Agenda item

To consider the following motion received from Councillor S Sheahan:

“The UK economy shrank by an unprecedented 20.4% in April this year compared to the previous quarter. By June, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was one sixth below its level in February.

Between April and June, the number of people in work fell by 220,000, but these figures do not include millions of people who are furloughed, those on zero-hours contracts but not getting shifts or people on temporary unpaid leave from a job.

140,000 redundancies across England, Wales and Scotland were notified to the Government in June and with the furlough scheme ending in October, the outlook for millions more is very worrying.

This Council believes that urgent action needs to be taken to tackle the threat to jobs, businesses and livelihoods, We therefore call upon the Government to -

·         Target help to the industries and areas that need it most.

·         Give our public services the resources to prepare for any second wave

·         Get test, trace and isolate functioning properly to build public confidence

·         Reform the furlough scheme so it helps people in the worst-hit sectors and targets funding to struggling industries

·         Back businesses by setting up a £1.7 billion fightback fund to prevent firms going under and save our high streets

·         Leave no-one behind by providing additional support to areas forced into local lockdowns, supporting the self-employed and helping those left out of existing schemes

·         Keep workers safe by protecting workers rights, boosting sick pay, making workplaces safe and giving our NHS and care services the resources to avoid a second wave

·         Drive job creation by investing in infrastructure, accelerating progress towards a zero-carbon economy and increasing access to skills and training opportunities.”

Councillor S Sheahan moved the following motion in relation to issues surrounding the UK economy.

“The UK economy shrank by an unprecedented 20.4% in April this year compared to the previous quarter. By June, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was one sixth below its level in February. Between April and June, the number of people in work fell by 220,000, but these figures do not include millions of people who are furloughed, those on zero-hours contracts but not getting shifts or people on temporary unpaid leave from a job. 140,000 redundancies across England, Wales and Scotland were notified to the Government in June and with the furlough scheme ending in October, the outlook for millions more is very worrying.

This Council believes that urgent action needs to be taken to tackle the threat to jobs, businesses and livelihoods, We therefore call upon the Government to

·           Target help to the industries and areas that need it most.

·           Give our public services the resources to prepare for any second wave

·           Get test, trace and isolate functioning properly to build public confidence

·           Reform the furlough scheme so it helps people in the worst-hit sectors and targets funding to struggling industries

·           Back businesses by setting up a £1.7 billion fightback fund to prevent firms going under and save our high streets

·           Leave no-one behind by providing additional support to areas forced into local lockdowns, supporting the self-employed and helping those left out of existing schemes

·           Keep workers safe by protecting workers rights, boosting sick pay, making workplaces safe and giving our NHS and care services the resources to avoid a second wave

·           Drive job creation by investing in infrastructure, accelerating progress towards a zero-carbon economy and increasing access to skills and training opportunities.”

He asked the Council to call on the Government to act to protect jobs, key industries and public institutions.

A full debate was held which received mixed views both in favour and against the motion.  There was disappointment expressed in what was deemed to be a party political motion being brought to Council with an attempt to use the pandemic to score political points whilst elsewhere there was support with regard to reference to specific local businesses and the people that work there. References to the motion being party political and critical of the Council were strongly disputed. Reference was also made to the work which was being done both locally and nationally, referring to the Economic Recovery Plan but also to the apparent failure of the track and trace system. Comments were made in relation to a recent Planning Committee where it was suggested that everyone from the same party had voted in the same way when considering an application in respect of a large company settling in the area. When challenged as a point of order as to whether this was an allegation of whipping, this allegation was refuted by the Member in question. Further comments were made in relation to this being a motion which was largely addressed to central government with a suggestion made that any issues with national policy should be addressed through the local MP. Elsewhere it was noted that achieving the status quo was not a reality and that efforts should be focussed on a new working model with collaborative working to enable redeployment. A further comment was made that confusion and fear arising from the Government’s advice should be replaced by certainty and clarity.  Some members argued that, as they have a responsibility to local residents, this motion, whilst addressing national policy, was aimed at protecting local jobs and businesses.

The Chairman invited Councillor Sheahan to respond to exercise his right to reply.

He felt strongly that if local councillors considered the Government was not acting in the best interests of the local community, then they had a duty to point this out. He also disputed an earlier claim regarding the voting at a recent Planning Committee and reiterated how he had supported the application. Councillor Sheahan urged those who were minded to vote against the motion to consider what would happen when the furlough scheme ends; whether they really believed the track and trace system was working and how they would answer the complaints from one of the District’s largest employers, East Midlands Airport, that the Government wasn’t doing enough?    

The Chairman then put the motion to the vote and subsequently declared it LOST with a vote of 21 against and 14 for the motion.