Agenda item - Petitions for Council Debate

Petitions to be debated at Council.  Reports of the Monitoring Officer (copies attached).

(a)       Learning Support Service.  Lead petitioner Ms. Gillett.

(b)      Home for Syrian Refugees.  Lead petitioner Ms. Mathis.

(c)       Follow the lead of Manchester and open up empty buildings for homeless people this winter.  Lead petitioner Ms. Rees.

58.1         The Mayor stated that the council’s petition scheme provided that where a petition secured 1,250 or more signatures it could be debated at a Council meeting.  She had been notified of three such petitions which had sufficient signatures to warrant a debate and therefore would call on the lead petitioner to present their petition before opening the matter up for debate.

58.2         The Mayor invited Ms. Gillett to come forward and present her petition.

58.3         Ms. Gillett thanked the Mayor and presented the petition which called on the Council to not cut specialist advisory teachers from Brighton and Hove’s new Learning Support Service.  She confirmed that the petition had 10,020 signatures and asked that consideration be given to the families and children who would be affected by the proposed cuts and the teachers themselves who were faced with changes to their working conditions and reductions in service.

58.4         Councillor Bewick thanked Ms. Gillett and stated that he recognised the extraordinary high number of people who had signed the petition, which reflected the concerns that had been raised.  He stated that the council was committed to children and parents with special educational needs and to continue to provide services that they deserved.  He acknowledged that passions were running high and stated that the intention was to recognise qualified teachers and to provide services to meet the needs of those who required support.  The overall reduction in numbers proposed was 58 to 55 and no final decision had been taken.

58.5         Councillor Brown sated that there appeared to be a lot of mis-information and confusion around the SEND review, along with a lack of open consultation on the proposals which required accurate explanation to alleviate the concerns.  She hoped that there would be a chance to ensure the service and schools were working together to meet the needs of those affected.

58.6         Councillor Phillips stated that as a teacher she valued the support from specialist teachers which could not be under-estimated.  She therefore hoped that some reassurances could be given in regard to the level of service and pay levels that would be maintained following the review.  She therefore suggested that as well as the petition being referred to the Children, Young People & Skills Committee, there be no cuts, a continuation of the proactive work and no worse conditions for the staff concerned.

58.7         Councillor Bewick noted the comments and stated that he would discuss a number of the points further with officers.  He also repeated that the changes were not driven by the need for cuts but rather with a view to providing a better outcome for all concerned which was the aim of good public services.

58.8         The Mayor sought clarification from Councillor Phillips as to whether she was moving an amendment to the recommendation in the covering report.

58.9         Councillor Phillips stated that she wished to move an amendment to add a further recommendation that her three points be considered by the Children, Young People and Skills Committee in conjunction with the petition.

58.10      Councillor Mac Cafferty formally seconded the amendment.

58.11      The Mayor thanked Ms. Gillet for attending the meeting and put the amendment to the vote which was lost by 9 votes to 40.

58.12      The Mayor then put the recommendation to refer the petition to the Children, Young People & Skills Committee to the vote which was agreed.

58.13      RESOLVED: That the petition be referred to the Children, Young People & Skills Committee for consideration at its next meeting.

58.14      The Mayor then invited Ms. Senker to come forward and present a petition requesting that the Council take 50 Syrian Refugees into the city.

58.15      Ms. Senker thanked the Mayor and stated that she wished to present a petition on behalf of Eve Mathis which had a total over 2,000 signatures.  She also had a similar petition with over 900 signatures giving a combined total of over 3,055 signatures in favour of extending the number of refugees to be accommodated within the city.

58.16      Councillor Daniel thanked Ms. Senker for presenting the petitions and stated that they clearly showed how Brighton and Hove was a city with a big heart.  She fully supported the aspirations behind the petitions and noted that in order to be able to offer places there was a need to get private landlords on board to put forward potential homes.  She also noted that the Council had agreed to take in 5 families and thanks to the hard work of officers; it was recognised by the Home Office for its work which was being recommended to other authorities as an example of good practice.

58.17      Councillor Simson stated that the Conservative Group fully supported the petition being referred to the Neighbourhoods, Communities & Equalities Committee for consideration.

58.18      Councillor Littman welcomed the petition and stated that there was a need to continue to push the authority to take action.  He was also concerned about the number of unaccompanied children entering the country and the pressure this put on neighbouring authorities and hoped that a report would be forthcoming on the resources available to tackle this.

58.19      Councillor Daniel noted the comments and hoped that further discussion could take place at committee level.

58.20      The Mayor thanked Ms. Senker for attending the meeting and noted that the recommendation was to refer the petition to the Neighbourhoods, Communities and Equalities Committee for consideration and put it to the council to agree.

58.21      RESOLVED: That the petition be referred to the Neighbourhoods, Communities & Equalities Committee for consideration at its next meeting.

58.22      The Mayor then invited Ms. Rees to come forward to present a petition requesting the council to open up its empty properties to the homeless for the duration of the winter.

58.23      Ms. Rees thanked the Mayor and stated that the petition had 8,058 signatures and sought agreement to enable homeless people to be given access to empty properties for the winter along similar lines to that agreed by Manchester.  There were a number of homeless people sleeping on the streets and without an address it was impossible to find work.  She hoped that the council would support the proposal and take the issue to Parliament in order to get necessary changes to help meet the Council’s aspiration of not having homeless people in the city by 2020.

58.24      Councillor Moonan thanked Ms. Rees for her petition and for bringing the matter to the attention of the council.  She fully agreed it was unimaginably tough to live on the streets; however there was a need to consider the implications for the council should it follow the example of Manchester.  If properties were made available then council would have a duty of care, for example there would need to be running water and facilities and provision to deal with issues such as drug taking and protection.  She noted that shelters were opened in the winter and that the council already worked with local charities and churches to provide food and shelter.  She also noted that the Government had recently announced additional resources for 25 Authorities to help with this situation and that Brighton was one of a few outside London who could apply for those resources.

58.25      The Mayor noted that there were no other speakers and thanked Ms. Rees for attending the meeting.  She also noted that the recommendation was to refer the petition to the Policy & Resources Committee for consideration and put it to the council to agree.

58.26      RESOLVED: That the petition be referred to the Policy & Resources Committee for consideration at its next meeting.