Agenda

To receive and consider the attached report and recommendations (to follow) from the Cabinet meeting held on 1 December.

To receive and consider the attached report and recommendations (to follow) from the Cabinet meeting held on 1 December.

Following the Full Council meeting of 21 July 2020, the Council agreed to change Standing Order (32(d)), meaning all Notices of Motion of the agenda  will automatically be dealt with at this meeting, thereby dispensing with a three minute presentation from the proposer and subsequent vote to enable its consideration.

Proposed by Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson

Seconded by Councillor Dave Ashmore 

Over the last 40 years Britain has spearheaded efforts to improve animal welfare in the farming industry across Europe. Leadership from Britain has seen the abolition of cruel animal practices such as veal pens and battery cages for chickens. This has benefited animals across Europe.

Now that Britain has left the European Union we again have a chance to push better animal welfare in countries where we may import food from. We can do that by insisting that if countries want to export animal products to Britain that their standards of animal welfare are as high as those in this country.  British consumers need to be protected from hormone filled beef and chlorine washed chicken.

High animal welfare standards in countries wishing to sell food to Britain will also mean that British farmers are not commercially disadvantaged by cheap, low animal welfare, imports of food from countries that do not have our animal welfare standards. Global Britain has a chance to influence the world for the better.

To support animal welfare the City Council therefore publicly supports the National Farmers Union petition on Food Standards. It calls on our MPs to support this line, regrets the decision of the MP for Portsmouth North (Penny Mordaunt) not to support proposals to support British farmers and animal welfare, and thanks the MP for Portsmouth South (Stephen Morgan) for joining MPs from the Labour, Lib Dems, Scottish and Welsh nationalists and the Green Party for doing so.

Proposed by Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson

Seconded by Councillor Matthew Winnington

Over the last nine months communities across the UK have come to rely on the exceptional work council workers have put in to protect and support local residents during the pandemic.

Just as in the NHS care workers, and others, have put their own health on the line to support and protect people suffering from Coronavirus, so have council workers. We have come to understand that key workers are a much wider group of people than we used to think they were.

In Portsmouth the City Council has created an isolation unit to take people coming out of hospital and to care for them until they are free from the virus, before they return to their own care homes. This is to break the cycle of infection between hospitals and care homes of elderly and vulnerable residents. This unit is staffed completely by council employees, who are now facing a pay freeze imposed by the Government.

This council rejects the idea of a pay freeze on public sector workers whose efforts to give care and support during the pandemic have been superhuman.

Any plan that does not give teachers, teaching assistants, care workers and others who have been providing vital help and support during this virus, would be very unfair. It would be even more unfair when set against the reality of friends and contacts of Ministers being awarded multi million pound Government contracts with no competition. It cannot be right that friends of Ministers get rich on Government contracts but those providing care and support to the most vulnerable in society are facing a pay freeze.

Proposed by Councillor Donna Jones

Seconded by Councillor Simon Bosher

'Supporting Jobs, supporting people, supporting the region, supporting communities and supporting sustainability' (pledge of Southampton Airport).

Southampton Airport is an important regional airport in the UK. It connects people and businesses in the South and South West of England with Europe and other parts of the United Kingdom. The airport employed and supported 1000 jobs (pre COVID) and helped sustain thousands more jobs in: hotels, taxi trade, cruise industry, car hire and many more industries. 400 people have already lost their jobs and the remaining roles are now at threat. The pandemic of 2020 has led to the main carrier, Flybe going into administration and as a consequence the future of the airport is seriously at risk of closure.

A planning application has been submitted to Eastleigh Borough Council for an extension to the runway. This is due for determination in the next few weeks. The runway extension is 164 metres long and will be contained within the boundary of the airport; Southampton has the second shortest runway in the UK. It is essential for our regional, sub-regional and Portsmouth economy that this airport remains open. There are a number of jobs in the defence sector that rely heavily on the airport with thousands of people commuting from Portsmouth dockyard to Rosyth and other military sites across the UK weekly.

The extension to the runway is not about expanding the airport, it's about protecting and maintaining the one we have. The regional airport is vital not only to maintain and support our local economy, but also to ensure we are able to attract some of the best and most skilled businesses to this region in the coming years. With Brexit and now COVID, we as local leaders, need to do more now than we have before, to stand up for the businesses and the people we represent.

This expansion to the runway is vital for the future certainty of this hugely important airport. Well known airlines are desperate to fly from Southampton, but they can't due to the length of the short runway. The extension will bring the airport up to a standard required by modern fleets. Boeing 737's and Airbus 320's will be able to fly to destinations further afield. This will in-turn mean more passengers, making these flights commercially viable for the first time, creating more jobs and securing the future of the airport.

It is essential that we also protect the environment and make sure that as community leaders we make sensible decisions and support the most sensible schemes. That’s why it's important that we acknowledge Southampton is a 'carbon-neutral airport', with excellent public transport links. If the airport closes, for every person from Portsmouth that has to drive to Gatwick to fly to the South of France, an additional 22kg of carbon would be burnt. The main ecological cost of the extension to the runway, is the loss of the grass. This will be mitigated by new planting on the site. No trees need felling and there will be no increase in the number of flights, with the 2018 flight numbers expected to be reached by 2034 and no breach of safe air quality levels.

Therefore, Portsmouth City Council requests that political Leaders write a joint letter to Eastleigh Borough Council's planning committee making a submission in support of the extension to the runway at Southampton Airport.

Proposed by Councillor Terry Norton

Seconded by Councillor Robert New

Portsmouth is a proud military city. The people of Portsmouth and the City Council have always embraced our military history and heritage, honouring and celebrating the part Portsmouth has played in defending the realm and people across the world.

Following the actions of Extinction Rebellion during the annual Armistice Day event in London just last month, where they defaced the Cenotaph and brought wide reaching criticism on their disrespectful and inappropriate actions, Portsmouth City Council places on record its disgust at the actions by their organisation. Furthermore, the council notes the Police designation and the Home Office submission of Extinction Rebellion as an extremist ideology.

The Guardian newspaper reported earlier this year, counter-terrorism police placed ‘XR on a list of extremist ideologies that should be reported to the authorities running the Prevent programme, which aims to catch those at risk of committing atrocities’

Portsmouth City Council regrets that Cllr Lynne Stagg failed to consult with taxis drivers and road users' groups during the summer of 2020, but instead consulted and met with Extinction Rebellion and associates ahead of making decisions to close road spaces/highways. Therefore, the council calls on the Cabinet not to include Extinction Rebellion as a recognised consultee on council projects in the future.

Proposed by Councillor Matthew Atkins

Seconded by Councillor Robert New

The Royal Navy has played a major part in our city and our country’s history. It is a matter of great pride to Portsmouth’s citizens that we are not only ‘The Home of the Royal Navy’ but also home to the two aircraft carriers: HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, the largest warships ever built by the British Government.

Portsmouth’s economy is heavily dependent on the Royal Navy and the many skilled jobs in the private sector paid for by the government through defence contracts. Companies like BAE Systems and Babcock employ thousands of people in the city and the surrounding area.

This council has a history of supporting the Royal Navy and fighting for Portsmouth’s Dockyard. Cllr Vernon-Jackson, as Leader of the city council, was key in putting the case for Portsmouth Naval Base in the 2013 Strategic Defence Review. Cllr Donna Jones has fought for the Type 31 contract to be signed and the ships to be base-ported in Portsmouth following the decommissioning of the Type 23s, as well as putting the case for Portsmouth in the mini-strategic defence review of 2015.

Our future as a city is dependent on the jobs and the skills the dockyard brings. The government has recently announced the largest increase in defence spending in 30 years. An additional £16.5Bn will be spent on defence of the UK over the next 4 years on top of a regular annual increase of 0.5% above inflation. The commitment to increase the Royal Navy surface fleet was a key part of the announcement including the confirmation of government’s ambition to deliver a new Type 32 class of frigate bringing the total number of frigates to 25 by the year 2035. As well as increasing the budget the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has made a commitment that these new ships will be built in Britain. This will continue to secure the future of our nation, as well as the future of the Naval Base in Portsmouth.

Therefore this council welcomes:

1.            The increase in the defence budget announced by the government

2.            The confirmation of the new Type 31 frigate class being delivered

3.            The future plans for the new Type 32 frigates.

4.            And places on record its thanks to the government for the commitment to defence spending over the next 4 years.

Proposed by Councillor Graham Heaney

Seconded by Councillor George Fielding

Up and down our country millions of people have lost their jobs or substantial amounts of income due to Covid-19. These cuts will increase pressure on already tight household budgets.

The coronavirus crisis has shone a light on poverty in Portsmouth. Despite the efforts of many across our city and in the local voluntary and community sector, this winter, food banks are expecting to give out an emergency parcel every 9 seconds. The Trussell Trust have also said cutting Universal Credit could increase already skyrocketing food bank use by a further 10%.

In that context, it is unthinkable for the national government to take £20 a week, or £1,000 a year, from Portsmouth’s poorest households as unemployment continues to rise.

Research from the Resolution Foundation has shown this cut would see the poorest households lose 7 per cent of their disposable income.

This Council therefore resolves to:

·         urge the Government not to cut Universal Credit by £20 a week for families; and;

·         ask Group Leaders to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to extend that approach to supporting Britain’s families and maintaining the £20 rise to Universal Credit to help people in Portsmouth;

·         asks Cabinet to continue to work alongside local voluntary and community sector organisations to identify the impact of Covid-19 on the most vulnerable in our city and take steps to mitigate this.

Proposed by Councillor Terry Norton

Seconded by Councillor Scott Payter-Harris

This council is committed to taking efforts to improve local government transparency and accountability.

The council regrets that controversial projects such as the redevelopment of the pyramids have been presented as "done deals" the decisions having already been made outside the construct of Public or Council Member consultation and or scrutiny

Council notes,

That where political decisions have had to be made the administration has consistently neglected to consult with the wider membership. 

Improving transparency and public engagement must be a priority for this council.

Opposition councillors have been denied access to information on cases such as the St James' Hospital bid.

Council resolves,

The city council call upon the administration to work cross party and remove the Culture of secrecy that currently exists.

Proposed by Councillor Cal Corkery

Seconded by Councillor Graham Heaney

The Union Learning Fund (ULF) was established in 1998 to promote activity by trade unions in support of the objective of creating a learning society. Its primary aim was to develop the capacity of trade unions and Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) to work with employers, employees and learning providers to encourage greater take up of learning in the workplace.

The scope of the ULF has gradually broadened since 1998, as union capacity has grown and government strategic objectives have changed and unions have been encouraged to work on improving access to work and to work in the community.

The ULF is managed and administered by Unionlearn, the TUC’s Learning and Skills Organisation under an agreement with the Department for Education (DfE) which directs the level and type of learning activity that should be supported by the Fund.

Unionlearn’s main functions are to support unions to:

•     Become effective learning organisations and broker learning opportunities for their members.

•     Improve union engagement with and influence on learning and skills policy.

•     Engage effectively with employers, employees and providers to help support the most disadvantaged learners in the labour market; focusing on supporting maths and English learners and the take-up of high quality apprenticeships and traineeships that will contribute to the Government’s commitment to support the delivery of 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020, as well as promoting the Apprenticeship Levy and new employer-led apprenticeship standards.

•     Engage with employers to support them in developing new apprenticeship standards to replace frameworks.

•     Provide support and advice to apprentices and trainees and help resolve any issues.

•     Engage effectively with employers and other stakeholders to support the learning and skills developments required to tackle poverty and disadvantage and promote employment and the growth of the economy.

•     Engage effectively with employers to develop learning and skills strategies that address both organisational and individual skills needs.

•     Evaluate and provide an evidence base for the unique contribution that unions make to improving economic and social mobility through learning and skills.

In early October, the TUC received a letter from the Department for Education saying that ministers have decided to end the Union Learning Fund from March 2021. This is an astonishing and counterproductive decision – last year more than 200,000 learners got new skills through union learning

Only unions, through their network of reps, have been able to reach these workers and help them get into learning. In the middle of the deepest recession of our lifetimes, this is not the time to cut skills and training.  The government must reverse this decision – and keep learners learning.

Full Council recognises the excellent results that have been achieved by the Union Learning fund:

•     68% of learners with no previous qualifications gained a qualification

•     68% of employers say unions are particularly effective at inspiring reluctant learners to engage in training and development

•     70% of learners would not have taken part in learning with union support

•     Every £1 invested in the Union Learning Fund generated a total economic return of £12.24 (2017-2018 project)

Full Council therefore believes that the government should continue to invest in the Union Learning Fund and requests the Chief Executive write to the Secretary of State for Education stating this view.

Proposed by Councillor Luke Stubbs

Seconded by Councillor Donna Jones

The City Council puts on record its thanks for the work done by the HIVE and by the third sector more widely. While council would like to provide greater financial help, it recognises the financial constraints it operates under and accepts that finding more money is probably unrealistic.

Council notes that local authorities can have a role in fundraising and that Portsmouth has a good record in this regard, with its local lottery having raised hundreds of thousands of pounds since its launch in 2016. The London Boroughs of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea both promote Community Contribution schemes when collecting the council tax. These seek additional voluntary contributions from the most expensive properties to support council aligned charities. While both boroughs have found the percentage take up rate has been low, the mix of properties in those boroughs means the schemes are worthwhile. This approach would not work in Portsmouth.

Council however considers that promoting giving to the HIVE when collecting the council tax is an issue worth exploring. This could take the form of an insert in council tax bills or through a link prominent on the website for people paying online. It acknowledges the potential risks and accepts that any paper insert must not push envelopes over the maximum size for economy postage. It also recognises the legal constraints on the tax collection process. This notwithstanding, it asks the Cabinet to consider options for promoting donating to the HIVE as part of next year’s tax collection process.