Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Wallasey Town Hall. View directions

Contact: Daniel Sharples  Democracy Business Manager

Media

Items
No. Item

34.

Welcome and Introduction

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Minutes:

The Chair welcomed members, officers and members of the public to the meeting and read out the webcast notice.

35.

Apologies

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Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Jenny Johnson.

36.

Members' Code of Conduct - Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to consider whether they have any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or any other relevant interest in connection with any item(s) on this agenda and, if so, to declare them and state the nature of the interest.

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Minutes:

Members were asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests and any other relevant interest and to state the nature of the interest. No declarations were made.

37.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 366 KB

To approve the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting held on 13 July 2022.

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Minutes:

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 July 2022 be approved and adopted as a correct record.

38.

Public and Member Questions

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39.

Public Questions

Notice of question to be given in writing or by email by 12 noon, Thursday 25 August 2022 to the Council’s Monitoring Officer (committeeservices@wirral.gov.uk) and to be dealt with in accordance with Standing Order 10.

 

For more information on how your personal information will be used, please see this link:

Document Data Protection Protocol for Public Speakers at Committees | Wirral Council

 

Please telephone the Committee Services Officer if you have not received an acknowledgement of your question by the deadline for submission.

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Minutes:

The Chair reported that one Public Question had been received.

 

Ruth Molyneux outlined the impact the cost-of-living crisis was having on residents in Wirral South and asked whether Wirral Council would commit to keeping Bromborough Civic Centre and Library open during the winter months and ensure that the Civic Centre was put in scope for Community Asset Transfer.

 

In response, the Chair outlined that she was proposing to move a motion later in the meeting to ask officers to review Council assets with a view to setting up ‘warm banks’ in partnership with public sector partners. 

 

A supplementary question was then asked in relation to Bromborough Civic Centre and Library, asking whether it would be included in the warm bank proposals and whether it could be kept open until a Community Asset Transfer could be completed. The Chair confirmed that the review officers would be asked to undertake would include all assets include Bromborough Civic Centre and Library.

40.

Statements and Petitions

Notice of representations to be given in writing or by email by 12 noon, Thursday 25 August 2022 to the Council’s Monitoring Officer (committeeservices@wirral.gov.uk) and to be dealt with in accordance with Standing Order 11.1.

 

Petitions may be presented to the Committee. The person presenting the petition will be allowed to address the meeting briefly (not exceeding one minute) to outline the aims of the petition. The Chair will refer the matter to another appropriate body of the Council within whose terms of reference it falls without discussion, unless a relevant item appears elsewhere on the Agenda. Please give notice of petitions to committeeservices@wirral.gov.uk in advance of the meeting.

 

Please telephone the Committee Services Officer if you have not received an acknowledgement of your statement/petition by the deadline for submission.

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Minutes:

The Chair informed the Committee that no statements or petitions had been received.

41.

Questions by Members

Questions by Members to dealt with in accordance with Standing Orders 12.3 to 12.8.

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Minutes:

The Chair informed the Committee that no questions by members had been received.

42.

Cost of Living Crisis pdf icon PDF 602 KB

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Minutes:

The Director of Resources introduced the report which detailed the proposed response to the cost-of-living crisis affecting the Borough and its residents caused by the current and predicted high energy costs and rapidly rising inflation impacting on business and residents’ incomes. The report detailed the information that had been collected by the Council in terms of the impact of the crisis on residents as well as the impact on the Council with a reported £5.3m gap in the 2022-23 budget as a result of energy increases, contract inflation and reduction in income. The report further detailed the package of both financial and non-financial support put in place for residents and businesses including from the Council, Central Government and other organisations.

 

Members discussed the report in detail and feedback was provided in relation to communicating with residents about the support on offer, and the links between the climate crisis and cost of living crisis. Further concern was raised in relation to the impact of increasing costs for foster carers, care homes and the delivery of the Council’s regeneration programme.

 

Following the debate, it was moved by the Chair, seconded by Councillor Jean Robinson, that –

 

the Policy & Resources Committee:

 

1. recognises the cost of living rise as a crisis for the Borough and that the Authority’s response to assist citizens and businesses in need is declared as a priority in the coming period;

2. authorise the Chief Executive and Directors to:

  1. collate and communicate the services and facilities that the Council can offer residents and businesses and the means by which they may access that support; and
  2. work with community groups and other bodies to co-ordinate and assist, directly and through inclusion within the Cost of Living Action Group, to ensure the best delivery of services and facilities that may provide assistance across the Borough in responding to the cost of living crisis: and

3. incorporate the cost of living crisis as a stand-alone item for the Group Leaders’ (Member Working Group) agenda for the Group Leaders to be briefed upon ongoing issues and liaise with the Cost of Living Action Group and to report back to a future meeting of the Committee the progress being made to support the crisis

4. That the Director of Resources report to the earliest possible meeting of this Committee on:

  1. a review of all council buildings, including libraries and leisure centres, and provide the additional energy costings to keep them open during the Winter months to provide safe and warm spaces for residents who are struggling with the cost of living crisis;
  2. updating the Committee on work with our partners including the NHS, police, fire service, community and faith sector groups, to establish buildings that can be accessed by residents during the winter months to keep them safe and warm;
  3. a breakdown of all funding found to be available to community groups currently providing a support to residents in need, with a view to continuing and/or increasing it to ensure that residents are  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.