Agenda item

(a)       That the Notice of Motion on Takeaway litter be supported; and

(b)       That the Notice of Motion on Abolition of free Theatr Cymru tickets

be supported.

The following Notices of Motion were received from Councillor David Roney.

(i)         Takeaway litter

This Council calls upon the Welsh Assembly and Westminster Governments to introduce legislation requiring Hot Food Takeaways serving food to people in a motor vehicle to clearly mark all takeaway cartons with the registration number of that vehicle.   This will enable the identification of the source of litter and assist in prosecution, saving the residents of Flintshire the cost of litter collection and also preserving the beauty of our countryside.

Councillor Bernie Attridge stated that littering on the highways in the immediate vicinity of drive-in takeaway and fast food outlets was a problem in Flintshire and almost every other County. He said that the resultant litter blighted local communities and cost thousands of pounds to collect.  He stated that the proposal would be a deterrent and would enable the Council’s enforcement team to build a case against the perpetrators through use of CCTV footage taken at the takeaway facility and evidence of vehicle registration number.   Councillor Attridge explained that the idea had been discussed previously and with use of modern surveillance techniques would be relatively easy to introduce in Flintshire although it would require national legislation to ensure operators of such drive-in facilities complied.  Councillor Attridge said that he would write to Ministers in both the Government and Welsh Government to seek their support for the proposal.  The Motion was seconded by Councillor Attridge.

Councillor Mike Peers said that although he supported the proposal in principle he felt that there was a need for further work to be done around how the scheme would work in practice and he cited a number of examples where the system could fail or be open to fraudulent activity. 

Speaking in support of the Motion Councillor Roney referred to the damaging effect of litter on the environment and wildlife and the negative impact on tourism and the economy.  He referred to the cost of both clearing and cleaning up litter in Wales which was born by ratepayers and said fast food wrappers were a common course of the problem.  He said the Motion called upon both the Government and Welsh Governments to introduce a scheme to force drive-through fast food outlets to record the date and registration number of customer vehicles and to print the registration number onto the relevant containers.

Councillor Robin Guest also supported the proposal in principle but expressed concerns around its effectiveness.   Referring to bye-laws on litter control areas he suggested that the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee might wish to consider recommending a report to Council on the matter which would be of benefit to some areas in Flintshire.

Councillor Chris Bithell asked what powers the Council could enforce/ adopt to force local fast food outlets to clear up the area in the immediate vicinity of their premises.   He asked if this could be looked into by the appropriate Cabinet Member and the Chief Officer (Governance). 

Councillor Nigel Steele-Mortimer suggested that the name of the retailer  should be imprinted on each piece of packaging issued by the fast food/take-away outlet.  

The Chair invited Councillor Roney to sum up.  Councillor Roney acknowledged the concerns and the suggestions which had been raised by Members and stated that the Motion proposed that Flintshire asked the Government and the Welsh Government to support the proposal.

On being put to the vote the Notice of Motion was carried.

(ii)        Abolition of free Theatr Cymru tickets

“This Council accepts that Theatr Clwyd operates an industry-standard complimentary ticket policy to develop audiences and encourage sponsor and media patronage.  The policy should not extend to giving complimentary tickets and drinks to Theatr Board Members, Councillors, Senior Officers and other officials who should be expected to meet the costs of their tickets and drinks at the Theatr.  The Theatr Clwyd Board should remove these privileges from its policy”

In support of his Motion Councillor Roney referred to the current enforced financial austerity faced by the Authority and the public perception of the privilege of giving complimentary tickets and drinks to Theatr Board Members, Councillors, and Senior Officers.  He said that the Motion asks that all Councillors and their partners, senior officers, and officials, pay for their tickets and drinks.  He explained that this would bring about a small cost saving in terms of management and would enable the Theatr Board Members to engage more closely with Theatr visitors to assess the public perception of performances and the overall services provided within the Theatr.

In response to a question from Councillor Nigel Steele-Mortimer the Chief Officer (Governance) reiterated his advice that all Theatr  Board Members need only declare a personal interest and could remain for debate on the item. 

Councillor Nigel Steele-Mortimer withdrew from the meeting at this point.

Councillor Aaron Shotton seconded the Notice of Motion.  He said that this issue had been discussed by the Theatr Board and there had been a review of the current practices, however,  it would be a Cabinet decision to  enforce a change at  Theatr Clwyd.  He commented that the level of financial cuts in local government funding and the impact on public services were of the deepest concern to Members and on that basis he would not wish to see this historical practice continue and urged Members to support the Motion.

Councillor Ron Davies gave a response to the Motion and explained the current complimentary ticket policy at the Theatr.  He advised that this applied only on press nights for Board members and to Theatr Company productions (six per year) not third party productions.  Councillor Davies gave an assurance that In the current period of financial restraints the Board operated its complimentary ticket system robustly and referred to the minimal cost of the refreshment aspect and the greater benefits to be gained by the critical assessment of the quality of productions and ensuring that the taxpayer received value for money.

Councillor Robin Guest also clarified that the number of occasions when the complimentary policy was afforded was very limited.  

The Chairman stated that the matter had been thoroughly debated and gave Councillor David Roney the right to sum up before moving to the vote.  In responding Councillor  Roney emphasised that it was the public perception in times of severe financial constraint which was the issue not the cost of the complimentary policy which he acknowledged was minimal. 

The Chair commented on the voluntary policy which existed in terms of the claims made by Members for expenses and other sundry items and suggested that a similar policy could be applied to members of the Theatr Board.

On being put to the vote the Notice of Motion was carried.

    Councillor Nigel Steele-Mortimer returned to the room prior to the start of the next item.

RESOLVED:

 (a)      That the Notice of Motion on Takeaway litter be supported; and

(b)       That the Notice of Motion on Abolition of free Theatr Cymru tickets

be supported.