(time limit 30 minutes)
Motion 1
Councillor Ball to MOVE and Councillor Brock to SECOND:
Oldham is not on its own in facing an increase in families who are in both financial and food poverty. Oldham Council is doing a lot for this ever increasing number of people and, with the changes to benefits and even more zero hour contracts, this number is unlikely to diminish.
The End Hunger Campaign in Oldham is launching on the 15th October.
The aim of this campaign is to:
We ask that all sides of the Council support this campaign and the volunteers, Council employees and councillors who themselves work hard to help fellow Oldhamers.
The overall aim of the campaign is to build a town in which everyone has access to good food and no one goes to bed hungry.
This Council resolves:
Motion 2
Councillor Dearden to MOVE and Councillor Ur-Rehman to SECOND:
The U.K has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe, with one third of children overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school.
Local councils now have responsibility for health and wellbeing, health promotion and prevention of ill health, so it is incumbent upon us to debate this and make our views known.
We note with great disappointment this government's long-awaited Obesity Strategy, published in August 2016 , during parliamentary recess and in the midst of the Rio Olympics, and the lost opportunity to improve our health and wellbeing.
Medical experts and campaigners have criticised the strategy as 'weak and embarrassing' and accused policy makers of throwing away the chance to tackle our culture of unhealthy eating that is crippling the NHS.
The government proposals, centred on the sugar tax announced by George Osborne in May 2016, rely on voluntary action by the food and drink industry and contain no restrictions on junk food marketing and advertising. The sugar tax will not be introduced for another two years.
This Council recognises that local campaigning and awareness raising programmes are most successful when backed by legislative changes, as with the ban on smoking in public places.
This Council therefore resolves that the following measures be taken:
In addition, we request that the Chief Executive writes to the borough’s three MPs to inform them of our actions and to ask them to campaign for stronger legislation.
Motion 3
Councillor Roberts to MOVE and Councillor J Larkin to SECOND:
Speed kills: speed is one of the main factors in fatal road accidents. A pedestrian is four times more likely to die if hit at 40mph than at 30mph. In 2014, 282 people were killed in crashes in the UK involving someone exceeding the speed limit and a further 126 people died when someone was travelling too fast for the conditions.
Residents, including those who attend the Community Forums, regularly express their concern about speeding traffic both on main roads and also in residential areas. Councillors have responded by supporting speed measurement measures, changes to road and junction layout to improve safety, improvements to pedestrian crossings and most recently by funding Vehicle Activated Signs.
However, motorists continue to speed and drive too fast for road conditions and local circumstances.
This Council resolves to
· mount a campaign of driver education to explain the impact of speeding and encourage motorists to obey the law
· take every opportunity available to secure funding to make Oldham’s Roads safer
· work with Greater Manchester Police to improvement enforcement action against motorists breaking the speed limits
· influence the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040 to include a sub-regional approach to tackling speeding and making our roads safer.
Minutes:
Motion 1
Councillor Ball MOVED and Councillor Brock SECONDED the following motion:
“Oldham is not on its own facing an increase in families who are in both financial and food poverty. Oldham Council is doing a lot for this ever increasing number of people and, with the changes to benefits and even more zero hour contacts, this number is unlikely to diminish.
The End Hunger Campaign in Oldham is launching on the 15th October.
The aim of this campaign is to:
· Improve the public awareness of the food justice movement at local level, showing how volunteers are working hard in food banks and on community food projects.
· Publicise the support available to help people who are struggling with their household budget, for example, the winter warmth campaign, the Welfare Rights Service and citizen’s advice.
We ask that all sides of the Council support this campaign and the volunteers, Council employees and councillors who themselves work hard to help fellow Oldhamers.
The overall aim of the campaign is to build a town in which everyone has access to good food and no one goes to bed hungry.
This Council resolves:
1. To work to try to make sure that all children are able to live free from the damaging effects of hunger, including the adverse effect on their health.
2. It will continue to work with all community groups and volunteers to support and advise networks in the community that are themselves supporting families affected by food poverty.
3. To write to the Clinical Commissioning Group to ask that it ensures GPs and other front line staff take into account food poverty when seeing people, especially children, who are not in the best of health.
4. To instruct the Chief Executive to write to the borough’s three MPs, and the Prime Minister, asking them to make every effort to ensure that families can afford good food on a regular basis through an appropriate combination of work and benefits.
Councillor Harkness MOVED and Councillor Turner SECONDED the following AMENDMENT.
“Insert in line 2 after people ‘but we recognise we can do a lot more’. Insert a full stop. Remove the word ‘And’, start next sentence ‘With’.
After the end of the original fourth paragraph insert a new paragraph which reads as follows:
‘Council recognises that there are many organisations which can offer the Council and its partners financial, food and in-kind support to address food poverty in this borough, including Brake Brothers, Fareshare, Kelloggs, Magic Breakfast, Make Lunch, The Real Junk Food Project, and the Trussell Trust.’
After the end of the original fifth paragraph insert a new paragraph which reads as follows:
‘This Council supports the aims of this campaign and wishes to take further action to address food poverty in this borough.’
In the original sixth paragraph, amend original bullet point 1 to read as follows:
‘That this Council and its partners establish an action plan for the borough to work to ensure that all residents, particularly children, older people, and the chronically-sick, are able to live free from the damaging effects of hunger, including the adverse effect on their health.’
Amend original bullet point number 2 to read as follows:
“That this plan identifies practical actions to address food poverty in this borough, specifically to:
· Establish breakfast clubs in every school and academy in the borough where there is a need for one
· Establish school holiday food clubs across the borough where there is a need
· Establish more community cafes, where people in need can access cheap and nutritious meals; community shops, where they can buy good quality surplus food cheaply; and community kitchens, where they can cook their own food rather than having to choose at home whether to use fuel to heat or eat
· Work with N-Power to bring the Fuel Voucher scheme to Oldham
· Host a workshop for schools, academies, faith groups and voluntary sector partners at which organisations offering financial, food and in-kind support can be invited to make presentations to and network with prospective local partners
· Engage with local food retailers to access more of the surplus food that is currently thrown away
· Promote the take up Healthy Start Vouchers to eligible residents
· Make a successful application to become a partner of the Alexandra Rose Voucher Scheme
· Promote the take up of free school meals by all eligible children in this borough
And otherwise to continue to work with all community groups and volunteers who support and advise networks in the community that are themselves supporting families affected by food poverty.’
To continue with the original bullet points three and four, and therefore insert an additional fifth bullet point to read as follows:
‘To ask the Chief Executive to write to End Hunger UK campaign with a request that Oldham Council be listed as an organisation offering its support.’”
Amended Motion to read:
“Oldham is not on its own in facing an increase in families who are in both financial and food poverty. Oldham Council is doing a lot for this ever increasing number of people, but we recognise we can do a lot more. With the changes to benefits and even more zero hour contracts, this number is unlikely to diminish.
The End Hunger Campaign in Oldham is launching on the 15th October.
The aim of this campaign is to:
· Improve the public awareness of the food justice movement at local level, showing how volunteers are working hard in food banks and on community food projects.
· Publicise the support available to help people who are struggling with their household budget, for example, the winter warmth campaign, the Welfare Rights Service and citizens’ advice.
We ask that all sides of the Council support this campaign and the volunteers, Council employees and councillors who themselves work hard to help fellow Oldhamers.
Council recognises that there are many organisations which can offer the Council and its partners financial, food and in-kind support to address food poverty in this borough, including Brake Brothers, Fareshare, Kelloggs, Magic Breakfast, Make Lunch, The Real Junk Food Project, and the Trussell Trust.
The overall aim of the campaign is to build a town in which everyone has access to good food and no one goes to bed hungry.
This Council supports the aims of this campaign and wishes to take further action to address food poverty in this borough.
This Council resolves:
1. That this Council and its partners establish an action plan for the borough to work to ensure that all residents, particularly children, older people, and the chronically-sick, are able to live free from the damaging effects of hunger, including the adverse effect on their health.
2. That this plan identifies practical actions to address food poverty in this borough, specifically to:
· Establish breakfast clubs in every school and academy in the borough where there is a need for one
· Establish school holiday food clubs across the borough where there is a need
· Establish more community cafes, where people in need can access cheap and nutritious meals; community shops, where they can buy good quality surplus food cheaply; and community kitchens, where they can cook their own food rather than having to choose at home whether to use fuel to heat or eat
· Work with N-Power to bring their Fuel Voucher scheme to Oldham
· Host a workshop for schools, academies, faith groups and voluntary sector partners at which organisations offering financial, food and in-kind support can be invited to make presentations to and network with prospective local partners
· Engage with local food retailers to access more of the surplus food that is currently thrown away
· Promote the take up of Healthy Start Vouchers to eligible residents
· Make a successful application to become a partner of the Alexandra Rose Voucher Scheme
· Promote the take up of free school meals by all eligible children in this borough
And otherwise to continue to work with all community groups and volunteers who support and advise networks in the community that are themselves supporting families affected by food poverty.
3. To write to the Clinical Commissioning Group to ask that it ensures that GPs and other front line staff take into account food poverty when seeing people, especially children, who are not in the best of health.
4. To instruct the Chief Executive to write to the borough’s three MPs, and the Prime Minister, asking them to make every effort to ensure that families can afford good food on a regular basis through an appropriate combination of work and benefits.
5. To ask the Chief Executive to write to End Hunger UK campaign with a request that Oldham Council be listed as an organisation offering its support.”
Councillor Ball exercised her right of reply and ACCEPTED the AMENDMENT.
Councillor Harkness did not exercise his right of reply.
A vote was then taken on the AMENDMENT.
On being put the vote, the AMENDMENT was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Councillor Mushtaq spoke in support of the Substantive Motion.
Councillor Bates spoke in support of the Substantive Motion.
Councillor Chauhan spoke in support of the Substantive Motion.
Councillor Dean spoke in support of the Substantive Motion.
Councillor Ball did not exercise her right of reply.
A vote was taken on the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION.
On being put the vote, the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that:
1. the Council and its partners establish an action plan for the borough to work to ensure that all residents, particularly children, older people, and the chronically-sick, are able to live free from the damaging effects of hunger, including the adverse effect on their health.
2. this plan identified practical actions to address food poverty in this borough, specifically to:
· Establish breakfast clubs in every school and academy in the borough where there is a need for one
· Establish school holiday food clubs across the borough where there is a need
· Establish more community cafes, where people in need can access cheap and nutritious meals; community shops, where they can buy good quality surplus food cheaply; and community kitchens, where they can cook their own food rather than having to choose at home whether to use fuel to heat or eat
· Work with N-Power to bring their Fuel Voucher scheme to Oldham
· Host a workshop for schools, academies, faith groups and voluntary sector partners at which organisations offering financial, food and in-kind support can be invited to make presentations to and network with prospective local partners
· Engage with local food retailers to access more of the surplus food that is currently thrown away
· Promote the take up of Healthy Start Vouchers to eligible residents
· Make a successful application to become a partner of the Alexandra Rose Voucher Scheme
· Promote the take up of free school meals by all eligible children in this borough
And otherwise to continue to work with all community groups and volunteers who support and advise networks in the community that are themselves supporting families affected by food poverty.
3. the Clinical Commissioning Group be written to, to ask that it ensures that GPs and other front line staff take into account food poverty when seeing people, especially children, who are not in the best of health.
4. the Chief Executive be instructed to write to the borough’s three MPs, and the Prime Minister, asking them to make every effort to ensure that families can afford good food on a regular basis through an appropriate combination of work and benefits.
5. the Chief Executive be asked to write to End Hunger UK campaign with a request that Oldham Council be listed as an organisation offering its support.
Motion 2
The Mayor informed the meeting that the time limit for this item had expired and Councillor Dearden, as Mover of the Motion, and Councillor Ur-Rehman, as Second of the Motion, requested that Council permit the following Motion be rolled over for discussion at the next Council meeting:
“The U.K has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe, with one third of children overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school.
Local councils now have the responsibility for health and wellbeing, health promotion and prevention of ill health, so it is incumbent upon us to debate this and make our views known.
We note with great disappointment this government’s long-awaited Obesity Strategy, published in August 2016, during parliamentary recess and in the midst of the Rio Olympics, and the lost opportunity to improve our health and wellbeing. Medical experts and campaigners have criticised the strategy as ‘weak and embarrassing’ and accused policy makers of throwing away the chance to tackle our culture of unhealthy eating that is crippling the NHS.
The government proposals, centred on the sugar tax announced by George Osborne in May 2016, rely on voluntary action by the food and drink industry and contain no restrictions on junk food marketing and advertising. The sugar tax will not be introduced for another two years.
This Council recognises that local campaigning and awareness raising programmes are most successful when backed by legislative changes, as with the bank on smoking in public places.
This Council therefore resolves that the following measures be taken:
1. Oldham Council, led by our Public Health officers and the Health and Wellbeing Board (which includes partners such as Housing, Doctors, Hospitals, Oldham Community Leisure, Voluntary groups), will campaign to ban all high sugar foods and drinks available in our buildings and will encourage schools, community organisations and local employers to do the same;
2. Oldham Council to continue to promote healthy lifestyles and healthy eating through our local campaigns such as ‘Get Oldham Growing, Feeding Ambition’, ‘Go for a Walk’, Oral Health, Breastfeeding and other initiatives.
In addition, we request that the Chief Executive writes to the borough’s three MPs to inform them of our action and to ask them to campaign for stronger legislation.”
RESOLVED that the Motion be rolled over the next Council meeting scheduled on 9th November 2016.
Motion 3
The Mayor informed the meeting that the time limit for this item had expired and Councillor Roberts, as Mover of the Motion, and Councillor J. Larkin, as Second of the Motion, requested that Council permit the following Motion be rolled over for discussion at the next Council meeting:
“Speed kills: speed is one of the main factors in fatal road accidents. A pedestrian is four times more likely to die if hit at 40mph than at 30 mph. In 2014, 282 people were killed in crashes in the UK involving someone exceeding the speed limit and a further 126 people died when someone was travelling too fast for the conditions.
Residents, including those who attend the Community Forums, regularly express their concern about speeding traffic both on main roads and also in residential areas. Councillors have responded by supporting speed measurements measures, changes to road and junction layout to improve safety, improvements to pedestrian crossings and most recently by funding Vehicle Activated Signs.
However, motorists continue to speed and drive too fast for road conditions and local circumstances.
This Council resolves to:
· Mount a campaign of driver education to explain the impact of speeding and encourage motorists to obey the law
· Take every opportunity available to secure funding to make Oldham’s Roads safer
· Work with Greater Manchester Police to improvement enforcement action against motorists breaking the speed limits
· Influence the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2010 to include a sub-regional approach to tackling speeding and making our roads safer.
RESOLVED that the Motion be rolled over the next Council meeting scheduled on 9th November 2016.