE APRIL 14 – MARCH 15:
5) Councillor Dryden to the Executive Councillor Environment,
Waste and Public Health Resulting in the
Ruling Labour Group’s programme on launching Ward Blitzes and introducing new
eco-friendly waste bins, what has been the response up to now? The Executive
Councillor advised that the ward blitzes and the provision of litter and dog
bins have been presented at area committee since October 2014 as part of the
Environmental Data Reports (EDR). To date there had been ten EDR reports
presented to committee; including summary reports detailing activity undertaken
during 3 of the 5 completed ward blitzes to date (two reports were due at
committee between April and June). At the area
committees there had been positive comments received from members and the
public. Comments had included thanks for the work undertaken by the street
sweepers in the South area, thanks for the dog warden’s work in the Coleridge
area, vegetation cut back work completed in Cherry Hinton by the City Rangers
and volunteers, the park deep cleansing at Green End Road undertaken by the
Cleansing teams and the litter educational work undertaken by the enforcement
team at Addenbrookes. To date forty seven
sets of litter and recycling bins and eleven dog bin requests had been received
through the area committees and installed across the city. Bin requests
continued to be received from both members and the public at the area
committees and through direct contact with officers. These bins had been
provided as part of the project for new and replacement bins on the city’s
streets and open spaces and are now mapped and available on the Council
website. 6)
Councillor Hipkin to the Leader What progress has been made to set up the cross-party group recommended by the Civic Affairs Committee to consider ways in which full council meetings could be terminated at a time convenient to all members? The Leader responded that the Civic Affairs Committee on 18 March (which
Councillor Hipkin was present at and addressed the Committee) had agreed that a
meeting would be convened to discuss Council meetings but this would not take
place until after the elections. Those
invited will be Group Leaders, the Chair and spokes of Civic Affairs Committee
and the Mayor. 7) Councillor Baigent to the Leader Given the
importance of demountable CCTV in tackling serious anti-social behaviour and
incidents at specific locations, how will arrangements be affected by the new
lampposts being installed by Balfour Beatty for the County Council? The Leader stated that he had been shocked to
learn that on two occasions new streetlights poles provided under PFI could not
hold CCTV cameras; one of these incidents was Castle Ward that had a wave of
petty theft and damage to cars. This particular
problem raised a separate issue with Balfour Beatty. Due to this issue there would be periods of
time when there would be no CCTV in certain areas in the City. There were a
total of six cameras which could not fixed to the new
streetlights. This was another example
of why there should be a one council approach for the City. 8) Councillor Todd-Jones to the Executive Councillor for Housing How many City Council homes will we be forced to sell off to fund
the ill thought out Tory plans to extend right to buy to Housing Associations
and what will that mean for our housing needs register? The Executive Councillor for Housing advised that until much more detail
behind the recent announcement is known, the impact can only be estimated. The
announcement suggested that the Council would be required to sell, at market
value, any relets that have a value above the median regional market value. Using figures quoted in the Policy Exchange document “Ending Expensive
Social Tenancies”, the following was an estimate of median house prices by
bedroom size in the East of England at the end of 2013; 1 bed – £110,000 2 bed – £149,500 3 bed – £175,000 4 bed - £280,000 Using the stock valuations in the accounts at the end of March 2014
approximately 70% of the Council’s stock at that time was above the median
regional value. If it is assumed that the Council relets approximately 350 of its
properties each year that will fall under this initiative, the Council could
lose approximately 245 properties a year. It was not possible to quantify the impact on the Housing Register
without thorough analysis. However, clearly with fewer properties available to
let, waiting times for housing will increase. There were more three bedroom or
larger properties above the median regional value than one or two bedroom
properties. Therefore the impact would be greater on families. The following Oral
Questions were also tabled, but owing to the expiry of the period of time
permitted, were not covered during the meeting: 9)
Councillor Ratcliffe to the Leader. Are the City
Council cutting policing services
in Cambridge? 10)
Councillor Hart to the Leader |
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To consider the following Notices of Motion |
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Cambridge Central Library Cambridge Central Library The Council recognises the severe financial problems faced by all councils, including Cambridgeshire County Council being forced to make £30 million cuts in 2015/16 because of the latest annual 7% cut in Coalition Government funding, at a time of major pressures from rapidly rising adult care costs. The Council considers that library provision is a key priority including for disadvantaged areas of the city and where use is greatest in the centre of Cambridge.
Minutes: Councillor M Smart asked for the Council’s consent under
Procedure Rule 26 to alter the original motion. This request was carried nem con Councillor M Smart then proposed and Councillor Ratcliffe
seconded the following motion (alteration to text shown in italics).
Councillor Austin proposed and Councillor Bick seconded the
following amendment to motion (deleted text The
Council recognises the severe financial problems faced by all councils,
including Cambridgeshire County Council being forced to make £30 million cuts
in 2015/16 because of the latest annual 7% cut in Coalition Government funding,
at a time of major pressures from rapidly rising adult care costs.
The Council welcomes the referral
decision this week by the County Council and calls on the County Council to
begin a fresh review on options for the Central Library, the Cambridgeshire
Collection and the City Council archive, and to undertake a full consultation
with residents, local organisations and the City Council before any final
decisions are made, given that ·
the planned 3rd floor changes were not
properly consulted on, nor the risks of the proposed changes fully assessed ·
usage of the space in Central Library
is increasing, including for study by young people as the city’s population
grows ·
decisions on plans for relocating the
Cambridgeshire Collection to Ely have not been finalised, including the need to
take account of public consultation there too ·
other
alternatives ·
Council
meantime requests City Council Officers to bring
a report to the appropriate scrutiny committee on the city’s interests in the future location of Cambridgeshire Collection and the City
Council Archive, noting that
the latter was only deposited in the
County Archive on the condition it was kept in the city. On a show of hands the amendment was supported by 35 votes
to 0 with 3 abstention. Resolved (by 36
votes to 0, with 2 abstentions) that:
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General Funds Investment General Funds Investment
Minutes:
On a show of hands the amendment was carried by 25 votes to 11 with 2
abstentions. Resolved (by 25 votes to 0,
with 13 abstentions) that: Council notes that the previous Liberal Democrat administration
never properly scrutinised Cambridge City Council’s underlying financial
position, particularly earmarked reserves. As a result, this council obtained a
very poor return on millions of pounds of public money that could have been
invested to produce revenue streams. Such income could have ameliorated the
national spending cuts voted through by Julian Huppert in Westminster, and
prevented the cuts to frontline services proposed by the last Liberal Democrat
administration. Council notes that Labour’s 2015/16 budget proposal to invest in
commercial property, rather than allow money to gain pitiful interest in bank
deposits, will produce important income that will allow this council to protect
crucial services, and that the Liberal Democrats’ plans will necessitate
swingeing cuts in future years that they have so far failed to identify. Furthermore, Council recognises that over the
fourteen years of the Liberal Democrat administration in Cambridge insufficient
priority was given to the needs of the intermediate housing market. Their
failure to address this has resulted in a lack of options for the significant
number of ‘intermediate market’ residents who have no priority for social
housing whilst rocketing private rents and unaffordable market sale prices have
created an acute affordability crisis. Council acknowledges that under the new Labour
administration there has been a welcome step change in the Council’s approach
to tackling this including: i.
An in-depth report on the Intermediate market considered
by the new Housing Scrutiny Committee in September 2014 ii.
A comprehensive review of the City’s Housing
Strategy in 2015 to include full consideration of the Intermediate Market and
private rental sector. iii.
The creation of an £8,000,000 Invest for Income Fund
in the 2015/16 Budget with a clearly identified priority for investing in
General Fund housing, putting to good use the funds left lying previously
unused by the Liberal Democrats. iv.
Resourcing greater enforcement against bad landlords
in the private sector and introducing a Cambridge Landlord Accreditation and
Safety Scheme to work with good landlords. v.
Appointing a permanent Empty Homes officer backed up
with £200,000 of funding to bring empty homes back into use. vi.
Considering options for a social letting agency to
offer an alternative to high fee high street letting and management agencies,
including looking at best practice from other councils such as Havering. The Council also notes that the City Deal is
enabling work with partners such as South Cambridgeshire District and
Cambridgeshire County Councils, the University and business leaders to deliver
at least 1000 additional homes to those already planned across the Greater
Cambridge area, including considering options for both Special Purpose Vehicles
and Joint Ventures for intermediate housing on sites in public ownership and
investment opportunities with partners. |
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Asylum Seekers Asylum Seekers The Council notes that asylum seekers can
still legitimately be in the United Kingdom following initial refusal of their
claims, because they are appealing the decision or because it is not possible
for them to return home. Many originally refused applications are then allowed
on appeal. However while waiting for a final outcome they can be left with
minimal or no support and in some cases in destitution. The cashless azure card
scheme does not give enough money for people to live on, does not allow them to
save or use public transport, and is dehumanizing. The principles of natural justice would
suggest that they should have decent support to live and assistance with the
legal process to ensure they are heard fairly.
Refugees who have been waiting for our processes should be expected and
allowed to work to support themselves, both to improve integration and reduce
the burden on the state, during the legal processes. The Council further notes the long standing
campaigning of the "Still Human, Still Here" campaign to raise this
issue. The Council should * Bring a report to the relevant scrutiny
committee to consider joining the "Still Human, Still Here" campaign
and any impacts this may have on council activity as soon as reasonably
possible. *Write to both Cambridge's MPs and to the
Home Secretary and Immigration Minister, following the General Election, asking
them to support those seeking protection from persecution. * Endorse the findings of the All Party
Parliamentary Inquiry on Asylum Support for Children. * Ask group leaders to work through the Local
Government Association to encourage other Councils to join the campaign. Minutes:
Resolved (unanimously) to agree the motion as set out above |
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Conservators of the River Cam Conservators of the River Cam The Council appoints three
City Councillors to the Conservators of the River Cam. Following the
resignation of Councillor Price, Council is requested to appoint Councillor Robertson
to the vacancy so that he can attend the next meeting of the Conservators which
is scheduled for 23 April 2015. Minutes: Councillor Herbert proposed the following motion. Conservators of the River Cam The Council appoints three City Councillors to the Conservators of the River Cam. Following the resignation of Councillor Price, Council is requested to appoint Councillor Robertson to the vacancy so that she can attend the next meeting of the Conservators which is scheduled for 23 April 2015. Resolved (unanimously) to agree the motion as set out above. |
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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: The Mayor advised that no written questions had been received. |
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