(time limit 30 minutes)
Motion 1
Councillor Chadderton to MOVE and Councillor Mushtaq to SECOND:
Funding cuts have been imposed on public services by Conservative and Conservative-led governments since 2010.
In the 2017 General Election voters delivered a verdict that saw the Conservatives lose their overall majority in the House of Commons. This was a clear message to the Government that the British people were fed up with austerity. Locally this was reflected in results that saw all three Oldham Labour MPs increase their share of the vote by more than 10 percentage points compared with 2015.
This Council urges the Government to end the austerity programme that has decimated public services, depressed wages and pushed more children in to poverty.
Council resolves to:
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer setting out our opposition to austerity with details of the impact it has had on the Borough of Oldham.
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the three Oldham MPs, thank them for the work they are doing to campaign against austerity and offer our support in continuing this campaign.
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Mayor Andy Burnham, compelling him to campaign for a fairer funding model for the Greater Manchester region.
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Conservative Chair of the Local Government Association and offer our support in his campaign against his party’s cruel cuts to Local Government.
Motion 2
Councillor Akhtar to MOVE and Councillor Jacques to SECOND:
The UK science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills deficit has been reported widely for many years, in Oldham we have endeavored to address this problem by working with schools and colleges.
This Council understands the need to address local skills needs and social aspiration by developing a keen and able future workforce in the industries that matter to the region. To do this we must ensure that young people are able to develop the skills in science, technology, engineering and maths in ways that will excite them and inspire them to consider science or engineering careers.
The Oldham Enterprise Trust has successfully worked in partnership with schools, colleges and a wide variety of other organisations to make STEM subjects both exciting and enjoyable. They have done this via the Primary Engineer Programme which allows schools to introduce basic engineering principles to young people in primary schools.
Similarly the Go4SET project allows secondary schools to link teams of Year 8/9 pupils with employers and universities to offer a 10 week Science, STEM Project. These projects also allow them to develop their business, organisational and interpersonal skills that further education establishments and employers will be looking for.
This council acknowledges the success of the Primary Engineer and Go4Set projects and requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Oldham Enterprise Trust thanking them and asking them to pass on our thanks to all those involved in these projects and for their commitment to the young people of Oldham.
We also acknowledge and celebrate the success of the students who participated in these events.
Motion 3
Councillor Jabbar to MOVE and Councillor Ball to SECOND:
This Council notes that Universal Credit (UC) is a single monthly payment which replaces six working age benefits (known as legacy benefits).These are Housing Benefit (HB), Income Support (IS), Working Tax Credits (WTC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), Employment and Support Allowance (Income-related) and Job Seekers Allowance (Income-related). It supports residents on low incomes who are both in and out of work.
Oldham has been a pathfinder for Universal Credit since 2013. However, the numbers of residents moving onto Universal Credit from 2013 have been restricted to new claimants and straightforward cases. The roll out of the full service of Universal Credit which commenced in Oldham on 26 April 2017 is a new entirely online-based system and claimants must apply for and manage their claim online. It also brings in a wider range of claimants including more complex cases. It affects claimants when they make a claim for the first time or have a change in circumstances that means their existing claim for one of the legacy benefits has to be cancelled.
Oldham is one of the early boroughs subject to the rollout of Universal Credit full service. The delivery of the new service has been an area of particular concern across the country and was subject in the last parliament to an investigation by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.
As a result, and while the DWP and Job Centre Plus are the agency responsible for managing the change, the Council is committed to pro-active and continued work with key stakeholders and partners to ensure that as much support is provided to residents as possible to help achieve a smooth transition to the new service.
However, this Council has a number of concerns about Universal Credit
· The wait times between the date of application and date of assessment. There is a built in waiting period of 6 weeks before Universal Credit is awarded and this creates hardship for residents. Any delay in DWP processing times exacerbates this hardship still further.
· The level of deductions applied to monthly payments to clawback advance payments and sanctions can be high leaving residents with little money to cover basic income needs for their families for the weeks ahead.
· The high number of Universal Credit claimants that have been subject to sanctions in Oldham.
· That the provision of housing costs support for short term temporary accommodation for Oldham’s homeless population is not an appropriate fit for Universal Credit and should be returned to and covered by Housing Benefit at the earliest opportunity.
This Council resolves to:
Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the following to register these issues and request that solutions are explored which would improve the design and delivery of Universal Credit which would mitigate impacts for low- income, working age residents in the borough;
1. The Rt. Hon David Gauke MP Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
2. Debbie Abrahams MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, Jim McMahon MP for Oldham West and Royton and Angela Rayner MP for Ashton Under -Lyne, Droylsden and Failsworth.
3. The Local Government Association (LGA).
Minutes:
Motion 1:
Councillor Chadderton MOVED and Councillor Mushtaq SECONDED the following motion:
“Funding cuts have been imposed on public services by Conservative and Conservative-led governments since 2010.
In the 2017 General Election voters delivered a verdict that saw the Conservatives lose their overall majority in the House of Commons. This was a clear message to the Government that the British people were fed up with austerity. Locally this was reflected in results that saw all three Oldham Labour MPs increase their share of the vote by more than 10 percentage points compared with 2015.
This Council urges the Government to end the austerity programme that has decimated public services, depressed wages and pushed more children into poverty.
Council resolves to:
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer setting out our opposition to austerity with details of the impact it has had on the Borough of Oldham.
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the three Oldham MPs, thank them for the work they are doing to campaign against austerity and offer our support in continuing this campaign.
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Mayor Andy Burnham, compelling him to campaign for a fairer funding model for the Greater Manchester region.
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Conservative Chair of the Local Government Association and offer our support in his campaign against his party’s cruel cuts to Local Government.”
AMENDMENT
Councillor McCann MOVED and Councillor Harkness SECONDED the following amendment:
“Insert in Paragraph 1, Sentence 1 after ‘public services’ ‘and a pay cap imposed on public sector workers.’
Insert in Paragraph 2, Sentence 3 after ‘austerity’’ and ‘continued pay caps on public sector workers’.
Insert at the end of Paragraph 3 ‘and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers’.
Insert in the first bullet point of Paragraph 4 after ‘austerity’ ‘and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers.’
Insert in the second bullet point of Paragraph 4 after ‘austerity’ ‘and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers.’
Insert a final bullet point in Paragraph 4 ‘Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Royal College of Nursing to express this Council’s support for their “Scrap the Cap” campaign, which seeks to end the 1% pay cap on nursing staff and other public sector workers.”
Amended motion to read:
“Funding cuts have been imposed on public services and a pay cap imposed on public sector workers by Conservative and Conservative-led governments since 2010.
In the 2017 General Election voters delivered a verdict that saw the Conservatives lose their overall majority in the House of Commons. This was a clear message to the Government that the British people were fed up with austerity and continued pay caps on public sector workers. Locally, this was reflected in results that saw all three Oldham Labour MPs increase their share of the vote by more than 10 percentage points compared with 2015.
This Council urges the Government to end the austerity programme that has decimated public services, depressed wages and pushed more children in to poverty and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers.
Council resolves to:
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer setting out our opposition to austerity and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers with details of the impact it has had on the Borough of Oldham.
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the three Oldham MPs, thank them for the work they are doing to campaign against austerity and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers and offer our support in continuing this campaign.
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Mayor Andy Burnham, compelling him to campaign for a fairer funding model for the Greater Manchester region.
· Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Conservative Chair of the Local Government Association and offer our support in his campaign against his party’s cruel cuts to Local Government.
· Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Royal College of Nursing to express this Council’s support for their ‘Scrap the Cap’ campaign, which seeks to end the 1% pay cap on nursing staff and other public sector workers.”
Councillor Chadderton in moving the MOTION ACCEPTED the AMENDMENT.
A vote was then taken on the AMENDMENT.
On being put to the vote, the AMENDMENT was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Councillor Jabbar spoke in support of the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION.
Councillor Fielding spoke in support of the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION.
Councillor Hudson spoke against the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION.
Councillor Ali spoke in support of the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION.
Councillor Chadderton exercised her right of reply.
On being put to the vote, 49 were cast in FAVOUR of the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION and 1 vote was cast AGAINST with 1 ABSTENTION. The SUBSTANTIVE MOTION was therefore CARRIED.
RESOLVED that:
· The Chief Executive be instructed to write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer setting out our opposition to austerity and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers with details of the impact it has had on the Borough of Oldham.
· The Chief Executive be instructed to write to the three Oldham MPs, thank them for the work they are doing to campaign against austerity and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers and offer our support in continuing this campaign.
· The Chief Executive be instructed to write to Mayor Andy Burnham, compelling him to campaign for a fairer funding model for the Greater Manchester region.
· The Chief Executive be instructed to write to the Conservative Chair of the Local Government Association and offer our support in his campaign against his party’s cruel cuts to Local Government.
· The Chief Executive be asked to write to the Royal College of Nursing to express this Council’s support for their ‘Scrap the Cap’ campaign, which seeks to end the 1% pay cap on nursing staff and other public sector workers.
Motion 2:
The Mayor informed the meeting that the time limit for this item had expired. Councillor Akhtar as Mover of the Motion and Councillor Jacques as Seconder of the Motion requested the Motion be put to the vote.
“The UK Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills deficit has been reported widely for many years, in Oldham we have endeavoured to address this problem by working with schools and colleges.
This Council understands the need to address local skills needs and social aspiration by developing a keen and able future workforce in the industries that matter to the region. To do this we must ensure that young people are able to develop the skills in science, technology, engineering and maths in ways that will excite them and inspire them to consider science or engineering careers.
The Oldham Enterprise Trust has successfully worked in partnership with schools, colleges and a wide variety of other organisations to make STEM subjects both exciting and enjoyable. They have done this via the Primary Engineer Programme which allows schools to introduce basic engineering principles to young people in primary schools.
Similarly the Go4SET project allows secondary schools to link teams of Year 8/9 pupils with employers and universities to offer a 10 week Science, STEM Project. These projects also allow them to develop their business, organisational and interpersonal skills that further education establishments and employers will be looking for.
This council acknowledges the success of the Primary Engineer and Go4Set projects and requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Oldham Enterprise Trust thanking them and asking them to pass on our thanks to all those involved in these projects and for their commitment to the young people of Oldham.
We also acknowledge and celebrate the success of the students who participated in these events.
Councillor Akhtar did not exercise his right of reply.
A vote was then taken on the MOTION.
On being put to the vote, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that the Chief Executive write to the Oldham Enterprise Trust thanking them and asking them to pass our thanks to all those involved in the success of the Primary Engineer and Go4Set projects and ask them to pass on our thanks to all those involved in these projects and for the commitment to the young people of Oldham.
Motion 3:
The Mayor informed the meeting that the time limit for this item had expired and Councillor Jabbar as Mover of the Motion and Councillor Ball as Seconder of the Motion requested the Council permit the following Motion be rolled over for discuss at the next Council meeting:
“This Council notes that Universal Credit (UC) is a single monthly payment which replaces six working age benefits (known as legacy benefits).These are Housing Benefit (HB), Income Support (IS), Working Tax Credits (WTC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), Employment and Support Allowance (Income-related) and Job Seekers Allowance (Income-related). It supports residents on low incomes who are both in and out of work.
Oldham has been a pathfinder for Universal Credit since 2013. However, the numbers of residents moving onto Universal Credit from 2013 have been restricted to new claimants and straightforward cases. The roll out of the full service of Universal Credit which commenced in Oldham on 26 April 2017 is a new entirely online-based system and claimants must apply for and manage their claim online. It also brings in a wider range of claimants including more complex cases. It affects claimants when they make a claim for the first time or have a change in circumstances that means their existing claim for one of the legacy benefits has to be cancelled.
Oldham is one of the early boroughs subject to the rollout of Universal Credit full service. The delivery of the new service has been an area of particular concern across the country and was subject in the last parliament to an investigation by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.
As a result, and while the DWP and Job Centre Plus are the agency responsible for managing the change, the Council is committed to pro-active and continued work with key stakeholders and partners to ensure that as much support is provided to residents as possible to help achieve a smooth transition to the new service.
However, this Council has a number of concerns about Universal Credit
This Council resolves to:
Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the following to register these issues and request that solutions are explored which would improve the design and delivery of Universal Credit which would mitigate impacts for low- income, working age residents in the borough;
1. The Rt. Hon David Gauke MP Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
2. Debbie Abrahams MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, Jim McMahon MP for Oldham West and Royton and Angela Rayner MP for Ashton Under -Lyne, Droylsden and Failsworth
3. The Local Government Association (LGA).”
RESOLVED that the Motion be rolled over to the Council meeting scheduled on 13th September 2017.