Agenda and minutes

Venue: Virtual Meeting

Contact: Judy Cordell and Claire Heather  023 8083 2766/2412

Link: link to meeting

Items
No. Item

57.

Apologies

To receive any apologies.

Minutes:

It was noted that apologies had been received from Councillor Murphy.

58.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 334 KB

To authorise the signing of the minutes of the Council Meetings held on 18th November 2020 and 24th February2021, attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the Meetings held on 18th November 2020 and 24th February 2021 be approved and signed as a correct record.

59.

Announcements from the Mayor and Leader

Matters especially brought forward by the Mayor and the Leader.

Minutes:

(i)  Last meeting of the Municipal Year

    Members this is the last meeting of the Municipal Year.  With the Covid    pandemic a Municipal year like no other, as we transferred from meeting    face to face, to conducting Council business in the virtual world, not in the    atmospheric Council Chamber. No chats over a tea during the afternoon  break either.  I thank all members of the Council for their hard work and    contributions made during this past pandemic year in sometimes difficult    circumstances.  Can I thank Gavin Muncaster and the IT team for       resolving technical issues, and ensuring that the Council meetings were    available on this virtual platform.  Can I personally thank Judy Cordell,    Claire Heather and Richard Ivory for their support in running these virtual    Council meetings. Members sadly couldn’t see the arm waving to ensure    that they weren’t missed as speakers.

 

    Some Councillors are not seeking re-election Cllr Sarah Taggart, Cllr    Tammy Thomas and Cllr Frances Murphy we thank them for their service    to their communities and wish them well.  A notable retiree from political  life after 27 years is Cllr Stephen Barnes Andrews, having served the       communities of both Freemantle and Bevois, and the City as its Mayor in    2007 and 2018.  Cllr Barnes-Andrews carried out roles on the Football    Stadium Panel, in Scrutiny and as a Cabinet Member for Corporate    Services and for Finance and Income Generation. Thank you for your       contribution to the City.  Cllr Barnes-Andrews, you will at long last be able    to spend much more time with Amanda, the family and walking the dog. 

 

(ii)  Superintendent Kelly Whiting

    The change of leadership at Southampton District Command marks the     official well-earned retirement on April 6th of Superintendent Kelly     Whiting.  Superintendent Kelly Whiting started her police career in       December 1991 as a Community Beat Officer in Fareham.  In her 30     years within the police, her public service police role included being     Control Room Manager, Superintendent for Crime Standards and the       Public Order Commander for Football, Festivals and Protests, keeping the    public especially safe at certain football matches.  During her three       occasions as the District Commander for Southampton she has       passionately worked to improve the quality of life for our communities and    especially worked in partnership with the City Council and organisations  including Southampton Connect.  On behalf of the City I thank her for her    service to the City of Southampton and wish her well in her retirement and    future life roles.

 

60.

Deputations, Petitions and Public Questions

To receive any requests for Deputations, Presentation of Petitions or Public Questions.

Minutes:

(i)  The Council received the following public question from Mr Alex Williamson which was responded to by Councillor Shields, Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities

 

Question 1

 

Section 40 of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act places a statutory obligation upon a local authority to create and submit a youth justice plan to lay out how they intend to divert children and young people from committing criminal activity. When was the last time that Southampton City Council undertook such an activity, can he lay out the specifics of that plan and would he say that the plan has been successful?

 

Answer

 

The publication of the Youth Justice plan was not required last year due to the pandemic but is a requirement that we review this annually and report on our progress and areas to develop.

 

The plan is being reviewed this year, with sign off planned for full council in September.

 

Youth Offending Teams national indicators include reoffending rates, first time entrant rates (first formal police disposal) and custody rates.

 

In terms of achievements to date:

·  Re-offending rates have continued to reduce throughout the year and are below the National Average

·  YOS Restorative Practitioners retained the RJC Service Delivery Quality Kite mark for the Service and have rolled out training as part of the SCC Workforce Development Team’s “Working with Families” Strategy; linked with the continuing ambition to become a Child Friendly City; this included delivering basic awareness and practitioner level training to hundreds of staff.  Our Restorative practitioners aim is to make contact with all victims of crime that are open to the YOS.  In the last quarter we offered RJ to over 85% of victims and continue to strive to improve this and improve the uptake of this service.

·  The YOS continued to work collaboratively to address local Serious Youth Violence and successfully acquired YJB funding to undertake a piece of work with Hampshire Constabulary with the ambition of gathering and sharing data across agencies and the county more effectively.  We are in the first phase of this project and are keen to utilise this to contribute to the response to serious youth violence in the city.

·  YOS is the only Gold Artsmark awarded YOT in the county, a piece of work that improves engagement with our young people and builds on their strengths through arts and culture.  It is also a stepping stone back into education, training and employment which is key to manage risks.YOS is a multi-agency team that continues to work with partners to tackle our priorities, those agencies include police, probation, health, the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner and the Violence Reduction Unit

 

Whilst YOS has been inspected (in 2019) with a Good outcome it recognises that we continue to have a number of priorities that we need to build and develop on and will form the plan for the forth coming year. 

 

SYOS Priorities include

·  Prevention of offending – to work with the local authority and build on a prevention of offending offer.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

61.

Executive Business Report pdf icon PDF 341 KB

Report of the Leader of the Council outlining business undertaken by the Executive since November 2020.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Leader of the Council was submitted setting out the details of the business undertaken by the Executive.

 

The Leader and the Cabinet made statements and responded to questions.

 

The following questions were submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.1:-

 

1.  Additional Restrictions Grant

 

Question from Councillor Fitzhenry to Councillor Hammond (Councillor Barnes-Andrews to respond).

 

Please can you explain why Southampton is one of the poorest performing local authorities in the country for the distribution of the Additional restrictions Grant.

 

Answer

 

  • In December the government provided £5 million through the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme to disperse, on a discretionary basis, before March 31 2022. This remains the case. On the 23 December the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme open to submissions and remains open, as the scheme expands each week.

 

  • On the 25 February a national newspaper reported that Councils were failing to distribute funds and locally reported on the 11 March.  These reports were based on data from 17 January 2021. On the 17 Jan we had administered 16 grant payments valued at £21,344 as reported.  By the 28 January we had administered 93 grant payments totalling £83,600 and by the 1 March we have administered 266 payments totalling £215,850.  At the end of March we will have administered nearly 420 payments totalling £338,100.

 

  • The difference in performance is in part due to some local authorities decided to provide larger one-off payments, in contrast we have chosen to begin by providing ongoing monthly payments, which will continue throughout the spring and summer as businesses reopen in line with the governments ‘Roadmap’.

 

  • We are targeting businesses that are most in need and who have been unable to access other support. Today we have launched a scheme for mobile workers through capital grants potentially valued £1.6 million through the Additional Restrictions Grant.

 

  • The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) only issued a revised steer on this scheme on the 9 March 2021, with a request to all Local Authorities to issue this funding as quickly as possible. BEIS also announced that the complex landscape of different grants will be simplified to two schemes, the Restart Grants and the Additional Restrictions Grant. This is very welcome.  

 

  • I am confident that we will issue the majority of this funding to those local businesses most in need and strategically in line with the latest ‘Roadmap’ with the lifting of all restrictions by June.

 

2.  School Attendance

 

Question from Councillor James Baillie to Councillor Paffey.

 

What are the Council doing to ensure the no child is left behind through not attending school for the last 2 months?

 

Answer

 

  All children have now been welcomed back onto school sites across   the city and have received well-planned and delivered virtual lessons or   provision within the school throughout the most recent lockdown.  As a   council we have supported education leaders since the first lockdown   last year to ensure good coordination and consistency of schooling in   very difficult circumstances. In particular:

 

·  Our School Improvement  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

62.

Motions

(a)  Proposed by Councillor Bunday

 

This Council supports opportunities for our young people and urges the Secretary of State for Education to lobby the Treasury to restore the per student FE funding back to the 2010 level and to ensure the current apprenticeship system is fit for purpose and offers our young people the greatest number of apprenticeships and of the highest quality.  This Council will send a letter signed by all Members and the City’s three MP’s to demonstrate their support for this motion.

 

(b)  Proposed by Councillor Shields

 

This Council notes with alarm how the number of people in Southampton claiming Universal Credit has more than doubled over the past year. The prospect of further increases in the number of people in the City forced to claim out of work benefits when temporary measures introduced by Government to mitigate against coronavirus come to an end in the autumn are truly frightening. 

 

This Council applauds the invaluable role played by local civic society in responding to challenges presented by the pandemic not least with respect to the mushrooming of mutual aid organisations to co-ordinate action at a local neighbourhood level in tackling poverty.

 

This Council therefore commits to:

1.  developing a whole City approach to tackling poverty and deprivation at a local neighbourhood level taking as a key start point the recommendations of the City’s Fairness Commission

2.  maintaining financial and other support for local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations in campaigning against and taking practical measures to mitigate the impact of poverty

3.  lobbying Government via the LGA and others to ensure that temporary measures taken to uplift Universal Credit levels during the coronavirus pandemic are made permanent until such time as the welfare system is reviewed.

 

(c)  Proposed by Councillor Guthrie

 

Southampton is a city with a rich maritime past, one that is marked by grand, striking events involving a range of historical figures. Around Southampton, monuments, memorials and statues tell the story of a city that has become woven into the fabric of world history, and it is a story that continues to be written.

 

This Council recognises that it has a responsibility to be true and proper custodians of the city's past, to allow all Southampton residents and more to enjoy and discover the city's roots and the journey it has undertaken throughout history.

 

Therefore, this Council commits to never arbitrarily extract or displace any monument, memorial or statue and to subject the decision for the permanent removal of any historical item categorised as such to the residents of Southampton through local referenda. By involving residents in these decisions, this Council will ensure protection for Southampton's legacy is strengthened by direct democratic consent and consolidated under the rule of law.

Minutes:

(a)  Councillor Bunday moved a slightly amended motion and Councillor Savage seconded.

 

Amended Motion to read:

 

  This Council supports opportunities for our young people and urges the   Secretary of State for Education to lobby the Treasury to restore the per   student FE funding back to the 2010 level and to ensure the current   apprenticeship system is fit for purpose and offers our young people the greatest number of apprenticeships and of the highest quality.  This Council will send a letter and would encourage all Elected Members and the City’s   three MPs to sign to demonstrate their support for this Motion.

 

  UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE AMENDED MOTION WAS   DECLARED CARRIED.

 

  RESOLVED: that the motion be approved.

 

(b)  Councillor Shields moved and Councillor Keogh seconded.

 

This Council notes with alarm how the number of people in Southampton claiming Universal Credit has more than doubled over the past year. The prospect of further increases in the number of people in the City forced to claim out of work benefits when temporary measures introduced by Government to mitigate against coronavirus come to an end in the autumn are truly frightening.

 

This Council applauds the invaluable role played by local civic society in responding to challenges presented by the pandemic not least with respect to the mushrooming of mutual aid organisations to co-ordinate action at a local neighbourhood level in tackling poverty.

 

This Council therefore commits to:

 

  1. developing a whole City approach to tackling poverty and       deprivation at a local neighbourhood level taking as a key start point    the recommendations of the City’s Fairness Commission

  2. maintaining financial and other support for local voluntary,       community and social enterprise sector organisations in          campaigning against and taking practical measures to mitigate the    impact of poverty

  3. lobbying Government via the LGA and others to ensure that        temporary measures taken to uplift Universal Credit levels during    the coronavirus pandemic are made permanent until such time as  the welfare system is reviewed.

 

UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE MOTION WAS DECALARED CARRIED.

 

  RESOLVED: that the motion be approved.

 

 

(c)  Councillor Guthrie moved and Councillor Prior seconded.

 

  Southampton is a city with a rich maritime past, one that is marked by grand,   striking events involving a range of historical figures. Around Southampton,   monuments, memorials and statues tell the story of a city that has become   woven into the fabric of world history, and it is a story that continues to be   written.

  This Council recognises that it has a responsibility to be true and proper custodians of the city's past, to allow all Southampton residents and more to   enjoy and discover the city's roots and the journey it has undertaken   throughout history.

 

  Therefore, this Council commits to never arbitrarily extract or displace any   monument, memorial or statue and to subject the decision for the permanent   removal of any historical item categorised as such to the residents of   Southampton through local referenda. By involving residents in these   decisions, this Council will ensure protection for Southampton's legacy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

63.

Questions from Members to the Chairs of Committees or the Mayor

To consider any question of which notice has been given under Council Procedure Rule 11.2.

 

 

Minutes:

It was noted that no requests for Questions from Members to the Chairs of Committees or the Mayor had been received.

 

64.

Appointments to Committees, Sub-Committees and Other Bodies

To deal with any appointments to Committees, Sub-Committees or other bodies as required.

Minutes:

It was noted that there were no appointments to Committee’s, Sub Committee’s and Other Bodies.

65.

Pay Policy 2021 - 2022 pdf icon PDF 425 KB

Report of the Chief Executive detailing the Pay Policy 2021 – 2022.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report of the Leader seeking approval of the Pay Policy 2021-2022.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(i)  That the Pay Policy statement for 2021-2022 be approved;

(ii)  That the continued implementation of the Living Wage

    Foundation increase as the minimum hourly rate for NJC        evaluated posts from 1st April 2021 be noted; and

(iii)  That negotiations for a cost of living award for 2021 as part of

    the pay agreement for NJC evaluated roles and Chief Officer and

    Chief Executive pay were ongoing be noted and that          implementation of this, once agreed, was delegated to the Service    Director HR and OD to be applied for 2021-2022. Budget proposals    for 2021-2022 included an indicative uplift of 0.5% across all pay    points.

66.

Exclusion of the Press and Public - Exempt Papers included in the following Item

To move that in accordance with the Council’s Constitution, specifically the Access to Information Procedure Rules contained within the Constitution, the press and public be excluded from the meeting in respect of any consideration of the exempt appendix to the following Item.

The appendix is considered to be exempt from general publication based on
Category 3 of paragraph 10.4 of the Council’s Access to Information Procedure Rules. It is not in the public interest to disclose this information as the appendix contains commercially sensitive information in relation to Southampton’s UK City of Culture Bid. It would prejudice Southampton 2025 Trust’s ability (on behalf of Southampton) to fairly and competitively bid to become UK City of Culture 2025 if this information were to be in the public domain at this time.

Minutes:

RESOLVED: that in accordance with the Council's Constitution, specifically the Access to Information Procedure Rules contained within the Constitution, the press and public be excluded from the meeting in respect of any consideration of the confidential appendix to the following report. 

 

The appendix was considered to be exempt from general publication based on Category 3 of Paragraph 10.4 of the Council’s Access to Information Procedure Rules. It is not in the public interest to disclose this information as the appendix contains commercially sensitive information in relation to Southampton’s UK City of Culture Bid. It would prejudice Southampton 2025 Trust’s ability (on behalf of Southampton) to fairly and competitively bid to become UK City of Culture 2025 if this information were to be in the public domain at this time.

67.

Bid to be UK City of Culture: Future Council Support pdf icon PDF 334 KB

Report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Homes seeking approval to progress the bid to be the UK City of Culture 2025. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Homes seeking approval of future Council support to the bid to be UK City of Culture.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(i)  That a one-off drawdown of reserves for 22/23 financial year

    and then the inclusion of the UK City of Culture funding into the

    medium-term financial plan as per appendix 1 of this report, should

    Southampton be awarded the title of UK City of Culture for 2025 be    approved;

(ii)  That the Council acting as guarantor for the UK City of Culture

    2025 programme, should Southampton be awarded the title of UK

    City of Culture for 2025 be approved; and

(iii)  That the Executive Director for Community, Culture & Homes be granted delegated authority to award a grant to Southampton 2025 Trust up to the value of the requested funds in appendix 1, over the period April 2022 – March 2027 (subject to Council Budget process) only if Southampton was successful in its bid to become UK City of Culture 2025 and subject to consultation with the Cabinet Member for Culture and Homes.