Meeting Details

Members are invited to a Meeting of the Full Council

to be held in the Conference Room, Riverside, Lowestoft

on Wednesday, 22 January 2025 at 6.30pm

This meeting will be broadcast to the public via the East Suffolk YouTube Channel at https://youtube.com/live/G8tTP7DcxpE?feature=share

To receive apologies for absence, if any.

Members and Officers are invited to make any declarations of interests, and the nature of that interest, that they may have in relation to items on the Agenda and are also reminded to make any declarations at any stage during the Meeting if it becomes apparent that this may be required when a particular item or issue is considered.

To receive any announcements from the Chair, the Leader of the Council, members of the Cabinet, or the Chief Executive, in accordance with paragraph 28.2 of the Council Procedure Rules.

The following question(s) has/have been submitted by the public in pursuance of paragraph 29.1 of the Council Procedure Rules:

Question from Andrew Livingstone to Councillor Vince Langdon-Morris:

Can East Suffolk Council please tell me what steps it is taking to quality assure the work of Anglia Revenue Partnerships and why it is acceptable for applications for council tax reduction to take up to 6 weeks at present during a cost of living crisis? This service is not offering value for money, what steps are East Suffolk Council taking to hold Anglia Revenue Partnership to account? 

Question from Russ Rainger (Chair Leiston Community Land Trust) to Councillor Tim Wilson:

We believe it is a matter of urgency that ESC put forward clear proposals on how they will be addressing demolition of the boarded up, dilapidated and condemned properties they own in Leiston town centre. With all the disruption and investment Leiston is experiencing from the Sizewell C construction, the need for ESC to progress regeneration of this key parcel of land cannot be over stressed. Leiston has a Place Board established to focus on regeneration and investment, but local feeling is that progress is frustratingly slow.

We therefore urge Cllr Wilson and all the Cabinet Members responsible for delivery of the Leiston Masterplan to assure us they will as quickly as possible meet with representatives of the Leiston Community Land Trust and Leiston Town Council to discuss how to progress the Market Square Town Centre Regeneration to a ‘shovel ready’ proposal that can be delivered promptly to support the wider Leiston Masterplan objectives?

The following questions from Members have been submitted in pursuance of paragraph 29.4 of the Council Procedure Rules:

Question 1 from Councillor Janet Craig to Councillor Jan Candy, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Community Health:

In October this year Healthwatch Suffolk produced a Report entitled ‘Tackling Poverty Together’. Based on a two-year project, the Report was delivered in co-production with people with lived experience of financial hardship, alongside leaders across the public and private sector.  

The Report states it was vital that to create positive change, voices of those that experience poverty must be included. It was inspired by similar models across the nation known as ‘Poverty Truth Commissions’ that challenge a traditional approach led by professionals, leaders and front-line workers, and shifts the dynamic to ensure community partners share power and insights, to create solutions together.

Where new ideas have been identified by this innovative approach, can we investigate further whether any of the Recommendations from the Report can be adopted in East Suffolk and  feedback any positive outcomes as a result? 

Question 2 from Councillor Peter Byatt to Councillor Caroline Topping, Leader of the Council:

Following a freedom of information request, a recent LGA report noted that Councils had approved at least 731 staff requests to work from abroad in 2023.
 
What is this Council’s view on staff working from abroad?

Question 3 from Councillor Mark Jepson to Councillor Caroline Topping, Leader of the Council:

Local business owner, David runs a SME in Felixstowe, he anticipates that as a result of the increase in National Insurance contributions he will have to find an additional £32,000 a year. David is not alone - he perhaps represents the average SME in East Suffolk.  

What measures are in place to increase the footfall in our towns for local businesses and maintain consistency? How regularly are initiatives to support economic development being monitored against expenditure and outcomes? 

The current administration understandably put the environment at the heart of their priorities. How can they reassure business owners that they will respond accordingly to the rapid changes and measures introduced by the current government? 

Question 4 from Councillor Myles Scrancher to Councillor Sally Noble, Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Environment:

In July 2019, this Council declared a climate emergency, consequently a cross-party Environment Task Group was established to action steps to meet the Council’s challenge of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
What are East Suffolk Council’s current carbon emissions and what are the administrations largest planned initiatives to reduce carbon emissions as a means of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030?

Question 5 from Councillor Letitia Smith to Councillor David Beavan, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Housing:

In January 2023, this Council agreed to support Discretionary Disabled Facilities (DDFG) & Repair Adaptations Funding (RAF) grants - non means tested grants with a maximum amount of £500 -£15,000 & £15,000 - £30,000. The full cost of the necessary adaptation works, up to this figure will be covered by the grant, irrespective of the applicant’s income and capital resources.
Cllr Beavan, please provide the following:

a) The figures for the numbers of applications received for each non means tested grant scheme per year 2023/2024 and a breakdown of the areas in which residents live in East Suffolk to make sure the money is available across the Council area.

b) How many applications have been made in full for DDFG & RAF, what percentage have been accepted each per year and of that total how many fully completed in that timescale?

Question 6 from Councillor Letitia Smith to Councillor David Beavan, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Housing:

It is this Councils desire to improve and grow the economic and social wellbeing of East Suffolk as a district.  

At November’s Full Council meeting, we asked Cllr Beavan whether the list of Assets held by us as a Council had been fully investigated for economic development opportunities. He confirmed that he was aware that this work had been carried out by the Assets Team and no opportunities had been detected.

Cllr Beavan, please explain in more detail how this work was approached by the Asset team with your involvement and highlight how their conclusion was reached.

Question 7 from Councillor Colin Hedgley to Councillor Caroline Topping, Leader of the Council:

I watched the last Full Council meeting via YouTube from home due to illness. 

I noted that ten others were also watching. Further investigation highlighted that very few also watched a committee meeting.

Could you provide me with the average audience figures for 2024 for: -

1. The Full Council meetings.

2. Other Committee meetings.

Additionally, what are the annual costs, if any, of providing all YouTube coverage for East Suffolk Council meetings in total.

Question 8 from Councillor Paul Ashdown to Councillor Caroline Topping, Leader of the Council:

A councillor from Blundeston Parish Council would like to know why East Suffolk Council chose to pay for a flyer advising every household of the Christmas and New Year waste collections and on the same day have a magazine delivered which had the same flyer as a back cover? 

Running both seems like an unnecessary expense and a questionable use of taxpayer’s money.

What was the cost of producing and distributing the additional flyers? 

No petitions have been received as provided by paragraph 30.1 of the Council Procedure Rules.

The following motion has been received from East Suffolk Youth Council in pursuance of paragraph 31.2 of the Council procedure rules.

Youth Support and Safety Motion

Proposer: TBC

Seconder: TBC

This Council notes that:

• Young people are the future of our community, and they deserve to have their mental health and wellbeing prioritised.
• The current generation of young people is one of the first to be impacted by constant exposure to social media, excessive use of which has been linked to increased stress, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders and poor progress at school amongst other factors. 
• The current generation of young people has also had to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic during key years of education, which has resulted in 88% of young people feeling that loneliness made their mental health worse during this time. 
• The promotion and accessibility of youth groups, activities and resources in East Suffolk could be improved.
• A particular area for improvement is mental health services for young people outside of the school environment. Having teachers as the only point of contact when discussing mental health can present challenges, as safeguarding duties may necessitate personal information being relayed to parents or guardians . There is a real need for external and confidential mental health services to be made available.

This Council resolves to:
Call on East Suffolk Council to:

• Develop a specific communication strategy aimed at informing and supporting young people
• Add a dedicated youth section to the East Suffolk Council website which promotes youth events, groups, entertainment and opportunities
• Use Community Partnerships to promote youth events, groups, entertainment and opportunities.
• Engage youth more directly and effectively on social media with posts aimed at helping young people understand what provision, support and opportunities are made for them, and using social media trends, sounds, videos and the like.
• Create an engaging Youth Well Minds booklet, both physical and digital, to circulate around schools signposting mental health support available, including relevant services external to the school eg. Papyrus and Samaritans.
• Support the accessibility of affordable social opportunities for young people, such as by exploring transport options with existing providers.
• Advocate for mental health awareness education and the presence of confidential mental health support in schools
  
   

The following Motion has been submitted in pursuance of paragraph 31.1 Council Procedure Rules:

Promoting Voter Engagement and Extension of the Franchise 

Proposer: Cllr Katie Graham
Seconder: Cllr Seamus Bennett

 This Council notes that:

•  All residents of East Suffolk, regardless of their nationality, bring significant value to our district.

• In East Suffolk, 1146 non-UK citizens resident in our district are un-enfranchised for Local Elections.

• One in six usual residents of England and Wales were born outside the UK, approximately 10 million people.

• Scotland and Wales have extended the franchise to allow all residents with lawful immigration status to vote. 

• 16 local authorities across England have passed motions asking for the right to vote to be extended to all residents in local elections.

• Currently, the different rules on who can vote in which election causes confusion amongst voters.

• Across the UK, potentially as many as 8 million people are not correctly registered at their current address. This matters because it increases the chances that people will think they are registered when they are not and therefore be unable to vote come election day. 

This Council resolves to:

•  Write to the Minister of State at the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the relevant shadow frontbencher requesting that the franchise for local elections be extended to all qualifying foreign nationals in England and Northern Ireland in line with eligibility criteria in Scotland and Wales.

•  Write to the relevant Ministers of State and shadow frontbenchers requesting that voting rights for British Citizens living abroad are secured through negotiating voting agreements with countries currently not yet covered by agreements.

•  Deliver training to councillors on the changes brought by the Elections Act so that all residents can be accurately informed about their voting rights.

•  Work collaboratively with voluntary sector organisations in our local authority to reach residents about voter eligibility rules and how to vote.

•  Continue promoting voter registration and photo ID requirements to residents at citizenship ceremonies, events, and other communication channels. 

It is recommended that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.     

• Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

• Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

• Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).