Agenda and minutes

Councillor Merlita Bryan (unwell)

Councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark (unwell)

Councillor Nicola Heaton (personal)

Councillor Phil Jackson (personal)

Councillor Sue Johnson (personal)

Councillor Carole McCulloch (personal)

Councillor Toby Neal (unwell)

Councillor Audra Wynter (unwell)

None

Water usage

CL asked the following question of the Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment and Democratic Services:

Whilst the Council is making great steps to become carbon neutral with schemes such as solar panels on operational buildings, what is the Council doing to reduce its water usage? Would it consider installing waterless urinals at all operational buildings saving millions of gallons of water annually, not to mention the revenue savings? A worthy capital expense.

Councillor Sally Longford replied as follows:

Thank you Lord Mayor, and thank you to the citizen for this interesting question about water usage in the Council, and whether we would consider installing waterless urinals. Water is a vital resource, which needs to be managed carefully. Drinking water has a carbon footprint of approximately 0.6 grams of C02 per litre, so water reduction across our estate goes hand in hand with our ambition to become carbon neutral by 2028.

The Council has recently had a water and sewerage self-supply licence approved by the regulator Ofwat and market operator MOSL. We have embarked on this in order to have greater control over our water usage, and to save money for the Council. We will benefit from accurate data on how much water is used at our different sites, and be able to reduce consumption.

We are introducing a Water Efficiency Loan Scheme within the Council, which will fund projects in different departments to introduce water efficiency, and the savings will be used to pay back the loans. The first projects include installing water saving devices in taps, showers and toilets. We are looking at the feasibility of using greywater systems, where wastewater is re-used, as well as looking at rainwater harvesting across Council buildings.

As a member of the Innovation Gateway, the Council has access to trials of innovative technology, and we hope that this will help us to maximise savings in consumption. We will also be launching a behavioural change campaign to encourage staff members to make changes in both their work and personal lives. This includes ensuring bowls are used whilst washing up, taking shorter showers and switching taps off whilst brushing their teeth.

I am afraid I am not an expert in the use of urinals, of any sort, let alone waterless ones. I understand that HSG UK have already installed a system called ureco, a flow-controlling device, at 40 of our highest consuming sites. Although the system is not waterless it does ensure the urinals now only flush 4 times per day, and it is estimated this saves approximately 300,000 litres of fresh water per year per urinal system. A feasibility study into waterless urinals may well be carried out in due course.

My son lives in Cape Town, where they have suffered from serious drought in the last years, brought about by changing climate and poor management of the water supply. We need to guard against taking the availability of water for granted. As the climate changes, it is likely that we  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

Councillor Salma Mumtaz submitted a petition on behalf of residents of Towlsons Croft requesting fencing between Towlsons Croft and David Lane.

The minutes of the Ordinary meeting of Council held on 8 July 2019 were confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

The minutes of the Extraordinary meeting of Council held on 8 July 2019 were confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

Alison Michalska, Deputy Chief Executive, reported the following:

50 years of friendship between Nottingham and Karlsruhe

In July the City celebrated 50 years of friendship with Karlsruhe in Germany.  This milestone was marked by a number of events held in both Nottingham and Karlsruhe.  Many of these were organised and hosted by the wider Nottingham community, including the universities and businesses.  The City presented Karlsruhe with a gift of the ‘Green Man of Sherwood Forest’ robin statue.

Gold Leisure Safety Award

The Sport and Leisure Team, which manages the City’s eight leisure centres, has been awarded the Gold Leisure Safety Award in recognition of its practices and achievements in ensuring customer safety.  The Award was received as part of the 2019 Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Health and Safety Awards.

Former Councillor Margaret Roberts

It is with sadness that I report the death of former Councillor Margaret Roberts on 15 June.  Margaret represented the then Byron Ward between 1974 and 1976.

Councillor David Mellen spoke in tribute to former Councillor Margaret Roberts and a minute’s silence was held.

None

Councillor Allowances

Councillor Kevin Clarke asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:

Would the Leader of the Council be willing to sign, as well as encourage his Labour colleagues to sign, a Charter put forward by the Nottingham Independents that redresses the balance between serving ourselves and the people of Nottingham through ‘the scrapping of all Special Allowances for Non-Portfolio Holders and a restriction on the salaries of Portfolio Holders that their wage be no more than the median City of Nottingham salary (£23,920 per year [House of Commons Library 2018])?

Councillor David Mellen replied as follows:

Thank you Lord Mayor, and can I thank Councillor Clarke for his question. I believe that Nottingham is well served when it has a Council that reflects the people it serves. It is right that members of this Council, who work hard to deliver the ambitious targets for our City, and give considerable time and effort in doing so, receive an allowance. Many of my colleagues in the Chamber will be familiar with Nottingham’s reputation at the centre of the Chartist movement in the 19^th Century, but it was the people’s charter of 1838 that called for payment for members, enabling tradesmen, working men, and other persons of modest means to leave or interrupt their livelihood to attend to the interests of the nation.

Of course, we don’t set the Special Responsibility Allowances here in this Chamber, the level of those is set by an Independent Remuneration Panel, who rightly consider the additional time and responsibility the roles bring with them, to decide what level of remuneration that the Councillors should receive to reflect their different roles. Being a Councillor is not just a pastime or a hobby for our members, we are passionate about delivering on promises we have made, and we think that committing our lives to these ambitious targets is worth doing.

Lord Mayor, it is not the remuneration of Councillors which has led to the financial challenges currently facing the Council. We’ve had years of a Conservative-led government, committed to austerity and reducing local spending, whilst hitting poor communities and big Northern and Midland cities the hardest. So no, I will not be signing the charter introduced by the Nottingham Independents, I do not believe that people are choosing to become Councillors to serve themselves, as the question implies, but to serve the people they represent and the work for the success of our city.

Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Councillor Kevin Clarke asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:

Does the Leader of the Council agree with me that the Independent Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry Report damns our organisation, putting it to shame, and that given the Report’s findings the Council needs to act immediately to ensure it rectifies the damage – how does he propose doing this?

Councillor David Mellen replied as follows:

Thank you Lord Mayor and can I thank Councillor Clarke for this question. It’s absolutely right  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

Report of the Leader of the Council

Councillor David Mellen, Leader of the Council, submitted a report detailing decisions taken under procedures that include exemption from Overview and Scrutiny Call In Procedure Rules and Special Urgency Access to Information Rules.

RESOLVED to note

(1)  the urgent decisions (exempt from call in):

(2)  there were no decisions taken under the Special Urgency Procedure to be reported.

Report of the Chair of the Audit Committee

Councillor Steve Battlemuch, Chair of the Audit Committee, presented the report proposing non-executive amendments to the Council’s Constitution. 

RESOLVED to

(1)  amend Part 1 of the Constitution as detailed in appendix A of the report;

(2)  amend Delegation 155 within the Scheme of Delegation as detailed in appendix B of the report;

(3)  amend the Access to Information Procedure Rules as detailed in appendix C of the report;

(4)  amend the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules as detailed in appendix D of the report;

(5)  adopt a revised Standing Orders as detailed in appendix E of the report;

(6)  amend the Councillor and Co-opted Member Codes of Conduct as detailed in appendix F of the report; and

(7)  note that the Members Allowances Scheme was updated in Version 7.27 of the Constitution to reflect changes to the levels of the basic allowance and special responsibility allowances.

Motion in the name of Councillor Georgia Power:

Food poverty in the UK is a growing issue with the Trussell Trust issuing a record 1.6 million foodbank parcels in 2018/19, a 75% increase compared to five years ago. In the East Midlands 75,659 people received foodbank parcels during that period. Food banks in Nottingham see many issues including debt, money management and mental health. Welfare changes and stagnant wages are two of the many reasons however, meaning people do not have enough money to pay for the essentials.In Nottingham, food poverty amongst children is a particular concern especially during the school holidays.

A small scale operation was trialled last year over 3 weeks that helped provide 600 lunches per week to children at activities across the City. This provision is essential and, for some children, it was the first food they had had on the day. This year thanks to the commitment of dozens of volunteers the Council was able to expand this. More still needs to be done though with nearly 25,148 children in Nottingham at risk of falling into holiday hunger during the summer holidays according to End Child Poverty.

This council therefore resolves to:

• Support the work of foodbanks across the city and work to ensure they are sustainable where appropriate.
• Support social eating schemes such as the Bestop Kitchen at Bestwood Park Church and Parkgate in Clifton and advertise existing schemes through AskLion
• Promote welfare rights and employment services to help tackle causes of poverty.
• Introduce Community Surgeries, bringing together a range of services and agencies to support local residents like the ones that have been piloted at Bestwood Park Church. Following the success of this scheme we will roll out the scheme to food banks across the city, where they are wanted and needed. 
• Thank all volunteers of food banks for the support they provide to some of Nottingham’s most in need.
• Tackle holiday hunger by supporting school holiday lunch clubs in our most deprived neighbourhoods and campaign to extend free school meals to all primary school children by 2025
• Thank all the volunteers and organisers for their on their work on holiday hunger project over the summer holidays.
• Continue to campaign against Government cuts which have led to an increase in the number of Nottingham citizens requiring a food bank voucher. 

Motion proposed by Councillor Georgia Power, seconded by Councillor Salma Mumtaz:

Food poverty in the UK is a growing issue with the Trussell Trust issuing a record 1.6 million foodbank parcels in 2018/19, a 75% increase compared to five years ago. In the East Midlands 75,659 people received foodbank parcels during that period. Food banks in Nottingham see many issues including debt, money management and mental health. Welfare changes and stagnant wages are two of the many reasons however, meaning people do not have enough money to pay for the essentials.In Nottingham, food poverty amongst children is a particular concern especially during the school holidays.

A small scale operation was trialled last year over 3 weeks that helped provide 600 lunches per week to children at activities across the City. This provision is essential and, for some children, it was the first food they had had on the day. This year thanks to the commitment of dozens of volunteers the Council was able to expand this. More still needs to be done though with nearly 25,148 children in Nottingham at risk of falling into holiday hunger during the summer holidays according to End Child Poverty.

This Council therefore resolves to:

·  support the work of foodbanks across the City and work to ensure they are sustainable where appropriate;

·  support social eating schemes such as the Bestop Kitchen at Bestwood Park Church and Parkgate in Clifton and advertise existing schemes through AskLion;

·  promote welfare rights and employment services to help tackle causes of poverty;

·  introduce Community Surgeries, bringing together a range of services and agencies to support local residents like the ones that have been piloted at Bestwood Park Church. Following the success of this scheme we will roll out the scheme to food banks across the City, where they are wanted and needed;

·  thank all volunteers of food banks for the support they provide to some of Nottingham’s most in need;

·  tackle holiday hunger by supporting school holiday lunch clubs in our most deprived neighbourhoods and campaign to extend free school meals to all primary school children by 2025;

·  thank all the volunteers and organisers for their work on the holiday hunger project over the summer holidays;

·  continue to campaign against Government cuts which have led to an increase in the number of Nottingham citizens requiring a food bank voucher. 

RESOLVED to carry the motion.

Motion in the name of Councillor Sam Webster:

This council believes that public services should be delivered by public servants for the public good where possible. Putting public service first improves local services, saves local tax payers money and increases democratic accountability.

Nottingham has a proud history of public ownership and public service. From buses to street cleansing, sustainable energy generation to school dinners, we’ve led on public service. 

The council welcomes the publication of The Labour Party’s ‘Democratising Local Public Services: A Plan for Twenty-First Century Insourcing’ which provides a plan to roll back decades of orthodoxy that has seen many local councils forced into outsourcing the delivery of key public services to profit making private companies.

This council resolves to promote and prioritise public ownership, public service delivery and public accountability.

Motion proposed by Councillor Sam Webster, seconded by Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis:

This Council believes that public services should be delivered by public servants for the public good where possible.  Putting public service first improves local services, saves local tax payers money and increases democratic accountability.

Nottingham has a proud history of public ownership and public service. From buses to street cleansing, sustainable energy generation to school dinners, we’ve led on public service.  

The Council welcomes the publication of The Labour Party’s ‘Democratising Local Public Services: A Plan for Twenty-First Century Insourcing’ which provides a plan toroll back decades of orthodoxy that has seen many local councils forced into outsourcing the delivery of key public services to profit making private companies.

This Council resolves to promote and prioritise public ownership, public service delivery and public accountability.

RESOLVED to carry the motion.

To note that Councillor Leslie Ayoola has been appointed to replace Councillor Audrey Dinnall as a member of the Planning Committee.

The following committee membership change was noted:

(1)  Councillor Leslie Ayoola has been appointed to replace Councillor Audrey Dinnall as a member of the Planning Committee.