Agenda

Deputations by members of the public may be made on any item where a decision is going to be taken. The request should be made in writing to the contact officer (james.harris@portsmouthcc.gov.uk) by 12 noon of the working day before the meeting (so Monday 18 March 2024 for this meeting), and must include the purpose of the deputation (for example, for or against the recommendations). Email requests are accepted.

To receive and consider the attached report and recommendation from Cabinet held on 5 March 2024.

To receive and consider the attached report and recommendations from Cabinet held on 5 March 2024.

To receive and consider the attached report and recommendations from Cabinet held on 5 March 2024.

To receive and consider the attached report from Employment Committee held on 11 March 2024 (recommendation to follow).

In accordance with Standing Orders, all Notices of Motions on the agenda will, subject to the 6 month rule, 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 Hugh Mason

Seconded by: Councillor Suzy Horton

It is 20 years since Portsmouth was awarded the status of a ‘Fairtrade City’ (5 March 2004). The Council recognises the contribution which Fairtrade has and is making towards ending exploitation in global supply chains and thereby the endemic poverty experienced in many poorer countries.

The Council wishes to maintain its status as a Fairtrade City and thanks the group of volunteers who work hard to submit regular evidence to ensure that the city maintains its Fairtrade status.

The Council therefore reaffirms its commitment to using Fairtrade products at council events and as widely as possible in the Civic Offices and other public buildings which it operates. It reaffirms its intention to encourage the use of Fairtrade products throughout the city and to promote appreciation of the importance of Fairtrade.

Proposed by: Councillor Suzy Horton

Seconded by: Councillor Chris Attwell

Since 2019 Portsmouth has been recognised as a City of Sanctuary and is proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing persecution and violence. This Council recognises that people fleeing violence and persecution are not only entitled to claim asylum under the law, but that they also deserve to be always treated with dignity, and to receive our welcome and support.  

As a city with a rich history of welcoming and supporting those fleeing violence and persecution, we want to build on our proud tradition as a City of Sanctuary by committing this council to becoming a recognised ‘Council of Sanctuary’ through its actions and policies, and with its partners in all sectors.

We recognise that people fleeing violence and persecution flourish and contribute to their new country when given comprehensive, and well-co-ordinated support within their new host communities. The national network of City of Sanctuary Councils offers this kind of forward-looking approach to the welfare of people moving into the country while also enabling community cohesion between new and existing communities. 

Local authorities across the political spectrum have been awarded ‘Council of Sanctuary’ status by following simple steps.

The city already has been awarded Libraries of Sanctuary status and Portsmouth schools have been or are in the process of being awarded Schools of Sanctuary status so becoming a Council of Sanctuary would strengthen and further those community connections.

This Council acknowledges the importance of being an active member within a network of local authorities that are working towards a vision of welcome for all, the sharing of innovative practices and the opportunity to speak nationally with one voice on matters that affect local communities.

This Council requests that Cabinet should consider the implications of Portsmouth City Council becoming a Council of Sanctuary including taking the following steps:

(i)    Continuing to work with Portsmouth City of Sanctuary and other partners to support those seeking sanctuary in our city;

(ii)   Join the local authority network. In joining the network, we are committing to continuing our work towards the Council of Sanctuary Award and are agreeing to sign up as a Supporting Organisation;  

(iii)Produce an Action Plan, which focuses on learning and embedding the principles of City of Sanctuary and sharing good news stories; and  

(iv)Then, when ready, apply for formal recognition. 

Proposed by: Councillor George Fielding

Seconded by: Councillor Asghar Shah

This Council notes with great concern the severe and ongoing shortage of NHS dentistry provision in the city of Portsmouth.  The lack of accessible and timely dental care is a matter of significant public concern, with serious implications for the oral health and well-being of our community.

Acknowledging that oral health is an integral part of overall health, this Council recognises the importance of ensuring that residents have access to affordable and quality dental services through the NHS.  However, it is well known that a large number of residents in Portsmouth are experiencing difficulties in securing NHS dental appointments, leading to a situation where preventative and necessary dental care is being delayed or neglected.

This Council further acknowledges the potential impact of delayed dental care on the overall health of our residents, as untreated dental issues can lead to more severe health complications.  We are deeply concerned about the potential consequences for vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and those with limited financial means.

This Council also notes that Portsmouth has some of the worst rates for the number of dentists for the population size in the UK.  Indeed, the cataclysmic drop in the number of dentists has been previously reported back by the NHS at the end of March 2021 as just 90 dentists operating in the city marking a 26 per cent fall compared to the previous year.¹

In this context, we draw attention to the remarks of our city MP, Stephen Morgan, who has highlighted the severity of the issue.  Mr Morgan has stated:

“The shortage of NHS dentistry provision in Portsmouth is reaching crisis levels, with constituents struggling to secure basic dental appointments.  This is a matter of public health concern that demands urgent attention and intervention.”

This Council welcomes the recent announcement by NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight partnering with the charity Dentaid that a new mobile dental service will be available outside specific centres in Portsmouth, Havant and Southampton followed by the Isle of Wight in March 2024 with other areas of Hampshire to be covered later this year.²  Whilst this is indeed welcomed, it is only a short-term plan with funding only for 18 months whereas what is needed is long-term solutions to help alleviate pressures on existing services and provide the capacity in the local area for quality NHS dentistry for residents across Portsmouth.

Notwithstanding the above, and recognising the continued gravity of this situation, this Council resolves to:

      i.         Express its strong dissatisfaction with the current state of NHS dentistry provision in Portsmouth and the impact it is having on residents;

     ii.         Request the Cabinet Member for Community Well-being, Health and Care to call on the national and regional health authorities to address the shortage of NHS dental services in Portsmouth as a matter of urgency;

    iii.         Request the Cabinet Member for Community Well-being, Health and Care and the Health Overview Scrutiny Panel to collaborate with local health and dental professionals, community representatives, and NHS authorities to explore interim solutions, such as the establishment of temporary dental clinics and outreach programmes, to provide immediate relief to residents in need;

   iv.         Ask the Leader of the Council along with all Group Leaders to write jointly to call on the Secretary of State for Health and Care to outline the specific actions and timelines for addressing the shortage of NHS dentistry provision in Portsmouth; and

     v.         Advocate for a long-term, sustainable plan to ensure that all residents in Portsmouth have equitable access to affordable and quality dental care through the NHS.

This Council urges all members to unite in supporting this motion, recognising the severity of the issue and the need for swift and effective action to address the critical lack of NHS dentistry provision in Portsmouth.

^1.         https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/health/portsmouth-records-a-cataclysmic-drop-in-number-of-nhs-dentists-3534285

^2.         https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/2024/02/22/portsmouth-councillors-welcome-news-of-mobile-dentist-unit-to-provide-much-needed-appointments-for-residents/

Proposed by: Councillor Charlotte Gerada

Seconded by: Councillor George Fielding

This council notes:

In most wards in the city, residents raise concerns about street cleanliness, fly-tipping, graffiti, bins left outside of properties, smashed glass on pavements and dog fouling that make our streets unpleasant, unsafe and inaccessible.

In particular, disabled residents, parents with pushchairs and older people find it difficult to walk down roads safely because of these issues.

The condition of our streets affects how residents feel about where they live - many don’t feel pride in their city anymore because of how unclean it presently is.

The council has been undertaking a campaign to encourage residents on streets with flat-fronted houses to take in their bins after refuse collections, but so far, this has had limited success.

This council believes:

The cleaner our streets are, the more likely they are to be kept clean.

As a council and a city, we are responsible for making Portsmouth as accessible as possible, especially to disabled people. We have a duty of care to ensure streets are clear of obstacles to ensure those with access needs can get from A to B.

Pride in Portsmouth streets is really important - if our roads are clean, attractive and easy to navigate, more people will opt to use forms of active travel, rather than by vehicle.

This council resolves:

      i.         To ask the Transport, Environment and Community Safety Scrutiny Panel to conduct a review into hotspots of anti-social behaviour and street cleanliness, with a view to provide recommendations to Cabinet on how improvements can be achieved;

     ii.         To ask Cabinet to look into alternative measures to ensure residents remove their bins from the street and to report back the outcome of the different measures to Full Council;

    iii.         To ask the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services to engage with Colas to see if more proactive measures can be taken to improve street cleanliness; and

   iv.         To ask the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services to conduct a review of graffiti hotspots across the city, to target council services to make improvements in the worst affected areas.

Proposed by: Councillor Yinka Adeniran

Seconded by:Councillor Charlotte Gerada

This council notes:

·       International Women’s Day on March 8^th celebrated the many achievements of women and has a call to action to accelerate gender equality globally.

·       That women have been disproportionately impacted by austerity and the cost-of-living crisis, partly as a result of the gender pay gap and the unequal caring duties placed on them. These impacts are amplified when they intersect with class, disability, ethnicity and sexuality. Despite there being more women than men living in Portsmouth, women are paid less than men and are less likely to be in employment.^[1] 70% of the Council’s workforce is female and a large proportion of these are employed in the lower pay bands, with fewer at senior levels.^[2] An estimated 1.5 million women in the UK are economically inactive due to long-term sickness compared to 1.3 million men, a gap of 200,000 more women.^[3]

·       100 years after women first won the right to vote, there has been virtually no progress on women’s representation in local government.^[4]

·       That violence against women and girls remains a big concern and welcomes recent initiatives to make our city safer and our work more effective in reducing gender inequality (such as Safer Portsmouth, White Ribbon and the forthcoming VAWG Strategy).

·       Portsmouth’s 2022-30 Health and Wellbeing Strategy recognises the importance of delivering fair and equitable services to all of our communities using a joint strategic approach.

This council believes:

·       While recognising the significant progress made on gender equality, more joined up action is needed for women to have full and equal rights.

·       It is vital that local government and leadership in the Council better reflects the communities we represent and is inclusive in order to have the best skills and make the best possible decisions.

• Central government has failed to provide sustainable funding for the services that women depend on, but this should not prevent this Council from making a commitment to reduce inequalities using cost effective measures.

This council resolves:

      i.         To ask Cabinet to deliver the proposed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy within the next six months so that a greater awareness of gender equality can be embedded throughout the Council;

     ii.         To ask Cabinet to review and, if needed, update staff training, to equip all staff members with the language and tools needed to actively promote diversity and inclusivity;

    iii.         To ask Cabinet to support women and their families to access the benefits that they are entitled to, by ensuring that Council services, schools, healthcare sector and HIVE are communicating advice and information effectively in a joined-up way;

   iv.         To ask the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care to commit to exploring initiatives that aim to address health inequalities for women, allowing them to remain or return to economic activity, and improve their quality of life; and

     v.         To ask Cabinet to continue to prioritise funding to deliver services that support families, children and care-givers, including the establishment of the Women’s Health Hub in Portsmouth.

Proposed by: Councillor Raymond Dent

Seconded by:Councillor George Madgwick

Portsmouth City Council prides itself on its forward-thinking Green Policy. It's actively promoted how we aim to plant trees and provide more greening to our city. Meanwhile every year we councillors alone contribute to the destruction of more than 50 trees. This needs to stop.

In the last 12 months each councillor has received an average of roughly 10,000 sheets of paper across all our roles. From each tree around 8,000 sheets of paper are produced meaning that for every elected councillor in Portsmouth we are directly receiving over a tree per year per person in needless paperwork.

Not only that it is estimated this has roughly cost £6,000 in printing and paper costs. That doesn't include the electricity generation required. The human paid hours and the carbon footprint of producing, distributing and storing the paper and ink. Furthermore, it doesn't include potential costs for stamps and carbon footprint in delivering these documents to some of our homes.

There is a solution. For a small investment, that is calculated to be cost neutral within two years, we can invest in technology that already exists and is used by other councils in the country. Specialized digital pads can be used that immediately upload documents to us, we can amend, edit and write notes on them. We can sign documents & make amendments to motions all at the press of a few buttons. A single charge, on some devices, can last 7 days and they are incredibly energy efficient.

Swapping to new technology, just for councillors alone, would:

·       Save over 50 Trees per annum;

·       Cut our Carbon Footprint down;

·       Save on the environmental impact of ink;

·       Promote and support learning disabilities, with auto spell check, colour blind correctness and screen reader capabilities; and

·       Save the taxpayer money

Full Council requests that the administration takes a serious look into the viability and practicality of switching us over to these devices and put an end to wasting paper needlessly.

Proposed by: Councillor Matthew Atkins

Seconded by: Councillor Simon Bosher

This council believes that Portsmouth taxpayers should not be subsidising theatre provision in Hastings.

Full Council asks the Leader and relevant Cabinet Member, Cllr Pitt, to publish a report as soon as practicable to assure the residents of Portsmouth that Portsmouth City Council arts funding will be spent only on the arts in Portsmouth and not put at risk by the Guildhall Trust's officer time, legal obligations and resources being diverted to this new project.

Proposed by Councillor Matthew Atkins

Seconded by Councillor Simon Bosher

This council believes that the Liberal Democrat Administration has failed to deliver the major regeneration and housing projects Portsmouth desperately needs.

This council notes that the Major Projects Board hasn't met since 2021.

As a council, we recommend that:

(i)         The Scrutiny Management Panel should be asked to produce a report on steps the City Council can take to ensure planned major regeneration schemes can be financed and investigate prioritising those major projects that will best serve our regeneration aims as a city; and

(ii)        The Cabinet should devote more time to considering how to encourage major schemes and long-term planning in the city.

Proposed by Councillor Graham Heaney

Seconded by Councillor George Fielding

The extent of the crisis in the funding of local government is now clear.

Evidence from surveys of local authorities by organisations including the Local Government Association (1), the County Councils network (2) and the Local government Information Unit (3) show the extent to which a wide range of local authorities are concerned that they will not be able to produce a balanced budget in future years.

This means that a range of generally well managed local authorities face the prospect of having to declare, through issuing a section 114 report, that further emergency measures are required to balance their budgets. In our area Hampshire County Council have warned that they face this prospect and Southampton city Council have requested permission from government to use ‘capitalisation’ to ease their budget situation. While Portsmouth is not in this situation the recent council budget meeting needed savings of £2 million for 2024/25 and a further projected deficit of £3 million over the next three financial years which will have to be met.

The immediate causes of this situation include increasing demands for services in adult social care, children’s services, and the cost of temporary accommodation for the homeless. General inflation, affecting supplies and employment, energy costs in recent years plus rising interest rates have added to the pressures.

Local government also had significant cuts to its funding during the five years from 2010 when the coalition government implemented its austerity programme. In Portsmouth the council lost 30% (£44m) of its central government funding between 2011/12 and 2014/15. The Conservative government also continued to reduce funding for local government.

The challenge for the government is to deal with the developing crisis and this is likely to require some immediate financial support, but local government funding must be put on a more sustainable footing.

The City Council therefore calls on the government to:

(i)         Move away from annual financial settlements and introduce multi-year financial settlements for local government;

(ii)        End the delay in progressing the fair funding review and ensure that any new funding system is transparent;

(iii)       Ensure that measures of deprivation are included in any new funding formula for local government;

(iv)      Review and then develop proposals to reform the system of Council Tax as a main source of local government funding. This should address the imbalance in council tax raised between different local authorities and the regressive impact on taxpayers of the current system; and

(v)        End the reliance on councils having to competitively bid for significant new resources and new initiatives.

While a few local authorities have mismanaged their financial situation this does not explain the extent of the current crisis in funding for local government and we reject attempts to sow division by trying to score partisan points against other councils now struggling to balance their budgets.

The motion if passed to be sent to the Secretary of State for DLUHC and the two Portsmouth MP’s.

(1) Section 114 fear for almost 1 in 5 council leaders and chief executives after cashless Autumn Statement | Local Government Association

(2) Councils warn they are ‘running out of road’ to prevent financial insolvency, as in-year overspends top £600m - County Councils Network

(3) The State of Local Government Finance in England 2024 - LGiU

Proposed by: Councillor Matthew Winnington

Seconded by: Councillor Mark Jeffery

This council notes that:

Portsmouth City Council has for many years valued its good relationships with the different parts of the NHS including Solent NHS Trust, Queen Alexandra Hospital and GP practices in the city. This has led to the creation of Health & Care Portsmouth, bringing together the Council and all those organisations alongside others to work together to provide better services for the residents of Portsmouth. The biggest area of integration was between the City Council and the Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), where we shared a post where the holder was both Head of Adult Social Care at the council and Operations Director of the CCG, alongside the Council Chief Executive being the nominated officer for the CCG. In July 2022 Portsmouth CCG was abolished, alongside all others nationwide, and the responsibilities being taken over by Integrated Care Boards, the budget-holding and decision-making bodies within the new Integrated Care Systems. In Portsmouth's case these responsibilities were taken on by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB). 

From the beginning the ICB has been under severe financial pressure due to carried-over budgetary difficulties in preceding NHS organisations elsewhere in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Together with the central NHS mandated redundancy drive and action to tackle the underlying deficit (one of the worst in the country) this has had a severely detrimental impact on the working of the ICB. Locally this has had a significant impact on the efficacy of the ICB Portsmouth Place team, including losing the Place Director, the main conduit between the ICB and the rest of Health & Care Portsmouth, and the significant reduction of the autonomy of local ICB staff to make decisions on funding and partnership working compared to when the CCG existed. 

Despite this Portsmouth continues to have significant levels of integration, far in excess of elsewhere in the ICB, and the City Council is a proactive partner in integration with the NHS. Additional to this, senior members of staff take the lead both locally, via Health & Care Portsmouth, and in some areas ICB wide, via joint funded posts  and via the Integrated Care Partnership, in delivering on Portsmouth's Health & Wellbeing Strategy and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Strategy. 

All this work is being put at risk by the fact that responsibility for NHS commissioning and funding is now part of this bigger structure that is not focussed on the needs of the people of Portsmouth and where the autonomy of the local system has been compromised.

This council therefore believes that:

·       The priorities of Health & Care Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Health & Wellbeing Strategy should be facilitated by the ICB. 

·       The Leader, the Chief Executive and the Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Health and Care of Portsmouth City Council should continue to push for place based priorities to come first in the ICB alongside their counterparts at Southampton City, Isle of Wight and Hampshire County Councils. 

·       The Health and Care system of Portsmouth should be properly funded by central government and that the integrated work between statutory and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations in the city should be prioritised and be under as much local control as possible. 

This council resolves that:

These points will then be put into a letter from the Chief Executive of the City Council to the Chair and Chief Executive of the ICB and all group leaders are welcome to sign the letter as well on behalf of their groups and the residents they represent. It will be copied also to the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care. 

Proposed by: Councillor Hannah Brent

Seconded by: Councillor Lewis Gosling

To protect the public and community and implement best practice this council will become a 'safer recruiting council'. DBS checks may be undertaken if staff or any person who is paid by Portsmouth City Council are in continued contact with members of the public, examples would be, say community wardens or persons interacting with vulnerable groups (children and or adults).

Currently it is not mandatory for elected members to have DBS checks, but many councillors would have one in the interests of openness and transparency. This motion seeks to provide reassurance to our Portsmouth community by ensuring that all members are themselves made aware as to the process to obtain a check upon taking office.Due to the varied roles and responsibilities of being a councillor, there is regular contact between elected members and the public, including one-to-one contact in private spaces.

Therefore, this Council:

(i)      Notes that the safeguarding of children and other vulnerable individuals within the community is of paramount importance to all who hold public office;

(ii)    Recommends that all public facing members of Portsmouth City Council who have regular contact with the community in public spaces are encouraged to obtain an appropriate level of DBS check;
 

(iii)   Notes that officers and elected members equally have a responsibility to ensure that vulnerable children and others potentially at risk in the community are protected by appropriate policies and procedures, and elected members themselves set an appropriate leadership example in exercising their duties and responsibilities; and

(iv)   Resolves to encourage DBS checks for all newly elected and existing councillors as part of its onboarding processes and continuing focus upon member engagement/training, with all councillors being encouraged to consent to undertaking such checks.