In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No 10 to consider Motions on notice from Members. Motions must be received in writing or by email to the Monitoring Officer by 12 noon twelve clear working days before the meeting.
The following motions have been received:-
Motion submitted by Councillor R Shipman – Seconded by Councillor D Hancock
Council notes:
· The government is asking people to work from home wherever possible;
· In April 2020, local authorities were allowed to use video and telephone technology to carry out official Council meetings;
· Legislation is no longer in place to allow for remote/hybrid meetings;
· Remote meetings are efficient and better for the environment.
Council resolves:
· For the Leader of NEDDC to write to the Local Government Secretary asking them to introduce new legislation as soon as possible to permanently allow official Council meetings to take place remotely, if local authorities wish to make use of it.
Motion submitted by Councillor D Hancock
Council notes:
· The challenges facing refuse collection in a district as large and as rural as North East Derbyshire;
· The impact additional bank holidays have on planning logistics for refuse collection;
· That many residents have only a 180 litre household waste bin as a result of previous policies adopted by Council and the significantly reduced capacity for excess waste to be stored;
· That not all residents can drive or have a working pattern that allows them to take excess rubbish to one of the recycling centres;
· The health and safety impact of heavier bins on our employees as a result of delayed collections;
· The potential health and safety problems a delay in collection of household waste poses to local residents.
Council believes that no household should go more than two weeks between household waste collections, save for an additional day to accommodate public holidays, except in cases of emergency.
Council resolves to review its scheduling of household waste collections going forward to ensure that no part of the district has to wait in excess of 14 days (or 15 days over a bank holiday period) without their household waste being collected.
Minutes:
The following motions had been received:-
Motion submitted by Councillor R Shipman – Seconded by Councillor D Hancock
Council notes:
· The government is asking people to work from home wherever possible;
· In April 2020, local authorities were allowed to use video and telephone technology to carry out official Council meetings;
· Legislation is no longer in place to allow for remote/hybrid meetings;
· Remote meetings are efficient and better for the environment.
Council resolves:
· For the Leader of NEDDC to write to the Local Government Secretary asking them to introduce new legislation as soon as possible to permanently allow official Council meetings to take place remotely, if local authorities wish to make use of it.
Councillor R Shipman argued that there were a number of benefits to remote meetings, including environmental and ease of access benefits and that there should be an option for District Councillors to attend virtually. He urged Council to support the motion.
Councillor J Lilley spoke in favour of the motion and argued that his hearing difficulties meant that he struggled to fully participate in the meeting. He was supporting the motion to support reasonable adjustment. Members agreed that provisions should be made to accommodate those who had hearing difficulties so that they could fully participate in the meeting.
Councillor C Cupit argued that whilst she agreed on the principles behind the motion, she also welcomed Members attending in-person, and that there had already been dialogue with government about changing the law to permit virtual attendance. The Deputy Leader therefore could not support the motion.
Councillor J Birkin spoke in favour of the motion and commented that Members should be permitted to attend virtually, particularly given that some Councillors were unable to attend due to concerns about Covid-19.
Councillor M Foster and R Hall argued that they could not support the motion as the government was no longer recommending that people work from home. Council heard that residents were being asked to return to work and that Councillors should also be expected to do the same.
Councillor B Lewis acknowledged that the Pandemic had transformed how local government operated, but that face-to-face meetings should remain for important meetings such as Council and Cabinet. Council heard about advancements in technology that allowed Members with hearing difficulties, such as himself, to participate in meetings.
Councillor A Dale agreed it would be useful to have the flexibility to conduct virtual or hybrid meetings, and that the government was supportive in this. It was, however, a matter of parliamentary time and that primary legislation needed to be changed to accommodate this. The Leader of the Council did not see the merit in writing another letter when there had already been dialogue with government ministers.
Councillor D Hancock argued that it was important to allow Members to participate from home and promote diversity, and that there were some circumstances that prevented Councillors from attending in person.
On being put to vote, the motion was defeated.
Motion submitted by Councillor D Hancock
Council notes:
· The challenges facing refuse collection in a district as large and as rural as North East Derbyshire;
· The impact additional bank holidays have on planning logistics for refuse collection;
· That many residents have only a 180 litre household waste bin as a result of previous policies adopted by Council and the significantly reduced capacity for excess waste to be stored;
· That not all residents can drive or have a working pattern that allows them to take excess rubbish to one of the recycling centres;
· The health and safety impact of heavier bins on our employees as a result of delayed collections;
· The potential health and safety problems a delay in collection of household waste poses to local residents.
Council believes:
· That no household should go more than two weeks between household waste collections, save for an additional day to accommodate public holidays, except in cases of emergency.
Council resolves:
· To review its scheduling of household waste collections going forward to ensure that no part of the District has to wait in excess of 14 days (or 15 days over a bank holiday period) without their household waste being collected.
Councillor D Hancock presented the motion and explained that action needed to be taken to prevent such a situation from happening again. The motion was seconded by Councillor R Shipman.
Councillor C Cupit explained that the Christmas period was a challenging time due to high staff absences and a unique set of circumstances. The Deputy Leader thanked staff for their efforts and those who volunteered to maintain services. Council heard that there were steps being taken to mitigate such a situation occurring again, with plans already in place for the Jubilee bank holiday weekend, and looking again at current collection rounds. There were also potential changes to national waste legislation which could affect collections. Councillor C Cupit apologised to residents for the inconvenience that they had faced.
Councillor N Barker spoke in favour of the motion, but welcomed the explanation from the Deputy Leader and the mitigations that were to be put in place.
Councillor S Cornwell left the meeting.
Councillor C Renwick thanked staff and commented that the Council provided an excellent service, with Derbyshire as a whole being one of the best counties in the country. Council heard that she could not support the motion due to concerns over carbon reduction and that there was now a move to smaller bins and less frequent collections to reduce waste. Councillor B Lewis and R Hall also raised issues surrounding household waste and recycling.
On being put to a vote, the motion was defeated.
Councillor M Foster left the meeting.