Agenda item

1.             REPAIR AND REUSE INITIATIVES

The following motion submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 10 of the Meeting Procedure Rules has been proposed by Councillor R Herrett and seconded by Councillor E Harman.

 

This Council notes:

The UK is the second highest producer of electronic waste per capita in the world. Repair and reuse is central to achieving a truly circular, less wasteful, economy. They help to tackle climate change and achieve our net zero ambition, reduce living costs for UK households and create green skilled jobs.

There is strong public support for further repair and re-use initiatives, and for manufacturers to enable spares and repairs to be easily accessible, affordable and installable.

 

This Council believes:

We should be responding to increasing public demand for repair services and skills, advocating for a return to a strong UK fixing economy and championing reuse to give products a second life.

Repair should be a thriving sector of our economy. Where products are designed to be durable and easily repairable by default and in which manufacturers actively support their products for as long as possible. A future where products are given a second life through reuse, repair is the easiest option for everyone when something breaks, and recycling is saved for the very end of a product’s useful life.

 

This Council resolves to:

a.       Endorse the Repair and Reuse Declaration.

b.       Support the Bournemouth Repair café and other organisations promoting Repair and Reuse across the BCP area through access to networks and space, and funds where available.

c.        Write to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, and Energy and Climate change asking that they support the Repair and Reuse Declaration and examine measures that the government can take to further repair reuse in manufacturing, training in repair skills and supporting the community.

 

2.             VACANT SITES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

ORIGINAL MOTION

The following motion was 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 notes: 

• The escalating need for affordable and social housing across the BCP area, with many residents in housing stress or on long waiting lists. 
• The growing number of vacant and underused sites including:

·       The long-neglected Sydenham’s timber site, 

·       The derelict Old James Brothers scrapyard, and 

·       The stalled former Power Station development land. 

These sites have remained undeveloped for years, blighting the area, attracting anti-social behaviour, and contributing nothing to local housing need or community wellbeing. 

 

This Council believes: 

That speculative land banking is unacceptable in the face of a housing crisis. 

That there is a duty to local residents to use all available means to bring these sites forward for affordable housing development, in line with Labour’s policy of delivering social and council homes. 

 

This Council therefore resolves to: 

1. Undertake an urgent audit of all vacant or stalled development sites across BCP.
2. Assess each site’s potential to deliver affordable housing, with a published report outlining options and obstacles. 
3. Use all available legal, planning and enforcement tools – including compulsory purchase powers where justified – to persuade developers and landowners to act. 
4. Press central government for stronger powers to deter land banking and support councils to deliver genuinely affordable homes for local people.

 

ALTERED MOTION

In accordance with Procedure Rule 14.12, following acceptance of amendments the revised proposed motion now reads as follows.

This amendment will require the consent of Council, without discussion. Following consent, debate will then begin on the revised motion.

 

The following altered motion is to be proposed by Councillor P Cooper and seconded by Councillor E Connolly.

 

 

This Council notes: 

• The escalating need for affordable and social housing across the BCP area, with many residents in housing stress or on long waiting lists. 
• The growing number of vacant and underused sites including:

·       The long-neglected Sydenham’s timber site, 

·       The derelict Old James Brothers scrapyard, and 

·       The stalled former Power Station development land. 

These sites have remained undeveloped for years, blighting the area, attracting anti-social behaviour, and contributing nothing to local housing need or community wellbeing. 

 

This Council believes: 

·       That speculative land banking is unacceptable in the face of a housing crisis. 

·       That there is a duty to local residents to use all available means to bring these sites forward for affordable housing development, in line with Labour’s policy of delivering social and council homes. 

 

This Council therefore resolves to: 

1. Undertake an urgent audit of all vacant or stalled development sites across BCP;
2. Assess each site’s potential to deliver affordable housing, with a published report outlining options and obstacles and, for each Council owned site detail:

a. The amount of capital currently authorised.

b. The amount of capital expended to date.

c. The loans taken out.

d. The loan interest paid to date.

3. Use all available legal, planning and enforcement tools – including compulsory purchase powers where justified – to compel developers and landowners to act
4. Press central government for stronger powers to deter land banking and support councils to deliver genuinely affordable homes for local people.

 

 

 

 

 

3.             MANAGING SEASONAL PARKING PRESSURES

ORIGINAL MOTION

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

         

This Council notes:

• The concerns raised by residents and stakeholders regarding the recent BCP Council parking consultation, which proposed parking restrictions for large numbers of residents without prior engagement, notice or with input from ward councillors and other key stakeholders;
• The recurring seasonal pressures on local parking infrastructure, ongoing issues of illegal, dangerous and inconsiderate parking experienced on busy days, particularly near the beach and other public open spaces;
• The importance of tourism to the area and regional economy alongside the need to protect residents from the impact of that tourism;
• That available car parking space does not meet demand at peak times in the year;
• The challenges in enforcing poor parking, due to both the Council’s limited resources and national limitations such as on parking fines;
• The growing number of people living in vehicles, including van dwellers, near public open spaces, which can exacerbate seasonal pressures on parking, on top of year-round pressures on parking experienced in some residential areas.

 

This Council recognises:

The need to explore alternative methods to tackle illegal and inconsiderate parking at peak times of year;

The financial and operational challenges BCP Council faces, including limited resources, and that parking enforcement alone is insufficient to manage complex, evolving parking pressures;

That visitors arriving in BCP after driving long journeys can find limited opportunities on arrival to park conveniently and appropriately in a way that benefits residents;

That a more joined-up, forward-looking strategy is needed, with solutions developed collaboratively, reflecting the views of all communities and maintaining fairness;

That the motion on developing a Community Pact with van dwellers, previously supported by this Council, will be discussed at the Environment and Place Overview Scrutiny Committee in September, including identifying designated stopping points for van dwellers, which should help alleviate the additional pressures from people living in vehicles.

 

This Council resolves to:

a)    Ask the Overview & Scrutiny Board to undertake a review of the recent parking consultation, with the aim of improving future engagement processes. This review to include feedback from residents, business owners, tourism representatives and other stakeholders.

b)    Undertake a feasibility study for a Park & Ride scheme, either during peak months or as a permanent arrangement, working in partnership with local transport providers.

c)    Develop a Seasonal Parking Strategy that assesses both parking provision and seasonal demand and explores;

               i.         Temporary use of suitable vacant or underused council-owned land to meet short-term seasonal demand;

              ii.         Liaison with the Police around greater enforcement against illegal and antisocial parking and explore other enforcement options;

             iii.         Improved signage directing visitors away from congested roads and warning of the risk of fines, clamping and being towed;

            iv.         Greater use of preventative measures such as temporary physical barriers to areas with recurrent dangerous parking e.g. that restricts emergency vehicles access;

              v.         Updating parking restrictions in popular areas such as Boscombe Overcliff Drive, such as removing overnight parking.

d)    To lobby Government again on increasing parking fines to levels that will deter illegal and inconsiderate parking, or to provide alternative support to tackle the challenges of seasonal tourism.

 

ALTERED MOTION

In accordance with Procedure Rule 14.12, following acceptance of amendments the revised proposed motion now reads as follows.

This amendment will require the consent of Council without discussion. Following consent, debate will then begin on the revised motion.

 

This Council notes:

·       The concerns raised by residents and stakeholders regarding the recent BCP Council parking consultation, which proposed parking restrictions for large numbers of residents without prior engagement, notice or with input from ward councillors and other key stakeholders;

·       The recurring seasonal pressures on local parking infrastructure, ongoing issues of illegal, dangerous and inconsiderate parking experienced on busy days, particularly near the beach and other public open spaces;

·       The importance of tourism to the area and regional economy alongside the need to protect residents from the impact of that tourism;

·       The challenges in enforcing poor parking, due to both the Council’s limited resources and national limitations such as on parking fines;

·       The growing number of people living in vehicles, including van dwellers, near public open spaces, which can exacerbate seasonal pressures on parking, on top of year-round pressures on parking experienced in some residential areas.

 

This Council recognises:

·       The need to explore alternative methods to tackle illegal and inconsiderate parking at peak times of year;

·       The financial and operational challenges BCP Council faces, including limited resources, and that parking enforcement alone is insufficient to manage complex, evolving parking pressures;

·       That a more joined-up, forward-looking strategy is needed, with solutions developed collaboratively, reflecting the views of all communities and maintaining fairness;

·       That the motion on developing a Community Pact with van dwellers, previously supported by this Council, will be discussed at the Environment and Place Overview Scrutiny Committee in September, including identifying designated stopping points for van dwellers, which should help alleviate the additional pressures from people living in vehicles.

 

This Council resolves to:

a)       Ask the Overview & Scrutiny Board to undertake a review of the recent parking consultation, with the aim of improving future engagement processes. This review to include feedback from residents, business owners, tourism representatives and other stakeholders.

b)       Undertake a feasibility study for a Park & Ride scheme, either during peak months or as a permanent arrangement, working in partnership with local transport providers,

c)       Develop a year round Parking Strategy that assesses provision, fairness, use, need and seasonality, including all available measures, with due awareness for the financial implications. To include but not be limited to

i. Temporary use of suitable vacant or underused council-owned land to meet short-term seasonal demand;

ii. Liaison with the Police around greater enforcement against illegal and antisocial parking and explore other enforcement options;

iii. Improved signage directing visitors away from congested roads and warning of the risk of fines, clamping and being towed;

iv. Greater use of preventative measures such as temporary physical barriers to areas with recurrent dangerous parking e.g. that restricts emergency vehicles access;

v. Updating parking restrictions in popular areas such as Boscombe Overcliff Drive, such as removing overnight parking.

 

d)       To work with the government, on the trial for higher parking fines, assessing the impact. To further assess strategy in conjunction with data collected in the parking consultation. To continue lobbying government and MP’s for permanence if appropriate.

e)       Encourage all councillors to complete the current government consultation on fairer funding highlighting the challenges seasonal pressures places on all local agencies.

f)        Write to all of the BCP area MP’s, asking that they support the early day motion on releasing the report into pavement parking, the consultation for which closed in November 2020.

g)       Ask TAG to support this work;

h)       That this is brought to Environment and Place for further scrutiny.

 

4. STANDING UP FOR CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS

The following motion submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 10 of the Meeting Procedure Rules has been proposed by Councillor K Salmon and seconded by Councillor S Bull.

 

Council notes that:

1. Following assurances from government that a permanent solution to the SEND funding crisis would be found this financial year, BCP Council is already having to borrow c.£60m to plug the gap between Government grant and our High Needs spending in 2025/26, placing an extra interest burden of £7.5m on budgets and services this and subsequent years.
2. There was no announcement on SEND reform as part of the Spending Review, other than that this would now come later in the year. Instead, the statutory “DSG override” that keeps the deficit off local-authority balance sheets has been extended for a further two years, offering no long-term solution to spiralling costs and leaving BCP Council in an increasingly precarious financial position.
3. The Leader of BCP Council has recently written to the Deputy Prime Minister requesting an urgent amendment to the financial arrangements around the DSG deficit, in order to prevent the council from imminent financial collapse.
4. Research by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and the London School of Economics clearly states that the UK government’s two-child benefit cap is dragging an ever-increasing number of children into poverty, and that this has a detrimental effect on their development and life chances.
5. Professional bodies including Adoption UK, Beacon House and Kinship warn that the dramatic cuts made to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) in April 2025 are already having a devastating impact on vulnerable care-experienced children.
6. Local parents and carers tell us that assessment waits, placement shortages and post-permanence support cuts are harming children’s education, wellbeing and family stability.

 

Council believes that:

1. Every child - irrespective of family income, order of birth or route to permanence - deserves timely assessment, appropriate support and the chance to thrive.
2. Long-term structural under-funding cannot be fixed by short-term borrowing that simply shifts the cost onto council tax-payers.
3. Our five constituency MPs have a critical role in securing fair national funding and legislative change, and they must hear directly from the families affected.

 

Council resolves to;

1. Convene, within three months, a public roundtable hosted in an appropriate venue and invite;

• All 5 of our conurbation’s MPs;
• Parents and carers of children with SEND;
• Adoptive parents and special guardians;
• Children and young people with SEND and/or who are care experienced.

The MPs will be asked to set out the actions they will take in Parliament and to report back to Full Council with what steps they are taking to get concrete solutions from Government.

2. Instruct the Leader of the Council and political group leaders to draft a joint letter to the Chancellor and the Secretaries of State for Education and for Health and Social Care, calling urgently for;

• a funded plan to write off historic DSG deficits and provide sustainable high needs funding going forward;
• removal of the two-child cap in Universal Credit and Child Benefit to reduce child poverty;
• immediate restoration of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund to pre-April 2025 levels and index-linking thereafter, with funding confirmed for multiple years ahead.

3. Ask the Chief Executive to work through the LGA to explore collective legal or lobbying options should Government continue to fail to act on the DSG deficit.

 

 

5. PREVENTING ILLEGAL PARKING IN THE BCP COUNCIL AREA

WITHDRAWN MOTION

The following motion was submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 10 of the Meeting Procedure Rules by proposed by Councillor R Herrett and seconded by Councillor M Earl.

In accordance with Procedure Rule 14.13, the proposer and seconder named above have requested permission to withdraw this motion.

This withdrawal will require the consent of Council without discussion.

 

This Council notes;

The widespread issue of poor parking significantly affects all road and pavement users as well as people living in the most affected areas. Such behaviour is not only a nuisance but it also endangers the public and hinders the ease of travel, with a particularly disproportionate impact on those using pushchairs, wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and those with mobility issues.

A government consultation on pavement parking closed in November 2020, the results of which have not been released. Pavement parking in London has been illegal since 1974, Local authorities can only enforce where there are already waiting restrictions, or introduce additional TRO’s at a local cost.        

Current measures available to local authorities are inadequate. Successive governments have failed to adjust fines for inflation and, since 2008 the maximum fine in England (excluding London) has remained at £35 if paid within two weeks. The use of cameras for parking enforcement, except at bus stops and zig-zags, was abolished in 2014. Moreover, modern technologies are not yet permitted for use in enforcement by councils, despite being available and used for parking enforcement in non-council owned car parks.

This council has been actively lobbying for increased fines for errant parking, advocating for penalties that serve as a true deterrent. Additionally, we propose setting towing fines at levels that ensure full cost recovery while also acting as a deterrent.

A permanent, or seasonal Park and Ride would not be commercially viable with the current parking fee structure. Moreover, government guidance issued in 2022 means clamping is not permissible by councils in most circumstances.

The Government Minister fundamentally misunderstands the issue, responding to a question put by a local MP saying that they are 'determined to keep costs low for motorists, which is why they keep a cap on the fines a council can give.' Whilst London has been permitted to lift their fines just this year to £160, (£80 if paid in 14 days).

 

This Council believes:

That illegal parking affects safety, mobility and impacts the day-to-day life of those who rely on pavements to get around, and that keeping fines suppressed only benefits those who are willing to break the law.

 

This Council resolves to:

1. Ask the leader to write to all five MPs, asking they add their signatures to the early day motion for the release of the pavement parking report.
2. Further ask the area's five MPs to write and offer support that BCP Council be able to charge a higher fine due to exceptional geographic circumstances, or enter a trial, with fees set at a level comparable with other areas that have been allowed to increase fees this year, reflecting a need for a deterrent and to fund the service effectively.