(time limit 30 minutes)
Motion1
Councillor Jabbar to MOVE and Councillor Ali to SECOND:
Spending review November 2020
This Council notes the spending commitments outlined in the one-year spending review
This Council regrets that
This Council condemns the wage freeze imposed on 2m public sector workers including firefighters, the police, teachers and local authority staff. Many of these workers have kept the country going during the pandemic and deserve more than a real term pay cut.
This Council believes that only with the right funding and freedoms, can councils lead local efforts to level up the stark inequalities the pandemic has exposed and level up the economy so that it benefits everyone.
This Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to
Motion 2
Councillor Mushtaq to MOVE and Councillor Goodwin to SECOND:
Fair Grade for All 2021
After the fiasco of this year’s A-level and GCSE results, this Council is keen to ensure fairness for students next year. On 19 August, trade union leaders wrote to Gavin Williamson MP outlining what steps the Government must take to ensure no student is disadvantaged, as did Kate Green MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education on 10 November. Students and teachers urgently need clarity on A-levels and GCSEs, in particular what contingency is in place if exams have to be cancelled again next year.
It is imperative that the distressing experiences of 2020 A-level students are never repeated. The chaos of 2020 justifies a wider review of how qualifications are awarded.
This Council calls on Government to:
- Create a level playing field across the country for all students sitting exams next year. The pandemic has hit and will continue to hit the regions to varying degrees. The government has hinted at flexibility to boundary grades but must go further and commit to a regional approach to norm-referencing performance to reflect the varying degrees of school attendance levels across the regions rather than setting up an expert group to monitor the situation
- Put in place arrangements to make sure that no student misses out on the opportunity to receive their qualifications as a result of having to self-isolate during next year’s exam period. This government must work with exam boards to make reserve papers available in all subjects. This would give students who miss an exam the opportunity to sit it later.
- Publish its plans now for a worst-case scenario whereby exams cannot go ahead next year due to the impact of the pandemic. A credible Plan B is required that must have the confidence of parents, teachers, school leaders and unions.
This Council calls on the Leader and Chief Executive of Oldham Council to:
· Write to the Secretary of State for Education asking him to respond as a matter of urgency to all the above points.
· To write to Oldham’s three MPs, highlighting the motion and asking that they raise the issues in Parliament as a matter of urgency.
Minutes:
Council were asked to note that the motions would be debated in the order received by the Chief Executive and not as printed in the summons.
Motion 1 – Fair Grade for All 2021
Councillor Mushtaq MOVED and Councillor Goodwin SECONDED the following MOTION:
“After the fiasco of this’s A-level and GCSE results, this Council is keen to ensure fairness for students next year. On 19 August, trade union leaders wrote to Gavin Williamson MP outlining what steps the Government must take to ensure no student is disadvantaged, as did Kate Green MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education on 10 November. Students and teachers urgently need clarity on A-levels and GCSEs, in particular what contingency is in place if exams have to be cancelled again next year. It is imperative that the distressing experiences of 2020 A-level students are never repeated. The chaos of 2020 justifies a wider review of how qualifications are awarded.
This Council calls on government to:
- Create a level playing field across the country for all students sitting exams next year. The pandemic has hit and will continue to hit the regions to varying degrees. The government has hinted at flexibility to boundary grades but must go further and commit to a regional approach to norm-referencing performance to reflect the varying degrees of school attendance levels across the regions rather than setting up an expert group to monitor the situation.
- Put in place arrangements to make sure that no student misses out on the opportunity to receive their qualifications as a result of having to self-isolate during next year’s exam period. This government must work with exam boards to make reserve papers available in all subjects. This would give students who miss an exam the opportunity to sit it later.
- Publish its plans now for a worst-case scenario whereby exams cannot go ahead next year due to the impact of the pandemic. A credible Plan B is required that must have the confidence of parents, teachers, school leaders and unions.
This Council calls on the Leader and Chief Executive of Oldham Council to:
· Write to the Secretary of State for Education asking him to respond as a matter of urgency to all the above points.
· To write to Oldham’s three MPs, highlighting the motion and asking that they raise the issues in Parliament as a matter of urgency.”
Councillor Jacques spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor Ibrahim spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor Moores spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor Harkness spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor H Gloster spoke in support of the Motion.
Councillor Mushtaq exercised his right of reply.
On being put to the vote, Members voted unanimously in FAVOUR of the MOTION. The MOTION was therefore CARRIED.
RESOLVED that the Leader and Chief Executive of Oldham Council be asked to:
1. Write to the Secretary of State for Education asking him to respond as a matter of urgency to all the above points.
2. To write to Oldham’s three MPs, highlighting the motion and asking that they raise the issues in Parliament as a matter of urgency.
Motion 2 – Spending review November 2020
Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Ali SECONDED the following MOTION:
“This Council regrets that
· The Chancellor failed to address the systemic underfunding of local Councils, opting instead for a series of one-off measures and further transferring the burden of paying for essential services to local Council Tax payers who have in many cases already been hard hit by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and years of Tory austerity. The Spending Review announced a £2.2bn increase in Councils’ Core Spending Power. Of this sum, £1.5bn is assumed to come from Councils increasing Council Tax by 5% - the maximum the Government will allow without a referendum. Only £600m of this was badged as new money and £300m of this is recycled so is not new.
· The Government has not brought forward a plan to reform funding and provision of adult social care as promised and instead has given councils the power to raise a further adult social care precept – indeed it assumes that this will be raised within the Core Spending Power increase. The precept can increase by 3% for 2021/22, but by using the ability to raise Council Tax as a means to generate income for adult social care, it’s not linking to need. Those areas that can generate more Council Tax can raise more funding.
· While the Government has provided significant additional funding for 2020/21, including over £23m of general Grant funding for Oldham Council this year, this still leaves a shortfall and the Government continues to break its promise to ‘do whatever it takes’ to support public services tackling the pandemic including fully reimbursing councils and schools for additional costs and reduced income
· While receiving over £14m of grants for specific purposes in Oldham this year is welcome, these grants have come with substantial restrictions from Government on how they can be used. Such funding could be used more effectively if there was greater flexibility.
· The Spending Review did not include additional funding for public health. This runs contrary to addressing the stark health inequalities exposed by COVID-19 and levelling up our communities. Keeping people healthy and well throughout their lives reduces pressure on the NHS and social care.
· The Government has not temporarily removed the No Recourse to Public Funds condition. This would reduce public health risks and ease the pressure on homelessness services by enabling vulnerable people to access welfare benefits, who are currently unable to do so because of their immigration status. The Chancellor also failed to commit to making permanent the £20 a week supplement to Universal Credit that has been crucial to protecting people from poverty.
This Council condemns the wage freeze imposed on 2m public sector workers including firefighters, the police, teachers and local authority staff. Many of these workers have kept the country going during the pandemic and deserve more than a real term pay cut.
This Council believes that only with the right funding and freedoms, can councils lead local efforts to level up the stark inequalities the pandemic has exposed and level up the economy so that it benefits everyone.
This Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to:
· The Local Government Association to urge a vigorous campaign for a long term local government funding settlement, for reform of adult social care and adequate funding of children’s social care, education and social housing in the context of a new settlement reversing the centralisation of powers and decision-making that has been evident even before the pandemic.
· The borough’s three MPs urging that they oppose the public sector pay freeze and support efforts to secure the necessary funding and freedoms for local authorities.
· Therese Coffey MP, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, calling on her to make the £20 a week Universal Credit supplement permanent.”
AMENDMENT
Councillor C. Gloster MOVED and Councillor Hamblett SECONDED the following AMENDMENT:
“Insert after the end of bullet point 6 which ends ‘crucial to protecting people from poverty’ a new bullet point 7 which reads:
· The Spending Review included no additional uplift to the Carers’ Allowance. 900,000 full-time unpaid carers rely on Carer’s Allowance – but at just £67.25 a week, it’s not nearly enough. More than a third of those on Carer’s Allowance are struggling to make ends meet. Many have been struggling for months, often relying on foodbanks to feed themselves and the people they care for.
Insert at the very end of point 3 of the resolution after ‘permanent’ the following ‘and to immediately increase the Carers Allowance by £20 per week.’
The amended motion to read:
“This Council regrets that
· The Chancellor failed to address the systemic underfunding of local Councils, opting instead for a series of one-off measures and further transferring the burden of paying for essential services to local Council Tax payers who have in many cases already been hard hit by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and years of Tory austerity. The Spending Review announced a £2.2bn increase in Councils’ Core Spending Power. Of this sum, £1.5bn is assumed to come from Councils increasing Council Tax by 5% - the maximum the Government will allow without a referendum. Only £600m of this was badged as new money and £300m of this is recycled so is not new.
· The Government has not brought forward a plan to reform funding and provision of adult social care as promised and instead has given councils the power to raise a further adult social care precept – indeed it assumes that this will be raised within the Core Spending Power increase. The precept can increase by 3% for 2021/22, but by using the ability to raise Council Tax as a means to generate income for adult social care, it’s not linking to need. Those areas that can generate more Council Tax can raise more funding.
· While the Government has provided significant additional funding for 2020/21, including over £23m of general Grant funding for Oldham Council this year, this still leaves a shortfall and the Government continues to break its promise to ‘do whatever it takes’ to support public services tackling the pandemic including fully reimbursing councils and schools for additional costs and reduced income
· While receiving over £14m of grants for specific purposes in Oldham this year is welcome, these grants have come with substantial restrictions from Government on how they can be used. Such funding could be used more effectively if there was greater flexibility.
· The Spending Review did not include additional funding for public health. This runs contrary to addressing the stark health inequalities exposed by COVID-19 and levelling up our communities. Keeping people healthy and well throughout their lives reduces pressure on the NHS and social care.
· The Government has not temporarily removed the No Recourse to Public Funds condition. This would reduce public health risks and ease the pressure on homelessness services by enabling vulnerable people to access welfare benefits, who are currently unable to do so because of their immigration status. The Chancellor also failed to commit to making permanent the £20 a week supplement to Universal Credit that has been crucial to protecting people from poverty.
· The Spending Review included no additional uplift to the Carers’ Allowance. 900,000 full-time unpaid carers rely on Carer’s Allowance – but at just £67.25 a week, it’s not nearly enough. More than a third of those on Carer’s Allowance are struggling to make ends meet. Many have been struggling for months, often relying on foodbanks to feed themselves and the people they care for.
This Council condemns the wage freeze imposed on 2m public sector workers including firefighters, the police, teachers and local authority staff. Many of these workers have kept the country going during the pandemic and deserve more than a real term pay cut.
This Council believes that only with the right funding and freedoms, can councils lead local efforts to level up the stark inequalities the pandemic has exposed and level up the economy so that it benefits everyone.
This Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to:
· The Local Government Association to urge a vigorous campaign for a long term local government funding settlement, for reform of adult social care and adequate funding of children’s social care, education and social housing in the context of a new settlement reversing the centralisation of powers and decision-making that has been evident even before the pandemic.
· The borough’s three MPs urging that they oppose the public sector pay freeze and support efforts to secure the necessary funding and freedoms for local authorities.
· Therese Coffey MP, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, calling on her to make the £20 a week Universal Credit supplement permanent and to immediately increase the Carers Allowance by £20 per week.”
Councillor Jabbar exercised his right of reply and indicated he accepted the amendment.
A vote was then taken on the AMENDMENT, which was CARRIED and became the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION.
On being put to the vote, 53 votes were cast in FAVOUR of the SUBSTANTIVE MOTION and 0 votes were cast AGAINST with 3 ABSTENTIONS. The SUBSTANTIVE MOTION was therefore CARRIED.
RESOLVED that the Chief Executive be asked to write to:
• The Local Government Association to urge a vigorous campaign for a long term local government funding settlement, for reform of adult social care and adequate funding of children’s social care, education and social housing in the context of a new settlement reversing the centralisation of powers and decision-making tThis Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to:
• The Local Government Association to urge a vigorous campaign for a long term local government funding settlement, for reform of adult social care and adequate funding of children’s social care, education and social housing in the context of a new settlement reversing the centralisation of powers and decision-making that has been evident even before the pandemic.
• The borough’s three MPs urging that they oppose the public sector pay freeze and support efforts to secure the necessary funding and freedoms for local authorities.
• Therese Coffey MP, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, calling on her to make the £20 a week Universal Credit supplement permanent and to immediately increase the Carers Allowance by £20 per weekhat has been evident even before the pandemic.
• The borough’s three MPs urging that they oppose the public sector pay freeze and support efforts to secure the necessary funding and freedoms for local authorities.
• Therese Coffey MP, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, calling on her to make the £20 a week Universal Credit supplement permanent and to immediately increase the Carers Allowance by £20 per week