Agenda item

To consider any Notices of Motion.

That the Notice of Motion from Councillor Richard Jones be supported as follows:

“(1)      That this Council invests fairly, according to need, in each of the towns in Flintshire in respect of the Infrastructural Support of any revenue or capital investment to:

(a)       Build or improve highway and transport networks (road, rail, cycle way or footpaths), including parking

(b)       Redevelop or regenerate towns, streetscapes, or recreation spaces including CCTV

(c)        Build or redevelop housing including community housing such as extra care

(2)       That the respective investment levels, showing external and internal funding, are reported as part of the Revenue and Capital Strategy reports to Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on a quarterly basis".

One Notice of Motion had been received:

Councillor Richard Jones:

“(1)      That this Council invests equitably in each of the towns in Flintshire in respect of the Infrastructural Support of any revenue or capital investment to:

(a)       Build or improve highway and transport networks (road, rail, cycle way or footpaths), including parking

(b)       Redevelop or regenerate towns, streetscapes, or recreation spaces including CCTV

(c)        Build or redevelop housing including community housing such as extra care

(2)       That the respective investment levels, showing external and internal funding, are reported as part of the Revenue and Capital Strategy reports to Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on a quarterly basis".

Councillor Attridge queried the additional words to the Notice of Motion that was sent out in the agenda pack and was advised by the Chief Executive that the words “to Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on a quarterly basis” had been added to (2) following advice given to Councillor Jones based on the work that would be required if the Notice of Motion was supported.

In speaking to his Notice of Motion, Councillor Jones added that, in the past, when both the finances and resources of the local authority were available in greater quantities there had been enough to go around.  In this situation it made it less necessary to closely scrutinise the spend in towns and communities.  As a result of the depth of the financial challenge faced by the Authority, everybody was aware that this situation had changed.  Welsh Government (WG) financial settlements could not be relied upon to provide sufficient funding that would avoid further strain on our already stretched budgets.  Finances in Flintshire were more difficult to secure any efficiencies were necessary and closer scrutiny was needed.  Furthermore, it was clear that those available resources were therefore diminished, there was a greater need to consider whether the principle of match funding and inequitable spend in Flintshire was a fair or transparent method.  This method perhaps did not allow every resident to understand whether their town was benefitting or if it was for the chosen few.  Match funding and inequitable spend in one area depleted the remaining resource to such an extent that there was little or nothing left to those remaining towns and communities and he believed the situation was both unfair and unsustainable.

This was seconded by Councillor Peers.

Councillor Shotton spoke against the Notice of Motion but thanked Councillor Jones for the opportunity of the debate.  Whilst he understood the sentiment behind the Notice of Motion, he asked Members to understand the implications and consequences if passed.  The Council was already doing the best it could under difficult circumstances in towns and villages across the County, each with their own identity. He provided some examples of current schemes (1) the successor to Vibrant and Viable Communities, Targeted Regeneration Investment Programme (TRIP) and the opportunity for the town of Holywell to be a recipient of that regeneration funding; and (2) as part of the Council Plan prioritised extending residential care bed provision through the capital programme in Marleyfield House in Buckley based on the need that was recognised in the south of the County.  If the Notice of Motion was supported it would restrict the opportunity to follow through on those investments as the same amount of funding would be required in each town and that would result in everything in each town, or nothing in each town.  The result of supporting the Notice of Motion would be a Council that would be unable to take decisions that were needed for the whole County.  The Council was doing its best for the whole of County during difficult times and the Notice of Motion was unrealistic.

Councillor Kevin Hughes said he supported the Notice of Motion but with some reservations.  He felt failure to support it would send out the wrong message to the people in the County, but he recognised that the towns and villages in the County may not require as much equitable investment as others.  However, he felt the Notice of Motion was not just about equitable funding but about politics.  He had thought the job of Independent groups would be to hold the Labour group to account and support them when they agreed on matters.  He had heard and witnessed poor behaviour and bullying by both Labour and Independent Members to other Members.  Some Members who represented the same or adjoining wards openly despised one another.  He asked how any community could be represented properly under those circumstances.  Austerity and cuts to services were upon the Council and if Flintshire was to get through those difficult times, Members needed to pull together and set aside historical issues to make Flintshire a better and more prosperous County for all residents.

Councillor Attridge called upon Councillor Kevin Hughes to withdraw his comments relating to the Labour group.  Councillor Hughes said he had heard it from all groups.

Councillor Peers said as Group Leader of the Independent Alliance Group he had not received any reports of bullying from Councillor Kevin Hughes or any other Member.  In supporting the Notice of Motion, he said it was clear that Councillor Richard Jones was not just talking about Buckley but he was talking about the whole County.  Elected Members needed to look at their own areas and ask had they benefitted to the extent as some other areas of the County that had received investment over a long period of time.  He commented on the Local Development Plan (LDP) and the North Wales Economic Growth Deal Bid. There had been a workshop on the North Wales Economic Growth Deal Bid but there was not a lot of information available, despite questions being asked on the Metro and other areas.  There were a lot of missing pieces that answers were needed for and it was about being fair and equitable across the County and not just about finance.  Everybody should have the opportunity to benefit from investment that the Authority could attract and assurances should be able to be given to all communities that if there was a need for a service then it would be given consideration with investments being shared equitably.   Investments were coming into the Authority but they were not being spread around.

Councillor Woolley said different locations required different investments and it would be difficult to say that everything should be equal all of the time.  He supported the Notice of Motion but suggested that the words ‘according to need’ be added after the word ‘equitably’ on the first line.  The Chief Officer (Governance) asked if the mover and the seconder of the Notice of Motion, Councillors Richard Jones and Peers respectively, accepted that amendment which they said they did. 

Councillor Bithell said that a number of the speakers who had spoken in support of the motion had in fact given sound reasons for rejecting it.  Improvements for the areas identified in the Notice of Motion were carried out as part of annual programme based on prioritising need as not all of those things needed investment at the same time.  Town Centre redevelopment schemes were progressed based on need and would take place when WG funding was received.  On recreational spaces, a survey had taken place a number of years ago where all play areas were looked at and a Red-Amber-Green (RAG) list was produced and worked through, again, on the basis of need.  On housing schemes, a major scheme was underway and houses were being built where there were sites in the Council’s ownership.  He also commented on the locations of the Extra Care Homes adding that systematically issues were being dealt with in the County.  This Notice of Motion would ‘spread the jam too thinly’ and would not be to the benefit of anybody.

            Councillor McGuill spoke in support of the Notice of Motion as each ward was different and it was on the basis of need.  Councillor Heesom also spoke in support of the Motion citing the need for a cohesive collective County.  He commented that many people saw Flintshire as a dartboard with Deeside in the middle and all of the outside areas also needed to be considered. 

            In responding to Councillor Hughes’ accusation of bullying, Councillor Sharps said that comment was unwelcome and that he should apologise.  He was not aware of any bullying as the Group Leader of the Independents.  On the Notice of Motion, he said there were issues with parochialism; he said he lived in a rural area but got his fair share of work carried out in his community.

Councillor Ellis welcomed the extra beds at Marleyfield in Buckley and the other work that had taken place in the town, including the regeneration of the town with the investment of Aldi which had encouraged other developments in the town.

Councillors Butler, David Healey and Carolyn Thomas all spoke against the Notice of Motion, citing it was about making the right decisions for the residents of Flintshire, it was impossible to implement or monitor the Notice of Motion, everything could not be done at once and that all schemes were delivered on a need basis and were assessed in that way.

Councillor Attridge asked for advice, saying that the adding the words ‘according to need’ was contradictory to the previous word ‘equitably’. 

            Councillor Tudor Jones spoke on Number (2) of the Notice of Motion and said accountability was the most important aspect.  He said there was perceived inequality which was widespread but said accountability and transparency was needed so that Members knew where investments were going.  If such things were reported to Members, they could inform the residents in their wards.  He suggested that prior to an election such information could be delivered as to what investments had taken place in their community over recent years.

            In summing up, Councillor Richard Jones said there was a need to be able to show residents that things were done in the areas most in need.  Some parts of the County felt they did not get any investments.  He urged Members to vote for fairness and transparency saying that everybody deserved to be treated equally.  He added that a report from 2010 showed spend in each town but since that date there was no such information.  However, from a report on Vibrant and Viable Places he could see that more than £20m had been spent between Connah’s Quay and Queensferry between 2010 and 2016; this information was not available for other towns.

The Chief Executive explained that if the Council was to set a policy it was the responsibility of the officers to advise on how it was to be interpreted in the spirit in which it was meant.  The insertion of the words suggested by Councillor Woolley made sense to the lay person and were accepted by the mover and seconder.  However, Councillor Attridge’s point about being contradictory, was fair – ‘equitable’ did not sit well with ‘need’.  He and the Chief Officer (Governance) looked at the amended wording and suggested that the word ‘equitably’ be replaced by ‘fairly’.  He added that the Notice of Motion implied for cases where the Authority had control over either the revenue or the capital and said Members needed to consider if funding was external and targeted to a specific area, would there be an expectation that the Council would counterbalance it with its own limited capital resources in another area?  He provided examples of where that could happen as an unintended consequence.  Following the discussion, and regardless of the outcome, it was accepted that better reporting could be provided several times a year for transparency.

Councillor Richard Jones and Peers, as mover and seconder of the Notice of Motion, accepted the suggestion and agreed that the word ‘equitably’ should be replaced by the word ‘fairly’ with the following being the amended Notice of Motion:

“(1)      That this Council invests fairly, according to need, in each of the towns in Flintshire in respect of the Infrastructural Support of any revenue or capital investment to:

(a)       Build or improve highway and transport networks (road, rail, cycle way or footpaths), including parking

(b)       Redevelop or regenerate towns, streetscapes, or recreation spaces including CCTV

(c)        Build or redevelop housing including community housing such as extra care

(2)       That the respective investment levels, showing external and internal funding, are reported as part of the Revenue and Capital Strategy reports to Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on a quarterly basis".

            Councillor Richard Jones called for a recorded vote and was supported the requisite number of Members.

The following Councillors voted for the Notice of Motion:

Mike Allport, Bernie Attridge, Janet Axworthy, Glyn Banks, Haydn Bateman, Marion Bateman, Sean Bibby, Chris Bithell, Derek Butler, Clive Carver, Geoff Collett, Paul Cunningham, Jean Davies, Rob Davies, Ron Davies, Adele Davies-Cooke, Chris Dolphin, Rosetta Dolphin, Ian Dunbar, Andy Dunbobbin, Mared Eastwood, Carol Ellis, David Evans, George Hardcastle, David Healey, Gladys Healey, Patrick Heesom, Cindy Hinds, Dave Hughes, Kevin Hughes, Ray Hughes, Dennis Hutchinson, Paul Johnson, Christine Jones, Richard Jones, Tudor Jones, Colin Legg, Brian Lloyd, Dave Mackie, Hilary McGuill, Mike Peers, Michelle Perfect, Vicky Perfect, Neville Phillips, Mike Reece, Ian Roberts, Tony Sharps, Aaron Shotton, Paul Shotton, Ralph Small, Ian Smith,  Carolyn Thomas, Owen Thomas, Martin White, David Williams, David Wisinger and Arnold Woolley.

No Councillors voted against the Notice of Motion or abstained.

RESOLVED:

That the Notice of Motion from Councillor Richard Jones be supported as follows:

“(1)      That this Council invests fairly, according to need, in each of the towns in Flintshire in respect of the Infrastructural Support of any revenue or capital investment to:

(a)       Build or improve highway and transport networks (road, rail, cycle way or footpaths), including parking

(b)       Redevelop or regenerate towns, streetscapes, or recreation spaces including CCTV

(c)        Build or redevelop housing including community housing such as extra care

(2)       That the respective investment levels, showing external and internal funding, are reported as part of the Revenue and Capital Strategy reports to Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on a quarterly basis".