Agenda item

Notices of Motion

Meeting of Council, Monday, 12 December 2016 6:30 pm (Item 13.)

i) Councillor Beardsworth to propose and Councillor Meredith to second:

This Council is concerned about the problems arising from traffic congestion in the Town Centre and in particular in The Drapery and surrounding streets since the opening of the Northgate Bus Station and the re-introduction of stops into the Drapery. The local newspaper has highlighted problems caused by grid-lock in The Drapery and our own air quality monitoring has raised concerns for public health.

With regeneration of the Greyfriars area due to begin next year, we call on this Council along with County Highways to carry out a review of traffic movements in and out of Sheep Street and Drapery area of the town aimed at reducing bottle-necks, improving air quality and enforcing traffic orders.

This should be the first stage of a comprehensive study of access and traffic movements within the A5123 inner ring-road.

ii) Councillor Haque to propose and Councillor Ashraf to second:

This Council notes we have a serious issue in this town with air pollution. However, testing for air quality is restricted to 7 areas. We understand that there is a scrutiny group looking at this issue and that is very welcome.

One action we can take in the meantime is the enforcement of section 42 of the road traffic act 1988. The act enforces rule 123 of the Highway Code which states, “You must not leave your vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.”

To keep a taxi, bus, commercial vehicle or a car idling is against the law and can incur fines of up to £20 or £40 if not paid with a timeframe.

Enforcement of this law will help reduce pollution at key points of the town.

This Council therefore agrees to develop an enforcement strategy with immediate effect.

iii) Councillor Marriott to propose and Councillor Chunga to second:

This Council notes that the Equality Act provides protections against discriminatory treatment based on the concept of 'Protected Characteristics.’

Currently workers with a terminal illness are not classified as having a Protected Characteristic and therefore have very limited legal protection against employers dismissing them due to illness.

This Council further notes that employers are therefore free to dismiss terminally ill workers once they have made 'reasonable adjustments' to the employee's job to assist with the illness. Council agrees that the last thing a terminally ill worker would need is the distress at the same time as facing up to a terminal illness is to have to fight for the right to continue working and not to face the indignity of being sacked.

In addition Council notes that the loss of death in service benefits to terminally ill workers sacked before death is a further distress at a time when security for a family for the future should be protected.

Therefore this Council agrees to support the TUC's 'Dying to Work Campaign' currently being developed in the Midlands and to support the lobbying of MP's to establish new legislation, currently being drawn up by the society of Labour Lawyers which;

* Seeks to get terminally ill workers covered by Protective Rights at Work in line with those covered by Pregnancy / Maternity Rights.

* Seeks to protect death in service benefits.

* Seeks to allow workers with terminal illness to die in dignity.

iv) Councillor Hallam to propose and Councillor King to second:

This Council recognizes the frustration of local residents, when pieces of play equipment are damaged and then removed as opposed to being repaired. Council therefore resolves to adopt a new policy that play equipment will be repaired and replaced, as opposed to being removed when damaged and will formalize a budget for this as part of the 2017/18 budget setting process.

Council also recognizes the valuable contribution that play equipment can make to local communities and resolves to continue its work with Parish Council's, Residents Association's and Friends of Parks Groups to continue to identify funding for potential new schemes to bring additional play equipment to our local areas.

Minutes:

i) Councillor Beardsworth proposed and Councillor Meredith seconded:

This should be the first stage of a comprehensive study of access and traffic movements within the A5123 inner ring-road.

Council debated the motion

Upon a vote, the motion was lost.

The Mayor noted that the proposer of Motion ii) had agreed to incorporate the alterations of the motion and Council and agreed to the alteration (as below).

Mr Sawyer addressed Council on Motion ii) and commented that enforcement should only be considered as a last resort and that education would be a preferable option. He explained that the biggest cause of congestion was not idling engines, but congestion. He further reported that it was not mandatory for buses to have diesel engines as there were alternatives and stated that the same applied to Hackney carriages; he noted there would be costs incurred in the conversion of engine types but that it could potentially decrease pollution by up to 20%

ii) Councillor Haque to propose and Councillor Ashraf to second:

One action we can take in the meantime is to seek powers under relevant regulations to enable the Council to enforce powers that prevent engines being kept running unnecessarily whilst the vehicle is stationary on a public road.