(time limit 15 minutes).
Councillor Dearden to MOVE and Councillor Moores to SECOND:
This Council notes with alarm, the recent statement from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) confirming that new guidelines are to be introduced which will curb councils’ powers to divest from or stop trading with organisations or countries they regard as unethical. Council further notes that the new guidelines, which will amend Pensions and Procurement law, follow on from the government’s announcement made at the beginning of October 2015 that it was planning to introduce new rules to stop “politically motivated boycott and divestment campaigns” (Greg Clarke, Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government).
Oldham Council is proud of its commitment to human rights and to putting this into practice through such measures as an ethical approach to its relationship with business. Council believes that the proposed measures now being outlined by the DCLG will seriously undermine the Council’s ability to implement its commitment to ethical procurement and pensions investments.
Council also notes that the new guidelines represent a further, serious attack on local democracy and decision-making through a further restriction on councils’ powers. This is directly contrary to the government’s own stated commitment to the principle of localism, given a statutory basis by the Localism Act of 2011, which holds that local authorities are best able to do their job when they have genuine freedom to respond to what local people want, not what they are told to do by government.
This Council resolves to:
1). Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Greg Clarke, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to express Council’s unequivocal opposition to the proposed changes.
2). Write to Debbie Abrahams MP, Angela Rayner MP and Jim McMahon MP to ask them to use any parliamentary means available to oppose these proposals.
Minutes:
The Mayor informed the meeting that there was one item of outstanding business from the previous meeting.
Motion 1
Councillor Dearden MOVED and Councillor Moores SECONDED the following motion:
“This Council notes with alarm, the recent statement from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) confirming that new guidelines are to be introduced which will curb councils’ powers to divest from or stop trading with organisations or countries they regard as unethical. Council further notes that the new guidelines, which will amend Pensions and Procurement law, follow on from the government’s announcement made at the beginning of October 2015 that it was planning to introduce new rules to stop “politically motivated boycott and divestment campaigns” (Greg Clarke, Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government).
Oldham Council is proud of its commitment to human rights and to putting this into practice through such measures as an ethical approach to this relationship with business. Council believes that the proposed measures now being outlined by the DCLG will seriously undermine the Council’s ability to implement its commitment to ethical procurement and pensions investments.
Council also notes that the new guidelines represent a further, serious attack on local democracy and decision-making through a further restriction on councils’ powers. This is directly contrary to the government’s own stated commitment to the principle of localism, given a statutory basis by the Localism Act of 2011, which holds that local authorities are best able to do their job when they have genuine freedom to respond to what local people want, not what they are told to do by government.
This Council resolves to:
1). Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Greg Clarke, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to express Council’s unequivocal opposition to the proposed changes.
2). Write to Debbie Abrahams MP, Angela Rayner MP and Jim McMahon MP to ask them to use any parliamentary means available to oppose these proposals.
AMENDMENT
Councillor Blyth MOVED and Councillor Williamson SECONDED the following amendment:
“Insert in the second paragraph, line 12, after business a new sentence:
‘.This Council is proud also to have played its part in encouraging the divestment from tobacco companies of the Greater Manchester Local Government Pension Scheme as a commitment to public health and of its decision to remove Saudi Arabia and Singapore from a list of countries approved for investment because of their appalling human rights records.’”
Amended motion to read:
“This Council notes with alarm, the recent statement from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) confirming that new guidelines are to be introduced which will curb councils’ powers to divest from or stop trading with organisations or countries they regard as unethical. Council further notes that the new guidelines, which will amend Pensions and Procurement law, follow on from the government’s announcement made at the beginning of October 2015 that it was planning to introduce new rules to stop “politically motivated boycott and divestment campaigns” (Greg Clarke, Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government).
Oldham Council is proud of its commitment to human rights and to putting this into practice through such measures as an ethical approach to this relationship with business. This Council is proud also to have played its part in encouraging the divestment from tobacco companies of the Greater Manchester Local Government Pension Scheme as a commitment to public health and of its decision to remove Saudi Arabia and Singapore from a list of countries approved for investment because of their appalling human rights records. Council believes that the proposed measures now being outlined by the DCLG will seriously undermine the Council’s ability to implement its commitment to ethical procurement and pensions investments.
Council also notes that the new guidelines represent a further, serious attack on local democracy and decision-making through a further restriction on councils’ powers. This is directly contrary to the government’s own stated commitment to the principle of localism, given a statutory basis by the Localism Act of 2011, which holds that local authorities are best able to do their job when they have genuine freedom to respond to what local people want, not what they are told to do by government.
This Council resolves to:
1). Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Greg Clarke, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to express Council’s unequivocal opposition to the proposed changes.
2). Write to Debbie Abrahams MP, Angela Rayner MP and Jim McMahon MP to ask them to use any parliamentary means available to oppose these proposals.
Councillor Dearden accepted the AMENDMENT.
Councillor Rehman spoke on the motion.
The SUBSTANTIVE MOTION was MOVED to the VOTE.
A vote was then taken on the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION. On being put to the vote, FIFTY-FOUR VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the MOTION with NO VOTES AGAINST and ONE ABSTENTION. The MOTION was therefore CARRIED.
RESOLVED that:
1. the Chief Executive be instructed to write to Greg Clarke, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to express Council’s unequivocal opposition to the proposed changes.
2. the Chief Executive write to the Debbie Abrahams MP, Angela Rayner MP and Jim McMahon MP to ask them to use any parliamentary means available to oppose these proposals.