Agenda and decisions

To receive any announcements from the Mayor and Chief Executive.

Group Business Managers to submit any apologies for absence.

To agree and authorise the Mayor to sign the Minutes of Council held on 13 November 2019.

The Minutes of the last meeting of Council, held on 13 November 2019, were approved as a correct record.

The Councillors will be asked to advise if there are any items listed on the Agenda in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, which would prevent them from participating in any discussion or vote on the item, or any other interest.

To receive any Petitions from Members of the Council in accordance

with Council Procedure Rule 9.

The Committee will receive any petitions and hear any deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also hand in a petition at the meeting but that petition should relate to something on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10 (2), Members of the Public should provide at least 24 hours’ notice of presenting a deputation.

(Any person wishing to make a deputation is requested to contact andrea.woodside@kirklees.gov.uk / leigh.webb@kirklees.gov.uk (tel 01484 221000) and will be required to complete a form at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting).

The Committee will hear any questions from the general public.

To consider the report.

Contact: Stephanie Mashiter, Licensing Service

That the revised Statement of Licensing Policy, as appended to the report, be adopted as the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy for the next five year period in order for the Council to fulfil its duties under the Licensing Act 2003.

To receive the report.

Contact: Eamonn Croston, Service Director – Finance

That the half year treasury management performance during 2019/2020 be received and noted.

To consider the report.

Contact: Eamonn Croston, Service Director – Finance

That the Council Taxbase 2020/2021 for Kirklees, and the five Parish and 

Town Council areas, be approved as set out on Page 101.

To consider the report.

Contact: Kate McNicholas, Head of Policy, Partnerships and Corporate Planning

That Council notes the report and approves the appended action plan.

To confirm the appointment of Councillor S Hall as Chair of Planning Sub Committee (Heavy Woollen Area) for the remainder of the municipal year.

That Councillor Steve Hall be appointed as Chair of the Heavy Woollen Planning Sub Committee for the remainder of the 2019/2020 municipal year

To receive written questions to the Leader, Cabinet Members, Chairs of Committees and Nominated Spokespersons in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12/12(1).

The schedule of written questions will be tabled at the meeting.

Council will receive a presentation from the Strategic Director for Adults and Health prior to the Key Discussion debate.

(Under the provision of Council Procedure Rule 5(5), the Key Discussion shall commence no later than 7.00pm. Council Procedure Rule 18 (23) permits a maximum of 60 minutes for this item).

To receive an update from the Cabinet Member – Corporate Services on the progress of the resolution of Council on 18 September 2019.

That the update be noted.

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Munro, Burke, Lawson, A Pinnock, K Pinnock, Iredale, Eastwood, P A Davies, A Smith and Marchington;

“This Council notes:

1.    That clean air is one of the most fundamental requirements for a healthy environment;

2.    That, according to Defra, the inhalation of particulate pollution can have adverse health impacts and there is ‘understood to be no safe threshold below which no adverse effects would be anticipated’.

3.    That polluted air is a silent killer, with an estimated 28,000 – 36,000 deaths in the UK attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution. It also costs our health system between £8.5bn and £18.6 billion each year and has been linked to the development of a range of medical issues, including respiratory disease, coronary heart disease, lung cancer and dementia;

4.    That road transport is the principal source of both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide pollution;

5.    That Kirklees Council has an Air Quality Action Plan which outlines the need to improve the physical infrastructure across the district to ensure that

walking and cycling is easier. The Council has also declared a ‘climate emergency’ and established a councillor-led working party to identify practical measures to reduce emissions, take environmental considerations in mind when developing new policies and to propose targets for future action;

6.    Public Health England’s Review of Interventions to Improve Outdoor Air Quality and Public Health (2019) report, which outlines measures to tackle air pollution, including improving air quality at schools;

7.    Some schools in Kirklees have expressed concern about the impact of air pollution on pupils and would be supportive of measures and initiatives to improve air quality. 

This Council believes that:

Air pollution particularly affects the most vulnerable in society. It poses a serious threat to the health of children, whose lungs are still developing;

1.    Local authorities, including Kirklees Council, have a hugely important role in tackling air pollution and improving air quality across the district. Children need to be a priority in improving air quality and the Council need to do more to tackle air pollution at schools across Kirklees to ensure that our children are healthy; 

2.    The Government’s Clean Air Strategy (2019) has failed to show adequate leadership in tackling air pollution at a national level. Local authorities, including Kirklees Council, need to respond and shift their focus towards preventative measures in tackling air pollution, rather than being reactive;

3.    The Council needs to develop a dialogue and work more closely with local schools and parents to discuss air quality issues. The Council understands that tackling air pollution can require a holistic approach;

4.    It is important that the Council promotes sustainable active travel, including walking and cycling to schools;

5.    There are opportunities for the Council to work with local schools to devise and implement new initiatives to tackle air pollution, including conducting school air quality audits; creating ‘no idling zones’ for motor vehicles outside schools; promoting ‘School Streets’ and ‘Street Play’. It is  ...  view the full agenda text for item 16:

Motion approved.

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Munro, Burke, Lawson, A Pinnock, K Pinnock, Iredale, Eastwood, P A Davies, A Smith and Marchington:

“This Council notes that:

1.    Following Freedom of Information requests by the national Liberal Democrat party, it has been revealed that health trusts across England have paid more than £607m in interest payments since 2013-14;

2.    Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust has paid at least £2,841,049 in interest on outstanding debt since 2013-14. Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust has paid £575,776 in interest, while Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has paid at least £4,734,551 in the same period;

3.    NHS health trusts paid almost £63m of interest on outstanding debt in 2013/14, rising dramatically to over £205m in 2017/18. NHS trusts across England are more than £1.2bn in debt;

4.    Health trusts can request repayable loans from the Department of Health and Social Care if they face a shortfall in funding, but the Government charges interest of up to 6% on the loans. Currently, nearly a third of loans have rates of 3.5% or more;

5.    The scheme of ‘deficit loans’, which requires health trusts to pay back the loans with interest, replaced the system of permanent public investment in 2014;

6.    Kirklees Council has responsibility for improving local public health services. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 conferred new duties on local authorities, including Kirklees Council, to improve public health as well as existing social care obligations, which are impacted by NHS services.

This Council believes that:

1.    The excessive interest rates and the compounding lack of investment in our NHS is putting the future of health trusts, including Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, in jeopardy by forcing them to take out loans to stay afloat day-to-day and impacting the residents in Kirklees;

2.    The budget deficits experienced by health trusts are often the result of underfunding, rather than overspending;

3.    The current system of loans and interest payments does little to provide long-term planning or improve the quality of patient care.  There need to be changes to the way that money moves around the NHS. The current system is forcing our local health trusts to make further cuts in spending on patients to pay interest charges.In doing so, it is undermining local health care across Kirklees.  

This Council, therefore, resolves:

That the Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, requesting an urgent review of the current system of loans and interest payments in the health sector.”

Motion approved.

To receive the response of the Department for Work and Pensions to the Motion of Council, approved on 16 October 2019, as to Universal Credit.

That the update be noted.