Agenda and minutes

Councillor Herbert proposed and Councillor Sargeant seconded the nomination of Councillor Gerri Bird as Mayor for the remainder of Municipal Year 2018/19.

 

Resolved (unanimously) that:

 

i.             Councillor Gerri Bird be elected for the remainder of Municipal Year 2018/19.

 

Councillor Bird then made the statutory declaration of acceptance of the Office of Mayor.

 

Councillor Sargeant proposed and Councillor Price seconded the nomination of Councillor Russ McPherson as Deputy Mayor for the remainder of Municipal Year 2018/19.

 

Resolved that:

 

i.             Councillor Russ McPherson be elected Deputy Mayor for the remainder of Municipal Year 2018/19.

 

Councillor McPherson then made the statutory declaration of acceptance of the Office of Deputy Mayor.

 

Tributes were paid to former Mayor and Councillor Nigel Gawthrope following his untimely death during his Mayoral year.

 

Tributes were also paid to Honorary Councillor John Durrant.

The minutes of the meeting held on the 18 October 2018 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

 

The Mayor’s announcements were contained within the Information Pack and were not read out during the meeting.

 

Apologies

Apologies had been received from Councillors Adey, Hart and Nethsingha.

 

Member	Item	Interest
Benstead	19/10/CNLb	Trustee of Cambridge Live
Holt	19/10/CNLb	Trustee of Cambridge Live
Ashton	19/7/CNL	Chair of Cherry Hinton Residents Association

 

Holocaust Memorial Day

Councillor Bird recently participated in Holocaust Memorial Day, hosted by Great St Mary’s.  She was very honoured to play a small part in this hugely important remembrance event.

 

Cambridge Chinese New Year Gala

The Gala was held in the Corn Exchange on 26 January. Each year, more than 1000 people attend the Gala, renowned for its showcase of Chinese culture. Councillor Bird was privileged to be invited to join the celebrations.

 

YMCA sleep out event

Councillor Bird would be attending the YMCA Sleep Easy event on Friday 15 March. The aim was to raise awareness of the growing problem of homelessness and to raise money which would go directly to local YMCA accommodation services to help homeless young people. 

 

Charity Quiz

This was taking place on 28 February, members were asked to contact Penny Jackson if they wished to enter a team.

 

Under paragraph 4.2.1 of the Council Procedure Rules, the Mayor used her discretion to alter the order of the agenda items. However, for ease of the reader, these minutes will follow the order of the agenda.

 

 

A petition has been received containing over 500 valid signatures

stating the following:

 

We the undersigned petition the council to

·        Declare a Climate Emergency

·        Accelerate its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the Council’s estate and operations, targeting net zero carbon by 2025

·        Work with business, the universities, neighbouring local authorities and voluntary organisations to devise and implement a rapid action plan to reduce GHG emissions throughout our city, aiming for net zero carbon by 2025

·        Where funding is insufficient, publicly call on the government for more resources to allow Cambridge to meet these targets

 

Evidence of looming climate breakdown is now overwhelming. Our existence is threatened and we must rapidly reduce GHG emissions. This is the greatest challenge humanity faces.

 

We recognise the substantial carbon reductions that the Council has made in recent years following the Climate Change Strategy 2016-21. But we now know that it is now even more urgent to quickly reduce GHG emissions. We want Cambridge to demonstrate leadership amongst local authorities by publicly acknowledging the scale and urgency of the climate crisis, setting more ambitious reduction targets, and working quickly to meet them.

 

We recognise that is a huge ask. We will help.

 

With love from the people of Cambridge.

 

The petition organiser will be given 5 minutes to present the petition at the meeting and the petition will then be discussed by Councillors for a maximum of 15 minutes.

A petition had been received containing over 500 valid signatures stating the following:

 

We the undersigned petition the council to

·        Declare a Climate Emergency

·        Accelerate its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the Council’s estate and operations, targeting net zero carbon by 2025

·        Work with business, the universities, neighbouring local authorities and voluntary organisations to devise and implement a rapid action plan to reduce GHG emissions throughout our city, aiming for net zero carbon by 2025

·        Where funding is insufficient, publicly call on the government for more resources to allow Cambridge to meet these targets

 

Evidence of looming climate breakdown is now overwhelming. Our existence is threatened and we must rapidly reduce GHG emissions. This is the greatest challenge humanity faces.

 

We recognise the substantial carbon reductions that the Council has made in recent years following the Climate Change Strategy 2016-21. But we now know that it is now even more urgent to quickly reduce GHG emissions. We want Cambridge to demonstrate leadership amongst local authorities by publicly acknowledging the scale and urgency of the climate crisis, setting more ambitious reduction targets, and working quickly to meet them.

 

We recognise that is a huge ask. We will help.

 

With love from the people of Cambridge.

 

Three representatives presented and spoke in support of the petition.

 

The following points were made:

i.             Emissions needed to be rapidly reduced.

ii.            Requested a statement regarding the Climate Emergency Declaration be included on the cover of Cambridge Matters magazine.

iii.           3 - 5 degrees of warmth would have catastrophic consequences, which was so scary that people did not want to take it in.

iv.          Asked for the council to show leadership with the issue.

v.           Asked for a well-publicised Climate Emergency Declaration.

vi.          Thanked Councillors for acknowledging a Climate Emergency.

vii.         Commented that actions spoke louder than words.

viii.       The amended motion was disappointing.

ix.          The entire world needed to be zero carbon by 2025.

x.           The clean air zone was insufficient.

xi.          Unambitious clean air zones should be rejected.

xii.         Requested a citizens assembly.

xiii.       Acknowledged the courage of the 15,000 children who marched in protest on 15 February regarding the climate emergency declaration.

xiv.       Local food would lead to a healthier and happier population.

 

A motion and an amendment were submitted in response to the petition.  The approved text of the motion can be found in minute item 19/10/CNLa.

Members of the public asked a number of questions, as set out below:

 

1.   Residents of Montreal Square had been campaigning for over a year to try and save their homes. The Cambridge Housing Society (CHS) told residents on the 4 February about their plans to demolish 18 homes at Montreal Square. Residents were shocked about this decision and had also been refused a ballot on the decision to demolish their homes. The local community did not want the demolition to take place. Representatives had been outside Mill Road Co-Op every Saturday for the past 41 weeks talking to people about the proposals. Over 3400 signatures had been collected with their petition. Montreal Square had been described as many things; from an Oasis in Romsey, a gem of social housing and the green lungs of Romsey with 30 trees and lots of wildlife.

 

The square was built in 1928 for the railway workers of Cambridge. Acknowledged that there was a need for social housing but demolishing existing communities without residents’ permission was not right. They wanted the council to save this golden piece of heritage in Cambridge. There was no transparency with the consultation exercise undertaken by CHS. Other options should be explored. Residents would have to wait for CHS to get planning permission and for the development to be built. He asked Councillor Herbert to do something about this.

 

The Leader responded with the following:

i.             He thanked the resident for bringing their campaign to the Council meeting and acknowledged that it was resident’s homes that they were trying to protect.

ii.            Commented that councillors and residents could put pressure on CHS.

iii.           Commented that he wanted a proper dialogue between CHS, residents and councillors so that CHS would listen to residents.

 

The Member of the Public commented that more should be done to protect social housing.

 

2.   Castle Mound was a Cambridgeshire landmark, for centuries people had used the mound for the purpose of pastimes, sport, recreation, walking, picnics and rest. The public questioner asked what the City Council could do to ensure free, full public access consistent with the practice from time immemorial.

 

The Executive Councillor for Communities responded with the following:

i.             Castle Mound was a special place in Cambridge that everyone wanted to preserve.

ii.            It was not good that the County Council would not confirm that they would ensure free and public access in perpetuity.

 

The Member of the public responded:

i.            That he was pleased the Executive Councillor had used the term ‘in perpetuity’. He asked whether the City Council had had any assurance from the County Council about the famous landscape.

 

The Executive Councillor for Communities responded:

i.             That she would be happy to receive an assurance from the County Council regarding free access in perpetuity from the County Council as soon as possible. 

 

Resolved by 25 votes to 0 to:

 

i.             Recognise the decision to defer the review of the current approach to treasury management, which requires 25% of the value of the housing debt to be set-aside by the point at which the loan portfolio matures until after it is formally confirmed that the legislation allowing the introduction of a levy in respect of the sale of higher value voids will be repealed.

ii.            Approve capital bids, shown in Appendix D (3) of the HRA Budget Setting Report, to include the replacement of the lifts at Ditchburn Place whilst other major refurbishment work is underway.

iii.           Approve the latest Decent Homes Programme, to include any updated allocation and timing of decent homes expenditure for new build dwellings, as detailed in Appendix E of the HRA Budget Setting Report.

iv.          Approve the latest budget sums, profiling and associated financing for all new build schemes, including new scheme specific approvals for Colville Road, Meadows and Buchan Street and Clerk Maxwell Road, based upon the latest cost information from the Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) or direct procurements, as detailed in Appendices E and H, and summarised in Appendix K, of the HRA Budget Setting Report.

v.           Approve re-phasing of budget for the last phase of refurbishment at Ditchburn Place from 2018/19 into 2019/20, as detailed in Appendix E, and summarised in Appendix K, of the HRA Budget Setting Report.

vi.          Approve the revised Housing Capital Investment Plan as shown in Appendix K of the HRA Budget Setting Report.

vii.         Approve delegation to the Head of Finance, as Section 151 Officer, to approve an in year increase or decrease in the budget for disabled facilities grants, in direct relation to any increase or decrease in the capital grant funding for this purpose, as received from the County Council through the Better Care Fund.

viii.       Approve delegation to the Strategic Director to review and amend the level of fees charged by the Shared Home Improvement Agency for disabled facilities grants and repair assistance grants, in line with any decisions s made by the Shared Home Improvement Agency Board.

ix.          Approve delegation to the Strategic Director, in consultation with the Head of Finance, as Section 151 Officer, to draw down resource from the ear-marked reserve for potential debt redemption or re-investment, for the purpose of open market property acquisition or new build housing development, should the need arise, in order to meet quarterly deadlines for the use of retained right to buy receipts.

x.           Approve delegation to the Strategic Director, following formal consultation with tenants, to make a decision in respect of the number of rent weeks over which the annual rent is charged for council tenants, and implement any change in policy accordingly.

 

Resolved unanimously to:

 

i.     Approve the estimated Prudential & Treasury Indicators for 2019/20 to 2022/23, inclusive, as set out in Appendix C to the officers report;

ii.    Increase the Money Market Fund (MMF) limit to £15 million per fund, with no maximum limit overall;

iii.  Use Enhanced Money Market Funds (EMMFs) with a credit rating not lower than AAf, as assessed by any one of the credit rating agencies, with an initial counterparty limit of £5m per fund; and;

iv.  Increase the Council’s Authorised Borrowing Limit (external borrowing) to £300 million.

 

The Executive presented its budget recommendations as set out in the Council agenda.

Members unanimously resolved to continue the meeting after 10:30pm rather than adjourn to another day.

 

Under the Council’s Procedure Rules – Budget Recommendations and Amendments, the Liberal Democrat Group’s alternative budget was deemed to have been moved and seconded as an amendment.

 

On a show of hands the Liberal Democrat Group’s alternative budget amendment was lost by:

 

13 votes in favour: Councillors: Bick, Cantrill, Dalzell, Gehring, Gillespie, Holt, Martinelli, McGerty, O’Connell, Page-Croft, Payne, Pippas, Tunnacliffe

 

To 24 votes against: Councillors Ashton, Baigent, Barnett, Benstead, Blencowe, Bird, Dryden, Green, Herbert, Johnson, Massey, McPherson, McQueen, Moore, O’Reilly, Price, Robertson, Sargeant, Sheil, Smart, Smith, Thittala, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones  

 

Councillor Hipkin left the meeting before the vote was taken on this item.

 

In accordance with the Council Procedure Rules – Budget Recommendations and Amendments, Councillor Bick moved separately the following proposals, which formed part of the Liberal Democrat Group alternative budget:

 

Reference	Details
B0001	Remove Shop Mobility Charges from 1 February 2019

 

On a show of hands the proposal was lost by:

 

13 votes in favour: Councillors: Bick, Cantrill, Dalzell, Gehring, Gillespie, Holt, Martinelli, McGerty, O’Connell, Page-Croft, Payne, Pippas, Tunnacliffe

 

To 24 votes against: Councillors Ashton, Baigent, Barnett, Benstead, Blencowe, Bird, Dryden, Green, Herbert, Johnson, Massey, McPherson, McQueen, Moore, O’Reilly, Price, Robertson, Sargeant, Sheil, Smart, Smith, Thittala, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones  

 

Reference	Details
B0008	Children's Tree Programme

 

On a show of hands the proposal was lost by:

 

13 votes in favour: Councillors: Bick, Cantrill, Dalzell, Gehring, Gillespie, Holt, Martinelli, McGerty, O’Connell, Page-Croft, Payne, Pippas, Tunnacliffe

 

To 24 votes against: Councillors Ashton, Baigent, Barnett, Benstead, Blencowe, Bird, Dryden, Green, Herbert, Johnson, Massey, McPherson, McQueen, Moore, O’Reilly, Price, Robertson, Sargeant, Sheil, Smart, Smith, Thittala, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones

 

Reference	Details
B0009     S0001	Development of Project addressing Period Poverty   Reduce funding of Community Grants Programme

 

On a show of hands the proposal was lost by:

 

13 votes in favour: Councillors: Bick, Cantrill, Dalzell, Gehring, Gillespie, Holt, Martinelli, McGerty, O’Connell, Page-Croft, Payne, Pippas, Tunnacliffe

 

To 24 votes against: Councillors Ashton, Baigent, Barnett, Benstead, Blencowe, Bird, Dryden, Green, Herbert, Johnson, Massey, McPherson, McQueen, Moore, O’Reilly, Price, Robertson, Sargeant, Sheil, Smart, Smith, Thittala, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones

 

Reference	Details
B0010	Reduce saving in BSR S4301 (Planning)

 

On a show of hands the proposal was lost by:

 

13 votes in favour: Councillors: Bick, Cantrill, Dalzell, Gehring, Gillespie, Holt, Martinelli, McGerty, O’Connell, Page-Croft, Payne, Pippas, Tunnacliffe

 

To 24 votes against: Councillors Ashton, Baigent, Barnett, Benstead, Blencowe, Bird, Dryden, Green, Herbert, Johnson, Massey, McPherson, McQueen, Moore, O’Reilly, Price, Robertson, Sargeant, Sheil, Smart, Smith, Thittala, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones

 

Reference	Details
C0004   S0004     S0005	Housing purchase - capital   Net income from Town Hall Lettings (see C0004)   Revenue impact of Housing investment (see C0004)

 

On a show of hands the proposal was lost by:

 

13 votes in favour: Councillors: Bick, Cantrill, Dalzell, Gehring, Gillespie, Holt, Martinelli, McGerty, O’Connell, Page-Croft, Payne, Pippas, Tunnacliffe

 

To 24 votes against: Councillors Ashton, Baigent, Barnett, Benstead, Blencowe, Bird, Dryden, Green, Herbert, Johnson, Massey, McPherson, McQueen, Moore, O’Reilly, Price, Robertson, Sargeant, Sheil, Smart, Smith, Thittala, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones

 

Reference	Details
C0001	CCTV Camera - East Road/Burleigh Street

 

On a show of hands the proposal was lost by:

 

13 votes in favour: Councillors: Bick, Cantrill, Dalzell, Gehring, Gillespie, Holt, Martinelli, McGerty, O’Connell, Page-Croft, Payne, Pippas, Tunnacliffe

 

To 24 votes against: Councillors Ashton, Baigent, Barnett, Benstead, Blencowe, Bird, Dryden, Green, Herbert, Johnson, Massey, McPherson, McQueen, Moore, O’Reilly, Price, Robertson, Sargeant, Sheil, Smart, Smith, Thittala, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones

 

Unless otherwise specified, all references in the recommendations to

Appendices, pages and sections relate to version 2 of the Budget-Setting

Report. This can be found via the Council agenda page:

 

https://democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=16&MId=3405&Ver=4

 

It was RESOLVED to agree the Executive’s budget proposals by:

 

25 votes in favour: Councillors Ashton, Baigent, Barnett, Benstead, Blencowe, Bird, Dryden, Gillespie, Green, Herbert, Johnson, Massey, McPherson, McQueen, Moore, O’Reilly, Price, Robertson, Sargeant, Sheil, Smart, Smith, Thittala, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones

 

To 0 votes against

 

To approve the following to:

 

a)   Agree recommendations in respect of:

·        Revenue Pressures shown in Appendix C (a) and Savings shown in Appendix C (b) of the BSR.

·        There are no bids to be funded from External or Earmarked Funds (which would be included as Appendix C (c) of the BSR.

·        Non-Cash Limit items as shown in Appendix C (d) of the BSR.

b)   Confirm the delegation to the Chief Financial Officer (Head of Finance) of the calculation and determination of the Council Tax taxbase (including submission of the National Non-Domestic Rates Forecast Form, NNDR1, for each financial year) which will be set out in Appendix A (a) of the BSR.

c)   Approve the level of Council Tax for 2019/20 as set out in Appendix A (b) [page 56 -57 refers] and Section 4 [page 27-29 refers] of the BSR.

Note that the Police and Crime Commissioner, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fire Authority and Cambridgeshire County Council have issued precepts to the City Council for the year 2019/20.

d)   Delegate to the Head of Finance authority to finalise changes relating to any corporate and/or departmental restructuring and any reallocation of support service and central costs, in accordance with the CIPFA Service Reporting Code of Practice for Local Authorities (SeRCOP).

e)   Approve an additional contribution of £250k to the Cambridge Live Development Plan Earmarked Reserve to include transition funding, proposal NCL4325.

f)    Approve the proposals outlined in Appendix E (a) for inclusion in the Capital Plan, including any additional use of revenue resources required.

g) Approve the revised Capital Plan for the General Fund as set out in Appendix E (d), the Funding as set out in Section 7, page 39 of the BSR.

h) Note the impact of revenue and capital budget approvals and approve the resulting level of reserves to be used to support the budget proposals as set out in the table [Section 8, page 45 refers] of the BSR.

 

 

 

Resolved unanimously to:

 

     i.        Approve the draft Pay Policy Statement 2019/20 attached as Appendix 1 to the officers report.

    ii.        Note the position on the consultation with Unison members on the proposed pay scale changes.

   iii.        Introduce the proposed changes to the Council’s pay scale with effect from April 2019, attached in Appendix 2 of the Officer’s report and to delegate authority to the Head of Human Resources to implement the changes to the Council’s pay scale.

  iv.        Agree the renaming of the previous grade of JNC1 as ‘Head of Service’.

 

Resolved unanimously to accept the officer recommendation to note that:

     i.        The LGO had upheld a complaint relating to a private property.

    ii.        In these circumstances the Head of Legal Practice as the Council’s Monitoring Officer has an obligation to report the findings to Council and that Committee is satisfied with the action that has been taken (set out in Section 4 of the Officer’s report).

 

1) Councillor Barnett to the Executive Councillor for Housing

 

Could the Executive Councillor inform Council as to what is being done to bring empty homes back into use?

 

The Executive Councillor responded the council offered a range of services from providing advice on selling or purchasing properties to helping residents whose properties may be affected by a neighbouring empty property such as being left unsecured.  There was also a loan scheme which aimed to help property owners pay for essential improvements to their property and to support them with letting it.

 

Currently the Council was undertaking a compulsory purchase order (cpo) on an empty property with a possibility that more properties would be considered for enforcement action within the year.  From April 2019, the council could double the amount of council tax on those properties which remained empty.

 

There were currently 551 empty properties in the city which had remained empty for six months or more, of which 107 were new build which had never been occupied.

 

2) Councillor Bird to the Executive Councillor for Communities

 

Can the Executive Councillor update us on the community grants which have been awarded in the recent round?

 

The Executive Councillor responded that community grant funding for 2019/20 totalled £1milion; with £900,000 allocated to a variety community groups.  £300,000 had been awarded to the Citizens Advice Bureau, with funding also granted to those with learning difficulties, to groups encouraging people to get online, lessons in budget cooking and the Cambridge Women Resource Centre. Funding had also been allocated to those working with individuals who had physical or mental health difficulties. £33,000 had been awarded to Centre 33 who worked primarily with young people. The list of grants made for aspiring reading especially with the grant cuts that other local authorities had to make. The next round of Area Committee meetings would also consider further funding for community groups.

 

3) Councillor Martinelli to the Executive Councillor for Streets and Open Spaces

 

Does the Executive Councillor feel that the Environmental Improvement Programme is functioning as efficiently as possible?

 

The Executive Councillor confirmed that she felt the Environmental Improvement Programme was working effectively particularly when taking into account the Central Government’s grant cuts of £5 million pounds. Environmental improvement was taken very seriously by the council and the projects undertaken were very much valued by residents. A rolling programme of works which began in 2004 had allowed flexibility to the scheme to deliver value for money and to speed up project delivery. Over three quarters of 195 projects since 2011 had been completed. There had been issues with those projects which involved footpaths or highways as these could be complicated by working with outside agencies.

 

4) Councillor Massey to the Executive Councillor for Communities

 

Can the Executive Councillor update us on our White Ribbon accreditation?

 

The Executive Councillor explained it was the campaign’s mission to call on all men to take a stand against sexism and gender based violence in all forms.  The Council first achieved accreditation in 2015 and again in 2017, and had just been reaccredited in 2019.  This reflected the hard work that had been carried out by staff from delivering domestic abuse training, information awareness events, and specific events for men and healthy relationship workshops for children.  The Council’s Housing Support Services was also available to women who were escaping domestic abuse.  The Executive Councillor concluded that she would also like to thank the White Ribbon Ambassadors who also helped to spread the message across the city and beyond.

 

5) Councillor McQueen to the Leader

                                                             
How is the council ensuring that local voice of residents in the Cambridge North East area, including in East Chesterton, is heard in the consultation on the action plan consultation?

 

The Leader identified it was important to ensure that residents were given a platform to express their opinions on the Cambridge North East Area Action Plan. There had been a variety of ways that the Council had undertaken to engage, such as newsletters, posters and leaflets, exhibitions and a Local Liaison Forum to ensure that residents had an opportunity to have their say. Discussion had taken place with officers to ensure that a plain english version of the proposals would be produced. The Leader stated the scheme was subject to a long consultation period and as yet there had been no confirmation that the removal of the Water Recycling Centre would be funded.

 

6) Councillor Gehring to the Leader

 

While the Brexit nightmare grows by the day, the information of residents, especially EU citizens, is very limited. What is the Council doing about this?

 

The Leader advised that the Chief Executive had prepared an update on this issue but with no clear direction from Central Government it was difficult to produce sound information to the public. There had been regular dialogue and information within the Council. The Electoral Registration Office had advised that EU citizens would be able to vote in the City Council election and a media release would be published for public information on this matter. 

 

7) Councillor Cantrill to the Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources

 

Does the Executive Councillor agree that many Cambridge residents continue to struggle to make ends meet living in this city?

 

The Executive Councillor advised the Council had produced two anti-poverty strategies, 2014 -2017 & 2017 -2020 which identified extensive poverty in the city tracked through a number of indicators.  The latest available data had shown some improvement in some of the indicators. The weekly earnings of the lowest 10% had increased from £299.70 (2014) to £329 in 2018. The total number of residents claiming housing benefit and council tax support had reduced from 14,477 (2013) to 13,968 in 2017, during this period the population of the city had increased. The proportion of the working age population (16 years to 64 years) which were unemployed reduced from 7.3% (2013) to 5.3% in 2018. However despite these positive moves forward there was still significant inequality in the city with the Centre for Cities Studies highlighting Cambridge as one of the most unequal cities in the UK in 2014 and 2017. The cost of living remained high with the rising cost of housing meaning that those on low incomes were unable to buy their own property. 

 

8) Councillor O’Connell to Executive Councillor for Communities

 

Does the Executive Councillor know when the Clay Farm Centre, including the GPs surgery, will finally be occupied?

 

The Executive Councillor reminded those present that Clay Farm opened in 2018, as did the community rooms and the library with 3,000 visits a month to both facilities. The twenty flats on the third and fourth floors had been leased to the housing association bpha.  Work on the second floor (the location of the GP’s surgery) was still being carried by the main contractor, ISG, undertaking maintenance work. There was currently no handover date with ISG, but this was expected in the next few weeks. Once this had been confirmed officers would work with Trumpington Medical Practice to ensure a quick and efficient move with the doors being opened as soon as possible. The Executive Councillor apologised for the delay but said it was imperative to ensure that the build was carried out to the highest standard expected by the Council and NHS England. 

 

The following oral questions were tabled but owing to the expiry of the period of time permitted, were not covered during the meeting. The Mayor asked Executive Councillors if a written response could be provided to those questions that had not been covered.

 

9) Councillor Todd-Jones to the Executive Councillor for Housing

The Council is proposing to invest £5 million in estate improvement schemes over the next five years. How would this significant investment benefit tenants and leaseholders?

 

10) Councillor Thittala to the Leader
Is he persuaded that the County Council is fully safeguarding the public’s right of access to Castle Mound in the event that Shire Hall is sold?

 

11) Councillor Green to the Executive Councillor for Communities

Can the executive councillor update us on our progress as a council towards resettling 100 refugees in the city and surrounding areas?

 

12) Councillor Tunnacliffe to the Executive Councillor for Housing

Does the executive councillor agree with me that one rough sleeper in Cambridge is one too many?

 

13) Councillor McGerty to the Executive Councillor for Planning and Transport

Can the Executive Councillor for Planning and Transport tell me what effect the supplementary charge before 10.0am has had on car-park usage?

 

14) Councillor Dalzell to the Executive Councillor for Finance & Resources

In November, the 3C Shared ICT services suffered a ‘major disruption’; can the executive Councillor confirm the scale of impacts on City Council services and steps taken since this event to prevent further issues arising in the future?

 

15) Councillor Bick to Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport

What is the expected timetable for the 'call for sites' in the run-up to work on the new Local Plan?

 

16) Councillor Pippas to the Executive Councillor for Housing:

How does the Executive Councillor assess the outcome of the recent annual rough sleeper count in Cambridge?

 

17) Councillor Price to the Leader

What is the leader's view on the Combined Authority's plans to restructure given its huge overspend on staff and overheads?

 

18)Councillor Payne to the Executive Councillor for Communities

Could the Executive Councillor provide an update on the known usage of the Ask for Angela scheme?

 

17)        19) Councillor Baigent to the Leader
Can the leader provide an update on the Council’s call for Councillor Adey to stand down from both his positions on the City Council and the County Council?

 

Secondary Questions

 

1) Councillor Thittala to the Executive Councillor for Environmental Services & City Centre

 

Almost a year ago the licensing committee updated the hackney carriage and private hire vehicle licensing to encourage more ultra-low and zero-emission vehicles in the taxi fleet. Please can the executive councillor update us on what effect these changes have had?

 

2) Councillor Baigent to the Leader

 

What is the Leader’s view on the redevelopment of Montreal Square?

 

 

 

 

Council notes that:

 

a) The recent 2018 IPCC report states that we have just 12 years to act on climate change if global temperature rises are to be kept within the recommended 1.5 degrees Celsius;

 

b) All governments (national, regional and local) have a duty to limit the negative impacts of climate breakdown, and local governments that recognise this should not wait for their national governments to change their policies. UK cities need to commit to aggressive reduction targets and carbon neutrality as quickly as possible;

 

c) Cities are well placed to lead the world in reducing carbon emissions, as their higher density opens up a range of sustainable transport, buildings and energy opportunities;

 

d) The Council’s absolute carbon emissions have reduced by 18.4% since the base line year of 2014/15 –  and approx.. 9% between 2016/17 and 2017/18 (Source: Item 7 section 3.6 of the Environment and Community Scrutiny Committee, 4th October 2018).

 

In light of the above, the Council therefore agrees to:

1. Join other Councils in declaring a Climate Emergency;

2. Call on the UK Government to provide the necessary powers and resources to make local action on climate change easier (as set out in 3 and 5 below);

3. Aim to make the Cambridge carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions;

4. In light of 3. above, request Scrutiny to urgently review and make recommendations on revisions to the Council’s 2016-2021 Climate Change Strategy in light of the recent IPCC report and the latest Cambridge City Council data (published October 2018) in order to achieve the revised target;

5. Continue to work with partners across the city and region to deliver widespread carbon reductions.

Councillor Cantrill proposed and Councillor Martinelli seconded the following motion:

 

Council notes that:

 

a) The recent 2018 IPCC report states that we have just 12 years to act on climate change if global temperature rises are to be kept within the recommended 1.5 degrees Celsius;

 

b) All governments (national, regional and local) have a duty to limit the negative impacts of climate breakdown, and local governments that recognise this should not wait for their national governments to change their policies. UK cities need to commit to aggressive reduction targets and carbon neutrality as quickly as possible;

 

c) Cities are well placed to lead the world in reducing carbon emissions, as their higher density opens up a range of sustainable transport, buildings and energy opportunities;

 

d) The Council’s absolute carbon emissions have reduced by 18.4% since the base line year of 2014/15 –  and approx.. 9% between 2016/17 and 2017/18 (Source: Item 7 section 3.6 of the Environment and Community Scrutiny Committee, 4th October 2018).

 

In light of the above, the Council therefore agrees to:

1. Join other Councils in declaring a Climate Emergency;

2. Call on the UK Government to provide the necessary powers and resources to make local action on climate change easier (as set out in 3 and 5 below);

3. Aim to make the Cambridge carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions;

4. In light of 3. above, request Scrutiny to urgently review and make recommendations on revisions to the Council’s 2016-2021 Climate Change Strategy in light of the recent IPCC report and the latest Cambridge City Council data (published October 2018) in order to achieve the revised target;

5. Continue to work with partners across the city and region to deliver widespread carbon reductions.

 

Councillor Moore proposed and Councillor Thornburrow seconded the following amendment to motion (additional text underlined and deleted text struck through).

 

Council notes that:

 

a) The recent 2018 IPCC report states that we have just 12 years to act on climate change if global temperature rises are to be kept within the recommended 1.5 degrees Celsius;

 

b) All governments (national, regional and local) have a duty to limit the negative impacts of climate breakdown, and local governments that recognise this should not wait for their national governments to change their policies. UK cities need to commit to aggressive reduction targets and carbon neutrality as quickly as possible;

 

c) Cities are well placed to lead the world in reducing carbon emissions, as their higher density opens up a range of sustainable transport, buildings and energy opportunities;

 

d) The Council’s absolute carbon emissions have reduced by 18.4% since the base line year of 2014/15 –  and approx.. 9% between 2016/17 and 2017/18 (Source: Item 7 section 3.6 of the Environment and Community Scrutiny Committee, 4th October 2018).

 

In light of the above, the Council therefore agrees to:

1. Join other Councils in declaring a Climate Emergency;

2. Call on the UK Government to provide the necessary powers and resources to make local action on climate change easier (as set out in 3 and 5 below);

3. Aim to make the Cambridge carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions;

4. In light of 3. above, request Scrutiny to urgently review and make recommendations on revisions to the Council’s 2016-2021 Climate Change Strategy in light of the recent IPCC report and the latest Cambridge City Council data (published October 2018) in order to achieve the revised target;

5. Continue to work with partners across the city and region to deliver widespread carbon reductions.

 

This council notes that:

· Human activities are changing our planet and the need for everyone to take action on climate change is more urgent and immediate than ever.

· According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report in 2018, human activities are estimated to have caused approximately 1°C of global warming above preindustrial levels, with a likely range of 0.8°C to 1.2°C.

· The Paris Agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by “limiting global warming to well below 2˚C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5˚C”.

· In order to prevent further global warming of more than 1.5°C, the IPCC states that this would require global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ‘net zero’ around 2050 and that they would need to peak within 12 years (by 2030) to increase the chances of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

· Cambridge City Council set an aspiration in its Climate Change Strategy 2016-21 for Cambridge to achieve zero carbon status by 2050.

· The latest statistics produced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) shows total emissions in Cambridge have declined steadily over the last 11 years. From 2005-2016, total emissions from the city have reduced by almost 30%.

· Emission reductions in the UK, including Cambridge, since 2012 have primarily come from the decarbonisation of electricity generation in the power sector at a national level, which is shifting progressively from fossil fuels to low carbon and renewable generation.

· To maintain the current rate of emissions reduction and reach zero carbon by 2050, further changes to national policy and infrastructure would be required in all sectors, including industry and commercial, transport and domestic sources.

· Emissions would need to reduce much more rapidly to reach net zero carbon by an earlier date, requiring rapid and widescale changes in energy production, supply and usage at the national level.

· The latest statistics for the source of Cambridge’s carbon dioxide emissions are for 2016 and are; 49% from industry and commercial, 31% from domestic sources and 20% from transport.

· Anglia Ruskin University and Cambridge University have also set targets to be zero carbon by 2050.

· We welcome the new building control regulations requiring all new buildings to be nearly zero carbon from 31 December 2020 but note the damage done by scrapping Labour’s original 2016 deadline.

· Through the Council’s Carbon Management Plan 2016-21 we have taken action to reduce our own emissions, which account for just 1.2% of the city’s overall emissions. We have already achieved the target of reducing council emissions by 15% by March 2021, and we are on the way to achieving the aspirational target of reducing them by 20% by that date.

 

We welcome the petition we have received and thank the over two thousand Cambridge residents who signed it, calling on us to declare a climate emergency.

 

We are proud that hundreds of local children and young people also marched through Cambridge last Friday as part of “Youth Strike 4 Climate” calling for urgent action to protect the environment from destruction and to halt climate change.

 

This council declares a climate emergency and we:

· Will continue to reduce the council’s building and fleet emissions through developing and investing in carbon reduction projects and we will update our Carbon Management Plan regularly.

· Will continue to support residents and businesses in Cambridge to reduce their emissions using the powers and funding currently available to the council.

· Will establish a Cambridge Climate Charter calling on all organisations, businesses and individuals in the city to each establish their own Carbon Management Plans and to commit to reducing their carbon emissions which will enable us to achieve our city’s net carbon-zero aspiration.

· Will continue to work with the Greater Cambridge Partnership and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority to promote sustainable transport.

· Will establish a Clean Air Zone in Cambridge.

We want and we need to be doing more to tackle this climate emergency, and know that with Government leadership (that is currently absent) we could be achieving zero carbon far sooner.

 

We join the young people of Cambridge and Britain in “demand(ing) that the Government finally declare a climate emergency, and immediately begin to prioritise the protection of future life on Earth, taking active steps to achieve climate justice, reduce plastic and cut carbon emissions and in demand(ing) that the Government recognises that (the young)… have the biggest stake in the future (and)… will be the most affected by their inaction.”

 

To enable Cambridge and the rest of the UK to reach net zero carbon by 2030, we call on government, industry and regulators to implement the necessary changes with funding, transformed national infrastructure,

policy, new technologies and legislation, including:

o Invest in clean, efficient renewable energy and end CO2 emissions from electricity generation.

o Ban fracking.

o Invest in energy-efficient public transport across the country, including the introduction of electric buses.

o End the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from

2030 and make cleaner vehicles more affordable and accessible.

o Establish a long-term nationwide Warm Homes strategy with adequate investment for energy-saving and energy-efficiency measures.

o Support a sustainable food revolution ensuring sustainable,

fresh food for all whilst reducing food waste.

o Develop a strategy for all UK businesses to be net zero carbon by 2030.

 

This will reduce the damage caused by climate change and will also create a strong green economy with new jobs, less waste and with sustainable growth, creating a safer, green, clean and healthy world for our children and grandchildren to inherit.

 

On a show of hands the amendment was carried by 25 votes to 13.

 

Resolved (unanimously):

 

This council notes that:

· Human activities are changing our planet and the need for everyone to take action on climate change is more urgent and immediate than ever.

· According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report in 2018, human activities are estimated to have caused approximately 1°C of global warming above preindustrial levels, with a likely range of 0.8°C to 1.2°C.

· The Paris Agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by “limiting global warming to well below 2˚C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5˚C”.

· In order to prevent further global warming of more than 1.5°C, the IPCC states that this would require global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ‘net zero’ around 2050 and that they would need to peak within 12 years (by 2030) to increase the chances of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

· Cambridge City Council set an aspiration in its Climate Change Strategy 2016-21 for Cambridge to achieve zero carbon status by 2050.

· The latest statistics produced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) shows total emissions in Cambridge have declined steadily over the last 11 years. From 2005-2016, total emissions from the city have reduced by almost 30%.

· Emission reductions in the UK, including Cambridge, since 2012 have primarily come from the decarbonisation of electricity generation in the power sector at a national level, which is shifting progressively from fossil fuels to low carbon and renewable generation.

· To maintain the current rate of emissions reduction and reach zero carbon by 2050, further changes to national policy and infrastructure would be required in all sectors, including industry and commercial, transport and domestic sources.

· Emissions would need to reduce much more rapidly to reach net zero carbon by an earlier date, requiring rapid and widescale changes in energy production, supply and usage at the national level.

· The latest statistics for the source of Cambridge’s carbon dioxide emissions are for 2016 and are; 49% from industry and commercial, 31% from domestic sources and 20% from transport.

· Anglia Ruskin University and Cambridge University have also set targets to be zero carbon by 2050.

· We welcome the new building control regulations requiring all new buildings to be nearly zero carbon from 31 December 2020 but note the damage done by scrapping Labour’s original 2016 deadline.

· Through the Council’s Carbon Management Plan 2016-21 we have taken action to reduce our own emissions, which account for just 1.2% of the city’s overall emissions. We have already achieved the target of reducing council emissions by 15% by March 2021, and we are on the way to achieving the aspirational target of reducing them by 20% by that date.

 

We welcome the petition we have received and thank the over two thousand Cambridge residents who signed it, calling on us to declare a climate emergency.

 

We are proud that hundreds of local children and young people also marched through Cambridge last Friday as part of “Youth Strike 4 Climate” calling for urgent action to protect the environment from destruction and to halt climate change.

 

This council declares a climate emergency and we:

· Will continue to reduce the council’s building and fleet emissions through developing and investing in carbon reduction projects and we will update our Carbon Management Plan regularly.

· Will continue to support residents and businesses in Cambridge to reduce their emissions using the powers and funding currently available to the council.

· Will establish a Cambridge Climate Charter calling on all organisations, businesses and individuals in the city to each establish their own Carbon Management Plans and to commit to reducing their carbon emissions which will enable us to achieve our city’s net carbon-zero aspiration.

· Will continue to work with the Greater Cambridge Partnership and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority to promote sustainable transport.

· Will establish a Clean Air Zone in Cambridge.

We want and we need to be doing more to tackle this climate emergency, and know that with Government leadership (that is currently absent) we could be achieving zero carbon far sooner.

 

We join the young people of Cambridge and Britain in “demand(ing) that the Government finally declare a climate emergency, and immediately begin to prioritise the protection of future life on Earth, taking active steps to achieve climate justice, reduce plastic and cut carbon emissions and in demand(ing) that the Government recognises that (the young)… have the biggest stake in the future (and)… will be the most affected by their inaction.”

 

To enable Cambridge and the rest of the UK to reach net zero carbon by 2030, we call on government, industry and regulators to implement the necessary changes with funding, transformed national infrastructure,

policy, new technologies and legislation, including:

o Invest in clean, efficient renewable energy and end CO2 emissions from electricity generation.

o Ban fracking.

o Invest in energy-efficient public transport across the country, including the introduction of electric buses.

o End the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from

2030 and make cleaner vehicles more affordable and accessible.

o Establish a long-term nationwide Warm Homes strategy with adequate investment for energy-saving and energy-efficiency measures.

o Support a sustainable food revolution ensuring sustainable,

fresh food for all whilst reducing food waste.

o Develop a strategy for all UK businesses to be net zero carbon by 2030.

 

This will reduce the damage caused by climate change and will also create a strong green economy with new jobs, less waste and with sustainable growth, creating a safer, green, clean and healthy world for our children and grandchildren to inherit.

 

Council welcomes the emergency protection provided to the Cambridge Live programme and its customers, given the projected financial losses which jeopardised its future solvency, by returning it in-house to the council. It appreciates the work of all those involved in implementing the decision.

 

Recognising the substantial potential public cost of this rescue and the eventual need to decide whether Cambridge Live should in future continue in-house or be re-launched as an independent organisation (as is successful in many other places), it is important to properly understand what went wrong in Cambridge Live and in the Council’s relationship with it, both as its founding sponsor and major partner and customer.

 

We therefore request officers to recommend to the June meeting of the Environment & Community Scrutiny Committee terms of reference for a cross party members’ Inquiry addressing these issues, commencing in September.

Councillor McGerty proposed and Councillor Dalzell seconded the following motion:

 

Council welcomes the emergency protection provided to the Cambridge Live programme and its customers, given the projected financial losses which jeopardised its future solvency, by returning it in-house to the council. It appreciates the work of all those involved in implementing the decision.

 

Recognising the substantial potential public cost of this rescue and the eventual need to decide whether Cambridge Live should in future continue in-house or be re-launched as an independent organisation (as is successful in many other places), it is important to properly understand what went wrong in Cambridge Live and in the Council’s relationship with it, both as its founding sponsor and major partner and customer.

 

We therefore request officers to recommend to the June meeting of the Environment & Community Scrutiny Committee terms of reference for a cross party members’ Inquiry addressing these issues, commencing in September.

 

Councillor Smith proposed and Councillor Johnson seconded the following amendment to motion (additional text underlined, deleted text struck through).

 

Council welcomes the emergency protection provided to the Cambridge Live programme and its customers, given the projected financial losses which jeopardised its future solvency, by returning it in-house to the council. It appreciates the cross-party work of all those involved in implementing the decision and particularly wishes to acknowledge the work of the current Cambridge Live Board.

 

Recognising Council recognises the substantial potential public cost of this rescue, and the role of the Council as founding sponsor and major customer. It is therefore important to understand how far the Council could have done anything differently, either in setup or relationship management, and what key learning points arise. And the eventual need to decide whether Cambridge Live should in future continue in house or be re launched as an independent organisation (as is successful in many other places), it is important to properly understand what went wrong in Cambridge Live and in the Council’s relationship with it, both as its founding sponsor and major partner and customer.  

 

We therefore request officers to recommend to the June meeting of the Environment & Community Scrutiny Committee terms of reference for an independent review of these issues to report back to a subsequent scrutiny committee.

 

On a show of hands the amendment was carried by 21 votes to 12.

 

Resolved (by 32 votes to 0):

 

Council welcomes the emergency protection provided to the Cambridge Live programme and its customers, given the projected financial losses which jeopardised its future solvency, by returning it in-house to the council. It appreciates the cross-party work of all those involved in implementing the decision and particularly wishes to acknowledge the work of the current Cambridge Live Board.

 

Council recognises the substantial potential public cost of this rescue, and the role of the Council as founding sponsor and major customer. It is therefore important to understand how far the Council could have done anything differently, either in setup or relationship management, and what key learning points arise.

 

We therefore request officers to recommend to the June meeting of the Environment & Community Scrutiny Committee terms of reference for an independent review of these issues to report back to a subsequent scrutiny committee.

 

This council notes that:

·        Human activities are changing our planet and the need for everyone to take action on climate change is more urgent and immediate than ever.

·        According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report in 2018, human activities are estimated to have caused approximately 1°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels, with a likely range of 0.8°C to 1.2°C.

·        The Paris Agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by “limiting global warming to well below 2˚C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5˚C”.

·        In order to prevent further global warming of more than 1.5°C, the IPCC states that this would require global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ‘net zero’ around 2050 and that they would need to peak within 12 years (by 2030) to increase the chances of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

·        Cambridge City Council set an aspiration in its Climate Change Strategy 2016-21 for Cambridge to achieve zero carbon status by 2050.

·        The latest statistics produced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) shows total emissions in Cambridge have declined steadily over the last 11 years. From 2005-2016, total emissions from the city have reduced by almost 30%.

·        Emission reductions in the UK, including Cambridge, since 2012 have primarily come from the decarbonisation of electricity generation in the power sector at a national level, which is shifting progressively from fossil fuels to low carbon and renewable generation.

·        To maintain the current rate of emissions reduction and reach zero carbon by 2050, further changes to national policy and infrastructure would be required in all sectors, including industry and commercial, transport and domestic sources.

·        Emissions would need to reduce much more rapidly to reach net zero carbon by an earlier date, requiring rapid and widescale changes in energy production, supply and usage at the national level.

·        The latest statistics for the source of Cambridge’s carbon dioxide emissions are for 2016 and are; 49% from industry and commercial, 31% from domestic sources and 20% from transport.

·        Anglia Ruskin University and Cambridge University have also set targets to be zero carbon by 2050.

·        We welcome the new building control regulations requiring all new buildings to be nearly zero carbon from 31 December 2020 but note the damage done by scrapping Labour’s original 2016 deadline.

·        Through the Council’s Carbon Management Plan 2016-21 we have taken action to reduce our own emissions, which account for just 1.2% of the city’s overall emissions. We have already achieved the target of reducing council emissions by 15% by March 2021, and we are on the way to achieving the aspirational target of reducing them by 20% by that date.

 

This council declares a climate emergency and we: 

·        Will continue to reduce the council’s building and fleet emissions through developing and investing in carbon reduction projects and we will update  ...  view the full agenda text for item 19/10/CNLc

The Special Urgent Decision was noted.

Members were asked to note the written question and answer that had been placed in the information pack and circulated around the Chamber.

 

A copy could be viewed at the following link:

https://democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/documents/b12385/Information%20Pack%2021st-Feb-2019%2018.00%20Council.pdf?T=9