Proposer: Councillor Bögelein

Seconder: Councillor Raby

Norwich has 4,000 people on the housing list, with 300 in hostels. The combination of insecure incomes, high rents and the fact that many letting agencies won’t accept tenants on housing benefit leaves many people unable to rent privately.

Meanwhile, people with spare bedrooms available to rent – including council tenants subject to the bedroom tax – may be unaware of these issues or how they can help.

The council’s role as housing advisor, landlord and conduit between various agencies puts it in a strong position to bring together people in housing need and those who can offer an affordable room.

Council RESOLVES to:

1) note the difficulty experienced by many people in accessing the private rented sector;

2) ask cabinet to:

a) explore options for publicising the need for more rooms available to people in receipt of housing benefit or on low and/or insecure incomes, and for facilitating and publicising the subletting of rooms in council houses;

b) consider establishing a strategic partnership with charities and other local organisations working on housing and homelessness, to explore solutions to this issue;

c) explore other ways of working with the private rented sector to increase housing provision for people in receipt of housing benefit or on low and/or insecure incomes.

Proposer: Councillor Grahame

Seconder: Councillor Jackson

Until around 40 years ago, public drinking fountains were a common sight in UK towns and cities. Most have fallen out of use, and there are no council-maintained fountains in Norwich.

The growing awareness of the damage done by single-use plastics such as water bottles has led to campaigns around the country for fountains to be reinstated. The Mayor of London recently announced that 20 new fountains would be installed in London this year, while several other cities including Hull and Bristol installed new fountains last year in partnerships between councils, water companies and waste boards.

Council RESOLVES to:

1) acknowledge the importance of providing access to free drinking water around the city and the excellent work done by Refill Norwich on this issue, and give its support to the reintroduction of public drinking fountains;

2) ask cabinet to:

a) work with the Business Improvement District and Anglian Water to develop a plan for the funding, installation and maintenance of public drinking fountains;

b) seek residents’ views on desirable locations for drinking fountains.

Proposer: Councillor Kendrick

Seconder: Councillor Stonard

The guidelines of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England in regards to the electoral cycle of the council, sets out the need for electoral equality between the number of votes for each councillor and the need to respect community links. 

Council RESOLVES to ask the portfolio holder for resources submit the following proposals, on behalf of the council to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England:

1. To divide the BO4 polling district along the following boundary south along the middle of Larkman Lane (that part which lies within the BO4 polling district), then west along the footpath that runs parallel north of St. Mildreds Road, and then south along the middle of Malbrook Road and then across the open ground to the River Yare.
2. To make no change to the boundaries of the Catton Grove ward as it is very close to the quota.
   
3. To take an area from the present Thorpe Hamlet ward and add it to the proposed Crome ward.  The new boundary will go down the middle of Gurney Road, then both sides of Kett’s Hill and Ladbroke Place shall be included within the Crome ward, the boundary will then go down the middle of Quebec Road, then include both sides of Telegraph Lane East including Stan Petersen Close and High Green and then proceed across Thorpe Road to the city boundary.
4. To transfer the part of Town Close ward north west of Newmarket Road and to the south, but including Mount Pleasant from Town Close ward to Eaton ward.
5. To add the area around Carrow Hill from Mancroft ward and Thorpe Hamlet ward to the proposed Lakenham ward.  The precise boundary of the new area to be added to proposed Lakenham ward, is to the south and east of a boundary which will proceed down the middle of Finkelgate, then along the middle of Ber Street (between Finkelgate to Mariners Lane), then down the middle of Mariners Lane, then along the footpath to Rouen Road, then down the middle of Rouen Road and Kings Street until the Novi Sad friendship bridge where the River Wensum shall form the northern boundary.
6. To take the area bounded by the River Wensum to the west, and Saint Crispins Road to the south and to the east by Saint Augustines Street and Pitt Street from Mancroft ward and add it to the proposed Mile Cross ward.
7. To take Bargate Court, the eastern side of Charlton Road and that part of the south side of Bull Close Road between Charlton Road and Silver Road from Mancroft ward and add it to the proposed Sewell ward.
8. To add the rest of the TH3 polling district (not being added to the Lakenham ward), to the proposed Mancroft ward.
9. To add Mancroft ward east of Whitefriars and south of Barrack Street to Thorpe Hamlet ward.
10. To take the area west of Christchurch Road from Nelson ward and add it to the proposed University ward.
11. To take the MA1 polling district from Mancroft ward and add it to the proposed Nelson ward.
12. To add the following area from within Mancroft and Wensum wards to the proposed Nelson ward, including the area between the Dereham Road to the south, Northumberland Street to the west, Old Palace Road to the east and to the north, West End Street (from Northumberland Street to Nelson Street) then to the south of Armes Street.
13. To add the area within Wensum ward south of the Bowthorpe Road to the proposed University ward.
14. To add the area of Mancroft ward to the north of Armes Street and to the west of the footpath between Heigham Street and the River Wensum and middle of Old Palace Road to the proposed Wensum ward.

Proposer: Councillor Stonard

Seconder: Councillor Maguire

Patients and staff are facing an appalling and entirely predictable winter crisis. Eight years of severe underfunding have left our National Health Service resources stretched leaving thousands of patients languishing in the back of ambulances  and being diverted from A&E Departments nationwide this winter. Experts have repeatedly warned that the NHS funding squeeze imposed by the Government is damaging standards of patient care. 

Council RESOLVES to

(1) Note a commitment to an NHS which is fully-funded, comprehensive, universal, publicly-provided and publicly accountable, in line with the principles established when Labour introduced it 

(2) condemn the current NHS pay cap for all staff and the scrapping of the university training bursary for health students as significant contributors to the current staffing crisis. 

(3) call on the Government to 

a) urgently provide funding to enable the swift rescheduling of cancelled operations and end this winter of misery 

b) reverse recent funding cuts and invest in our health service, and to take urgent action to save the NHS by: 

i. providing immediate emergency funding to enable Trusts to reschedule elective operations as soon as possible 
ii. providing adequate funding for all services, including mental health services 
iii. tackling the causes of ill-health, e.g. austerity, poverty and poor housing, via a properly funded public health programme 
iv. reversing private involvement in NHS management and provision; 
v. recognising of the continuing vital NHS role of EU nationals; 
vi. Having constructive engagement with NHS staff-organisations 
vii. increasing recruitment and training 
viii. scrapping the cap on pay-levels; 
ix. restoring NHS student bursaries; 
x. halting the sell-off of NHS sites; 

(4) Ask the leader of the council and the cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing to write to the Prime Minister and health secretary, demanding that they give the NHS the support and resources it urgently needs, and asking what they will do to make sure patients and their families never suffer a winter crisis like last year ever again.

Proposer: Councillor Davis

Seconder:  Councillor Harris

Passengers on two thirds of the rail network are currently guaranteed the protection of a highly-trained railway guard.  The guard must be fully trained in operational safety and route knowledge, including protecting the train and acting in emergencies such as derailments, fires, driver incapacitation, and is also responsible for safely securing doors and protecting the platform train interface;

The Government and some rail operators are seeking to introduce driver­-only operation, which will jeopardise passenger safety and service by removing guards, meaning the driver will be expected to drive the train whilst at the same time being responsible for passenger safety.

Council RESOLVES to:

1. welcome the fact that the guard’s safety role also means passengers are guaranteed to have a guard on board their train at all times to provide advice, assurance and assistance and to look after disabled, older and other passengers who may be vulnerable;

2. agree that this train guard guarantee is even more relevant at a time of growing passenger numbers and heightened security threats. 

3. Ask the leader of the council to:-

    

1. call on the Government and rail employers to withdraw proposals for driver-only operation and instead work constructively with the RMT and ASLEF to protect passenger service and safety; and

              b. write to local MPs asking for their support to keep the guard on the train

Mover: Councillor Lubbock

Seconder: Councillor Ackroyd

Children who live in deprived areas are almost twice as likely to be obese.

This health inequality has an impact on a child’s life chances and ultimately their length of life.

Tackling the issue early while children are of primary age prevents taking that

health disadvantage into adulthood and prevents increased expenditure from the NHS.

Promoting healthy lifestyles in children and young adults including enhanced physical activity improves their mental health and wellbeing.

Council RESOLVES to

1. ask cabinet to;

         a)extend the range of data pinpointed through the State of Norwich to include those areas experiencing greatest health deprivation.

         b)ensure that their responsibility for leisure and spatial planning is discharged with regard to obesity in children.

         c)work in partnership with the Clinical Commissioning Group, Norfolk County Council and the voluntary, community and small enterprise sector to highlight this inequality, prioritise work in the area of childhood obesity and consider cost effective interventions.

    2.  Consider a commitment in the council's next Corporate Plan to reduce obesity in children in the most deprived areas of the city.