Full Council – 22 November 2011

Present

THE MAYOR – Councillor Keith Vickers

Councillors Ali, Allcock, Armitage, Bainbridge, Barker, Barkworth, J Briggs, Mrs Bromby, Bunyan, Carlile,  Clark, Collinson, Davison, Eckhardt, Ellerby, England, Evison, L Foster, T Foster, Glover, Godfrey, Gosling, Grant, Jawaid, Kirk, Marper, Ogg, Oldfield, O’Sullivan, Poole, Mrs Redfern, Robinson, Rowson, C Sherwood,  N Sherwood,  Swift, P Vickers,  Waltham, Wardle, Wells, Whiteley and Wilson.

The council met at Pittwood House, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe.

2050  MAYOR’S REMARKS – The Mayor welcomed fellow councillors, officers and members of the public to the meeting.

2051  DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL OR PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS – Declarations of personal interest were indicated as follows:

Member Subject/Minute
Councillor M Ali Licensed Hackney Carriage Driver

Humber Bridge Board – Member

Councillor S Armitage Humber Bridge Board – Member
Councillor J Briggs Humberside Fire Authority – Member
Councillor P Carlile Agenda Item 14 – Family Member
Councillor T Ellerby Federation of Small Businesses – Member
Councillor J England Humberside Police Authority – Member
Councillor J Evison Humber Bridge Board – Member
Councillor I Jawaid Humberside Police Authority – Member
Councillor N Poole Federation of Small Businesses – Member

License Holder

Councillor Mrs E Redfern North Lincolnshire Homes – Board Member
Councillor C Sherwood North Lincolnshire Homes – Board Member
Councillor K Vickers Humber Bridge Board – Member
Councillor P Vickers Humber Bridge Board – Member
Councillor R Waltham North Lincolnshire Homes – Member

Humberside Fire Authority – Member

Councillor D Wells Humberside Fire Authority – Member

 

2052  MINUTES – Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of the ordinary meeting of the council held on 28 June 2011 and the extraordinary meetings held on 28 June and 22 July 2011, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the mayor.

2053  (11)  TO RECEIVE THE RESIGNATION OF THE CURRENT DEPUTY MAYOR – The Director of Corporate and Community Services submitted a report to receive with regret the resignation of the current deputy mayor, Councillor John Briggs and to appoint his successor for the remainder of the council year.

Section 5 of the Local Government Act 1972 provides that “a principal council” shall appoint a member of the council to be vice chairman of the council.  In the case of councils with borough status, as with North Lincolnshire, the vice chairman is referred to as the deputy mayor.  Section 11(7) of the Local Government Act 2000 provides that a local authority executive may not include the chairman (mayor) or vice chairman (deputy mayor) of the authority.

Officers attention had been drawn to the fact that the deputy mayor, having been properly appointed by the council at the annual meeting in May of this year, had subsequently also been appointed as deputy leader and cabinet member for Asset and Estate Management, Sport, Leisure and Culture.  At that time both appointments were considered to be proper.  However, on investigation it transpired that this latter appointment constituted an appointment to the executive and consequently contravened Section 11(7) of the Local Government Act 2000.  It also transpired that this irregulatory had occurred before at this council and also appears to continue to occur at a number of other councils.  The principle behind this legislative provision is to ensure the separation of powers between the council and the executive and consequently the mayor and deputy mayor should not hold executive office during their mayoralty year of office.  Significantly, this principle has not been reflected in the model Constitution produced by the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions in 2000 which local authorities had been encouraged to adopt as did this council, following the move to “political executives” under the Local Government Act 2000.  Consequently, it is proposed this oversight in the model Constitution is corrected in the council’s Constitution as detailed in paragraph 2.7.

Resolved – (a) That the council receives with regret the resignation of the current Deputy Mayor, Councillor John Briggs and acknowledges the valuable civic contribution made by him during his tenure as the council’s Deputy Mayor; (b) that the council, and more particularly Councillor John Briggs, receives the unreserved apology of the relevant officers for permitting the irregulatory necessitating Councillor Briggs’ resignation to occur; (c) that Rule D(1).04(a)(i) of the council’s Rules of Procedure be amended to provide as follows –

“To elect a person to preside if the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are not present save that such person shall not be a member of the Executive either.”

(d) that Councillor Ivan Glover be appointed as Deputy Mayor for the remainder of the municipal year, and (e) that the council informs the Local Government Association of this irregulatory and the remedial measures taken by this council so that other councils similarly affected may consider their own remedial measures.

2054  (12)  STANDARDS COMMITTEE – ANNUAL REPORT 2010/2011 – The Director of Corporate and Community Services submitted the Annual Report of the council’s Standards Committee for 2010/11.  The Standards Committee (England) Regulations 2008 devolved the responsibility for handling the majority of complaints relating to the conduct of members to local standards committees.  In line with the council’s annual governance statement and good practice, the annual report of North Lincolnshire Council’s Standards Committee covering the municipal year 2010/2011 was attached for members’ information.

The report considered the work and activities of the committee during that year, set out its membership, its role and the terms of reference under which it worked, including receipt of the annual report from the local government ombudsman, a copy of which was also attached to the report.

Resolved – That the annual report of the Standards Committee be received.

2055  (13)  CALCULATING THE COUNCIL TAX BASE FOR 2012/2013 – The Director of Finance submitted a report asking the council to consider the council tax base to be used for each part of the council’s area for tax setting purposes.  The report highlighted the requirements of relevant regulations and how the council tax base would be used.  The key points in the report were the requirement of the council to set and notify a tax base, calculation of the tax base for formula grant purposes and the calculation of a local tax base for each parish and the total tax base for the authority as detailed in appendix B to the report.

The report also outlined government proposals to change elements of council tax legislation to give council more discretion over discounts and how it administered council tax  collection.

Resolved – (a) That the recommendations contained in the report of the Director of Finance in relation to the calculation of the council’s tax base for 2012/2013 as set out in appendix C to the report be approved; (b) that the proposals for council tax changes be noted and the Director of Finance submit a response to the consultation, and (c) that pursuant to the report and in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) Regulations 1992, the amount calculated by North Lincolnshire Council as its tax base for the whole area for the year 2012/2013 shall be 52,087.2 and for the parts of the area listed below for the year 2012/2013 shall be for the Parish or area of:

Alkborough 168.0
Amcotts 82.7
Appleby 235.8
Ashby Parkland 226.8
Barnetby-le-Wold 549.8
Barrow-on-Humber 1035.1
Barton-upon-Humber 3541.4
Belton 1152.5
Bonby 201.1
Bottesford 3785.0
Brigg 1790.1
Broughton 1793.1
Burringham 237.8
Burton-upon-Stather 1003.5
Cadney-cum-Howsham 160.5
Crowle 1612.1
East Butterwick 50.9
East Halton 214.9
Eastoft 151.0
Elsham 168.5
Epworth 1587.2
Flixborough 541.8
Garthorpe & Fockerby 145.3
Goxhill 813.8
Gunness 728.3
Haxey 1713.1
Hibaldstow 814.3
Holme 41.7
Horkstow 55.8
Keadby with Althorpe 534.5
Kirmington & Croxton 140.2
Kirton-in-Lindsey 1071.5
Luddington 130.1
Manton 42.2
Melton Ross 73.6
Messingham 1345.1
New Holland 287.6
North Killingholme 91.3
Owston Ferry 452.5
Redbourne 167.0
Roxby-cum-Risby 160.8
Saxby-all-Saints 93.3
Scawby-cum-Sturton 841.3
Scunthorpe 17423.5
South Ferriby 219.5
South Killingholme 327.4
Thornton Curtis 104.8
Ulceby 581.2
West Butterwick 264.3
West Halton 121.3
Whitton 86.7
Winteringham 346.3
Winterton 1469.4
Wootton 188.1
Worlaby 206.0
Wrawby 534.3
Wroot 181.5

2056  (14)  TREASURY MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGY REPORT MID-YEAR REVIEW – The Director of Finance submitted a report which provided a mid-year review of the Treasury Strategy approved by council as part of the 2011/2012 budget.  The report set out details of progress to date and covered treasury management performance for the six months ending 30 September 2011.  It also explained how the strategy had been implemented during the first part of the year, the state of the financial markets and what action had been taken to address the challenges and the results of that action.  The report also provided an update on the latest position with regard to the council’s Icelandic Investments.

Appendices to the report set out the investment position in detail, including investments made and the prudential guideline indicators as at 30 September 2011.

Resolved – That the mid-year treasury management performance be noted.

2057  (15)  PLANNING FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT – SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING DOCUMENT – The Head of Regeneration and Planning submitted a report informing council about the recent public consultation exercise on the Planning for Renewable Energy Development – Draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and seeking adoption of the document as part of the North Lincolnshire Development Framework and for it to be used in assessing planning applications for renewable energy and development.

North Lincolnshire Council proposed to introduce a Planning for Renewable Energy Development – Draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and with this in mind the council had agreed to conduct two periods of consultation on a draft version of the document at the end of August 2011.

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) were prepared under the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 and formed part of the Local Development Framework (LDF) which delivered the spatial strategy for a council’s area.  Whilst SPDs did not have a status of the statutory development plan, they did have material weight in the consideration of planning applications.  Their purpose was to expand or supplement policies within development plan policies where necessary.

This SPD had been prepared by the council to supplement the policies in the core strategy development plan document (DPD) that related to renewable energy proposals (policy CS18 Sustainable Resource Use and Climate Change).  Since its adoption, the core strategy now formed part of the development plan for North Lincolnshire.

The need to address climate change and global warming was one of the key challenges currently facing the planning system.  The burning of fossil fuels for energy was a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.  At the same time the demand for energy grows whilst many traditional forms of fossil fuel were declining, particularly oil, gas and coal.  This made the need to find cleaner, more secure, more diverse forms of energy vital if we are continue to ensure prosperous and sustainable communities and a healthy environment.

Renewable energy was the term used to describe energy flow that occurs naturally and continuously in the environment, such as energy from wind and the sun.  These sources are not depleted by being used.  Renewable energy has an important role to play as an alternative to energy generated using fossil fuels and nuclear energy generation.  The environmental, economic and social benefits were important factors when considering applications for such schemes.

In recent years North Lincolnshire had attracted significant interest from energy companies who were looking to develop renewable energy projects.  Since 2003/2004 North Lincolnshire had received around seven proposals for wind energy developments at various locations across the area.  Of these three had been approved, (two by the government and one by the council).  There were also a number of proposals approved for wind energy developments in neighbouring local authority areas at Tween Bridge (Doncaster), Goole Fields, Twin Rivers and Sixpenny Wood (East Riding of Yorkshire) and Stallingborough (North East Lincolnshire Council).

The SPD attached as appendix 1 to the report set out North Lincolnshire Council’s approach to planning for renewable energy proposals.  It aimed to promote the development of renewable energy technology in those locations in North Lincolnshire which had the capacity to accommodate such development without it having an adverse effect on the natural built environment.  It also aimed to provide guidance for developers in preparing planning applications for renewable energy developments in North Lincolnshire as well as assisting elected members and council officers in determining planning applications.  The SPD had been subject to two stages of public consultation; pre deposit consultation for 21 days (key stakeholders) which received 23 representations and a full stage of public consultation for four weeks, which received 377 separate representations.  Each representation had been analysed and responded to and the SPD had been amended accordingly.  A copy of the consultation statement which outlined the consultation process that had been undertaken was attached as appendix 2 and the council’s response to the representations was attached at appendix 3.

The report contained further detailed information in relation to this matter.

Moved by Councillor Bunyan and seconded by Councillor Wardle –

(a) That the report be noted, and (b) that the planning for renewable energy SPD be adopted as part of the North Lincolnshire Local Development Framework (LDF) and be used in assessing planning applications for renewable energy developments.

At the request of members and in accordance with procedure rule 1.22(d) the names of members voting for, against and abstaining from the motion are as follows –

FOR:  Councillors Ali, Allcock, Armitage, Barker, Barkworth, Briggs, Mrs Bromby, Bunyan, Carlile, Clark, Collinson, Davison, Eckhardt, Ellerby, England, Evison, L Foster, T Foster, Glover, Godfrey, Jawaid, Kirk, Marper, Ogg, Oldfield, O’Sullivan, Poole, Mrs Redfern, Robinson, Rowson, C Sherwood, N Sherwood, Swift, K Vickers, P Vickers, Waltham, Wardle, Wells, Whiteley and Wilson.

AGAINST:  Nil.

ABSTAINING:  Councillor Bainbridge

Motion Carried

(A copy of the Planning for Renewable Energy Development Supplementary Planning Document is available upon request from Democratic Services telephone 296232).

2058  CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT – The Chief Executive submitted an oral report in relation to the Humber Bridge.  He indicated that members would be aware that there had been an ongoing review into the Humber Bridge Tolls for several years.  This council had passed various motions on the issue since 2003 and cabinet had received reports on it five times, setting out the desire for the abolition of tolls based on economic studies by Colin Buchanan.

Senior members of the council had spoken at the last two Humber Bridge inquiries and he himself had spoke on behalf of the Humber Unitary Leaders Group, opposing any increase in tolls, as well as using the inquiry as an opportunity to further the council’s position for the abolition of the tolls.  After the 2009 enquiry despite its recommendations for an increase in tolls, the Minister had decided to freeze the level of tolls.  The recent enquiry recommended the Humber Bridge Board’s request for an increase be agreed and the Minister had upheld this.

The current government however had committed itself to seek a sustainable solution to the issue and this had led to a review by the Department of Transport and the Treasury.  This had culminated in two substantive proposals; one from “Our Humber Bridge” (led by local businessman Malcolm Scott) and one from the Humber Bridge Board. Both required significant debt write-off to £100m and no or limited reductions in tolls for the next seven or eight years.

In mid October of this year he had been requested by the Leader to look at the possibility of producing a proposal that had a more immediate impact on the level of tolls.  It was in this context that senior officers had drawn up a series of broad outcomes and following an informal discussion with civil servants began to draft a possible submission. A first meeting had been held on 27 October at the Department for Transport to see if the officials believed it was worth developing the work that had been done.  They and their colleagues gave a broad welcome to the work in as much as they were seeking as many ideas as possible to inform the review.  There was a range of issues that needed clarification or development.  It was on these that a further meeting had been held with the Department of Transport and the Treasury on Thursday 17 November.  From this meeting there were still a range of issues that were at a standstill pending the outcome of the review.

The current position is as detailed on the council’s website.

Turning to procedural matters, it was noted that this matter would normally be an executive decision. However, in discussion with the Director of Finance as the council’s section 151 officer, if the proposal developed further and the council was required to put in a formal proposal, it was considered that the decision would be contrary to or not wholly in accordance with the council’s budget.  Any decision therefore would need to be taken by full council in line with Part D Rule 3.03 – “decisions outside the budget or policy framework”.  When the treasury review outcomes are published and if this leads to the council, in partnership with other councils and the private sector preparing a formal submission, then before this is submitted to the government a report will be produced and submitted and there would be an appropriately convened meeting of the council to consider the matter.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

2059  PLANNING COMMITTEE – Resolved – That the minutes of the meetings of the planning committee held on 1, 24, 29 June, 27 July, 24 August, 21 September and 19 October 2011 be received, approved and adopted.

2060  LICENSING COMMITTEE – Resolved – That the minutes of the meetings of the licensing committee held on 13, 19 and 20 July, 15 September and 6 October 2011 be received.

2061  AUDIT COMMITTEE – Resolved – That the minutes of the meetings of the audit committee held on 29 June and 27 September 2011 be received, approved and adopted with the exception of minute 214.

2062  AUDIT COMMITTEE STRUCTURE, TERMS OF REFERENCE AND FORWARD PLAN AND ASSURANCE MAP 2011/2012 – With regard to excepted portion (a) it was –

Moved by Councillor Eckhardt and seconded by Councillor England –

That the minute be received.

Motion Carried

2063  STANDARDS COMMITTEE – Resolved – That the minutes of the meetings of the standards committee held on 16 June and 22 September 2011 be received with the exception of minute 263.

2064  COMPLAINTS/CODE OF CONDUCT UPDATE – With regard to excepted portion (a) it was –

Moved by Councillor England and seconded by Councillor Poole –

That the minute be received.

Motion Carried

2065  PLACES SCRUTINY PANEL – Resolved – That the minutes of the meetings of the places scrutiny panel held on 13 June, 11 July, 10 August, 5 and 12 September, 3 and 20 October 2011 be received with the exception of minute 25.

2066  ITEM REQUESTED FOR CALL-IN – MINUTE 25 OF THE HIGHWAYS AND NEIGHBOURHOOD CABINET MEMBER MEETING HELD ON 8 AUGUST 2011 – CHANGES TO CAR PARKING CHARGES – With regard to excepted portion (a) it was –

Moved by Councillor T Foster and seconded by Councillor Davison –

That the minute be received.

Motion Carried

2067  PEOPLE SCRUTINY PANEL – Resolved – That the minutes of the meetings of the people scrutiny panel held on 21 June, 19 July and 13 September 2011 be received.

2068  CORPORATE SCRUTINY PANEL – Resolved – That the minutes of the meetings of the corporate scrutiny panel held on 27 June, 25 July, 26 September, 11 and 17 October 2011 be received.

2069  QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC (INCLUDING TOWN AND PARISH COUNCILS) – The Leader of the Council referred to the format for full council meetings which enabled members of the public to ask questions.  The following member of the public attended the meeting and asked a question of the Leader.

Question – Mr L Rayner

“I would like to applaud the work of the council for the takeover week and the great debate which took place in this chamber a few weeks ago.  I am sure we can all agree how good it was to see young people taking an interest.  At the great debate it was revealed that 19 per cent of children, in North Lincolnshire, live in poverty, on average, but with highs of up to 34 per cent in some of the council wards.  Can I have a clear definition of the term “poverty” , what defines a young person living in poverty and what are the council doing to tackle the problem?”

Response

  • A child’s experience of poverty could be described as when the family the child is growing up in does not have enough money for a decent standard of living for the child to experience an enjoyable childhood.  Put simply, child poverty is family poverty.
  • As stated in the Child Poverty Act 2010, the definition of child poverty, is that children are said to be living in poverty if their household income is less than 60 per cent of the median national income.  This looks at whether the incomes of the poorest families are keeping pace with the growth of incomes in the economy.
  • Taking into account this measure, there are 2.8 million children 0 to 16 years living in poverty in Britain.  Of these, 6,430 live in North Lincolnshire (2009).
  • The Children and Young People’s Plan 2010 confirmed our commitment to reduce the impact of poverty on children and young people’s lives.
  • Working in partnership locally, we have compiled a needs assessment to understand our local child poverty issues.  This look at the drivers and causes of poverty including employment, parenting resources, community and at risk groups.  The needs assessment also looks at the outcomes and impact of poverty including education, quality of childhood, community and life chances.
  • There is a significant amount of work undertaken by, led by and commissioned by the Council to address the drivers, causes, outcomes and impact of poverty, some examples as follows:

Support to children and young people

  • Focus on improving educational attainment, particularly for vulnerable groups i.e. children in care, children in receipt of free school meals.
  • Free swimming lessons in summer holidays
  • Provision of free sessions via On Target and Street Sport activities

Support to families

  • Commission CAB to deliver a welfare rights service to target those communities most in need and increase access of service by these communities
  • Ensures take up of benefits is maximised through advertising and take up campaigns and that benefits are paid promptly and accurately
  • Commission Homestart to offer budgeting advice to families to enable them to run their householders more successfully
  • Commission NCH Action for Children to offer specialist support to families with disabilities to ensure they receive the benefits they are entitled to
  • Provision of cheque opening facility for those in receipt of housing benefit who are unable to open a bank account and/or experiencing financial hardship
  • Work with families to identify training needs and access to volunteering, training and work experience to help them gain employment
  • Crisis support for families most in need to help them purchase essential provisions
  • Advice and signposting in relation to energy efficiency matters (including grants)
  • Liaison and negotiating with landlords/mortgage lenders when appropriate

Support to communities

  • Actively supports business development to improve the local economy and community
  • To further strengthen our response to the issues identified within the child poverty needs assessment to tackle child poverty issues, a Child Poverty Strategy and underpinning action plan is in development across a range of partners, including the Council.  This action plan will help to ensure that more parents are work ready; that there is a network of community run and organised parents groups in Children’s Centres; that more parents and young people are in employment, education or training; that less young people require specialist services; that fewer families are in financial poverty and children and young people have a better start in life; that gaps in attainment are closed; that more young people have their voices heard about what would improve their lives and chances of employability; and that families get their needs assessed at the earliest point and that services are available, accessible and appropriate.
  • Additionally, a Financial Inclusion Strategy in its final draft is in place to develop and deliver co-ordinated and sustainable financial inclusion services.  This will include more effective signposting between agencies, give service users better access to help and support to reflect their financial situation and help to draw down funding to support service delivery.

2070  NOTICE OF MOTION – SERVICES –

Moved by Councillor Waltham and seconded by Councillor Mrs Redfern

“This council commits to providing and enabling excellent quality care for all residents throughout North Lincolnshire

We seek to –

  • Improve greatly the Meals on Wheels Service, by providing fresh food to all users.
  • Keep open and invest in the Lilacs to support elderly residents.
  • Ensure that we work in partnership with all providers of care to all those with wide ranging needs and reward only those who provide excellent care for residents.

 

This council formally sets as a priority to look after all those residents that need care and also acknowledge the hard work of carers and commit to supporting their invaluable contribution, ensuring maximum choice for personalisation.”

Moved by Councillor L Foster and seconded by Councillor Carlile as an amendment –

“This council commits to providing and enabling excellent quality care for all residents throughout North Lincolnshire.  We seek to –

  • Improve greatly the Meals on Wheels service, by providing fresh food to all users.
  • Develop the Meals on Wheels service whilst rejecting the wholesale privatisation of the provision.
  • Keep open and invest in the Lilacs and De Lacy House to support elderly residents.
  • Ensure that we work in partnership with all providers of care to all those with wide ranging needs and reward only those who provide excellent care for residents.

This council reaffirms its commitment to look after all those residents that need care and also acknowledge the hard work of carers and commit to supporting the invaluable contribution, ensuring maximum choice for personalisation.”

At the request of members and in accordance with Procedure Rule 1.22(d) the names of the members voting for, against and abstaining from the amendment are as follows:-

FOR:  Councillors Ali, Armitage, Bainbridge, Barker, Barkworth, Carlile, Collinson, Davison, Ellerby, L Foster, Godfrey, Gosling, Grant, Jawaid, Kirk, Oldfield, O’Sullivan, Swift, Whiteley and Wilson.

AGAINST:  Councillors Allcock, Briggs, Mrs Bromby, Bunyan, Clark, Eckhardt, England, Evison, T Foster, Glover, Marper, Ogg, Poole, Mrs Redfern, Robinson, Rowson, C Sherwood, N Sherwood, K Vickers, P Vickers, Waltham, Wardle and Wells.

ABSTAINING:  Nil

Amendment Lost

At the request of members and in accordance with Procedure Rule 1.22(d) the names of members voting for, against and abstaining from the motion are as follows –

FOR:  Councillors Allcock, Briggs, Mrs Bromby, Bunyan, Clark, Eckhardt, England, Evison, T Foster, Glover, Marper, Ogg, Poole, Mrs Redfern, Robinson, Rowson, C Sherwood, N Sherwood, K Vickers, P Vickers, Waltham, Wardle and Wells.

AGAINST:  Councillors Ali, Armitage, Bainbridge, Barker, Barkworth, Carlile, Collinson, Davison, Ellerby, L Foster, Godfrey, Gosling, Grant, Jawaid, Kirk, Oldfield, O’Sullivan, Swift, Whiteley and Wilson.

ABSTAINING:  Nil

Motion Carried

2071  NOTICE OF MOTION – BENEFITS –

Moved by Councillor L Foster and seconded by Councillor Grant –

“This council expresses its concerns regarding the Government’s continued attack on welfare benefit claimants, the level of entitlement and the reduction of areas of entitlement prior to the introduction of the ‘Universal Benefit System.

Increasing numbers of North Lincolnshire residents are reliant on one form or another of financial assistance to enable them to survive the present worldwide downturn and the planned reductions in entitlement in 2011/2012 will only make the situation worse.”

Moved by Councillor Mrs Redfern and seconded by Councillor Briggs as an amendment –

“This council fully supports the coalition government’s Welfare Reform Bill 2011 as it legislates for fairness by looking after the most vulnerable in society and enabling long term unemployed back to work, more importantly ensuring that no-one ever earns more on benefit than they would by being in employment, raising aspirations and lifting families out of poverty.

In doing so, this council continues its commitment to work with local businesses and its partners and stakeholders to ensure that North Lincolnshire is able to secure employment opportunities for residents.”

Amendment Carried

At the request of members and in accordance with Procedure Rule 1.22(d) the names of members voting for,against and abstaining from the substantive motion are as follows –

FOR:  Councillors Allcock, Briggs, Mrs Bromby, Bunyan, Clark, Eckhardt, England, Evison, T Foster, Glover, Marper, Ogg, Poole, Mrs Redfern, Robinson, Rowson, C Sherwood, N Sherwood, K Vickers, P Vickers, Waltham, Wardle and Wells.

AGAINST:  Councillors Ali, Armitage, Bainbridge, Barker, Barkworth, Carlile, Collinson, Davison, Ellerby, L Foster, Godfrey, Gosling, Grant, Jawaid, Kirk, Oldfield, O’Sullivan, Swift, Whiteley and Wilson.

ABSTAINING:  Nil

Substantive Motion Carried