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 (stewart.agland@portsmouthcc.gov.uk) by 12 noon of the working day before the meeting (so Friday 16 July 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 recommendations from Cabinet held on 22 June 2021. Please note that the full Cabinet report is included within the Supplementary Matters document.

To receive and consider the attached report and recommendations from Cabinet held on 22 June 2021. Please note that the full Cabinet report is included within the Supplementary Matters document.

To receive and consider the attached report and recommendations to note for information only from Cabinet held on 22 June 2021. Please note that the full Cabinet report is included within the Supplementary Matters document.

To consider the attached report of the Chief Executive.

Following the Full Council meeting of 21 July 2020, the Council agreed to change Standing Order (32(d)), meaning all Notices of Motion on 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 Jeanette Smith

Seconded by Councillor Claire Udy

At last count, 38 different toxic pesticides were being used in UK towns and cities. They are sprayed in parks, playgrounds and other green spaces, road verges, pavements and around shopping centres, hospitals and schools. Almost all of the pesticides used are weed killers designed to do nothing more than keep places looking ‘neat and tidy’.

These chemicals are linked to an array of health problems including cancer, asthma, birth defects and reproductive issues. Vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant mothers and the elderly are particularly at risk.

Wildlife such as bees, birds and hedgehogs are increasingly seeking refuge in our towns and cities. However, the overuse of pesticides in urban areas is contaminating the natural resources that they depend upon. Our pets can also be susceptible to pesticide poisoning.

But urban pesticide use is unnecessary. There are many viable and cost-effective non-chemical alternatives available and more than 60 towns and cities across the UK have already taken action to end or significantly reduce their pesticide use.

This council calls on the administration to immediately ban the use of all forms of pesticides used on all areas of land under the authorities' control and change to non-chemical alternatives including planting urban wildflower meadows.

Proposed by Councillor Cal Corkery

Seconded by Councillor Judith Smyth

Increasing numbers of local people are raising concerns about the Liberal Democrat administration's plans for Tipner. The council has already spent over £10m of taxpayer cash drawing up plans which would see the creation of a 'super-peninsula' through large scale land reclamation at Tipner West.

We share the concerns of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) who are opposing the destruction of the intertidal mudflats that are legally protected as sites of scientific and environmental importance. Over 23,000 people have signed their petition calling for the proposals not to go ahead but the council doesn't seem to be listening.

Not only would the plans cause unacceptable damage to the local environment and wildlife, we are also concerned the kind of development being pursued is not what our city needs. Despite most of the Tipner West site being publicly owned land the current proposals include just 30% affordable housing meaning the majority of new properties on the site will be expensive luxury homes out of reach of many local people.

The council has already spent some £10.8 million on the Tipner regeneration proposals and expects to incur another £7.5 million getting it to the stage of applying for planning permission (figures correct as of report to Cabinet in October 2020).

Members of the Liberal Democrat Cabinet have themselves expressed concerns about being able to secure permission for their current proposals but are still prepared to gamble £18.3 million of public money on something that may well not go ahead.

Several important stakeholders including the HIWWT, the RSPB, The Portsmouth Society, heritage groups and others are against the current proposal and are asking for more extensive and effective consultation. This wider community engagement remit should include exploration of alternative proposals and options for developing the site. 

It’s time to pause and rethink the Tipner West project to ensure value for money is achieved, the environment is protected and the maximum possible levels of affordable housing are delivered.

Full Council therefore calls on the Cabinet to bring a report on the Tipner West project to a future Full Council meeting as a matter of urgency. This report should update councillors and members of the public on the current status of the project, including total spend to date. This report must also include consideration of viable alternative options for the site and set out a timeline for further decisions to be made in advance of the draft local plan being published and consulted on.

Proposed by Councillor Simon Bosher

Seconded by Councillor Lewis Gosling

Finding a parking space has long been challenging in many areas of Portsmouth. Lockdown and the rise of homeworking is making this situation worse as fewer people are away at work during the day.

Domiciliary care workers have a crucial role in keeping people safe and well. As well as being a good thing in itself, this also helps reduce unnecessary hospital admissions. Yet despite the importance of this role, it is not well paid, with take home pay levels typically being around the National Living Wage.

A large proportion of care is being procured and/or funded by the council and it therefore has a powerful incentive to support the workforce. Yet parking fines are a routine hazard faced by carers.

Many carers struggle to find parking spaces, particularly in residents’ zones. They often have to return to the same zone within the no-return period and often cannot find spaces. Violations result in fines and this soon becomes expensive.

Many local authorities have created carers’ parking permits. Brighton, Southampton, Devon and many London boroughs all run schemes to assist carers with parking when at work.

Council believes such a scheme should be created in Portsmouth. It calls on the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation to take action and to create a scheme, bringing forward a decision report to the next Traffic and Transportation decision meeting. Council also  asks that all members are kept updated on the implementation on any actions agreed.

Proposed by Councillor Stuart Brown

Seconded by Councillor Claire Udy

This Council opposes the harm caused to our LGBT+ community in the past through the denial of rights and equal treatment and further recognises that discrimination does still occur today.  

This Council recognises and opposes the ongoing harm the practise of so-called conversion therapy causes to LGBT+ people.  

This Council calls on the Government to follow through on the promises made, not just in this year's Queen's Speech, but for the past three years, to ban the practise of so-called conversion therapy.

This Council calls on the Relevant Government Department & Minister to introduce an effective ban on conversion therapy within England, supported by a programme of work to help tackle these practices in all their forms.

Furthermore this Council asks Cabinet to highlight and promote the continued support, counselling and advocacy our local groups provide to members of the LGBT+ Community here in Portsmouth, recognising the excellent work done by local people and such as Portsmouth Pride, The 4U Youth Group, and our LGBTQ+ Champions, and extends it's thanks and support to them. 

Proposed by Councillor Hannah Hockaday

Seconded by Councillor Robert New

The council notes and commends the progress made in increasing the awareness of cyberbullying, the negative and detrimental mental health implications that can occur as a result, as well as the embedding within the school curriculum and within the community.

The council supports the further accountability demanded upon social media companies by the government online safety bill and commends the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioners new programme designed to help secondary pupils stay safe online.

However, more legislative measures must be encouraged and brought forward in order to deter cyberbullying and protect against instances such as hate crime and the negative impact on mental health. The wide-scale ability to share non-factual information on social media about individuals, young people and local businesses is abhorrent. Social media firms should be further held to account.

Therefore, the council requests that the Chief Executive and all leaders of political groups write to the Secretary of State and Ministers for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as well as the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner to further lobby and investigate increased legislative measures to mitigate the possible decline in any individual’s mental health (including businesses) and quality of life due to cyberbullying and misinformation.

The council also calls on the administration for a local campaign to promote positivity online in Portsmouth; which in turn will promote businesses, our young people and sustain positive messages within our city and the wider community.

Council also places on record its thanks to city MP’s Stephen Morgan and The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt for their work in Parliament around tackling cyber-bullying.

Proposed by Councillor Gemma New

Seconded by Councillor Simon Bosher

The proposed Bodmin Green echelon parking scheme in Paulsgrove, will provide an essential resource to local residents and the Victory Primary School. The project was originally conceived in the years 2011 and 2012, and is well remembered by former Councillors and residents alike, who now welcome the implementation of this much needed, and previously anticipated facility.

Unfortunately the programme stalled in the past, but the Council have now been approached by residents, former cross party Councillors and the Victory Primary School to address the issue of the lost facility

The Council should be reassured that a considerable amount of work has already been committed to the design of the scheme, which will benefit both residents and the school, where the pick up and drop off of pupils can be problematic on the busy thoroughfare that is Allaway Avenue.

Multiple meetings have now taken place on site and within the civic offices, and the scheme has been fully designed and costed. Officers have confirmed that the funding is available.

Housing Officers have also been fully engaged on this project, as the Council department in ownership of the land. It is envisaged that they will manage the car park with multi use echelon parking in mind, ensuring that both residents and the school have fair and equitable usage to best suit their needs. Matters will also be subject to resident consultation in order to ensure harmonious usage is provided and maintained, which takes the bespoke needs of multiple users into account.

Thank you to the multiple officers involved across regeneration and housing for all of their hard work and vision in regard to this project. It must also be stipulated that the engineer's design is a thoughtful undertaking that both respects the green credentials of the site, allowing the vast majority of leisure space to remain, whilst etching the echelon parking to the northern and western boundaries of Bodmin Green. Thank you as well to the staff from the housing department for responding to engineers' requests for meetings to discuss this crucial provision.

Along with Penny Mordaunt MP's compelling, sensible and ultimately 'green' aspirations to reopen the halt station in Paulsgrove, this project provides a pragmatic response to trying to manage parking in the ward of the City that is the most geographically remote, as well as assisting a local school. The need is obvious and essential.

This Council requests that the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation bring forward a report outlining the timescale for approval and implementation of the scheme.

Proposed by Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson

Seconded by Councillor Hugh Mason

The City Council recognises that the Government have imposed a house building target of 17,000 new houses to be built in the city over the next 20 years.

The City Council rejects this for the following reasons:

1.            The decision on housing need in Portsmouth should be made by local people in Portsmouth and not imposed by Government since local people understand the opportunities, constraints and complexities of the City environment. Both Conservative and Labour led Governments have imposed house building targets and both were wrong.

2.            The target of 17,000 is too many. Portsmouth is an island with virtually no unprotected land to expand into. Our roads, hospital, schools, GPs and other services just can't cope with this amount of additional housing.

3.            There is a need for more affordable housing, but the Government will not allow the City Council to make developers build the housing that is needed by local people. In fact Government rules in many cases allow developers to avoid building any affordable housing whilst holding on to large profit margins.

4.            The Government target of over 17,000 additional homes cannot be achieved within the City of Portsmouth even if it proves possible to meet the stringent ecological and environmental regulations and develop the Tipner-Horsea Island area. It would be wholly wrong for the Government to require the Council to cause environmental harm by over-riding environmental protection legislation

The City Council therefore asked the Leader of the Council to write to the Government opposing plans for 17,000 new houses being imposed on Portsmouth, reiterates that the decision on the amount and sort of housing should be a local decision and asking for a lower target so environmentally sensitive areas are not forced into development by the Government.

Proposed by Councillor John Smith

Seconded by Councillor Matthew Atkins

The Council regrets the closure of Eastney Swimming Pool.

Proposed by Councillor George Fielding

Seconded by Councillor Charlotte Gerada

Council notes:

Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history. The dramatic decrease in biodiversity across the world is both caused by, and is also contributing to, the acceleration of the climate crisis.

At present, Portsmouth City Council mows grass verges, de-weeds pavements and sends ‘Dirty Plot Notices’ to residents who re-wild sections of their allotments. This is despite environmental charities recommending that a proportion of allotments should be re-wilded to support biodiversity and local ecosystems.

Whilst we are aware of the policies being developed as part of the new Local Plan, we want to accelerate implementation of a better approach to biodiversity now rather than waiting for 18 months or more to do so.  When it comes to green issues, the Labour Party want more to be done and action to be quicker.

Council believes:

As part of the Council’s strategy to address the climate crisis, measures to enhance biodiversity should be central. Small actions taken by residents and the Council can increase the cumulative, positive impacts of re-wilding.

Local Authorities in the UK, and abroad, have taken a variety of measures to enhance biodiversity, such as re-wilding the tops of bus shelters or on council buildings, extensively planting wildflowers and greening built-up city areas. These are examples but the scope is virtually unlimited to make a significant impact to local biodiversity and by corollary have a direct effect upon our local environs and climate change. 

This Council should use its considerable influence and leadership to inform residents about the importance of enhancing biodiversity, by re-wilding for example. Additionally the Council is asked to take such steps as are necessary to make usage of householders' areas greener and more impactful thereby supporting biodiversity- eg strategies for removal of green waste, composting, hedging etc. 

Council resolves:

To request that the Cabinet reviews and updates all relevant policies and practices on urban biodiversity that might harm or undermine local ecosystems, such as reviewing grass cutting across the city and allowing some re-wilding on allotment plots to improve habitats for insects, including bees. In general, approaches should aim to positively contribute to re-wilding and support other approaches to re "greening" Portsmouth.

To request that the Leader of the Council provides bi-monthly updates to Members on the progress of this initiative.