Agenda item

It was moved by Councillor Dawson and seconded by Councillor Pugh that

This Council:

1.       Pays tribute to its own employees, contractors and managers; those working in the local NHS and care sectors; and employees working in food shops and other essential enterprises and services; for the sterling efforts which they have made to help local residents survive and endure the threats posed by COVID-19 over many months.

2.       Commends the efforts which have been made by the people living and working in the communities served by the Borough of Sefton to keep themselves and others safe from infection by the COVID-19 virus since March 2020 in the face of substantially varying advice, instructions and example.

3.       Notes that a considerable number of people nationally and locally have still not received any direct financial assistance from the government to help them through times of economic shut-down.

4.       Congratulates Marcus Rashford of Manchester United FC and his team of helpers in their achieving commitment from central government to funding and assistance for schoolchildren and poorer families to which actions the UK government had previously been opposed.

5.       Commits itself to maintain the supportive actions which Sefton Borough Council itself has initiated and continued during 2020 to give support and assistance to those who most need it.

6.       Calls upon the government to ensure that Local Authorities and the local NHS and care sector are properly funded to enable them to carry out the work which has been done, and which continues to be need to be done, to support the people living and working in our communities in the face of the virus and the effect of some of the measures which have been brought in to combat the virus. 

An amendment was moved by Councillor Moncur, seconded by Councillor Hardy that the Motion be amended by:

Paragraph 1 - including the following words “the voluntary, community and faith sectors and the many individual residents;”,after the words “Pays tribute to its own employees, contractors and managers; those working in the local NHS and care sectors;” ;

Paragraph 2 - including the word “government” in between the words “varying” and “advice”;

Paragraph 3 – ends with “Commits itself to support:

i) the campaign to make the temporary £20 pound uplift to Universal Credit permanent and to extend it to other legacy benefits.

ii) the excludedUK campaign to end the exclusions in the Government’s Covid-19 financial support measures across all employment statuses, circumstances, professions and industries”.

Paragraph 6 – including the words “as originally promised by government” in between the words “funded” and “to enable”.

Following debate on the amendment the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared the amendment was carried by 52 to 5 and on the Substantive Motion it was carried by 56 to 1and it was:

RESOLVED:           That:

This Council:

1.       Pays tribute to its own employees, contractors and managers; those working in the local NHS and care sectors; the voluntary, community and faith sectors and the many individual residents; and employees working in food shops and other essential enterprises and services; for the sterling efforts which they have made to help local residents survive and endure the threats posed by COVID-19 over many months.

2.       Commends the efforts which have been made by the people living and working in the communities served by the Borough of Sefton to keep themselves and others safe from infection by the COVID-19 virus since March 2020 in the face of substantially varying government advice, instructions and example.

3.       Notes that a considerable number of people nationally and locally have still not received any direct financial assistance from the government to help them through times of economic shut-down. Commits itself to support:-

i) the campaign to make the temporary £20 pound uplift to Universal Credit permanent and to extend it to other legacy benefits.

ii) the excludedUK campaign to end the exclusions in the Government’s Covid-19 financial support measures across all employment statuses, circumstances, professions and industries.

4.       Congratulates Marcus Rashford of Manchester United FC and his team of helpers in their achieving commitment from central government to funding and assistance for schoolchildren and poorer families to which actions the UK government had previously been opposed.

5.       Commits itself to maintain the supportive actions which Sefton Borough Council itself has initiated and continued during 2020 to give support and assistance to those who most need it.

6.       Calls upon the government to ensure that Local Authorities and the local NHS and care sector are properly funded as originally promised by government to enable them to carry out the work which has been done, and which continues to be need to be done, to support the people living and working in our communities in the face of the virus and the effect of some of the measures which have been brought in to combat the virus.