(Please note that it is the responsibility of individual members to declare an interest prior to the item if they arrive late for the meeting)

To approve the accuracy of the minutes of the council meeting on 27 June 2017

(A printed copy of the questions and replies will be available at the meeting)

Purpose - to present the annual audit committee report 2016 - 17 to council

Proposed by Councillor Schmierer and seconded by Councillor Wright

The general election showed once again that our ‘first past the post’ electoral system produces an extreme mismatch between votes and seats. The DUP gained 10 seats from less than 300,000 votes, compared with 12 seats from 2.4 million votes for the Liberal Democrats and one seat from 500,000 votes for the Green Party.
Proportional representation is supported by the Greens, Liberal Democrats and SNP, and a recent ICM poll found that 61% of people want to see it introduced for UK parliamentary elections. Proportional systems are already used for the devolved parliaments and assemblies in Scotland, Wales and London.


Council RESOLVES to:

(1) acknowledge that a robust democracy must include a fair voting system and that nobody should be disenfranchised because of where they live;

(2) applaud the work of the many groups and organisations campaigning for fair votes, including the Electoral Reform Society, Make Votes Matter and the Labour Campaign for PR;

(3) call for the introduction of a proportional voting system for local and Westminster elections, and

(4) ask the leader of the council to forward a copy of this motion to the leaders of all political parties represented in the UK Parliament.

 

Proposed by Councillor Davis and seconded by Councillor Waters

Universal Credit was introduced in April 2013 in certain pathfinder areas and has progressively been rolled out to other areas, including Great Yarmouth on 27th April 2016. Full service is due to start in Norwich in June 2018.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that significant problems in the administration of this benefit have caused serious hardship to vulnerable people in the areas so far piloted and this poses risks to Norwich, when introduced. Norwich City Council is preparing for universal credit to try and ensure its success.

Council RESOLVES to:-


(1) ask the Leader of the Council to write the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions to :-

a) Highlight that the cuts to work allowances in Universal Credit (UC), and the decision to limit tax credit and UC payments to the first two children in a family, are an attack on low-income families and will increase child poverty.

b) Remove housing costs element from the administration of and payment of Universal Credit.

c) Ensure a full reversal of cuts to the Universal Credit Work Allowances, which will leave working families £2,600 a year worse off, and to reform and redesign Universal Credit, ending six-week delays in payment.

d) Scrap the punitive sanctions regime, scrap the Bedroom Tax, reinstate Housing Benefit for under-21s and scrap cuts to Bereavement Support Payment.

(2) Ask the leader of the council to organise a meeting with the local/regional DWP to discuss our concerns about the Universal Credit roll out in Norwich, and the sanctions regime.