(time limit 30 minutes)
Motion 1
Councillor Harkness to MOVE and Councillor Turner to SECOND:
Council notes that:
· Prescription charges have increased for 33 of the last 34 years and the list of condition exemptions, where recipients qualify for free prescriptions, was drawn up in the late 1960s.
· Research conducted by the Prescription Charges Coalition of over 30 charities and organisations found that people with long-term conditions in England are:
- Struggling to afford their essential medication
- Cutting pills in half to save money
- Going without food
- Falling behind with their household bills
- Having to take time off work as a result
· This has serious consequences for the quality of life and long term health of these individuals:
- 35% of those who had paid for each prescription item had not collected medication because of the cost.
- Three quarters of this group said their health had got worse as a result.
- 10% reported that they had been admitted to hospital as a direct consequence of not taking their medicine as prescribed.
· This is discriminatory against patients residing in England as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have scrapped all prescription charges.
Council therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to:
· Write to the Secretary of State for Health, the Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP, asking the new Government to end prescription charging for millions of people in England with long-term conditions
· Write to the Chief Executive of the Prescription Charges Coalition to express this Council’s support for this campaign
Motion 2
Councillor Murphy to MOVE and Councillor Williamson to SECOND:
This Council notes that:
· For customers on low incomes, water bills can represent a real financial challenge.
· The water industry, water regulator, consumer groups, academics and government deem that paying for water consumption becomes problematic for households is when they spend more than 3 per cent of their household income on water costs. This threshold is taken as a measure of ‘water poverty’.
· Studies have found that households who spend at least 3 to 5 per cent of household income on water consumption often struggle to pay their bill.
However, Council further notes that:
· Regional water provider United Utilities has several schemes to support customers struggling to pay a bill or settle arrears. These include a trust fund, a debt matching and write-off scheme, and a new social tariff. Government also endorses schemes to promote direct payment from benefits and provide a capped bill for larger families or customers with certain medical conditions.
· Many low-income households are unaware of the support available to them.
Council believes that:
· More action is needed from central Government to address ‘water poverty’.
· More should be done in Oldham to promote awareness of, and access to, the support schemes available to customers facing ‘water poverty’.
Council therefore resolves to:
· Promote the availability of these support schemes on-line, in our publications, in our public buildings, and at public events, as part of the ‘Make the Most of Your Money’ and ‘Warm Homes’ campaigns.
· Work with United Utilities and the United Utilities Trust to offer training to elected members and front-line staff so they can actively promote them.
· Offer this training to staff and volunteers from social landlords and other partners.
· Support the research being undertaken by United Utilities to establish greater public acceptance for the social tariff and to identify the most effective ways to engage and support ‘harder-to-reach’ customers.
· Support an application to the United Utilities Trust for funding to deliver, through partner agencies, money advice and financial literacy services targeted at ‘water poor’ customers.
· Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment, The Rt, Hon. Liz Truss MP, requesting that:
o ‘Water poverty’ be defined in law and that it be measured
o The Government establish an action plan and make a definite commitment to eliminate ‘water poverty’ within the lifetime of this Parliament.
Motion 3
Councillor Gloster to MOVE and Councillor Sykes to SECOND:
On average 3,000 people are killed or
seriously injured each year in drink drive collisions on
Britain’s roads.
Nearly one in six of all deaths on the road involve drivers who are
over the legal alcohol limit.
Council notes that:
· The current permitted limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood
· In Scotland the limit was reduced in December 2014 to 50mg
This Council believes that, as a contribution towards a further reduction in road deaths, the drink drive limit should be reduced across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to 50mg per 100ml of blood to bring it into line with Scotland.
This Council therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Transport, The Rt. Hon. Patrick McLoughlin MP, to outline this Council’s position and to ask him to introduce this measure as soon as is practicable.
Minutes:
The Mayor RULED that submitted Motions (1) and (3) were outside the scope of motions that could be considered by the Council, as they did not relate to matters over which the Council had a direct influence (Council Procedure Rule 8.2)
Motion 2
Councillor Murphy MOVED and Councillor Williamson SECONDED :
“This Council notes that:
· For customers on low incomes, water bills can represent a real financial challenge.
· The water industry, water regulator, consumer groups, academics and government deem that paying for water consumption becomes problematic for households is when they spend more than 3 per cent of their household income on water costs. This threshold is taken as a measure of ‘water poverty’.
· Studies have found that households who spend at least 3 to 5 per cent of household income on water consumption often struggle to pay their bill.
However, Council further notes that:
· Regional water provider United Utilities has several schemes to support customers struggling to pay a bill or settle arrears. These include a trust fund, a debt matching and write-off scheme, and a new social tariff. Government also endorses schemes to promote direct payment from benefits and provide a capped bill for larger families or customers with certain medical conditions.
· Many low-income households are unaware of the support available to them.
Council believes that:
· More action is needed from central Government to address ‘water poverty’.
· More should be done in Oldham to promote awareness of, and access to, the support schemes available to customers facing ‘water poverty’.
Council therefore resolves to:
· Promote the availability of these support schemes on-line, in our publications, in our public buildings, and at public events, as part of the ‘Make the Most of Your Money’ and ‘Warm Homes’ campaigns.
· Work with United Utilities and the United Utilities Trust to offer training to elected members and front-line staff so they can actively promote them.
· Offer this training to staff and volunteers from social landlords and other partners.
· Support the research being undertaken by United Utilities to establish greater public acceptance for the social tariff and to identify the most effective ways to engage and support ‘harder-to-reach’ customers.
· Support an application to the United Utilities Trust for funding to deliver, through partner agencies, money advice and financial literacy services targeted at ‘water poor’ customers.
· Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment, The Rt, Hon. Liz Truss MP, requesting that:
o ‘Water poverty’ be defined in law and that it be measured
o The Government establish an action plan and make a definite commitment to eliminate ‘water poverty’ within the lifetime of this Parliament.”
Councillor Heffernan spoke in support of the motion.
Councillor Hudson spoke against the motion.
Councillor Harkness spoke in support of the motion.
A move to vote was MOVED and SECONDED
Councillor Murphy exercised his right of reply.
On being put to the VOTE, FIFTY THREE VOTES were cast IN FAVOUR of the MOTION with ONE cast AGAINST. The MOTION was therefore CARRIED.
RESOLVED:
1. To promote the availability of these support schemes on-line, in our publications, in our public buildings, and at public events, as part of the ‘Make the Most of Your Money’ and ‘Warm Homes’ campaigns.
2. To work with United Utilities and the United Utilities Trust to offer training to elected members and front-line staff so they can actively promote them.
3. To offer this training to staff and volunteers from social landlords and other partners.
4. To support the research being undertaken by United Utilities to establish greater public acceptance for the social tariff and to identify the most effective ways to engage and support ‘harder-to-reach’ customers.
5. To support an application to the United Utilities Trust for funding to deliver, through partner agencies, money advice and financial literacy services targeted at ‘water poor’ customers.
6. To instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment, The Rt, Hon. Liz Truss MP, requesting that:
‘Water poverty’ be defined in law and that it be measured
The Government establish an action plan and make a definite commitment to eliminate ‘water poverty’ within the lifetime of this Parliament”