Agenda item

To debate any motions submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules.

The following two Motions, one from the Administration and one from the Leader of the Opposition, will be debated:

Conservative Administration Motion on support for the LGA Debate Not Hate Campaign

The Executive Mayor and this Council believes that:

1. Debating and disagreement is a fundamental part of a healthy democracy, and that this should always be done with respect;

2. It is a privilege to be elected to public office and comes with the responsibility of representing everyone, regardless of how they voted and anyone, regardless of their background or political affiliation, should feel safe to become a councillor and be proud to represent their community.

The Executive Mayor and this Council notes that:

1. The Local Government Association (LGA) has amassed a considerable volume of evidence and personal accounts of the impact of abuse, intimidation, and aggression at a national level. The research showed that seven in 10 councillors reported experiencing abuse and intimidation over the last 12 months and councillors reported feeling that abuse is becoming more common and increasing in severity;

2. If left to continue, this negative and unacceptable behaviour can prevent elected members from representing the communities they serve, deter individuals from standing for election and undermine local democracy.

The Executive Mayor and this Council further notes that:

1. The LGA has launched its “Debate Not Hate” campaign which aims to raise public awareness of the role of councillors in their communities, encourage healthy debate and improve the responses and support for local politicians facing abuse and intimidation;

2. This research outlines seven recommendations that Councils, the LGA, police forces, the Government and social media companies should take to improve the environment for current and prospective councillors, ranging from protecting privacy to creating a long-term culture change that de-normalises the abuse of politicians and other high-profile individuals;

3. This campaign has received support from across the political spectrum, as well as representatives from bodies such as the National Association of Local Councils, Compassion in Politics, the Local Government Information Unit and the National Hate Crime Awareness Week.

The Council resolves to:

1. Endorse the LGA Debate Not Hate campaign and call on all political groups to sign the public statement;

2. Support the LGA’s proposal for a national working group to produce and implement an action plan that addresses the abuse and intimidation of elected members and candidates and ensures their safety while they fulfil their democratic roles;

3. Assess how it can take greater responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of its members, taking a proactive approach to preventing and handling abuse and intimidation and addressing the impacts of abuse on mental health and wellbeing

Labour Group Motion

This council acknowledges that we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis that is affecting households right across our borough.  We are particularly concerned about the impact on low income families with school aged children.

This council welcomes initiatives such as Challenge Poverty Week, and recognises the financial burden food costs place on families, particularly those on lower incomes. The evidence is the growing number of Croydon primary schools offering food parcels to the families in their communities.

This council notes that currently only pupils in reception and KS1 are entitled to Free School Meals in Croydon. Given the cost of living crisis, this Council is deeply concerned that Nursery children in our maintained schools and nurseries are excluded from this offer.  

This council welcomes Croydon Council’s existing commitment to ensuring more children grow up eating regular, healthy meals and are a healthy weight, and that tackling childhood obesity is a strategic priority of the authority.  

This Council therefore believes that ensuring our youngest students are included in our Free School Meal offer is a critical tool to achieving those goals.

This Council acknowledges the Mayor is forecasting an overspend on this year’s budget and that additional costs cannot be incurred lightly.  However, given the longer-term benefits a healthy start in life brings, it is right that the potential of such a scheme be explored.

This Council therefore calls upon the Mayor to:

1.     Publish a detailed assessment of the issues and costs associated with an extension of Croydon’s Free School meal offer to include all 3 and 4 year olds in maintained nursery and primary schools in the Borough, and to do so by the end of November 2022; and,

2.     That the Children and Young People scrutiny committee then considers the Mayor’s assessment at its meeting in January 2023.

The first Debate Motion was submitted by the Executive Mayor. Councillor Samir Dwesar MOVED and spoke in favour of the motion and argued that:

·       The Campaign should not be needed in 2022, but that 39 per cent of councillors had experienced abuse and intimidation of protected characteristics;

·       Debating and disagreeing was a healthy part of democracy but that abuse and intimidation were deterring people from stepping up as councillors, meaning the diversity of communities was not represented on all Councils;

·       The group sought to strive towards a more inclusive political discourse.

The motion was SECONDED by Councillor Lara Fish who reserved her right to reply. Councillor Callton Young then spoke to the motion on behalf of the Opposition, stating that:

·       A proactive approach to a more diverse Council would be welcome, and he knew of colleagues who were regularly abused especially online, which was exacerbated by the Government’s austerity measures;

·       The cost-of-living crisis made people angrier, which turned them against each other, including abuse misdirected at councillors;

·       Diversity of Thought provided a justification for the status quo, leaving those with protected characteristics out of the most important political positions.

Councillor Janet Campbell also spoke on behalf of the Opposition group, stating that:

·       Good standards of behaviour needed to be modelled within the Council;

·       The motion was timely as it was Black History Month, and that abuse and intimidation was a deterrent for great individuals to stand for election;

·       A listening exercise should be conducted between councillors to encourage the sentiment of this motion;

·       That change had to begin within the Chamber.

Councillor Lara Fish then exercised her right to reply on behalf of the Executive Mayor, stating that:

·       Debate was good for all, to determine the best way forward for residents;

·       Council must never set out to undermine others, or descend into arguments or discrimination;

·       There had been negative comments made during her campaign trail, and that they had been spat on whilst campaigning;

·       Many people were deterred, especially women, from entering politics because of the abuse they feared facing;

·       No one should fear abuse for representing communities;

·       Councillors had to take exceptional measures to ensure their safety.

Councillor Young asked that for the record, that whilst he was going to vote to agree with the motion, he had concerns and reservations with the ‘Diversity of Thought’ element of the motion for the reasons stated.    

The motion was then put to the vote, with Council voting UNANIMOUSLY in favour of the motion.

RESOLVED, to:

1.          Endorse the LGA Debate Not Hate campaign and call on all political groups to sign the public statement;

2.          Support the LGA’s proposal for a national working group to produce and implement an action plan that addresses the abuse and intimidation of elected members and candidates and ensures their safety while they fulfil their democratic roles;

3.          Assess how it can take greater responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of its members, taking a proactive approach to preventing and handling abuse and intimidation and addressing the impacts of abuse on mental health and wellbeing.

Council then debated the motion submitted by the Labour Group which was MOVED by Councillor Maddie Henson who stated that:

·       It was London Challenge Poverty Week, highlighting that poverty was a result of political choices, and that was why she worked for that charity;

·       Funding for children in Early Education did not cover meals;

·       One in three children grew up in poverty;

·       40 per cent of people were skipping meals to survive and one in five people on Universal Credit were not able to afford to use the cooker as the bills were too high;

·       Children were not getting the nutrition they needed to enable them to learn;

·       The motion only called for a detailed assessment.

Councillor Mike Bonello SECONDED the motion and reserved his right to speak. Councillor Alasdair Stuart then spoke to the motion on behalf of the Executive, stating that:

·       All members shared the concerns expressed within the motion about the cost of living and pressures from inflation, but that the council was not in a financial position to provide what it asked for;

·       That the previous administration had caused debt legacies meaning it could not afford many extra services;

·       The motion provided no suggestion for how the proposal would be funded;

·       Many cuts had to be made and support removed because of the financial decisions of the previous Labour administration.

Deputy Executive Mayor, Councillor Lynne Hale, then spoke to the motion, stating that:

·       They shared the concerns about the impact on low-income families of the rising costs of living;

·       It would be good to extend the provision of Free School Meals (FSM), but that the council did not have a choice about doing it, because of the overspending and over-borrowing of the previous Council administration;

·       The council could do more to support struggling families to seek support that was already available, and that those most deprived children were supported by the council through the Household Support Fund, supermarket vouchers, and healthy food parcels.

Councillor Mike Bonello then stated that:

·       It was important to support this motion as the best time for setting healthy eating habits was during the Early Years stage of children’s development;

·       FSM would help to address food insecurity;

·       Addressing nutritional inequalities was now more important than ever;

·       It could save families nearly £40 per month for families by giving all nursery age children free school meals;

·       Hunger could negatively affect children’s behaviour and learning;

·       Rates of poverty were rising.

The motion was put to the vote and CARRIED.

RESOLVED, to:

1.         Publish a detailed assessment of the issues and costs associated with an extension of Croydon’s Free School meal offer to include all 3- and 4-year-olds in maintained nursery and primary schools in the Borough, and to do so by the end of November 2022; and,

2.         That the Children and Young People scrutiny committee then considers the Mayor’s assessment at its meeting in January 2023.