To consider the following three Motions submitted by Councillor Peter Wilson:
1. Police Community Support Officers
This Council values the role played by Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in our local communities and recognises the essential role they play in tackling crime, anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime. In light of this, the Council commits to maintaining its current funding for PCSOs for the next financial year working with the Police to keep our streets safe in accordance with the Council’s Corporate Strategy.
2. Street Cleaning
This Council recognises the vital importance to local residents of ensuring that roads and streets are kept clean and regularly swept, not only in the Town Centre, but in residential areas and surrounding villages.
In support of this, the Council pledges to honour the commitments made in this year’s budget and to maintain the same spending for the financial year 2011/12, by not reducing front line services, and in compliance with the Council’s Corporate Strategy.
In particular, this is to demonstrate support for the local Parish and Town Councils in their efforts to fund maintenance and street-cleaning from within their own budgets, and to work in partnership together for a safer, cleaner Chorley.
3. Healthcare Provision in Chorley
As part of this Councils ongoing support and commitment to increase and maintain access to local healthcare for residents, we the Council will fight to retain all existing services within the Borough.
Therefore, we pledge to object to and oppose strongly in writing, any attempt to relocate healthcare resource provision from inside the Borough to other areas of the country, and to equally ensure that healthcare provision within the Borough is not subject to budget cuts.
Minutes:
(a) Police Community Support Officers
The Council considered the following motion moved by Councillor Alistair Bradley and seconded by Councillor June Molyneaux:
“This Council values the role played by Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in our local communities and recognises the essential role they play in tackling crime, anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime. In light of this, the Council commits to maintaining its current funding for PCSOs for the next financial year working with the Police to keep our streets safe in accordance with the Council’s Corporate Strategy.”
The following alternative motion was moved by the Executive Leader and seconded by the Executive Member (Places) (Councillor Eric Bell):
“This Council condemns the previous Government for its mismanagement and incompetent handling of the economy. The debt crisis we are facing is Labour’s legacy.
Labour doubled the National debt and left us with the biggest deficit of any G20 country and the largest deficit in peace time history. Consequently the new Government is paying out £120 million pounds of tax payer’s money every day in interest payments.
To put this in context a recent Euro lottery winner who claimed a record first prize of £107 million pounds could have donated that prize to the Government to service that debt for just 21 hours.
Labour when in Government had no credible plan for this deficit but was planning 20% cuts. Unfortunately they never got round to telling us where they would come from. We note that Labour in Opposition still has no credible plan.
In this context, this Council supports the New Government in its determination to clean up the mess in our public finances. The full impact of this strategy on Chorley will be dealt with through the Budget setting process.”
A request was made under Council Procedure Rule 17.2 for a recorded vote on the alternative motion, which was as follows:
FOR: Councillors Eric Bell, Judith Boothman, Pat Case, Henry Caunce, Magda Cullens, Michael Devaney, David Dickinson, Doreen Dickinson, Peter Goldsworthy, Marie Gray, Alison Hansford, Pat Haughton, Harold Heaton, Keith Iddon, Kevin Joyce, Peter Malpas, Greg Morgan, Simon Moulton, Michael Muncaster, Mark Perks, Alan Platt, Debra Platt, Geoffrey Russell, Rosemary Russell, John Walker and Stella Walsh.
AGAINST: Councillors Nora Ball, Julia Berry, Alistair Bradley, Christopher France, Anthony Gee, Catherine Hoyle, Hasina Khan, Roy Lees, Adrian Lowe, Marion Lowe, June Molyneaux, Beverley Murray, Joyce Snape, Ralph Snape and Peter Wilson.
ABSTAIN: Councillor Ken Ball.
The Mayor declared the alternative motion carried and it was RESOLVED accordingly.
On being put to the vote, the Mayor declared the original motion lost and it was RESOLVED that the motion be rejected.
(b) Street Cleaning
The Council considered the following motion moved by Councillor Alistair Bradley and seconded by Councillor Adrian Lowe:
“This Council recognises the vital importance to local residents of ensuring that roads and streets are kept clean and regularly swept, not only in the Town Centre, but in residential areas and surrounding villages.
In support of this, the Council pledges to honour the commitments made in this year’s budget and to maintain the same spending for the financial year 2011/12, by not reducing front line services, and in compliance with the Council’s Corporate Strategy.
In particular, this is to demonstrate support for the local Parish and Town Councils in their efforts to fund maintenance and street-cleaning from within their own budgets, and to work in partnership together for a safer, cleaner Chorley.”
A request was made under Council Procedure Rule 17.2 for a recorded vote on the motion, which was as follows:
FOR: Councillors Nora Ball, Julia Berry, Alistair Bradley, Christopher France, Anthony Gee, Catherine Hoyle, Hasina Khan, Roy Lees, Adrain Lowe, Marion Lowe, June Molyneaux, Beverley Murray and Peter Wilson.
AGAINST: Councillors Eric Bell, Judith Boothman, Pat Case, Henry Caunce, Magda Cullens, Michael Devaney, David Dickinson, Doreen Dickinson, Peter Goldsworthy, Marie Gray, Alison Hansford, Pat Haughton, Harold Heaton, Keith Iddon, Kevin Joyce, Peter Malpas, Greg Morgan, Simon Moulton, Michael Muncaster, Mark Perks, Alan Platt, Debra Platt, Geoffrey Russell, Rosemary Russell and John Walker.
ABSTAIN: Councillors Ken Ball, Joyce Snape, Ralph Snape, Stella Walsh.
The Mayor declared the motion lost and it was RESOLVED that the motion be rejected.
(c) Healthcare Provision in Chorley
The Council considered the following motion moved by Councillor Peter Wilson and seconded by Councillor Hasina Khan:
“As part of this Council’s ongoing support and commitment to increase and maintain access to local healthcare for residents, we the Council will fight to retain all existing services within the Borough.
Therefore, we pledge to object to and oppose strongly in writing, any attempt to relocate healthcare resource provision from inside the Borough to other areas of the country, and to equally ensure that healthcare provision within the Borough is not subject to budget cuts.”
The following alternative motion was moved by the Executive Member (People) (Councillor John Walker) and seconded by Councillor Rosemary Russell:
“This Council would expect to be involved in any decisions to change the location of health care services provided for the people of Chorley and would oppose any relocation of existing services outside the Borough if the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.”
Upon being put to vote, the Mayor declared the alternative motion carried and it was RESOLVED accordingly.
A request was made under Council Procedure Rule 17.2 for a recorded vote on the original motion, which was as follows:
FOR: Councillors Ken Ball, Julia Berry, Alistair Bradley, Christopher France, Anthony Gee, Catherine Hoyle, Hasina Khan, Roy Lees, Adrian Lowe, Marion Lowe, June Molyneaux, Beverley Murray and Peter Wilson.
AGAINST: Eric Bell, Judith Boothman, Pat Case, Henry Caunce, Magda Cullens, Michael Devaney, David Dickinson, Doreen Dickinson, Peter Goldsworthy, Marie Gray, Alison Hansford, Pat Haughton, Harold Heaton, Keith Iddon, Kevin Joyce, Peter Malpas, Greg Morgan, Simon Moulton, Michael Muncaster, Mark Perks, Alan Platt, Debra Platt, Geoffrey Russell, Rosemary Russell and John Walker.
ABSTAIN: Councillors Nora Ball, Joyce Snape, Ralph Snape and Stella Walsh.
The Mayor declared the motion lost and it was RESOLVED that the motion be rejected.