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Agenda item

Council Debate Motions

To debate any motions submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules.

Minutes:

The Mayor requested the Chief Executive read the first Council Debate Motion made on behalf of the Administration:

 

“Over the past nine years too many Croydon residents have been deeply affected by austerity and welfare reform.  Since 2014 the council has implemented a number of measures to mitigate the damage done to thousands of Croydon families.  But given the draconian cuts to local government services, this cannot continue.  Freezing of benefits and in particular, Local Housing Allowance, has done much to increase the level of homelessness in this borough.

 

On behalf of the people of Croydon, we therefore call on the newly elected government to take immediate steps to restore Local Housing Allowance, so that it covers people’s rents.  To end the benefit cap which has meant that instead of the welfare state acting as a safety net, it completely ignores a family’s needs which for some Croydon families has resulted that it has been impossible to find a home they can afford. 

 

To stop homelessness increasing further, the government also needs to put an end to no fault evictions, cap rent rises and bring an end to Right to Buy which has decimated the social housing stock.”

 

The Mayor invited Councillor Butler to propose the motion.

 

In proposing the motion, Councillor Butler informed Council that all Members were aware of the damage that austerity measures had caused to Croydon residents.  They had been let down by a welfare system that was no longer fit for purpose and there were hundreds of families that had lost their homes because they could no longer afford the rent.  Like the dismantling of the NHS, many of the government cuts had been introduced silently and had affected the most vulnerable.  The list had included universal credit, the benefit cap, freezing of local housing allowance, bedroom tax, housing benefit for the under 35s, the two child policy, cutting community care grants and crisis loans, child trust funds, education and maintenance allowances and the Councillor could have continued.  Councillor Butler was not calling on the new government to put all of these issues right because for too many the damage had already been done.  However, the government could start by lifting all children out of poverty, by immediately amending housing benefit so that it covered the cost of rent and by also bringing an immediate end to the housing cap.  This was the opportunity to invest in council services and not to cut them further.  Having a home was a basic right and the Council called on the government to put people’s needs at the heart of the welfare system.

 

Councillor Skipper seconded the motion and reserved the right to speak.

 

Speaking against the motion, Councillor Hale informed members of a resident that she had recently met at the floating shelter who had found themselves homeless after a series of family bereavements and deteriorating health.  The shelter had helped restore her self-respect through the warm welcome that she had received there.  It was essential that there was a safety net in place for those whose lives were turned upside down, but help had to include education, skills and advice to be sustainable to equip people to make the right decisions for themselves and their families.  The Labour Government had created an environment of dependency and the Conservatives had spent years removing that and putting confidence back into the economy.  The jubilation in the financial markets following the general election showed that the majority the Conservatives had won was just what the UK needed.  There was now certainty in politics and around Brexit.  The threat of a ruinous Corbyn led government had been removed and a strong economy would support the welfare system.  Councillor Hale could not support the motion.

 

Also speaking against the motion, Councillor Jason Cummings informed Council that the administration had spent the past five years blaming the Government for everything when it was the previous Labour Government that had caused the problem.  The administration had dodged responsibility at every stage.  The people of the United Kingdom had given their judgement at the recent general election and the administration should give time to look at what the public had said.  The people had voted for another five years of conservative government and had rejected Jeremy Corbyn and his band of left wing proto-communists.  Croydon Labour had to wake up to what residents wanted.  The administration had made distasteful comments about senior government ministers over the past five years and if they wanted government help on the major issues that it faces, Councillor Jason Cummings suggested that they change their tone.  If the administration wanted to ensure the people of Croydon got a better deal, the Administration should think about how they talked about Government Ministers.  Councillor Jason Cummings opposed the motion.

 

Exercising her right to speak, Councillor Skipper spoke in support of the motion.  Councillors heard that Croydon’s talent, resilience, pride and that its community spirit was the envy of many.  Croydon was being held back by the cuts that had been imposed and the system now put up more barriers than it took down.  Councillor Skipper informed Members how she had once been one of the invisible homeless, and that she was only where she was now because of the support that she had received from her community.  Councillor Skipper supported the motion because of her experiences meeting homeless residents in need, including one resident who had started to beg for food.  No human should have to beg to have a roof over their heads.  Councillor Skipper also spoke in support of the motion as it supported women and children trapped in abusive homes that had been abandoned by the state because they could not afford a safe home of their own.  The motion supported tackling the issues caused by universal credit.  Councillor Skipper would give the new government a chance to put an end to no fault evictions, to cap rent rises, to end right to buy and to restore the social security safety net to keep people safe and give them security.

 

The Mayor put the motion to the vote and it was carried.

 

The Mayor called on the Chief Executive to read out the second Council Debate Motion that had been submitted on behalf of the opposition:

 

General election campaigns are always divisive, but the rancour, division and class warfare in the campaign that we have just experienced is unparalleled. The British people reject the politics of envy and hatred, and we should learn that lesson in Croydon by ending the divisive way the council has treated parts of the borough.

 

Proposing the Motion, Councillor Tim Pollard informed Council that it had been a very rancorous general election.  The administration could be pleased locally but the opposition were pleased nationally having won a significant majority Conservative government.  The Labour party was unable to understand or accept the reasons why they had lost, specifically that working class electors in the north of the country and the midlands felt patronised and ignored.  It was the same in Croydon, with tens of thousands of residents feeling ignored on issues such as bins, on street sweeping, Brick by Brick and planning matters.  That was why groups of residents associations had begun a petition for a directly elected mayor and were working hard with cross party support to achieve that.  With the Governance Review Panel, there was a real opportunity to make a change and ensure that the Council was on the side of all residents in Croydon wherever they lived and whatever their views were.

 

Councillor Perry seconded the motion and reserved the right to speak.

 

Speaking against the motion, Councillor Hamida Ali informed Council that she had found the motion bizarre.  The judgement of many commentators was that the Conservative group had been the cause of many of the issues that the motion raised.  Their general election campaign had included a doctored video of Kier Starmer, a twitter account being renamed as a fact checking service and a prime minister with a history of divisive language that included examples of homophobic, racist and sexist language.  Allegations had been made against all parties, but independent research had found that most Conservative adverts were misleading.  The Council’s administration sought to deliver for all residents and to challenge inequality.  The motion did nothing to increase cross party working and encouraged the opposition to indulge less in the politics of fear.  Councillor Hamida Ali opposed the motion.

 

Also speaking against the motion, Councillor Newman informed Members that he had more faith in Conservative ministers than he did in Councillor Jason Cummings.  When the Labour administration was first elected in 2014, the then Conservative City Hall was thankful.  Councillor Jason Cummings had threatened to withhold funding to Croydon residents that did not agree with government ministers and that was shameful and disgraceful.  The Labour Group would reflect on its national performance but this was why the Conservatives had lost elections in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019 in the Borough.  It had previously been an aspiration for Labour to win the popular vote across Croydon, but now there was an 18,000 majority and whatever system was in place, Labour would be confident.  In terms of division, a Panorama programme was broadcast that evening referring to the SPAC Nation and the investigation of concerns about the exploitation of young people within that organisation and that Councillor Creatura had those young people canvassing on the streets of Croydon when they were not experienced to handle the situation

 

Councillor Streeter interrupted the meeting to raise a point of order questioning if Councillor Newman was making an illegal accusation about another Councillor and asked if officers could advise on the legality of the comments.  The Mayor reminded all Members to be respectful of each other and to not name specific people.  The Mayor asked Councillor Newman to withdraw his specific naming of Councillor Creatura.

 

In response, Councillor Newman invited Members to review the photographs of Councillor Creatura campaigning across the borough over the previous six weeks as that would speak for itself.  People could make their own judgements of the association between the Conservative party and the SPAC nation when they looked at social media though Councillor Newman felt that it was clear. 

 

In concluding his speech, Councillor Newman highlighted that the opposition attempting to shout down the motion, that Councillor Jason Cummings had threatened to withhold funding from residents and it was clear what the people of Croydon was facing.  The Labour group had a majority of 18,000 and the Conservative group needed to take a long hard look at itself.

 

Speaking in support of the motion, Councillor Perry stated that there had been an earthquake in the politics of the nation, the people had smashed the red wall and rejected the politics of envy and hatred.  The irony had been that Councillor Hamida Ali had accused the Conservatives of being the party that was spreading envy and hatred when Councillor Newman had personally attacked Councillor Jason Cummings and slandered Councillor Creatura.  This had been disgraceful and Councillor Newman had reached a new low.  This was a council that imposed and was not a council that delivered for all, that was why 14,000 fewer people had voted for Labour in the borough.  Over recent years, the administration had changed the character of the borough against the objections of residents, particularly through Brick by Brick developments building on open play space.  The Council was also proposing to build on three large tracts of green belt that in their own admission would cause more than substantial harm to the green belt.  The London Plan inspectors had recommended a reduction of housing development targets, but the Council was continuing anyway and had ignored residents.  No residents should have been treated with such disdain and when residents spoke the council should listen.  Councillor Perry supported the motion.

 

The Mayor put the motion to the vote and it was lost.