Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Ashton, Levien and Martinelli.

 

Councillors Flaubert, Glasberg, Nethsingha and Sheil joined the meeting online.

 

Name	Item	Interest
Councillor Baigent	All	Personal: Member of Cambridge Cycling Campaign.

 

Item covered in 15 February 2024 minutes.

“I would now like to make a statement on the Humanitarian appeal for the people of Gaza and has been agreed by all Group Leaders.

 

The situation in Gaza is deteriorating day by day. The death and destruction taking place is having a devastating impact on innocent civilians, particularly women and children. A ground offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza will only lead to further unnecessary loss of life.

 

I know many in Cambridge have been deeply and personally affected. The events since October have been truly awful and I extend my sympathies to all those who have been directly and indirectly affected and their families.

 

We can help people in Gaza by donating to one of the following organisations that provide medical aid and humanitarian relief:

·       United Nations Relief and Works Agency

·       United Nations Population Fund

·       Medecins Sans Frontiers

·       The Red Cross 

·       Palestine Red Crescent

 

As Mayor and on behalf of the city, I have made two statements about the situation in Gaza, (17^th Oct 2023 and 21^st Feb 2024), and continue our calls for an immediate ceasefire, the return of hostages, unfettered access for humanitarian aid, peace in the Middle East, international support for a two-State solution and the upholding of international law.

 

Cambridge is proud to be a City of Sanctuary that upholds and respects the human rights and dignity of all peoples.

 

The council seeks to promote civility between all members of our city community, including those who feel an association with parties to conflict elsewhere in the world. 

 

There is no place for hate in Cambridge. If you are aware of hate crimes, you can report them to the police on 999 or 101, to Stop Hate UK or to the City Council’s Racial Harassment Service on 01223 457967.”

Item covered in 15 February 2024 minutes.

Item covered in 15 February 2024 minutes.

Item covered in 15 February 2024 minutes.

Item covered in 15 February 2024 minutes.

The report relates to information which following a public interest test the public is likely to be excluded by virtue of paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 ie. Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

 

Under paragraph 4.2.1 of the Council Procedure Rules, the Mayor used her discretion to alter the order of the agenda items. The Hartree item was moved to the end of the meeting. However, for ease of the reader, these minutes will follow the order of the published agenda.

 

Members resolved to exclude members of the public from the meeting on the grounds that, if they were present, there would be disclosure to them of information defined as exempt from publication by virtue of paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

Councillors Baigent and S. Smith left the Committee before this item was considered and did not return.

 

Councillors Porrer, Smart and Thornburrow withdrew from the meeting for this item and did not participate in the discussion or decision making.

 

The Committee received a report regarding funding for the Hartree development.

 

Resolved by 25 votes to 3 to accept the Officer recommendations.

Part of appendix G to the report contains exempt information during which the public is likely to be excluded from the meeting subject to determination by the Council following consideration of a public interest test. This exclusion would be made under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Item covered in 15 February 2024 minutes.

Recommendation from Committee to follow.

Item covered in 15 February 2024 minutes.

Item covered in 15 February 2024 minutes.

1) Councillor Payne to the Executive Councillor for Planning, Building Control, and Infrastructure

 

Do you think a Development Corporation for Cambridge is a good idea?

 

The Leader responded:

      i.          ‘No’ in principle, but it depended on circumstances in reality. Would look at the details of the proposal about the problems the Development Corporation was trying to fix if an application was made (one had not been). Queried if the Development Corporation would be fit for purpose.

     ii.          Expected the Democratic Leaders of the City Council and South Cambs District Council to be involved in the Development Corporation. Not members appointed by Central Government. Residents needed a voice.

 

2) Councillor McPherson to the Executive Councillor for Community Wealth Building and Community Safety

 

Can the Exec Cllr for Community Wealth Building and Community Safety update the Council on the work of the Cambridge BID?

 

The Executive Councillor responded:

      i.          Cambridge BID (Business Improvement District) had undertaken several initiatives and activities this year to support local businesses and enhance the city for residents and visitors.

     ii.          Areas of work included:

a.    Purple Flag and Night-time economy – the BID were a key partner in Purple Flag Group, which brings together the Cambridge BID, city council, police, local business, Cambridge Businesses Against Crime, voluntary services and higher education organisations to help keep Cambridge safe, particularly in relation to the night-time economy. This included providing funding for Taxi Marshalls to help people to get home safely, street pastors to help people in distress and a communication network run by the police and CAMBAC for venues to alert each other about suspicious behaviour when people were moving between venues. As a result Cambridge had retained Purple Flag status since 2019.

b.    Street Cleaning: The BID continued to fund additional street cleaning and a rapid response service to help keep the city centre streets clean, deal with graffiti and fly tipping.

c.    Events: The Cambridge BID had organized a range of events and arts and cultural activities to bring vibrancy to the city. These include the organising and funding the Cambridge Christmas Lights and switch on events, support for the ‘Out of the Ordinary’ street arts festival last summer and the upcoming Standing Tall Sculpture Trail which followed the successful Cows About Cambridge in 2021 and will offer families a free and fun way to explore the city and help raise money for the BREAK charity which supported young care leavers. It also had a grant funding pot which supported locally organised events throughout the year.

 

3) Councillor Pounds to the Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources

 

Can the Executive Councillor explain how the Government's confirmed Local Government Finance Settlement impacts our Council and residents?

 

The Executive Councillor responded:

      i.          The City Council needed certainty to deliver services.

     ii.          It had received the annual settlement late so had to plan how to delivery services and balance the budget without financial certainty.

   iii.          Changes to Central Government funding made it hard to deliver services. It was hard to delivery services due to Central Government austerity.

 

4) Councillor Griffin (on behalf of Councillor Ashton) to the Leader

 

Can you update Council regarding progress on Cambridge 2040?

 

The Leader responded:

      i.          Michael Gove made an announcement in the Sunday Times July 2023 about supercharging Cambridge to make it the science capital of Europe by building new homes.

     ii.          Funding was announced for a multi-agency group to address water scarcity and boost local planning capacity (£9m announced for this so far which could assist schemes that had stalled from 2018 Local Plan). Support was also offered from Homes England for North East Cambridge development.

   iii.          Michael Gove met Council Leaders in December 2023 then made an announcement in the paper without first liaising with South Cambs and City Council Leaders.

   iv.          City Officers were working with civil servants.

    v.          There was a good working relationship between South Cambs and City Council Leaders plus Peter Freeman (Chair of Homes England).

   vi.          Was not aware what would be included in the Budget Speech. Undertook to update Council in future.

 

5) Councillor Divkovic to the Executive Councillor for Housing & Homelessness

 

In August 2023, the Council was reaccredited by the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance. What does the accreditation signify?

 

The Executive Councillor responded:

      i.          The Council was first accredited by DAHA in 2019. The accreditation was recognised as a national benchmark for how housing providers should respond to domestic abuse, given that they were in a unique position to identify it, prevent it and provide help for people suffering its effects.

     ii.          To achieve its re-accreditation the Council had to meet new, more rigorous DAHA criteria to demonstrate the quality of service it provided to those seeking housing advice, and supporting tenants, residents and council staff who may be experiencing domestic abuse.

   iii.          As part of the accreditation process DAHA assessors inspected the council’s procedures and case files, and interviewed staff.

   iv.          The assessors praised the Council’s work, including:

a.    The quality of risk assessments completed.

b.    Demonstrating a proactive approach to identifying signs of domestic abuse in people approaching the council for housing support, plus other residents and council staff.

c.    Providing a trauma informed, non-judgemental and believing response.

d.    Partnering with other agencies to tailor the service provided according to survivors’ individual needs.

    v.          The reaccreditation demonstrated the Council’s commitment to supporting residents who experience all forms of domestic abuse. The Council would continue to make improvements to  services based on feedback from survivors.

 

6) Councillor Nestor to the Executive Councillor for Communities

 

In 2023, the Cambridge Folk Festival was awarded Greener Festival Outstanding Certification. As work is going into promoting and arranging the 2024 festival, could the Executive Councillor for communities let us know what work is the Council doing to build on this certification?

 

The Executive Councillor responded:

      i.          “Outstanding” means the Council had (at the festival):

a.    Reduced greenhouse gas emissions and its carbon footprint.

b.    Minimised water use.

c.    Excellent travel, transport and food waste policies.

     ii.          To build on this in 2024 the Council aimed to:

a.    Further reduce water consumption by using compost toilets.

b.    Encourage re-use of equipment through a repair café to discourage broken/wonky items going to landfill.

c.    Introduce a share initiative around camping equipment to reduce the amount of items brough onto site.

d.    Encourage people to bring their own crockery and cutlery to reduce waste.

e.    Encourage people to use less water.

f.      ‘Sew Positive’ would be present to reduce waste and increase recycling.

 

7) Councillor Lee to the Leader

 

In light of a recent Housing Scrutiny Committee where the Executive Councillor not only failed to answer a member of the public’s supplementary question, but instead answered someone else’s question, how can the Leader of the Council ensure that when the public asks the Council questions, the public are listened to, respected and have their questions answered in a coherent way?

 

The Leader responded:

      i.          All Executive Councillors were dedicated and committed to their portfolio.

     ii.          The error was unintentional and the Executive Councillor apologised.

   iii.          The Executive Councillor listened to, and advocated for, her residents.

   iv.          If the questioner wished to resubmit the same question in writing, a response would be given again in writing or informally as the questioner wished.

 

8) Councillor Todd-Jones to the Executive Councillor for Planning, Building Control and Infrastructure

 

How is the Design Code trial progressing in the North of the city, and how might it help improve the planning process in the long run?

 

The Executive Councillor responded:

      i.          The Design Code trial was progressing well. There were three phases to the project.

     ii.          A consultation had been undertaken.

   iii.          There had been a design review of the Code jointly between Cambridge City Council,  Greater Cambridge Design Review Panel and the Cambridgeshire Quality Panel.

   iv.          It took six months to prepare the Code.

    v.          The Planning Service would learn from this experience for other master planning activity.

 

9) Councillor Varkey to the Executive Councillor for Open Spaces and City Services

 

Could the Executive Councillor for Open Spaces and City Services explain whether (and if so, how) the County Council's recent decision to reinstate herbicide spraying will affect our ambition not to use herbicides in our regular operations?

 

The Executive Councillor responded:

      i.          On 23 January the County Council Highways Committee reviewed their earlier decision and reinstated herbicide spraying.

     ii.          The City Council was running a trial not to use weedkillers.

   iii.          The City Council hoped to work with the County Council to encourage the elimination of herbicide use.

   iv.          The County Council said they would not use chemicals/herbicides in areas which had alternative plans. The County Council recognised the City Council was one such area as it had a Herbicide Reduction Plan ie alternatives to herbicides.

 

A full list of oral questions including those not asked during the meeting can be found in the Information Pack, which is published on the meeting webpage Agenda for Council on Thursday, 29th February, 2024, 6.00 pm - Cambridge Council.

This Council notes that:

 

-       care experienced people face significant barriers that impact on them throughout their lives. One in five care leavers feels lonely most or all of the time (Baker et al. 2019, p. 6), care leavers make up 25% of Britain’s homeless population (Mackie and Thomas 2014, p. 27), and adults who have spent time in care are far more likely than their peers to die prematurely (Sacker et al. 2021, p. 33).

-       despite the resilience of many care experienced people, society too often does not take their needs into account. Josh Macalister wrote in The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care that “The disadvantage faced by the care experienced community should be the civil rights issue of our time” (Macalister 2022, p. 24).

-       care experienced people often face direct and indirect discrimination, and need to be protected against both. This discrimination occurs in many areas of life, including housing, health, education, relationships, employment and criminal justice.

-       care experienced people may encounter inconsistent support in different geographical areas.

-       councillors should be champions of care experienced people and challenge the negative attitudes and prejudices that exist in all aspects of society.

-       the Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies, such as councils, to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation of people with protected characteristics.

-       Current Care Leaver provisions end at age 25, whereas recognition of care experience as a protected characteristic would mean that care experience would be taken into account for a lifetime – in the same way as the discrimination and hardships resulting from care experience last a lifetime.

-       Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority have passed motions recognising care experience as if it were a protected characteristic, on 16 May 2023 and 29 November 2023 respectively.

 

 

This Council therefore resolves that:

 

-       it recognises that care experienced people are a group who are likely to face discrimination.

-       it recognises that councils have a duty to put the needs of disadvantaged people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration.

-       future decisions, services and policies made and adopted by this Council should be assessed through Equality Impact Assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience, alongside those who formally have a protected characteristic.

-       in its delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty, this Council will include care experience in the publication and review of Equality Objectives and the annual publication of information relating to people who have a protected characteristic in services and employment.

-       this Council will treat care experience as if it were a protected characteristic.

-       this Council formally calls upon all other bodies, including other local authorities in Cambridgeshire, to treat care experience as a protected characteristic until such time as this recognition may be introduced by legislation.

-       this Council will continue proactively seeking out and listening to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies.

 

Notes (not part  ...  view the full agenda text for item 24/29/CNL

Cambridge City Council provides training on certain protected characteristics. This helps councillors to provide the best support we can to residents and make the best policy choices.

 

However, we don’t provide this training on all protected characteristics.

 

The purpose of this motion is to correct that omission and also extend cover to care leavers who do not yet enjoy statutory protection under the Equality Act 2010

 

This council reaffirms its commitment to supporting all its residents to the best of its ability.

 

In particular, it notes the importance of ensuring appropriate training for councillors so that they can provide the best support to all residents.

It notes that to date training has been provided on aspects of some but not all protected characteristics or on care leaver status.

 

In particular, no training has been provided for councillors to help them support those residents who have the protected characteristics of age and disability. Yet both of these characteristics have a significant impact on how residents use the services we provide as a council. 

 

This council commits to introducing appropriate disability training for councillors in 2024.

 

Appropriate disability training should as a minimum cover:

 

The social model of disability

Hidden disabilities

The stigma attached to disability

The disability services provided by the council and its partner agencies..

An understanding of how attitudes to disability can prevent residents seeking appropriate help.

 

The council also commits to reviewing the training on protected characteristics that it provides with group leaders to provide the most appropriate programme for councillors so that as comprehensive training as possible can be provided within the time and budgetary constraints applicable.

 

End of Active Motion

 

Background Notes (not part of active motion):

 

The Equality Act 2010 introduced 9 protected characteristics and made it illegal to discriminate against them. It imposes a particular duty of care on public bodies.

 

The current protected characteristics are:

·       Age

·       gender reassignment

·       being married or in a civil partnership

·       being pregnant or on maternity leave

·       disability

·       race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin

·       religion or belief

·       sex

·       sexual orientation

 

There is a current proposal to give care leavers protected characteristics (see Labour motion)

 

Green Group wishes to thank officers of the Local Government Association and Disability Rights UK as well as a number of individuals for their help and support in putting this motion together. Any errors or omissions are of course our own.

 

 

Councillor Bennett proposed and Councillor Tong seconded the following motion: 

 

Cambridge City Council provides training on certain protected characteristics. This helps councillors to provide the best support we can to residents and make the best policy choices.

 

However, we don’t provide this training on all protected characteristics.

 

The purpose of this motion is to correct that omission and also extend cover to care leavers who do not yet enjoy statutory protection under the Equality Act 2010

 

This council reaffirms its commitment to supporting all its residents to the best of its ability.

 

In particular, it notes the importance of ensuring appropriate training for councillors so that they can provide the best support to all residents.

 

It notes that to date training has been provided on aspects of some but not all protected characteristics or on care leaver status.

 

In particular, no training has been provided for councillors to help them support those residents who have the protected characteristics of age and disability. Yet both of these characteristics have a significant impact on how residents use the services we provide as a council.

 

This council commits to introducing appropriate disability training for councillors in 2024.

 

Appropriate disability training should as a minimum cover:

-        The social model of disability.

-        Hidden disabilities.

-        The stigma attached to disability.

-        The disability services provided by the council and its partner agencies.

-        An understanding of how attitudes to disability can prevent residents seeking appropriate help.

 

The council also commits to reviewing the training on protected characteristics that it provides with group leaders to provide the most appropriate programme for councillors so that as comprehensive training as possible can be provided within the time and budgetary constraints applicable.

 

Resolved (unanimously of all physically present in the Chamber [34 Councillors]) to support the motion.

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

Members were asked to note the decision.