(time limit 30 minutes)
Motion 1
Councillor Murphy to MOVE and Councillor Harkness to SECOND:
This Council notes, with great sadness, that:
· There is growing evidence that the use of acid and other corrosive substances as a weapon in violent attacks is increasing.
· Victims of these crimes are often left with life changing injuries as well as long-term psychological and emotional damage,
· Data collected by the National Police Chiefs’ Council covering a six month period between November 2016 and April 2017 identified 408 attacks involving corrosive substances across 39 police forces. 21% of offenders were found to be 18 years or under.
Council welcomes:
· The recognition by the British Government that the law is currently unsatisfactory as the products are legal for anyone to purchase, but shops are required to report suspicious sales.
· The recent Home Office consultation on proposals to enact new legislation in which retailers will be committing a criminal offence if they sell products containing harmful corrosive substances in shops or on-line to persons under 18 and where a new offence will be created of possessing a corrosive substance in a public place.
· Proposals by other Councils to roll out voluntary schemes urging shopkeepers not to support sales of corrosive products which contain acid or ammonia to under 21 year olds in advance of future legislation.
This Council resolves to:
· Ask the Overview and Scrutiny Board, with the Trading Standards team and retailers’ associations, to examine the merits and practicalities of introducing such a voluntary scheme in this borough in advance of new legislation, and to report back their findings to full Council.
· Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Borough’s three Members of Parliament and the Mayor of Greater Manchester to request they make representations to Government ministers supporting the urgent introduction of new legislation to regulate the sale of these substances and to outlaw under-age sales.
Motion 2
Councillor McCann to MOVE and Councillor Sykes to SECOND:
This Council notes that:
· The Government have recently announced that the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme (or SMI), administered by the Department of Work and Pensions, will come to an end on 5 April 2018.
· Homeowners who are on a qualifying benefit for long enough can currently receive help towards the interest charges on a mortgage or eligible home improvement loan.
· From 6 April 2018, new and existing claimants will instead be offered SMI loans; there will be no transitional protection.
· If a loan is not accepted, SMI will end and claimants will start to accrue mortgage arrears, putting their home at risk.
· If the loan is accepted, homeowners will have to repay the loan, including accrued interest if there is sufficient equity, once the property is sold or ownership is transferred.
· The Department for Work and Pensions has estimated that of the 140,000 households currently receiving SMI around 50% are of pension age.
Council is concerned that:
· Such claimants will end up being in further debt should they choose to participate in the new scheme.
· Other claimants who do not take up the loan may find themselves in mortgage arrears and be evicted.
· There is no transitional protection scheme for existing claimants.
· As claimants fall into more debt, or are faced with homelessness, they will make a greater call on Council services and those provided by partner agencies (such as the Oldham Food Bank) placing these under greater strain.
Council believes that the proposals are grossly unfair as:
· Tenants living in social or private rented housing can receive housing benefit payments that are greater that those made to homeowners through SMI.
· Existing claimants are immediately affected without being offered access to transitional protection.
· Older homeowners with an interest-only mortgage will be hardest hit.
Council resolves to:
· Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Minister responsible outlining our concerns and objections, and to our three local MPs asking them to make representations on this matter.
· Ask the Cabinet Member responsible to ask officers to draw up a briefing paper for Councillors identifying what the impact of these changes will be in Oldham and what actions can be taken by the Council and its partners to mitigate them.
Motion 3
Councillor Gloster to MOVE and Councillor Turner to SECOND:
Council notes with grave concern that children’s Halloween and other seasonal / themed party costumes are classed in law as ‘toys’ and are not subject to the rigorous standards of fire retardancy required of other children’s clothing.
Tragically this leads to unnecessary deaths or injuries to children when these flammable items are exposed to heat.
Council notes that the British Retail Consortium has just introduced voluntary guidelines for manufacturers, to reduce the speed at which these costumes will burn, but these remain voluntary guidelines and regrettably they do not require manufacturers to make such costumes fire-proof.
Council welcomes the work done by officers of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to raise public awareness of the risks and supports the aspiration of the Association of Chief Fire Officers that such costumes should be reclassified as ‘clothing’.
Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to the relevant Government Minister and to the three MPs representing this Borough asking them to support the urgent introduction of the necessary legislation or regulations to bring this about to prevent any further needless deaths and injuries of this nature.
Minutes:
Motion 1:
Councillor Murphy MOVED and Councillor Harkness SECONDED the following motion:
“This Council notes, with great sadness that:
· There is growing evidence that the use of acid and other corrosive substances as a weapon in violent attacks is increasing.
· Victims of these crimes are often left with life changing injuries as well as long-term psychological and emotional damage.
· Data collected by the National Police Chiefs’ Council covering a six month period between November 2016 and April 2017 identified 408 attacks involving corrosive substances across 39 police forces. 21% of offenders were found to be 18 years or under.
Council welcomes:
· The recognition by the British Government that the law is currently unsatisfactory as the products are legal for anyone to purchase, but shops are required to report suspicious sales.
· The recent Home Office consultation on proposals to enact new legislation in which retailers will be committing a criminal offence if they sell products containing harmful corrosive substances in shops or on-line to persons under 18 and where a new offence will be created of possessing a corrosive substance in a public place.
· Proposals by other Councils to roll out voluntary schemes urging shopkeepers not to support sales of corrosive products which contain acid or ammonia to under 21 year olds in advance of future legislation.
This Council resolves to:
· Ask the Overview and Scrutiny Board, with the Trading Standards team and retailers’ associations, to examine the merits and practicalities of introducing such a voluntary scheme in this borough in advance of new legislation, and to report back their findings to full Council.
· Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Borough’s three Members of Parliament and the Mayor of Greater Manchester to request they make representations to Government ministers supporting the urgent introduction of new legislation to regulate the sale of these substances and to outlaw under-age sales.
Councillor Blyth spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor Ur-Rehman spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor Murphy exercised his right of reply.
On being put to the VOTE, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that:
1. The Overview and Scrutiny Board be asked, with the Trading Standards Team and retailers’ associations, to examine the merits and practicalities of introducing such a voluntary scheme in this borough in advance of new legislation, and to report back their findings to full Council.
2. The Chief Executive be asked to write to the Borough’s three Members of Parliament and the Mayor of Greater Manchester to request they make representations to Government ministers supporting the urgent introduction of new legislation to regulate the sale of these substances and to outlaw under-age sales.
Motion 2:
Councillor McCann MOVED and Councillor Sykes SECONDED the following motion:
“This Council notes that:
· The Government have recently announced that the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme (or SMI), administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, will come to an end on 5 April 2018.
· Homeowners who are on a qualifying benefit for long enough can currently receive help towards the interest charges on a mortgage or eligible home improvement loan.
· From 6 April 2018, new and existing claimants will instead be offered SMI loans; there will be no transitional protection.
· If a loan is not accepted, SMI will end and claimants will start to accrue mortgage arrears, putting their home at risk.
· If the loan is accepted, homeowners will have to repay the loan, including accrued interest if there is sufficient equity, once the property is sold or ownership is transferred.
· The Department of Work and Pensions has estimated that of the 140,000 households currently receiving SMI around 50% are of pension age.
Council is concerned that:
· Such claimants will end up being in further debt should they choose ot participate in the new scheme.
· Other claimants who do not take up the loan may find themselves in mortgage arrears and be evicted.
· There is no transitional protection scheme for existing claimants.
· As claimants fall into more debt, or are faced with homelessness, they will make a greater call on Council services and those provided by partner agencies (such as the Oldham Food Bank) placing these under greater strain.
Council believes that the proposals are grossly unfair as:
· Tenants living in social or private rented housing can receive housing benefit payments that are greater that those made to homeowners through SMI.
· Existing claimants are immediately affected without being offered access to transitional protection.
· Older homeowners with an interest-only mortgage will be hardest hit.
Council resolves to:
· Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Minister responsible outlining our concerns and objections, and to our three local MPs asking them to make representations on this matter.
· Ask the Cabinet Member responsible to ask officers to draw up a briefing paper for Councillors identifying what the impact of these changes will be in Oldham and what actions can be taken by the Council and its partners to mitigate them.”
Councillor Ball spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor Fielding spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor Jabbar spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor McCann exercised his right of reply.
On being put to the VOTE, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that:
1. The Chief Executive be asked to write to the Minister responsible outlining our concerns and objections, and to our three local MPs asking them to make representations on this matter.
2. The Cabinet Member responsible be asked to ask officers to draw up a briefing paper for Councillors identifying what the impact of these changes will be in Oldham and what actions can be taken by the Council and its partners to mitigate them.
Motion 3
Councillor Gloster MOVED and Councillor Turner SECONDED the following motion:
“Council notes with grave concern that children’s Halloween and other seasonal / themed party costumes are classed in law as ‘toys’ and are not subject to the rigorous standards of fire retardancy required of other children’s clothing.
Tragically this leads to unnecessary deaths or injuries to children when these flammable items are exposed to heat.
Council notes that the British Retail Consortium has just introduced voluntary guidelines for manufacturers, to reduce the speed at which these costumes will burn, but these remain voluntary guidelines and regrettably they do not require manufacturers to make such costumes fire-proof.
Council welcomes the work done by officers of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to raise public awareness of the risks and supports the aspiration of the Association of Chief Fire Officers that such costumes should be reclassified as ‘clothing’.
Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to the relevant Government Minister and to the three MPs representing this Borough asking them to support the urgent introduction of the necessary legislation or regulations to bring this about to prevent any further needless deaths and injuries of this nature.”
Councillor Williams spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor Gloster did not exercise his right of reply.
On being put to the VOTE, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that the Chief Executive be asked to write to the relevant Government Minister and to the three MPs representing this Borough asking them to support the urgent introduction of the necessary legislation or regulations to bring this about to prevent any further needless deaths and injuries of this nature.