Agenda item

Motions on Notice

a)    By Councillor Werner

This Council;

 i) Offers a vote of thanks to the residents of the Royal Borough, the vast majority of whom, whilst facing very difficult personal sacrifices and restrictions to liberty, have diligently followed both letter and the spirit of the emergency legislation brought in to protect public health during the Covid-19 global pandemic;

 ii) Acknowledges the extraordinary courage and commitment to community shown by many thousands of residents, individually, through neighbourhood groups and with our charitable partner organisations, throughout this terrible time;

iii) Also, publicly recognises the skill, dedication and tenacity with which our officers have co-ordinated these efforts and the Council’s own activities, for the benefit of all.

b)   By Councillor McWilliams

 

This Council:

 

i)       Commits to upholding the highest standards of public office

ii)      Encourages all Members, officers and residents alike to avoid unkind, rude and personal attacks and comments against anyone

iii)     Given recent global events, recognises the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ statement on racism & xenophobia: 

 

"Prejudice or hostility towards a person's race, colour, language, nationality, or national or ethnic origin. While some communities are particularly vulnerable, any ethnic group can be the target of racism. Intolerant discourse in the media or from politicians can lead to increased racist sentiments towards migrants and other minorities, including in the form of scapegoating."

 

c)    By Councillor Knowles

 

As a council we’ve had a very disrupted schedule of meetings this year due to Covid 19. Recent meetings have demonstrated that there is too little time in the current schedule of full Council meetings leading to frustration and overlong meetings. When you have too much business to fit into a meeting it makes sense to have more meetings.

 

This Council amends the calendar of council meetings to establish monthly full Council meetings from this meeting forward until further notice. If there is insufficient business to transact those monthly meetings may be cancelled if required.

 

d)   By Councillor Taylor

 

This Council:

 

i)          Recognises the need to promote local businesses and think of inventive ways to help them as well as bringing much needed footfall into our Town Centres. 

ii)         Agrees the possibility of a new Artisan Street Market will be pursued, with the view to holding quarterly if successful.  This will include local businesses from around the borough.

iii)      If successful, we will extend this idea to Windsor, with the view to create a unique shopping experience in each town centre. 

 

e)    By Councillor Sharpe

 

This Council has no confidence in the Chairman of the Infrastructure Overview and Scrutiny Panel.

 

(A maximum period of 30 minutes will be allowed for each Motion to be moved, seconded and debated, including dealing with any amendments.  At the expiry of the 30-minute period debate will cease immediately, the mover of the Motion or amendment will have the right of reply before the Motion or amendment is put to the vote).

 

Minutes:

Motion a)

Councillor Werner introduced his motion. He hoped that it would be debated in the same spirit shown by residents in their response to the COVID-19 crisis: no thought of political advantage, personal prestige or winning and losing. There was much the council could learn from their example. From every corner of the borough there had been a surge in volunteerism and offers of help: personal, financial and material. New organisations had sprouted up at every level. In his own ward he had seen many examples of generosity and neighbourly support and he was sure this was the case across the borough. If all that Members did was consider the past, this would be a betrayal of that selflessness. The challenge was to harness and nurture this spirit of community and build on the hard work of officers. It was an opportunity to open every aspect of council policy to newcomers. If the legacy of COVID-19 was allowed to be a body count, recriminations and scapegoating the council would have failed to learn the lesson. He asked the Leader of the Council to second the motion. He had been shown an amendment, which he was happy to accept.

The amendment to recommendation iii) was confirmed as:

Also publicly recognises the skill, dedication, professionalism, and tenacity with which our officers, partners including Optalis and Achieving for Children, those across the wider health and social care sector, teachers, and other public bodies, including the police, army and various response units, have co-ordinated these efforts for the benefit of all of our residents, businesses and visitors alike. 

Councillor Johnson thanked Councillor Werner for putting forward the motion and reaching across the political divide to seek consensus. He thanked all Members for their support, dedication, tenacity, hard work, endurance and approachability during the COVID-19 crisis. All councillors had stepped up to play a leadership role in their respective communities. He also thanked all officers, partners and volunteers. To capture that legacy would be one positive out of an awful situation. The council’s attention must now turn to recovery and rebuilding the borough both in economic and societal perspective. In his role as Lead Member for economic development he stated that it was vital the council did all it could to secure people’s jobs and create new opportunities.

Councillor Baldwin welcomed the note of genuine shared interest and co-operation for the benefit of residents. His own small role was mostly around directing traffic in and out of Queen Street.  One morning he had met with the Leader of the Council who had been very welcoming and supportive of the efforts on behalf of Foodshare Maidenhead.  The council had seen thousands of acts of selflessness, courage and fortitude by community leaders in the many organisations.

Councillor Davey stated that he would like to support the motion and simply asked people to be kind to each other, especially as the new normal for most people, with traffic flow back to 70-80% pre-COVID-19, was to head for the shops and quickly put on a mask for 20 minutes, do their shopping and get back home to their loved ones.

 

For those that had been isolating for the last 3-4 months, watching their support networks move on so now they had to go it alone. Added to the stress of being locked up for so long, they were now dealing with impatient strangers wearing masks who just wanted them to hurry up, doubling and trebling their stress levels. At 48 it was no big deal but at 84 it was; he saw it every day at work. Councillor Davey asked all to think on and be kind.

 

Councillor Stimson commented, in the spirit of volunteerism, she wanted to thank officers and the community for their extraordinary efforts. The climate change strategy would be calling for volunteers. She had agreed to ‘pay it forward’ with 150 days of no alcohol to support Maidenhead United’s charity appeal.

 

Councillor Wisdom Da Costa commented that the West Windsor Hub had spent over £18,000 on food shopping, including for some who could not afford to pay for it themselves.  Volunteers included those on furlough, the unemployed and the retired. It had been good to see the community come together. Officers had been fantastic, in particular the Head of Communities, the Managing Director and the Director of Adults, Health and Commissioning and their teams.

 

Councillor Carole Da Costa commented that the COVID-19 virus had been awful but she had seen some amazing things as a result. When it came to the community, there was no place for political parties. She had worked with members of the administration including Councillor Rayner. Councillor Da Costa wished to raise the profile of the community wardens who had been phenomenal.

 

Councillor Carroll commented that the level of volunteering had been awesome to see. In his Lead Member role he had had the privilege to work with colleagues in the NHS, Public Health England, Children’s Services and Adult Social Care. He sincerely thanked the Director of Adults, Health and Commissioning and her team in Adult Social Care for their work including co-ordinating PPE equipment and testing with the NHS. He also thanked the Director of Children’s Services and his team for their remarkable job in co-ordinating with all the schools and keeping at-risk and vulnerable children safe.

 

Councillor Brar commented that in Cookham 38 groups were supporting the vulnerable and elderly. She felt it had brought the community together.

 

Councillor Knowles explained that he had been a telephone mentor for an elderly neighbour who had also been shielding. He had said that the sense of community reminded him of wartime. Old Windsor had had practice at dealing with natural disasters so the village hub was quick to move into action. Councillor Jones and Jane Dawson, the Parish Chairman, had been outstanding in community leadership.

 

Councillor Singh highlighted three groups in his ward: Maidenhead Magpies, the Islamic Trust and Maidenhead Mosque and the Shanly Foundation.

It was proposed by Councillor Werner, seconded by Councillor Johnson, and:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: This Council;

 i) Offers a vote of thanks to the residents of the Royal Borough, the vast majority of whom, whilst facing very difficult personal sacrifices and restrictions to liberty, have diligently followed both letter and the spirit of the emergency legislation brought in to protect public health during the Covid-19 global pandemic;

 ii) Acknowledges the extraordinary courage and commitment to community shown by many thousands of residents, individually, through neighbourhood groups and with our charitable partner organisations, throughout this terrible time;

iii) Also publicly recognises the skill, dedication, professionalism, and tenacity with which our officers, partners including Optalis and Achieving for Children, those across the wider health and social care sector, teachers, and other public bodies, including the police, army and various response units, have co-ordinated these efforts for the benefit of all of our residents, businesses and visitors alike. 

 

The meeting was adjourned for a comfort break at 8.48pm; Members returned at 8.53pm.

 

Motion b)

 

Councillor McWilliams explained that he was withdrawing his motion and would be resubmitting a new one to the next meeting to focus on the third point about tackling racism in the borough.

 

Motion c)

 

Councillor Knowles introduced his motion:

 

This Council amends the calendar of council meetings to establish monthly full Council meetings from this meeting forward until further notice. If there is insufficient business to transact those monthly meetings may be cancelled if required.

 

He explained that there had been a disrupted schedule of council meetings due to the COVID-19 crisis. He felt that as the situation had changed since the calendar of meetings was set earlier in the year, it made sense to review it. It would be better to have more meetings that could be cancelled if they were not needed. It would also give a better spread of business.

 

Councillor Hill seconded the motion.

 

Councillor Baldwin commented that he was confident that the motion would pass given the letter he had read on 9 July from the Chief Whip that pointed out the justification for his closure motions at the previous meeting had been the pressure of business and a crowded agenda.

 

Councillor Davey commented that he had not been impressed when he had attended his first Overview and Scrutiny meeting and the Chairman had said he wanted it to be over by 9.00pm.

 

Councillor Johnson explained that the administration was not able to support the motion. In terms of full Council meetings this municipal year, the council was about even in terms of catching up with meetings, putting side Annual Council. However, he announced his intention to convene an Extraordinary full Council meeting in September 2020 to discuss the issue of Maidenhead Community Centre.

 

In response to Councillor Baldwin, Councillor Bhangra commented that in his role as Chief Whip he did not tell Councillors how to vote.

 

Councillor Jones commented that she found it difficult when meetings were added in at the last minute therefore she would prefer if they were scheduled in advance.

 

Councillor Reynolds commented that it made sense to increase the number of full Council meetings to ensure each meeting did not go on to a late hour. The latest meeting he had attended was 11.45pm. Many councillors had full time jobs. He felt it important not to restrict people in becoming councillors because of late meetings. It was also important not to quickly rush through items because they happened to be late on the agenda.

 

Councillor Clark commented that it was important to have proper debates and to be seen to be holding them. There was a need to limit the number of meetings in terms of giving access to the public. If Members were careful and precise in their debates business could be transacted more efficiently. It was important to stick to the point and not grandstand. It was self-control that was needed rather than additional meetings. 

 

Councillor Carole Da Costa commented that for someone who was registered as disabled, to sit through meetings that lasted four or five hours could be uncomfortable and painful. It was important that all types of people could be councillors; long meetings were not very inclusive.

 

Councillor Haseler commented that the key thing was good time management. The last meeting was appalling with the questions that were not succinct. There were now time slots allotted which would help.

 

Councillor Wisdom Da Costa commented that more people should have the opportunity to be a councillor; by scheduling more meetings it would be possible to ensure they ended at a reasonable time to encourage all types of people to put themselves forward as candidates.

 

Councillor Singh supported the idea of more frequent but shorter meetings. He welcomed the idea of an extraordinary meeting to discuss the Maidenhead Community Centre as the organisation was in limbo and had been promised a seamless transition.

 

Councillor Price commented that long meetings were difficult at the end of a very busy day. Members were asked to keep to the business on the agenda but it does not always happen as people wanted to be seen to be speaking even if they were repeating what had already been said. That was a reality that had to be accepted. She supported the proposal on the grounds of equality.

 

Councillor Tisi commented that it would be lovely if the business could be raced through in one or two hours but this would mean there would be no effective opposition or right of reply.

 

Councillor Johnson commented that he was happy to discuss the issue with Group Leaders.

 

Councillor Baldwin raised a point of order in relation to the right of reply. Earlier he had been referred to twice by the Leader of the Council and Chief Whip. Neither of them satisfactorily addressed the issues he had raised.

 

It was confirmed that the Mayor would allow personal explanations if they were brief and pertinent to the points raised. Councillor Baldwin reiterated that he did not feel that his question had been answered.

 

Councillor Hill commented that the issue being discussed was about democracy, not about time or getting through meetings efficiently. It was about democracy being done and being seen to be done by residents. Members needed to be able to debate freely without time constraints. There were two choices: work late into the night as Members had done in the past, or hold more frequent meetings. There had been uproar in the public domain at what happened at the last meeting, for which he had played a part. He urged the use of closure motions be stopped because it was infuriating and did no-one any good in the public eye. He welcomed the announcement about the Maidenhead Community Centre.

 

Councillor Knowles concluded that it was common sense to schedule more meetings to allow better programming of business and better debate.  For all the reasons stated including equality and inclusion he proposed the motion.

 

Upon being put to the vote, the motion fell.

 

Motion d)

 

Councillor Taylor introduced her motion. She explained that she wished to amend her motion to remove recommendation iii as she understood it would not be appropriate.

 

Councillor Taylor explained that on 23 March 2020 the UK had followed its European neighbours into lockdown. It was an unprecedented move and came with a great cost, but it was necessary to protect people from greater harm. Now, as the borough headed into the recovery phase, it was important to be mindful that things would take time to get back to any kind of normality in daily lives and in town centres. There was a need to adapt.

 

It was known, from previous experience that the farmers market, street markets and events like Maidenhead Festival brought a wonderful variety of stalls to the high streets. There was enough space for social distancing and being outside would give shoppers confidence whilst creating a unique shopping opportunity to bring people back into the town centre.

 

The market would be based around crafts: jewellery, cushions, candles, bags etc. so would offer something different to the existing markets and the majority of stores. During lockdown many people turned to arts and crafts to give themselves something to do whilst on furlough. Councillor Taylor explained that her full time job was at a fabric wholesaler and she heard every day retailers talking of the increase in business that was ongoing. This market could both cater for crafters as well as the finished products. The space in the pedestrian area could be used. The council already had an excellent team who did an incredible job organising town events. As the borough headed into the regeneration phase, the market would continue to bring footfall into the town centre. It was within the council’s gift to make the town shine.

 

Councillor Stimson commented that as the ward councillor for St Mary’s with a town due to be demolished in a large part on the western side, it would be wonderful to use the space better. During COVID-19, a lot of people had used crafts as both for fun and to earn an income. She had spoken to the Town Centre Manager about location. It would not be complicated or take income away from others. If it worked in Maidenhead it could be transported to other areas.

 

Councillor Hill supported the motion as he represented Maidenhead. It would help to give the town an identity.

 

Councillor Haseler thanked Councillor Taylor for bringing the motion forward as it was a great idea. He hoped it would bring people into the town centre.

 

Councillor Bowden commented that he was grateful for the removal of the reference to Windsor which already had three markets: a food market, a framers market and a crafts market.

 

Councillor Shelim agreed that there was a need to promote local businesses and look at how the town centres could receive increased footfall. Some suggestions included varying the opening times of businesses including late opening. This would even out the spread of people for social distancing. It would also give the chance for those who worked 9-5 to shop at other times rather than just shopping online. There was a need to rethink the strategy of parking in town centres. If free parking was allowed after 6pm it would encourage people to come to the town centre and relieve illegal parking. The main focus should be to support existing business and he was unsure how this motion would achieve this. All were behind increasing footfall but based on this concern he would abstain.

 

Councillor Sharpe commented that this was one small step for Maidenhead. Business clearly were right down in many areas of the borough and the council would need different strategies to attract people back. More actions would be needed to support businesses throughout the borough.

 

Councillor Davey commented that he understood why the third recommendation had been withdrawn. Windsor already had markets although he thought the one on the railway station was closed at the moment. The council needed to be looking to support local businesses so the first recommendation was very relevant for everywhere. He had been promoting the museum and the petition that had been opened. There would be many things the council could do, small or big. The council needed to look at our businesses could raise the levels of money they need to pay the rent. He did not see the sense in closing down the tourist office.

 

Councillor Carole Da Costa supported the motion as she had been a crafter for a long time. She had had a lot of discussions with entrepreneurs and therefore she felt that pop up shops and markets were the way to go forward in the recovery period.

 

Councillor Reynolds commented the motion was getting at the importance of bringing people back to the high street and supporting local business. Maidenhead already had a lot of markets and events that brought people into the town centre. He also highlighted the work of Craft Co-op bringing craft people together and showing them how to commercialise their skill.

 

Councillor Price highlighted that local business were not just in the town centres. She had read a tweet earlier form Councillor Singh that was helpful as it talked about the £10 government incentive to eat out. She felt there was more the council could do to promote government schemes rather than just focussing on town centres.

 

Councillor Bateson commented that she felt the motion was good for the whole of the borough not just Maidenhead as markets brought people in to the town centre so they would also visit the shops.

 

Councillor Singh stated that he supported the sentiment of supporting local businesses. Established businesses in the town had been struggling therefore government incentives were welcomed. It would have been nice to have been consulted on the motion as one of the ward councillors. He highlighted that another area for focus was King Street.

 

Councillor Davies commented that she was disappointed that Windsor had been taken out of the motion because she did not think there was room to be complacent post-COVID-19. Residents had approached her with a good idea to combine online and high street shopping. The Windsor Town Forum had discussed a Christmas market which would be a big draw alongside the castle projections. She would like to discuss the idea further with Councillor Taylor.

 

Councillor Taylor responded that she would be happy to speak to Councillor Davies about her resident’s ideas. She confirmed that the reason the third recommendation had been removed was that she had been advised that retailers in the town would not have been in favour.

 

In advance of the vote, the Mayor reminded all that when voting they should only state ‘For’, ‘Against’ or ‘Abstain’; no other comments should be made.

 

It was proposed by Councillor Taylor, seconded by Councillor Stimson, and:

 

RESOLVED: That this Council:

 

i)             Recognises the need to promote local businesses and think of inventive ways to help them as well as bringing much needed footfall into our Town Centres. 

ii)            Agrees the possibility of a new Artisan Street Market will be pursued, with the view to holding quarterly if successful.  This will include local businesses from around the borough.

 

Motion e)

 

Motion e was not debated as it was no longer required.