Agenda item

1.      Motion to Expand the Scope of the Public Inquiry into Failings Leading to Violent Crimes

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 S Armstrong.

Council Notes:

1. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has ordered a public inquiry into the failures that allowed Axel Rudakubana to commit the Southport killings, with a focus on systemic failings across multiple agencies, including Prevent, social services / children's services , and the justice system.
2. The tragic murder of Thomas Roberts in Bournemouth by Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, a convicted murderer who had evaded detection despite being wanted for murder in Serbia and having a history of violent behaviour, also raises serious questions about systemic failures in asylum, policing, social services / children’s services and border security.
3. The UK government has committed to an internal Home Office review into the red flags missed in Abdulrahimzai’s case, but this falls short of the independent public scrutiny required to fully understand and address the failings that led to the murder of Thomas Roberts.
4. These concerns about the shortcomings of the internal home office review and subsequent inquest into Thomas Roberts killing are felt strongly by his family who have consistently called for a full public inquiry into the circumstances of his murder.

Council Believes:

1. The failures in both the Rudakubana and Abdulrahimzai cases demonstrate serious deficiencies in the ability of UK authorities to prevent individuals, especially young people, with violent histories from posing a danger to the public.
2. A limited inquiry focusing only on the Southport killings would miss an opportunity to comprehensively assess the systemic issues across immigration control, law enforcement, and public safety agencies.
3. The families of victims, including Thomas Roberts, deserve full transparency and accountability in understanding how these tragic failures were allowed to occur and what measures will be implemented to prevent future occurrences.

Council Resolves:

To request that the Leader of the Council write to the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, asking him to ensure that the public enquiry is comprehensive and covers all failures to ensure that future safeguards are put in place to prevent similar tragedies from occurring, and urging him to widen the scope of the public inquiry into systemic failings in the UK’s handling of violent offenders to:-

a)    Include the case of Thomas Roberts and other similar cases where institutional failings played a significant role in how events unfolded;

b)    Ensure that any review or inquiry examines the processes that allowed Abdulrahimzai to enter the country undetected, the adequacy of police responses to prior warnings about his behaviour, the adequacy of children's services responses to prior warnings about his behaviour and the wider implications for border security and asylum vetting procedures.

2.      Motion: Support for the Safer Phones Bill and Local Policy Development

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 Alasdair Keddie.

This Council notes:

• The growing concerns over the impact of smartphone use on children’s wellbeing, education, and safety.
• The introduction of the Protection of Children (Digital Safety and Data Protection) Bill, known as the Safer Phones Bill, which seeks to:
  • Raise the age of internet adulthood to 16.
  • Ban smartphones in schools.
  • Empower Ofcom to regulate addictive app designs.
  • Reform how phones are marketed to children.
• International examples of proactive policies, such as France’s school phone bans, Australia’s age restrictions for social media, and initiatives by the Ormiston Academies Trust in England to phase out smartphone use among pupils.
• The inadequacies of the Online Safety Act (2023) in addressing smartphone addiction, underage usage, and exposure to harmful content.

This Council believes:

• Children should be protected from harmful and addictive elements of smartphone technology.
• Schools should have a clear, consistent approach to smartphone use to improve educational outcomes and wellbeing.
• Local authorities should play a role in shaping policy and advocating for stronger national protections.

This Council resolves to:

1. Instruct the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, urging them to support and champion the Safer Phones Bill.
2. Request that the Leader of the Council also writes to the head teachers of all local schools to encourage discussion on the implementation of stronger smartphone policies.
3. Establish a local task force, in collaboration with schools, parents, and relevant stakeholders, to develop a consistent, conurbation-wide policy on smartphone use in educational settings, ensuring best practices are shared and implemented.

3.      Motion: Strengthening Building Standards Through Local Authority Control

The following motion submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 10 of the Meeting Procedure Rules has been proposed by Councillor P Cooper and seconded by Councillor P Canavan.

This Council welcomes the Government’s commitment to building high-quality, affordable homes to address the housing crisis. It acknowledges that years of austerity and deregulation have weakened safety standards and reduced public trust. The Government’s policy aims to tackle these failings by restoring accountability, ensuring that new homes are built to the highest standards and meet the needs of communities.

Council notes with concern that the deregulation of building inspection services, introduced under a previous government, shifted responsibility from Local Authorities to private entities. This change has resulted in inconsistent standards, reduced accountability, and potential conflicts of interest, as developers are permitted to select and pay their own inspectors.

Council believes that restoring Local Authority oversight is essential to reverse this and ensure that homes are safe, sustainable, and built to a high quality.

This Council commits to working with other Local Authorities, trade unions, housing campaigners, and stakeholders to demand a fair, accountable system of building inspections. By strengthening local oversight we can ensure that this Government’s housing policy delivers safe, high-quality homes while prioritising the needs of residents and communities.

Council therefore resolves:

That the Leader of the Council writes to the relevant Secretary of State to:-

a) Express this Council’s support to restore Local Authority Control over building inspections, reintroducing legislation that makes Local Authorities the primary enforcers of building safety and standards;

b) Establish proper investment and resources for Local Authority Building Control teams, enabling them to carry out thorough, independent inspections and enforce compliance effectively;

c) End Developer-Selected Inspections, ensuring that inspection processes are impartial, transparent, and free from financial conflicts of interest.

Council was advised that three motions had been received on this occasion.

Motion to expand the scope of the public enquiry into failings leading to violent crimes

The following motion submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 10 of the Meeting Procedure Rules was proposed by Councillor J Salmon and seconded by Councillor S Armstrong.

Council debated the motion and it was:

RESOLVED that Council resolves to request that the Leader of the Council write to the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, asking him to ensure that the public enquiry is comprehensive and covers all failures to ensure that future safeguards are put in place to prevent similar tragedies from occurring, and urging him to widen the scope of the public inquiry into systemic failings in the UK’s handling of violent offenders to:-

(a)           Include the case of Thomas Roberts and other similar cases where institutional failings played a significant role in how events unfolded;

(b)           Ensure that any review or inquiry examines the processes that allowed Abdulrahimzai to enter the country undetected, the adequacy of police responses to prior warnings about his behaviour, the adequacy of children's services responses to prior warnings about his behaviour and the wider implications for border security and asylum vetting procedures.

Voting: For: 55, Against: 0 (2 abstentions)

Motion for support for the Safer Phones Bill and local policy development

The following motion submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 10 of the Meeting Procedure Rules was proposed by Councillor J Salmon and seconded by Councillor A Keddie.

In moving the motion Councillor J Salmon amended the motion to remove reference to the Bill’s banning of phones, as this was not factual.

Cllr Burton moved an amendment so that the proposed resolution read:

“This Council resolves to:

1. Instruct the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, urging them to support and champion the Safer Phones Bill.
2. Request that the Leader of the Council also writes to the head teachers of all local schools within BCP to encourage discussion on the implementation of stronger smartphone policies.recognise the efforts that they have already made to protect their students from the potential harm of smartphone usage and ask schools to review their phone policies to ensure that they are in line with the Bill.
3. Establish a local task force, in collaboration with schools, parents, and relevant stakeholders,Request the Portfolio holder for Children, Young People, Education and Skills to
   • discuss the requirements of the Bill at the next appropriate Headteachers Breakfast Meeting, to help to develop a suitably consistent, conurbation-wide policy on smartphone use in educational settings, ensuring best practices are shared and implemented.
   • and seek the views of the youth parliament ensuring that they are considered when forming any policy.”

Council agreement was sought to confirm the amendment as the substantive motion which was subsequently carried without dissent.

Council proceeded to debate the substantive motion, where it was:

RESOLVED:- that this Council resolves to:

1. Instruct the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, urging them to support and champion the Safer Phones Bill.
2. Request that the Leader of the Council also writes to the head teachers of all schools within BCP to recognise the efforts that they have already made to protect their students from the potential harm of smartphone usage and ask schools to review their phone policies to ensure that they are in line with the Bill.
3. Request the Portfolio holder for Children, Young People, Education and Skills to
   • discuss the requirements of the Bill at the next appropriate Headteachers Breakfast Meeting, to help develop a suitably consistent, conurbation-wide policy on smartphone use in educational settings, ensuring best practices are shared and implemented; and
   • seek the views of the youth parliament ensuring that they are considered when forming any policy.

Voting: For: 45, Against: 3 (7 abstentions)

Motion to strengthen building standards through Local Authority control

The following motion submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 10 of the Meeting Procedure Rules was proposed by Councillor P Cooper and seconded by Councillor P Canavan.

Councillor D Brown proposed an amendment to add the following to the proposed resolution: 

“d) Refer the motion to the Environment and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee for recommendation of the Council’s policy position on this matter.”

Council agreement was sought to confirm the amendment as the substantive motion which was subsequently carried without dissent.

Council proceeded to debate the substantive motion, where it was:

RESOLVED that:-

Council therefore resolves that the Leader of the Council writes to the relevant Secretary of State to:-

(a)           Express this Council’s support to restore Local Authority Control over building inspections, reintroducing legislation that makes Local Authorities the primary enforcers of building safety and standards;

(b)           Establish proper investment and resources for Local Authority Building Control teams, enabling them to carry out thorough, independent inspections and enforce compliance effectively;

(c)           End Developer-Selected Inspections, ensuring that inspection processes are impartial, transparent, and free from financial conflicts of interest; and

(d)           Refer the motion to the Environment and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee for recommendation of the Council’s policy position on this matter.

Vote For: 50, Against: 3 (1 Abstention)

Councillors C Adams and D Farr left 22:06

Councillor T Slade left 22:36

Councillor R Herrett left 22:51

Councillor R Herrett returned 22:54