Agenda and minutes

Before the meeting formally commenced the Lord Mayor asked his Chaplain to say an appropriate prayer.

Cake Sale

The Lord Mayor and Council thanked Ella Connelly for baking and organising a cake sale benefiting the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and Comic Relief in the Tea Room before the meeting. 

Ray Flint

The Lord Mayor introduced former Councillor and Lord Mayor Ray Flint who was present in the public gallery to the meeting. The Lord Mayor noted the massive contribution Ray had made and continued to make to the City and his pleasure in having the opportunity to host Ray at the meeting.  With the consent of the Lord Mayor the City Mayor also welcomed Ray to the meeting, noting his service as Deputy Leader of the Council and especially in regard to leisure services with his work to shape the service and deliver leisure facilities very visible across the City.

Armed Forces Breakfast Club

The Lord Mayor was especially pleased as the Council’s Armed Forces Champion as well as Lord Mayor to inform Council of the first meeting of the Armed Forces and Veterans breakfast club in Leicester on Saturday 15 April.

The club was to meet monthly at the Last Plantagenet on Granby Street between 9.30 and 11.30 am with the only cost being £5 for a cooked breakfast and a cup of tea.  The Lord Mayor stated that he would be attending the breakfast which would offer much needed support to serving members of the armed forces and veterans looked forward to seeing lots of people at the inaugural session.

Charity Black Tie Dinner

The Lord Mayor noted that there were a few tickets left for the black tie dinner benefiting his charity on 24 March. 

The dinner was being held on the Great Central Railway journeying from Leicester to Loughborough and return and would be a unique and good value experience which would help to make a real difference for local children and young people who wouldn’t have otherwise had a holiday.  More details were available from the Member and Civic Support team.

Leicester City Football Club

The Lord Mayor noted the Club’s massive achievement in being the only British team to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter finals and expressed the good wishes of people across the City for the forthcoming match.

Fire & Emergency Evacuation Procedure

The Lord Mayor requested all present to note the evacuation procedures detailed on the Agenda for tonight’s meeting and asked anyone with any queries please speak to one of the Town Hall staff.

The Lord Mayor invited Members to declare any interests they might have in the business on the agenda.

No declarations were made.

The minutes of the meetings held on 22 February 2017 are available to view at:

http://www.cabinet.leicester.gov.uk:8071/documents/g7904/Printed%20minutes%20Wednesday%2022-Feb-2017%2018.03%20Council.pdf?T=1

And:

http://www.cabinet.leicester.gov.uk:8071/documents/g7531/Public%20minutes%20Wednesday%2022-Feb-2017%2017.15%20Council.pdf?T=11

Copies are also available from Democratic Support on (0116) 454 6350 or Committees@leicester.gov.uk

Moved by the Lord Mayor, seconded by the Deputy Lord Mayor and carried:

35.       That the minutes of the two meetings of Council held on 22 February 2017, a copy of each having been circulated to each Member of the Council, be taken as read and that they both be approved as a correct record.

None.

-           Presented by Members of the Public

-           Presented by Councillors

No petitions received from members of the public or Councillors.

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Lord Mayor:  Question number 1 is from Mr. Paul Southwood, please.

Mr. Southwood:  Thank you my Lord Mayor.  Bus service number 74 from Anstey does not now terminate at the Haymarket Bus station.  It terminates in Charles Street, approximately 200 yards away, near to Midland House.  It then continues as service number 16 to the General Hospital.  Can the 74 bus be allowed to stop at the bus shelter opposite the Haymarket Shopping Centre marked alight only. This bus shelter is used by Arriva services 84, 85, X3, but note that the bus service 74 is operated by First Leicester.  Also note please that the return number 74 service still departs from the Haymarket Bus station.

Lord Mayor:  Thank you Mr. Southwood.  Councillor Clarke.

Councillor Clarke:  Thank you my Lord Mayor.  Thank you Mr. Southwood.  This was raised at the recent Bus Users Panel on February 27^th, where officers did give an undertaking to look into this.  Obviously they will need to look into any issues that might occur in terms of congestion for other buses, but we are looking into that as promised at the Bus User Panel meeting you attended.   Thank you.   

Lord Mayor:  Thank you Councillor Clarke.  Mr. Southwood do you have a supplementary question?

Mr. Southwood:   Well, no, just information my Lord Mayor.  Just to say I did suggest a date of April 3^rd, which is the first Monday in the month of April.  It will give time obviously for the City Council to actually go through the procedures.  I would not demand it straight away and that, but it does help people with buggies, senior citizens to alight nearer the Haymarket Shopping Centre. 

Lord Mayor:  Thank you Mr. Southwood. Does that require a response? 

Councillor Clarke:  I am happy to respond.  We obviously want to bring this forward speedily and at the most appropriate time. 

Lord Mayor:  Thank you Councillor Clarke.  Mr. Southwood, your second question please.

Mr. Southwood:  Why are the holders of concessionary bus passes still being charged to use the free park and ride services into Leicester?  The charges started on 19^th January 2015, yet 14 months later in March 2016 Councillors voted to increase their expenses backdated to the 1^st April 2015 and the City Mayor intends to spend £11m on the old Haymarket Theatre with taxpayer’s money having been paid for the rates, water and electric bills for the theatre for at least the last 10 years.

Lord Mayor:  Thank you Mr. Southwood.  Councillor Clarke please.

Councillor Clarke:  Thank you my Lord Mayor.  Thank you again Mr. Southwood.  Mr. Southwood is right in that we do charge for the use of park and ride.  Park and ride is very different from what we would call our traditional standard bus services and it is designed for people who own cars, who would otherwise be paying to park in the city centre.  What park and ride offers is for those  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

7.1       Pay Policy Statement 2017/18

PAY POLICY STATEMENT 2017/18

A report of the Director of Delivery, Communications and Political Governance was considered which gave details of the Pay Policy Statement. The publication of a Statement was required by the Localism Act 2011 and must be approved by full Council by 1 April each year.

Moved by the City Mayor, seconded by Deputy City Mayor and carried:-

36.       That Council approves the Pay Policy Statement for 2017/18.

-       To note any changes to the Executive

-       To vary the composition and fill any vacancies of any Committee of the Council

None.

National Health Service and Social Care

Proposed by the Deputy City Mayor, seconded by the City Mayor:

“This Council believes the NHS is one of Britain’s most cherished institutions; we have serious concerns about the financial pressures facing the NHS and social care and the development of Sustainability & Transformation Plans.”

Moved by Councillor Palmer, seconded by the City Mayor:

“This Council believes the NHS is one of Britain’s most cherished institutions; we have serious concerns about the financial pressures facing the NHS and social care and the development of Sustainability & Transformation Plans.”

Under Council Procedure Rule 18c Councillor Palmer and the City Mayor as proposers and seconders of the motion sought the consent of Council to the addition of the following text (indicated in italicised text):

Council notes;

i.              The requirement for each area of the country (44 NHS STP ‘footprint’ areas) to develop a Sustainability & Transformation Plan (STP);

ii.             The requirement for STPs to be five year plans covering the period until 2021;

iii.            That the STP for Leicester is part of the Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland ‘footprint’ covering a population of 1.1 million people and including the three Leicester hospital sites and the community hospitals across Leicestershire;

iv.           The City Mayor and majority Labour Group’s manifesto commitment: ‘where acute service changes are proposed that involve replacing hospital based services with community services we are clear that the community services should be up and running and proving to be delivering the necessary quality of care before acute services are reduced’.

Council notes with concern:

i.              The financial challenge facing the NHS and social care;

ii.             The proposals to remove a significant number of hospital beds out of the local hospital system when we are seeing day-to-day full capacity and demand for current bed provision, further noting that the precise number of bed reductions is not confirmed;

iii.            The significant capital funding requirements identified as needed to implement the LLR STP and whether that funding will be forthcoming;

iv.           The restrictions imposed by NHS England on the publication of draft plans and the frustration this caused;

v.            The projected financial gap in local NHS budgets of £399 million by 2021;

vi.           The lack of meaningful financial detail published to date regarding LLR STP proposals;

vii.          The ongoing and significant challenges facing primary care in Leicester;

viii.         The significant risk of reducing hospital-based services before ‘home first’ services are fully developed, resilient and are carrying the confidence of clinicians and patients.

Council believes:

i.              The NHS is one of Britain’s most cherished institutions. We should recognise the extraordinary efforts of NHS staff every day and this Council believes the NHS should be properly funded, protected for future generations and run today in the best traditions of its founding values.

Council resolves, through the Executive and Health Scrutiny Commission:

i.              To demand the Government brings forward extra funding for the NHS and social care urgently to avert this current crisis;

ii.             To specifically seek clarity from the Government regarding when the £350 million a week will be available - which it was claimed by some Government Ministers would be available for the NHS in the event of the UK leaving the European Union;

iii.            To continue to call for a long-term and sustainable funding model for social care and to write to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

There being no urgent business identified the Lord Mayor declared the meeting closed at 6.36pm.