Minutes:
1. It was moved by County Councillor Collinge and seconded by County Councillor Fillis that:
This
council notes:
That, as part of the Bus Services Bill currently passing through
Parliament, there is the possibility that the government will seek
to re-introduce "Clause 21" (removed by the House of Lords) which
would effectively "prohibit a local authority from forming a
company for the purposes of providing a local bus service".
This council believes:
(i) If included in the final legislation, Clause 21 would contradict the general powers of competence and the spirit of the Localism Act 2011.
(ii) If there is a need and a demand from their public, then Councils should be able to provide bus services through the formation of their own bus company.
(iii)
Consequently Clause 21 should be omitted from the
Bus Services Bill.
That Full Council requests the Chief Executive:
(i) To write to Christopher Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport, to call on the Department for Transport to omit Clause 21 from the final legislation.
(ii) To write to Lancashire MPs to ask them to oppose the re-introduction of Clause 21, should it be re-introduced, when the Bus Services Bill is returned to the House of Commons and ask them to write to Christopher Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport, to raise concerns about Clause 21.
(iii) To work with other councils, boroughs and parishes across Lancashire to support our communities by maintaining the right to develop new bus services.
On being put to the vote the motion was CARRIED and it was:
Resolved: - That:
As part of the Bus Services
Bill currently passing through Parliament, there is the possibility
that the government will seek to re-introduce "Clause 21" (removed
by the House of Lords) which would effectively "prohibit a local
authority from forming a company for the purposes of providing a
local bus service".
This council believes:
(i) If included in the final legislation, Clause 21 would contradict the general powers of competence and the spirit of the Localism Act 2011.
(ii) If there is a need and a demand from their public, then Councils should be able to provide bus services through the formation of their own bus company.
(iii)
Consequently Clause 21 should be omitted from the
Bus Services Bill.
That Full Council requests the Chief Executive:
(i) To write to Christopher Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport, to call on the Department for Transport to omit Clause 21 from the final legislation.
(ii) To write to Lancashire MPs to ask them to oppose the re-introduction of Clause 21, should it be re-introduced, when the Bus Services Bill is returned to the House of Commons and ask them to write to Christopher Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport, to raise concerns about Clause 21.
(iii) To work with other councils, boroughs and parishes across Lancashire to support our communities by maintaining the right to develop new bus services.
2. It was moved by County Councillor Dowding and seconded by County Councillor Holgate that:
There is real and well-founded concern within Lancashire's health sector that funding and staff shortages within the acute health care sector in Lancashire could result in loss of life or poorer-than-expected health outcomes this winter, particularly if we experience a strong surge in demand for hospital beds arising from either a prolonged cold spell, an outbreak of flu or respiratory disease, or other predictable winter conditions.
This Council believes that the Government and the Secretary of State Health should ensure that there is sufficient NHS 'surge capacity' to meet demand for hospital beds and ambulance services in the event of predictable winter demand conditions, in order to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality.
This Council therefore requests the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Health expressing Council's concerns and to ask him to provide assurance to the residents of Lancashire that sufficient staff, resources and other measures are in place to the meet demands for hospital beds, and ambulance services to manage what is an entirely predictable winter surge in demand in Lancashire in order to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality.
The following amendment was proposed by County Councillor Ali and seconded by County Councillor Winlow:
There is real and well-founded concern within Lancashire's health sector that funding and staff shortages within the acute health and social care sector in Lancashire could result in loss of life or poorer-than-expected health outcomes this winter, particularly if we experience a strong surge in demand for hospital beds arising from either a prolonged cold spell, an outbreak of flu or respiratory disease, or other predictable winter conditions.
This Council believes that the Government and the Secretary of State Health should ensure that there is sufficient NHS 'surge capacity' to meet demand for hospital beds and ambulance services in the event of predictable winter demand conditions, in order to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality.
This Council agrees with Lancashire's Health & Wellbeing Board that Lancashire faces a £94 Million Social Care funding crisis which could well lead to increased bed blocking and increased pressures on hospital beds and A&E departments already close to breaking point.
This Council therefore requests the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister asking for a meeting to discuss the huge funding shortfall required to deliver an adequate social care service across Lancashire. This Council further notes that if it accepted the Government's edict of increasing the council tax by 6% across Lancashire it would still not go anywhere near filling the gap and would unfairly hit the 'hard working people' of Lancashire.
This amendment was accepted. On being put to the vote the motion was CARRIED and it was:
Resolved: - That:
There is real and well-founded concern within Lancashire's health sector that funding and staff shortages within the acute health and social care sector in Lancashire could result in loss of life or poorer-than-expected health outcomes this winter, particularly if we experience a strong surge in demand for hospital beds arising from either a prolonged cold spell, an outbreak of flu or respiratory disease, or other predictable winter conditions.
This Council believes that the Government and the Secretary of State Health should ensure that there is sufficient NHS 'surge capacity' to meet demand for hospital beds and ambulance services in the event of predictable winter demand conditions, in order to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality.
This Council agrees with Lancashire's Health & Wellbeing Board that Lancashire faces a £94 Million Social Care funding crisis which could well lead to increased bed blocking and increased pressures on hospital beds and A&E departments already close to breaking point.
This Council therefore requests the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister asking for a meeting to discuss the huge funding shortfall required to deliver an adequate social care service across Lancashire. This Council further notes that if it accepted the Government's edict of increasing the council tax by 6% across Lancashire it would still not go anywhere near filling the gap and would unfairly hit the 'hard working people' of Lancashire.
3. It was moved by County Councillor Whipp and seconded by County Councillor Lord that:
County Council notes that a network of local organisations and charities has provided services for victims of domestic abuse for many years in Lancashire, and that in recent years many of these services have been successfully delivered with funding from a consortium of local councils and statutory authorities led by Lancashire County Council.
County Council further notes that this LCC led arrangement ceases at the end of this financial year and that the lead commissioner for these services will be the Police and Crime Commissioner, with funding provided by the County Council together with other council organisations.
County Council places on record it's thanks to the local charities involved with providing such vital support for some of the most vulnerable people in Lancashire and expresses the hope that these charities will continue to be involved with supporting victims of domestic abuse in future.
On being put to the vote the motion was CARRIED and it was:
Resolved: - That:
The County Council notes that a network of local organisations and charities has provided services for victims of domestic abuse for many years in Lancashire, and that in recent years many of these services have been successfully delivered with funding from a consortium of local councils and statutory authorities led by Lancashire County Council.
County Council further notes that this LCC led arrangement ceases at the end of this financial year and that the lead commissioner for these services will be the Police and Crime Commissioner, with funding provided by the County Council together with other council organisations.
County Council places on record it's thanks to the local charities involved with providing such vital support for some of the most vulnerable people in Lancashire and expresses the hope that these charities will continue to be involved with supporting victims of domestic abuse in future.