To debate any motions submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules.
Minutes:
The Mayor asked the Monitoring Officer, John Jones to read out the First Debate Motion on behalf of the Administration.
“The covid pandemic is the single biggest public health challenge since World War II, and Croydon residents have made tremendous sacrifices over this incredibly difficult and uncertain period.
People have lost loved ones before their time; children have not been able to witness their parents’ final breath; and thousands have died alone without anyone by their side.
Over 150,000 people have died in the UK of COVID, with the total registered COVID Deaths in Croydon at 19 January being 1,125.
Colleagues on both sides of the Chamber have suffered the effects of this terrible virus as have their friends and family.
Businesses have been shattered; livelihoods irreversibly destroyed whilst Croydon nurses, teachers, police - and many key workers - have been pushed to their limits working all hours to keep society functioning.
Thousands of people in Croydon have made tremendous sacrifices over the last two years in complying with all legislation and guidance, to keep everyone safe and allow NHS and Council services to function safely for the benefit of all.
This Council applauds everyone who has followed these rules and supported efforts to keep us all safe in Croydon. The Council also calls upon all elected politicians nationally and locally, including the Prime Minister to adhere to all government legislation and guidance with regard to Covid, and to be held publicly accountable in respect of any breaches of Covid safeguarding.”
The Mayor invited Councillor Pelling to propose the motion.
Councillor Pelling stated that great pride could be taken from what this council and the public health services had done. However, he continued by stating that there were some people of privilege within the Conservative Party who looked down their noses at Croydon and the way that the Prime Minister had behaved had raised very serious concerns with the people of Croydon.
Councillor Pelling continued by stating that it was now very interesting to see how the people of Croydon had come together and showed that Croydon cared for its neighbours and that the principles of equalities could be more than just a mantra.
In conclusion, Councillor Pelling felt that there was a real opportunity to enhance the community spirit and the willingness to work for the public good, whether Conservative or Labour or any other political persuasion so that the council could build on that consensus for equality.
Councillor Young seconded the motion.
Councillor Perry agreed that Covid-19 had been an unprecedented event in our lifetimes and had had the biggest impact in everyday lives across the world and the people of Croydon had responded with fortitude. Councillor Perry continued by acknowledging how tough it had been on individuals and businesses and stated that the council’s frontline services had been amazing with some people literally putting their lives on the line to help others.
Councillor Perry continued by agreeing with Councillor Pelling that there was now a much greater sense of community spirit but that this had been against a backdrop of council cuts which had made the job of the voluntary sector in particular much harder. Councillor Perry listed the packages of support that the Government had provided but acknowledged that not every business had survived and that many thousands of people had died.
In conclusion, Councillor Perry acknowledged that it was disappointing that not all areas of Government had followed the rules and agreed that it was appropriate that those in public office should be held accountable for their actions at every level of Government and therefore supported the motion.
Councillor Kolade stated that this had been the biggest challenge for society in his lifetime and many had suffered as a result especially in regard to mental health, particularly young people. Despite this Councillor Kolade stated that he had been amazed by the resilience of the British public and praised the vaccination programme and the Government’s business support packages which had meant that the country currently had the fastest growing economy in the G7.
Councillor Kolade continued by highlighting the Government support that Croydon had received and how this had been making a difference. Over the last 18 months Councillor Kolade had been proud of the leadership shown across the community in Croydon and listed those he wished to thank.
Councillor Kolade supported the motion as he believed that those in public office should be accountable to scrutiny of their actions.
Councillor Jewitt stated that the selfish behaviour of the Prime Minster had caused distress to the citizens of the UK and that whilst HM The Queen was sitting alone at the funeral of her husband and others were in physical and emotional pain, Boris Johnson was partying, and ignoring the rules he laid down for us.
Councillor Jewitt continued by stating that teachers and pupils had struggled to ensure that lessons could be accessed and listed some of the issues that had been encountered with the devices provided by Government. In addition, Councillor Jewitt stated that she believed that the parties had not had the struggle to obtain food that the poor, elderly and vulnerable had endured at the height of the pandemic.
Councillor Jewitt supported the motion and called on the party opposite to join her in saying that enough was enough.
The motion was put to the vote and was unanimously carried.
The Mayor asked the Monitoring Officer, John Jones, to read out the Second Debate Motion on behalf of the Opposition.
“Croydon is plagued by graffiti and fly tipping right across the borough and it is only getting worse.
It is well known that this Administration has utterly failed the people of Croydon by making choices that have directly led to the bankruptcy of our Council and the massive reduction of services to our residents.
But it is also failing in its basic duty to manage contracts, administer processes and supervise the real-world impact of its choices.
This Council calls on the Administration to apologise for its incompetence.
The choice to disband the graffiti removal team was just one such example.
This Council will commit to reinstating the graffiti removal team as a first step towards restoring pride in our borough.”
The Mayor invited Councillor Perry to propose the motion.
Councillor Perry stated that it was no surprise that residents were being failed by the Labour Administration which had run up huge debts and cut services in the hope of balancing the books. One of the blights on the borough was the increase in fly tipping and graffiti which was left for all to see for weeks at a time. Councillor Perry thanked those groups who persevered in reporting these problems.
Councillor Perry continued by stating that one of the most short-sighted cuts by the Administration was to disband the Graffiti Removal Team that provided such a fantastic service keeping the borough clean. Only offensive graffiti would now be removed but any graffiti was offensive to the businesses and community and deterred inward investment from the borough. In addition, Councillor Perry stated that the Administration did not invest resources into a Future High Streets bid which would have provided additional funding, some of which could have been used towards removal of graffiti and fly tipping. Councillor Perry supported the motion.
Councillor Roche seconded the motion and reserved his right to speak.
Councillor Muhammad Ali reminded Members that fly tipping was a crime. However, the majority of Croydon residents cared about their neighbourhoods and it was a small minority of people who continued to drop litter, allowed their dogs to foul and carried out fly tipping. The rise in fly tipping was a national problem which had increased by 16% over the last two years and could result in a fine of up to £50,000 and a five-year prison sentence, and this council did not hesitate to prosecute individuals or businesses responsible where there was evidence. According to the Local Government Association fly tipping cost local authorities £50 million per year.
Councillor Ali continued by highlighting the councils’ approach and stated that over 50 vehicles involved in fly tipping had been seized and approximately 1,100 fixed penalty notices had been issued. Councillor Ali reminded Members that it was everyone’s responsibility to dispose of the waste they created.
With regards to graffiti, Councillor Ali stated that the council had not stopped the removal of graffiti from public land but from private land at taxpayers’ expense.
In conclusion Councillor Ali thanked the army of volunteers who worked with the council and took pride in their streets and parks. Last year alone 2800 volunteers worked with the street champion co-ordinator to clear litter from Croydon’s streets and parks.
Councillor Ben-Hassel stated that this motion touched on one of the issues that came up most in councillors’ case work. However, this motion made it sound like fly tipping was on the rise because of this council’s financial challenges and reminded Members that the fly tipping budget had not been cut. This motion undermined the education work being carried out in encouraging members of the public to report fly tipping.
Councillor Ben-Hassel continued by highlighting some issues caused by the current planning system such as inadequate bin provision for flats above shops which added to the problem. As stated earlier by Councillor Ali the problem had increased nationally and local authorities had lobbied Government for additional funding to tackle litter and fly tipping but had been rebuffed.
Councillor Roche stated that the borough was plagued by fly tipping and graffiti and a Labour Administration which failed to manage contracts. The cuts to services had impacted all residents no matter where they lived in Croydon, particularly regarding waste collection services and fly tipping where residents were not kept informed of progress after reporting an issue.
Councillor Roche continued by stating that the policy to remove only offensive graffiti meant that graffiti was still a blight on many areas, left residents frustrated, and showed that the Administration was out of touch and not fit to govern.
Councillor Roche supported the motion.
The motion was put to the vote and fell.