Cashless Only Council facilities
The following motion submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 10 of the Meeting Procedure Rules has been proposed by Councillor J Salmon and seconded by Councillor K Salmon: -
1. Council resolves to:
a. acknowledge the importance of inclusivity and recognises the diverse financial circumstances of residents, including those who may be unbanked or underbanked.
b. commit to ensuring that all policies and provisions are designed to be inclusive and considerate of the needs of all residents, regardless of their banking status.
c. be aware of the significance of maintaining accessibility for all residents to council facilities, regardless of their financial situation, and express a commitment to finding solutions that do not disproportionately burden those without regular access to banking services.
2. Council:
a. instructs the relevant officers to bring a report to the Portfolio Holder for Finance that reviews the decision and impact of the implementation of cashless-only provision at council facilities that covers:
• The implications of the cashless-only policy on residents who are currently unbanked or underbanked
• The reduction of income due to council service users and customers taking the business elsewhere
• The consequences of encouraging cashless spending which can be more risky for those in financial difficulty
• The future financial savings anticipated and those already realised from the move to cashless
b. considers reinstating the acceptance of cash at council facilities if the review indicates that the cashless-only provision disproportionately impacts residents negatively relative to the envisioned savings.
Minutes:
The following motion was submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 10 of the Meeting Procedure Rules and was moved by Councillor J Salmon and seconded by Councillor K Salmon: -
1. Council resolves to:
a. acknowledge the importance of inclusivity and recognises the diverse financial circumstances of residents, including those who may be unbanked or underbanked.
b. commit to ensuring that all policies and provisions are designed to be inclusive and considerate of the needs of all residents, regardless of their banking status.
c. be aware of the significance of maintaining accessibility for all residents to council facilities, regardless of their financial situation, and express a commitment to finding solutions that do not disproportionately burden those without regular access to banking services.
2. Council:
a. instructs the relevant officers to bring a report to the Portfolio Holder for Finance that reviews the decision and impact of the implementation of cashless-only provision at council facilities that covers:
• The implications of the cashless-only policy on residents who are currently unbanked or underbanked
• The reduction of income due to council service users and customers taking the business elsewhere
• The consequences of encouraging cashless spending which can be more risky for those in financial difficulty
• The future financial savings anticipated and those already realised from the move to cashless
b. considers reinstating the acceptance of cash at council facilities if the review indicates that the cashless-only provision disproportionately impacts residents negatively relative to the envisioned savings.
Comprehensive discussion took place on the motion with Members supporting the principles of the motion, during which the following amendments were proposed to the motion: -
Councillor Patrick Canavan proposed an amendment in regard to 2a. proposing the deletion of the words ‘the Portfolio Holder for Finance’, replacing this with the words ‘to the Cabinet’, and additionally to add to the end of the first bullet point in paragraph 2a ‘and those who may require additional support’, so that the amended motion would read:-
1. Council resolves to:
a) acknowledge the importance of inclusivity and recognises the diverse financial circumstances of residents, including those who may be unbanked or underbanked.
b) commit to ensuring that all policies and provisions are designed to be inclusive and considerate of the needs of all residents, regardless of their banking status.
c) be aware of the significance of maintaining accessibility for all residents to council facilities, regardless of their financial situation, and express a commitment to finding solutions that do not disproportionately burden those without regular access to banking services.
2. Council:
a) instructs the relevant
officers to bring a report to the Portfolio Holder for
Finance the Cabinet that reviews
the decision and impact of the implementation of cashless-only
provision at council facilities that covers:
· The implications of the cashless-only policy on residents who are currently unbanked or underbanked and those who may require additional support
· The reduction of income due to council service users and customers taking the business elsewhere
· The consequences of encouraging cashless spending which can be more risky for those in financial difficulty
· The future financial savings anticipated and those already realised from the move to cashless
b) considers reinstating the acceptance of cash at council facilities if the review indicates that the cashless-only provision disproportionately impacts residents negatively relative to the envisioned savings.
The amendment was seconded by Councillor Peter Cooper.
The proposer and seconder of the Motion accepted the proposed amendments as set out which were subsequently accepted by the Council.
Councillor Millie Earl proposed a further amendment in relation to 1(b) adding additional wording as set out below so that 1(b) would read: -
1. (b) commit to ensuring that all policies and provisions are designed to be inclusive and considerate of the needs of all residents, regardless of their banking status by adopting unbanked and underbanked as local characteristics that must also be considered when developing equality impact assessments.
The amendment was seconded by Councillor Mike Cox.
The proposer and seconder of the Motion accepted the proposed amendments as set out which were subsequently accepted by the Council.
Comprehensive discussion took place in support of the motion with members highlighting the importance of having different ways in which people are able to access and pay for services.
RESOLVED: -
1. Council resolves to:
a) acknowledge the importance of inclusivity and recognises the diverse financial circumstances of residents, including those who may be unbanked or underbanked.
b) commit to ensuring that all policies and provisions are designed to be inclusive and considerate of the needs of all residents, regardless of their banking status by adopting unbanked and underbanked as local characteristics that must also be considered when developing equality impact assessments.
c) be aware of the significance of maintaining accessibility for all residents to council facilities, regardless of their financial situation, and express a commitment to finding solutions that do not disproportionately burden those without regular access to banking services.
2. Council:
a) instructs the relevant officers to bring a report to the Portfolio Holder for Finance the Cabinet that reviews the decision and impact of the implementation of cashless-only provision at council facilities that covers:
• The implications of the cashless-only policy on residents who are currently unbanked or underbanked and those who may require additional support
• The reduction of income due to council service users and customers taking the business elsewhere
• The consequences of encouraging cashless spending which can be more risky for those in financial difficulty
• The future financial savings anticipated and those already realised from the move to cashless
b) considers reinstating the acceptance of cash at council facilities if the review indicates that the cashless-only provision disproportionately impacts residents negatively relative to the envisioned savings.
Voting: Unanimous