(time limit 30 minutes)
Motion 1
Councillor Gloster to MOVE and Councillor Blyth to SECOND:
This Council notes:
· Pavement parking can pose a hazard to pedestrians, especially people with sight loss, parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users and other disabled people.
· People with sight loss are especially at risk as they can be forced into the road and faced with oncoming traffic that they cannot see.
· Pavements are not designed to take the weight of vehicles and so surfaces can become damaged or subside, presenting a further hazard for pedestrians, particularly those with disabilities.
Council notes that there are currently offences in law where vehicles are driven over the footpath or where vehicles cause an unreasonable obstruction on the footway; regrettably these offences are frequently left unenforced.
This Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police to request:
· Greater Manchester Police enforce the legislation
· That Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) be empowered to issue fixed penalty notices to offenders
Motion 2
Councillor Harkness to MOVE and Councillor Williamson to SECOND:
This Council is proud to be a member of the Sustainable Food Cities Network and as a member is committed to “Reducing waste and the ecological footprint of the food system”.
Council notes that with concern that this commitment will be more difficult to achieve when:
· Most beverage cups dispensed by coffee outlets cannot be recycled
· The production of bottled water necessitates wasteful processing, bottling and transportation, and when its consumption leads to the discarding of millions of plastic bottles
· Much of the packaging used for food products cannot easily be recycled
Council aspires instead to reduce food packaging and promote recycling across the borough whenever possible.
Council further notes that these aspirations are compatible with the aims of the initiative, the Courthauld Commitment 2025, where signatories pledge to work to reduce “the resource needed to provide our food and drink by one-fifth over ten years.”
Council therefore resolves to:
· Ensure that drinking cups at water and coffee machines in Council buildings are all recyclable and are recycled
· Work with local coffee outlets to encourage them to adopt recyclable cups, provide on-site recycling facilities, provide multi-use cups, and offer discounts to customers bringing their own cups
· Promote the provision of public drinking fountains and free drinking water in all catering outlets and schools
· Ask the relevant Cabinet Member and officers to investigate the merits of becoming a signatory to the Courthauld Commitment 2025, and report back on their findings no later than six months from now.
· Ask the Chief Executive to write to the:
o Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority requesting investment in the technology needed to recycle the food packaging that is not currently recycled
o Relevant Government Minister asking the Government to create a market for the sale and reuse of materials (such as low-grade plastics) that are not currently recycled
Motion 3
Councillor McCann to MOVE and Councillor Sykes to SECOND:
This Council notes:
· The Government’s stated commitment to encourage people with disabilities to return to paid employment
· The important role of railways in getting people to and from their places of work
· That, in contrast to Metrolink, disabled people still face difficulties in accessing some rail services
· The importance of the £102 million Department for Transport ‘Access for All’ programme in funding adaptations to railway stations to make them more accessible
· That around half of all of the 96 railway stations across Greater Manchester still require more work to make them accessible, including the only railway station in the borough, Greenfield Station
This Council notes with concern:
· Proposals within the recent Hendy Report to defer half of the ‘Access for All’ projects until the period 2019-24 meaning unacceptable delays in the adaptations to stations
· That any delay to the adaptation of a station means that rail services there will not be accessible to all which is contrary to UK equalities legislation
Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to:
· Write to the relevant Secretary of State asking him to reject the proposed re-phasing of Access for All projects and to instead, wherever possible, undertake more station adaptations at the current time
· Write to the Chair of Transport for Greater Manchester Committee and the Lead member on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for Transport Tony Lloyd urging them to consider how more funding can be made available to bring our region’s railway stations up to the high accessibility standards of Metrolink
Minutes:
Motion 1
Councillor Gloster MOVED and Councillor Blyth SECONDED the following motion:
“This Council notes:
· Pavement parking can pose a hazard to pedestrians, especially people with sight loss, parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users and other disabled people.
· People with sight loss are especially at risk as they can be forced into the road and faced with oncoming traffic that they cannot see.
· Pavements are not designed to take the weight of vehicles and so surfaces can become damaged or subside, presenting a further hazard for pedestrians, particularly those with disabilities.
Council notes that there are currently offences in law where vehicles are driven over the footpath or where vehicles cause an unreasonable obstruction on the footway; regrettably these offences are frequently left unenforced.“
Councillor Moores spoke in support of the motion.
Councillor Steven Bashforth spoke in support of the motion.
Councillor Briggs spoke in support of the motion.
Councillor McCann spoke in support of the motion.
Councillor Gloster exercised his right of reply.
On being put the vote, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that the Chief Executive be requested to write to the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester to request:
· Greater Manchester Police enforce the legislation; and
· That Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) be empowered to issue fixed penalty notices to offenders.
Motion 2
Councillor Harkness MOVED and Councillor Williamson SECONDED the following motion:
“This Council is proud to be a member of the Sustainable Food Cities Network and as a member is committed ‘Reducing waste and the ecological footprint of the food system’.
Council notes with concern that this commitment will be more difficult to achieve when:
· Most beverage cups dispensed by coffee outlets cannot be recycled
· The production of bottled water necessitates wasteful processing, bottling and transportation, and when its consumption leads to the discarding of millions of plastic bottles
· Much of the packaging used for food products cannot easily be recycled
Council aspires instead to reduce food packaging and promote recycling across the borough whenever possible.
Council further notes that these aspirations are compatible with the aims of the initiative, the Courthauld Commitment 2025, where signatories pledge to work to reduce ‘the resource needed to provide our food and drink by one-fifth over ten years.’
Councillor McCann spoke in support of the motion.
Councillor Roberts MOVED and Councillor Mushtaq SECONDED that under Council Procedure Rule 8.4(d) the motion be referred to Overview and Scrutiny Board.
Councillor Harkness exercised his right of reply.
On being put the vote, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that under Council Procedure 8.4(d) the motion be referred to Overview and Scrutiny Board.
Motion 3
The Mayor informed the meeting that the time limit for this item had expired and Councillor McCann as Mover of the Motion and Councillor Sykes as Seconder of the Motion requested the Council permit the following Motion be rolled over for discussion at the next Council meeting:
“This Council notes:
· The Government’s stated commitment to encourage people with disabilities to return to paid employment
· The important role of railways in getting people to and from their places of work
· That, in contrast to Metrolink, disabled people still face difficulties in accessing some rails services
· The importance of the £102 million Department for Transport ‘Access for All’ programme in funding adaptations to railway stations to make them more accessible
· That around half of all of the 96 railway stations across Greater Manchester still require more work to make them accessible, including the only railway station in the borough, Greenfield Station
This Council notes with concern:
· Proposals within the recent Hendry Report to defer half of the ‘Access for All’ projects until the period 2019-24 meaning unacceptable delays in the adaptations to stations
· That any delay to the adaptation of a station means that rail services there will not be accessible to all which is contrary to UK equalities legislation.”
RESOLVED that the Motion be rolled over to the Council meeting scheduled on 22nd March 2017.