Agenda and minutes

The Mayor welcomed all Members to Council meeting.

The Mayor indicated that Members would be aware that Covid rates were again increasing and that here in Sefton rates were over a 12-month high; and that this was resulting in increasing admission numbers to our hospitals and spikes in staff sickness too over recent weeks. The Council was encouraging people over 75 to have the booster vaccine as it was aware that large numbers of people still had not had a booster vaccine; and the Council was also aware that people over 50 would be asked to come forward for a further booster in the coming months.

The Mayor concluded that she had taken advice about this evening’s meeting and whilst she was not proposing any current changes to the way the meeting was held, there may be some Members who felt more comfortable wearing a mask. If this was the case then the Mayor encouraged Members to wear a mask.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bennet, Brennan, June Burns, Carlin, Dodd, John Kelly, Lunn-Bates, Chris Maher, Ian Maher, Richards, Roscoe, Sathiy, Thomas, Lynne Thompson, Veidman and Webster.

Members are requested at a meeting where a disclosable pecuniary interest or personal interest arises, which is not already included in their Register of Members' Interests, todeclare any interests that relate to an item on the agenda.

Where a Member discloses a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, he/she must withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest, except where he/she is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of a dispensation.

Where a Member discloses a personal interest he/she must seek advice from the Monitoring Officer or staff member representing the Monitoring Officer to determine whether the Member should withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest or whether the Member can remain in the meeting or remain in the meeting and vote on the relevant decision.

No declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interests or personal interests were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 19 May 2022

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Council meeting held on 19 May 2022 be approved as a correct record.

Death of Councillor Gordon Friel

The Mayor announced that it was her very sad duty to report on the loss of Councillor Gordon Friel who passed away on 11 July 2022.

The Mayor indicated that Councillor Friel was elected to the Linacre Ward on 5 May 1994 and served on the Council for 28 years. During his time on the Council, Councillor Friel served on numerous Committees, Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Cabinet Member portfolio meetings and the Public Engagement and Consultation Panel. Councillor Friel had a particular interest in licensing matters and served on the Licensing/Licensing and Regulatory Committee for 18 years.

Councillor Friel served on the Linacre and Derby Area Committee from 1999/00 to 2012/13 and was Chair of the Committee for a two-year period between 2009/2011; and then served on the South Sefton Area Committee from 2013/14 to 2017/18. 

Councillor Friel represented the Council on the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority/LCR Combined Authority Transport Committee from 2012/13 to 2022/23; and held the positions of Vice-Chair of the Transport Committee and Deputy Portfolio Holder for Transport and Air Quality.

On behalf of the Council the Mayor extended her sincere condolences to Gordon’s wife Karen, his son and daughter, his grandchildren and the rest of his family.

Councillors Fairclough, Brough, Pugh, Jones, Myers, Hansen and Cluskey paid tribute to Councillor Friel.

The Council then observed a one-minute silence as a mark of respect on the sad passing of Councillor Gordon Friel.  

Srebrenica Memorial Day 2022

The Mayor reported that this year marked 27 years since the genocide at Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in which over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered in what was described by the United Nations as ‘the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War’.

The Mayor continued that the lessons learned from Srebrenica were that hatred and intolerance could flourish if left unchallenged; that each year during Srebrenica memorial week and on Srebrenica memorial day on the 11 July, communities across the country honoured the victims and survivors of the genocide, and pledged to create a better, stronger and more cohesive society in the United Kingdom; and that by confronting this dark chapter of our collective history, we could reaffirm our commitment to tackling prejudice discrimination and remind ourselves of the need to strengthen our resolve so that “never again” was truly meant.

Councillor Mike Morris MBE

The Mayor took the opportunity to congratulate on behalf of the Council, Councillor Mike Morris for his MBE Award in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his dedication and commitment to the Maritime Industry.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations

The Mayor reported that she had attended several engagements during the Queen’s Jubilee weekend celebrations, including lighting a beacon with the girl guides, to street parties in Derby Park and in Maghull. The Mayor indicated that it was extremely pleasing to see such fantastic community spirit during such a momentous occasion.

Falklands Commemoration Service and Sefton’s Armed Forces Day Event

The Mayor reported that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

To deal with matters raised by members of the public resident within the Borough, of which notice has been given in accordance with the procedures relating to public questions, motions or petitions set out in Paragraph 36 to 47 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules in Chapter 4 of the Council Constitution.

(A)      Public Petition – Lulworth Road, Southport

(B)      Public Petition – Shy Lowen

(Details of any further petitions notified or questions submitted by members of the public will be circulated at the meeting).

The Mayor reported that two public petitions had been received as detailed below.

Public Petition - Demand a Safe Crossing Solution on Lulworth Road, Southport

The terms of the petition, which contained over 5000 signatures, stated that on the 30th November 2021 Marie Cunningham was sadly killed along with her friend Grace simply trying to cross Lulworth Road. Their deaths have shocked residents in the area who have said that a crossing has been needed for some time and so with this in mind, as a family, we have engaged with Sefton Council and started a process to review the possibility of installing a pedestrian crossing to allow safe passage. As part of this process it was important that this crossing request was supported by like-minded people, so as a family, we are looking for your support. We are asking you to sign this petition so we can forward this as evidence to Sefton Council to show the need for change and protect pedestrians in the area.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, the Lead Petitioner was advised of his right to make representations to the Council, not lasting more than 5 minutes. Mr. Cunningham addressed the Council for 5 minutes in respect of the terms of the petition.

The Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, Councillor Hardy, responded to the petition and started by thanking Mr. Cunningham for submitting his petition and coming to the Council meeting to speak to Members; and expressed her condolences on behalf of the Council to the families for their sad loss.

Councillor Hardy stated that the request for the pedestrian crossing would be referred to the Cabinet Member - Locality Services for consideration. 

In addition to the request for physical improvements to the highway in the area, Councillor Hardy advised that Safer Sefton Together (Sefton’s Community Safety Partnership) had also commissioned an independent review into the multi-agency response to serious road traffic accidents; that it was important that we learnt from the response to such tragic events in order to improve our response in the future; and that the review would commence in September and actions for development would then be considered by the Partnership in order for them to be taken back to their respective organisations for implementation. Councillor Hardy concluded that this was an important aspect of community safety to the Council and that the review by the independent reviewer was supported.

Members then debated the petition.

Thereafter, it was moved by Councillor Hardy, seconded by Councillor Fairclough and

RESOLVED:That:

Public Petition – Provide a Secure Home for the Shy Lowen Horse and Pony Sanctuary

The terms of the petition, which contained over 500 signatures, stated that during October and November 2020 a petition was active regarding the expiration of the lease of the Sefton Council owned land at Buckley Hill  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

To receive and consider questions to Cabinet Members, Chairs of Committees or Spokespersons for any of the Joint Authorities upon any matter within their portfolio/area of responsibility, of which notice has been given by Members of the Council in accordance with Paragraph 49 to 51 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules, set out in Chapter 4 of the Council Constitution.

The Council considered a schedule setting out the written questions submitted by:

together with responses given. Supplementary questions to questions 1, 10, 16, 17, 18 and 20 were responded to by the Cabinet Members – Children’s Social Care, Locality Services and Communities and Housing and the Spokesperson on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Transport Committee.

Report of the Head of Communities

Further to Minute No. 20 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 23 June 2022 the Council considered the report of the Head of Communities indicating that each year the Youth Justice Board (YJB) required local Youth Justice Services to produce an Annual Plan to satisfy the grant allocation and to ensure that the YJB was kept abreast of local business and performance. This year, the YJB had recommended that each Youth Justice Service adhere to a template for consistency and that the plan was signed off by the Chair of the Local Youth Justice Partnership (formerly the YOT Management Board).

Sefton’s Youth Justice Partnership Annual Plan had been produced in accordance with the YJB requirements and had been shared with the Cabinet Member - Children’s Social Care, Head of Communities, Head of Children’s Social Care, Executive Director - People and the Executive Director of Children’s Services. The Chair of the Youth Justice Service Partnership, Superintendent Local Policing, Merseyside Police, had signed off the Plan.

The Youth Justice Partnership Annual Plan was attached to the report.

It was moved by Councillor Hardy, seconded by Councillor Faircloughand

RESOLVED: That

Report of the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services

Further to Minute No. 23 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 23 June 2022 the Council considered the report of the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services informing of:

1.             The current position relating to the 2022/23 revenue budget.

2.             The potential implications on the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2023/24 and 2024/25.

3.             The proposed scheme relating to the discretionary payments of the Council Tax Energy Rebate.

4.             The seeking of approval for Additional supplementary capital estimates to the Council’s capital programme.

The Scheme for the discretionary payments of Council Tax Energy Rebate was attached to the report at Appendix 1.

It was moved by Councillor Fairclough, seconded by Councillor Hardyand

RESOLVED: That in respect of:

Revenue Budget

(1)      the current position relating to the 2022/23 revenue budget be noted;

(2)      the actions included in the Remedial Action Plan to offset the budget pressures being faced in 2022/23 and the funding of a Social Work Academy in 2022/23 be approved;

(3)      the financial risks associated with the delivery of the 2022/23 revenue budget be recognised and it be acknowledged that the forecast outturn position will continue to be reviewed to ensure a balanced forecast outturn position and financial sustainability can be achieved; and

(4)      the potential implications on the Medium-Term Financial Plan for 2023/24 and 2024/25 be noted; and

Capital Programme

(5)      a supplementary capital estimate of £1.033m for the Sandway Homes Phase 2 Pre-Development Works in 2022/23, subject to approval of the grant applications be approved;

(6)      a supplementary capital estimate of £4.971m for the High Needs Provision Capital Allocations 2022/23 and 2023/24 be approved;

(7)      a supplementary capital estimate of £0.270m for essential maintenance and refurbishment works at Dunes Splashworld funded by borrowing be approved; and

(8)      a supplementary capital estimate of £0.557m for the Bootle Canalside Business Case capital works funded from the Economic Recovery Earmarked Reserve be approved.

Report of the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services

Further to Minute No. 22 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 23 June 2022 the Council considered the report of the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services indicating that the Council had declared a climate emergency in July 2019. Following the declaration, work had progressed within the Council and a climate emergency strategy and associated action plan had been created.

Annual reporting on progress made was required as part of the governance approach to the programme. Members were asked to note the progress made on achieving net zero carbon by 2030 and the programme of works supporting the Council’s transition to low carbon working.

The Climate Emergency Annual Report 2021/22, and the Climate Emergency Annual Report Appendix 1 Action Plan progress, were attached to the report.

It was moved by Councillor Lappin, seconded by Councillor Fairclough and

RESOLVED:

That the progress made on the targets in the Sefton climate emergency strategy and action plan be noted.

Joint report of the Head of Operational In-House Services and the Head of Communities

Further to Minute No. 12 of the meeting of the Licensing and Regulatory (Urgent Referrals) Committee held on 27 June 2022 the Council considered the joint report of the Head of Operational In-House Services and the Head of Communities relating to a draft Public Spaces Protection Order – Coast and Visitor Areas (PSPO) under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The report provided information concerning Coast and Visitor Area behaviours and an overview of the public consultation on proposed additional measures through a proposed new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).

A copy of the consultation results and the proposed draft PSPO were attached as appendices to the report. 

It was moved by Councillor Lappin, seconded by Councillor Fairclough and

Report of the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services

Further to Minute No. 9 of the meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee held on 22 June 2022 the Council considered the report of the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services that recommended updates to the Council’s Constitution. The updates related to the Executive / Scrutiny Protocol, the Protocol for Relationships Between Members and Officers and paragraph 26 of Chapter 5 of the Constitution.

It was moved by Councillor Lappin, seconded by Councillor Fairclough

That

An amendment was moved by Councillor Sir Ron Watson, seconded by Councillor Prendergast that the Motion be amended by the addition of the following paragraph:

Following a debate on the amendment the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the amendment was lost by 13 votes to 30.

A further amendment was moved by Councillor Wilson, seconded by Councillor Sayers that the Motion be amended by the addition of the following:

Following a debate on the further amendment the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the amendment was lost by 15 votes to 30.

Following a debate on the Motion the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the Motion was carried unanimously and it was

RESOLVED: That

The meeting adjourned at 8.05 p.m. for a comfort break for a period of 15 minutes.

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer

The Council considered the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2021/22 and Councillors Myers, Sayers, Spencer and Bradshaw highlighted the key areas of work undertaken by the respective Committees and thanked Members and Officers for their support and assistance during 2021/22.

It was moved by Councillor Bradshaw, seconded by Councillor Myers and

RESOLVED:

That the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2021/22 be noted.

To consider any changes to the Membership of any Committees etc.

The Mayor advised that at the last Council meeting held on 19 May 2022, the Lydiate, Aintree, Maghull and Lunt Independent Group indicated that it did not wish to take their allocated seats on the Audit and Governance Committee, the Licensing and Regulatory Committee, the Planning Committee, the Local Joint Consultative Committee for Teaching Staffs and the Local Joint Consultative Committee; and that at this meeting, the Council would seek nominations from other Groups on the Council to appoint Members and Substitute Members to fill such vacancies. The Mayor reported that nominations had been received as follows:

Audit and Governance Committee

Councillor Page (Substitute Member – Councillor Hardman) nominated by the Labour Group; and

Councillor Pugh nominated by the Liberal Democrat and Progressive Alliance Group

In accordance with Rule 98 of Chapter 4 of the Constitution (Full Council) a vote was taken when there appeared:

and it was

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Page (Substitute Member – Councillor Hardman)be appointed as a member of the Audit and Governance Committee.

Licensing Committee

Councillor June Burns nominated by the Labour Group

In the absence of other nominations it was

RESOLVED:

That Councillor June Burns be appointed as a member of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee.

Planning Committee

Councillor McGinnity nominated by the Labour Group

In the absence of other nominations it was

RESOLVED:

That Councillor McGinnity be appointed as a member of the Planning Committee.

Local Joint Consultative Committee for Teaching Staff)

Councillor Richards (Substitute Member – Councillor Hardman) nominated by the Labour Group

In the absence of other nominations it was

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Richards (Substitute Member – Councillor Hardman) be appointed as a member of the Local Joint Consultative Committee for Teaching Staff.

Local Joint Consultative Committee

Councillor O’Brien (Substitute Member – Councillor Murphy) nominated by the Labour Group

In the absence of other nominations it was

RESOLVED:

That Councillor O’Brien (Substitute Member – Councillor Murphy) be appointed as a member of the Local Joint Consultative Committee.

Merseyside Police and Crime Panel

RESOLVED

That Councillor Robinson replace Councillor Spencer as a representative on the Merseyside Police and Crime Panel.

Health and Wellbeing Board

RESOLVED:

That the following changes be made to the membership of the Health and Wellbeing Board:

•                Deborah Butcher is now the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health and Place Director;

•                the Representative of NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group, Dr Peter Chamberlain, be replaced with the Clinical Director for South Sefton PCN, Dr Craig Gillespie;

•                the Representative of the NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group, Dr Rob Caudwell, to now represent the Clinical Director for Southport and Formby PCN;

•                Clare Morgan to replace Sir David Dalton as the representative of the NHS Acute Provider Sector and Anne-Marie Stretch to be an additional representative of the NHS Acute Provider Sector;

•                Sue Potts to replace Lorraine Webb as the representative from the Every Child Matters Forum;

•                Superintendent Dawn  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

It was moved by Councillor Prendergast, seconded by Councillor Brough:

That this Council:

(1)      Notes and fully accepts the contents of the independent Ofsted report, published on 9 May 2022;

(2)      Acknowledges the continued failings in management, supervision and leadership (including at a political and executive level) identified by Ofsted that have left some of the most vulnerable children in the borough at an unacceptable level of risk;

(3)      Welcomes the involvement of the Children’s Commissioner to review the service and bring about rapid and meaningful change;

(4)      Resolves to:

(i)       adopt and publish a meaningful set of benchmarks and key performance indicators to measure the improvement in service (such step to be taken as soon as possible);

(ii)       once the Children’s Commissioner has completed their review of the service, to agree to all recommendations made by them and involve all members of the Council in implementing their recommendations;

(iii)      request that the Cabinet Member with responsibility for the service, should provide a detailed update to Full Council at each meeting (in the form of a written report) with details of performance against benchmarks/key performance indicators

An amendment was moved by Councillor Doyle, seconded by Councillor Lappin that:

Following a debate on the Amendment the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the Amendment was carried by 30 votes to 16 and on being put as the Substantive Motion it was carried unanimously and it was:

RESOLVED: That this Council:

(1)      Notes and fully accepts the contents of the independent Ofsted report, published on 9 May 2022;

(2)      Acknowledges the continued failings in management, supervision and leadership (including at a political and executive level) identified by Ofsted that have left some of the most vulnerable children in the borough at an unacceptable level of risk;

(3)      Welcomes the involvement of the Children’s Commissioner to review the service and bring about rapid and meaningful change;

(4)      Resolves to take all required steps, as identified by Ofsted and the Commissioner, to ensure our Children’s Services Department reaches not only an acceptable standard, but a high-quality service for the children of our Borough;

(5)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

It was moved by Councillor Sir Ron Watson, seconded by Councillor Prendergast:

That:

The Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee will know that Sefton owns a significant collection of artworks, most of which are stored on a permanent basis at The Atkinson.

Whilst attempts are made to display some of the artwork in various locations the public actually have very little opportunity to view the collection.

The Chairman will recall that Members had been advised that it is not possible to put a value on the collection for insurance purposes because it is considered that the costs involved in determining a figure by professionals would be excessive.

The Council therefore now decides to make it known that they would welcome the involvement of anyone in the borough who could assist on a voluntary basis with at least what is known as a ‘ballpark’ figure.

In addition, by way of a pilot scheme, the Council should approach the Trustees of the very impressive Birkdale Community Hub and Library and offer them artworks to display on their premises which hopefully will be considered as a way in which the public can enjoy and appreciate what is currently an unavailable asset.

In the event of this proving successful the Council would then extend the scheme to other similar organisations that have public access.

Following a debate on the Motion the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the Motion was lost by 4 votes to 37 with 5 abstentions.

It was moved by Councillor Sir Ron Watson, seconded by Councillor Prendergast:

That:

The Council recognises the need to continually seek ways of engaging the public in Council affairs.

On this basis experience has now shown that the decision to abolish the Southport Area Committee against the majority view of the public who were consulted needs to be reviewed as it is now clear that it was a mistake.

Whilst the situation varies in various parts of Sefton the Southport Area Committee was a success and enabled the public who often attended, in not insignificant numbers, the opportunity to directly question their Councillors, make observations on local issues, present petitions, but also hear from other organisations, such as the Police, who came and gave regular updates.

Members of the public could also listen to the decision making that took place by Councillors in respect of a range of local issues.

The case therefore for the re-establishment of the SAC has therefore been made many times and is backed up with significant public support.

As a consequence the Council now agrees to reinstate this important democratic body at the earliest opportunity.

Following a debate on the Motion the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the Motion was lost by 9 votes to 35.

It was moved by Councillor Hardy, seconded by Councillor Killen:

That Council notes:

·        It is a great sadness and injustice that sexual violence, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse remain endemic in modern society.

·       According to national crime statistics in the UK, on average one woman is killed by a man every three days.

·       A 2021 YouGov national survey on behalf of UN Women UK found that among women aged 18-24, 97% said they had been sexually harassed, while 80% of women of all ages said they had experienced sexual harassment in public spaces.

·       The ONS reported that last year alone 618,000 women were victims of a sexual assault or an attempted sexual assault by a man

·       A recent OFSTED review into sexual harassment in schools has found that sexual harassment, including online sexual abuse, has become ‘normalised’ for children and young people.

Council recognises:

·     The work of SWACA, Sefton IDVA and RASA Merseyside in its work to support women and families in dealing with domestic abuse and sexual violence.

·        White Ribbon is a leading charity in the UK with a mission to end male violence against women and is part of the global White Ribbon movement which arose from a campaign started by men in Canada in 2004.

Council believes:

·       Male violence against women and girls is part of a broader culture of misogyny in society.

·       More focus should be placed on changing some men’s behaviour rather than on promoting actions to women to make themselves safer.

Council resolves to:

·       Encourage all councillors to take the White Ribbon pledge, never to take part in, condone or stay silent about violence against women.

·       As part of this, continue to mark White Ribbon Day on 25 November each year and encourage participation among councillors, council staff and local organisations.

·       Build on the work of the recent Safer Together partnership Board and Domestic Abuse board to develop a clear strategic approach to look into how the council can support campaigns for the end of violence against women and the promotion of healthy relationships.

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to request further work be done in support of all elements of this motion.

·     Call out all forms of sexual objectification and all its negative outcomes and encourage others to do the same

Following a debate on the Motion the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the Motion was carried unanimously and it was resolved:

That Council notes:

·        It is a great sadness and injustice that sexual violence, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse remain endemic in modern society.

·       According to national crime statistics in the UK, on average one woman is killed by a man every three days.

·       A 2021 YouGov national survey on behalf of UN Women UK found that among women aged 18-24, 97% said they had been sexually harassed, while 80% of women of all ages  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

It was moved by Councillor Jones, seconded by Councillor D’Albuquerque:

That Council notes that:

At its meeting held on Thursday, 21 April 2022, it considered a petition regarding “Save the Promenade in Crosby Coastal Park”; and that in accordance with Rule 220 of Chapter 11 of the Constitution the lead petitioner addressed the Council for a period of 5 minutes in support of the terms of the petition.

Again, and in accordance with Rule 220, the petition was discussed by Councillors for a period of 15 minutes. However, the first 13 minutes of the discussion was taken up by the Cabinet Member - Health and Wellbeing responding to the terms of the petition which left only 2 minutes for other Members of the Council to take part in the debate.

Council considers that it is essential that Cabinet Members or Chairs of Committees should respond, setting out their views, to petitioners and full Council. However, it is considered that this raises concerns about stifling debate as referred to above.

Council resolves that in order to allow a full debate to take place at Council meetings on petitions presented to it that Rule 220 of Chapter 11 (Officers and Members) of the Council’s Constitution be amended by:

Background:

Rule 220 of Chapter 11 (Officers and Members) of the Council’s Constitution states:

“FULL COUNCIL DEBATES

220. If a petition contains more than 500 signatures it will be debated by the full Council unless it is a petition asking for a senior council officer to give evidence at a public meeting. This means that the issue raised in the petition will be discussed at a meeting which all councillors can attend. The Council will endeavour to consider the petition at its next meeting, although on some occasions this may not be possible and consideration will then take place at the following meeting. The petition organiser will be given five minutes to present the petition at the meeting and the petition will then be discussed by Councillors for a maximum of 15 minutes. The council will decide how to respond to the petition at this meeting. They may decide to take the action the petition requests, not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate, or refer the matter to another decision-making body of the Council. Where the issue is one on which another Council body or Officer are required to make the final decision, the council will decide whether to make recommendations to inform that decision. The petition organiser will receive written confirmation of this decision”.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

It was moved by Councillor Evans, seconded by Councillor Pugh:

This Council Notes that:

·       Learning to drive can have a significant impact on mobility and access for younger people and those in isolated communities.

·       Taking a theory test is a required step before you are able to take your full driver’s test. It also required for motorbikes, lorries, buses and coaches, including the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) part 1a and 1b (theory) and part 2 (case studies).

·       Learning to drive is an expensive process, cost on average £1,350 per person.

·       Southport Theory Test Centre was based on the corner or Leicester Street and Gordon Street, Southport and closed in 2021 along with Test Centres in St. Helen’s and Wigan.

·       Accessing a theory test slot has become more difficult coming out of the pandemic as centres cope with the backlog.

·       Following their closure, the two closest test centres are in Liverpool or Preston, over 45 minutes away by public transport, longer than the DVSAs claimed 40 minutes for urban residents.

This Council condemns the decision of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Department for Transport in closing Southport Theory Test Centre, along with other nearby test centres.

This Council resolves to:

·       Support the re-instatement and re-opening of a Theory Test Centre based in Southport.

·       Write to the Secretary of State for Transport and the Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, requesting the re-opening of a Theory Test Centre in Southport.

An amendment was moved by Councillor Prendergast, seconded by Councillor Brough that the Motion be amended by the deletion of the word “condemns” in the first line of the second paragraph of the Motion and its replacement with the word “regrets”.

Following a debate on the Amendment the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the Amendment was lost by 4 votes to 37.

Following a debate on the Motion the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared that the Motion was carried unanimously and it was resolved:

This Council Notes that:

·       Learning to drive can have a significant impact on mobility and access for younger people and those in isolated communities.

·       Taking a theory test is a required step before you are able to take your full driver’s test. It also required for motorbikes, lorries, buses and coaches, including the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) part 1a and 1b (theory) and part 2 (case studies).

·       Learning to drive is an expensive process, cost on average £1,350 per person.

·       Southport Theory Test Centre was based on the corner or Leicester Street and Gordon Street, Southport and closed in 2021 along with Test Centres in St. Helen’s and Wigan.

·       Accessing a theory test slot has become more difficult coming out of the pandemic as centres cope with the backlog.

·       Following their closure, the two closest test centres are in Liverpool or Preston, over 45 minutes away by public transport, longer than the DVSAs  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

Councillor Pugh advised that he wished to withdraw his Motion from the agenda and that he would re-submit it to the next meeting of Council and it was:

RESOLVED:

That the Motion in respect of the Public Health Outcomes Framework be withdrawn from the agenda and it be noted that Councillor Pugh would re-submit it to the next meeting of Council.