Item 6(i)
Mrs Hazel Watson (Dorking Hills) to move under Standing Order 11 as follows:
‘This Council notes the Government announcements restricting Surrey County Council’s Council Tax increase, without incurring the cost of holding a referendum, to a level which will severely impact on Surrey’s services to the public.
This Council believes in local government as one of the cornerstones of democracy in the UK, championing the needs and ambitions of the people it represents and that decisions made on behalf of a community are best made by those in the community.
This Council notes the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement that local government is the most efficient part of the public sector.
Council further notes the General Power of Competence introduced in the Localism Act 2011 giving local authorities power to do anything that individuals of full legal capacity may do giving authorities the power to take reasonable action they need ‘for the benefit of the authority, its area or persons resident or present in its area'.
This Council supports the Local Government Association in its campaign for independence for local government based on the following principles:
i) Councils should retain in full the proceeds of Council Tax and business rates, subject to retaining mechanisms for fairness and redistribution and that both these taxes should be determined by councils alone without central government interference;
ii) Councils should be granted greater freedoms and flexibilities to drive economic growth;
iii) Councils should be accountable to their electorates and not to ministers of the Crown;
iv) The burden of statutory duties and central compliance regimes should be lifted further; and
This Council therefore resolves to work with Surrey’s Members of Parliament, the LGA and other Councils to campaign for a far greater devolution of powers from central to local government.’
Minutes:
Under Standing Order 12.3, the Council agreed to debate this motion.
Under Standing Order 12.1, Mrs Hazel Watson moved the motion which was:
‘This Council notes the Government announcements restricting Surrey County Council’s Council Tax increase, without incurring the cost of holding a referendum, to a level which will severely impact on Surrey’s services to the public.
This Council believes in local government as one of the cornerstones of democracy in the UK, championing the needs and ambitions of the people it represents and that decisions made on behalf of a community are best made by those in the community.
This Council notes the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement that local government is the most efficient part of the public sector.
Council further notes the General Power of Competence introduced in the Localism Act 2011 giving local authorities power to do anything that individuals of full legal capacity may do giving authorities the power to take reasonable action they need ‘for the benefit of the authority, its area or persons resident or present in its area'.
This Council supports the Local Government Association in its campaign for independence for local government based on the following principles:
i) Councils should retain in full the proceeds of Council Tax and business rates, subject to retaining mechanisms for fairness and redistribution and that both these taxes should be determined by councils alone without central government interference;
ii) Councils should be granted greater freedoms and flexibilities to drive economic growth;
iii) Councils should be accountable to their electorates and not to ministers of the Crown;
iv) The burden of statutory duties and central compliance regimes should be lifted further; and
This Council therefore resolves to work with Surrey’s Members of Parliament, the LGA and other Councils to campaign for a far greater devolution of powers from central to local government.’
The motion was formally seconded by Mr Cooksey.
Mr Martin moved an amendment, which was tabled at the meeting.
The amendment was as follows (with additional words underlined and deletions crossed through:
‘This Council notes the Government announcement on the council tax referendum threshold. This council asserts that it should be for councils and their residents to decide how local services are paid for, not Whitehall. The ballot box on local election-day allows for people to pass judgement on their councils.
This Council
believes in local government as one of the cornerstones of
democracy in the UK, championing the needs and ambitions of the
people it represents and that decisions made on behalf of a
community are best made by those in the community.
This Council notes the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement that local government is the most efficient part of the public sector.
Council further notes the General Power of Competence introduced in the Localism Act 2011 giving local authorities power to do anything that individuals of full legal capacity may do giving authorities the power to take reasonable action they need ‘for the benefit of the authority, its area or persons resident or present in its area'.
This Council
supports the Local Government Association and the County Council
Network (CCN) in its their
campaigns for independence for local government based on the
following principles:
(i) Councils should retain in full the proceeds of Council Tax and business rates, subject to retaining mechanisms for fairness and redistribution and that both these taxes should be determined by councils alone without central government interference;
ii) Councils should be granted greater freedoms and flexibilities to drive economic growth;
iii) Councils should be accountable to their electorates and not to ministers of the Crown;
iv) The burden of statutory duties and central compliance regimes should be lifted further; and
This Council therefore resolves to work with Surrey’s Members of Parliament, the LGA, CCN and other Councils to campaign for a far greater devolution of powers from central to local government.
Both Mrs Watson and Mr Cooksey agreed to accept the amendment to the motion and therefore it became the substantive motion.
Three Members spoke on the substantive motion, with the following points being made:
· The amendment had strengthened the original motion
· Surrey County Council needed more control over its own destiny
· Slight caution was expressed re: (iv) – the burden of statutory duties and central compliance regimes should be lifted further
After the debate, the substantive motion was put to the vote and it was:
RESOLVED:
This Council notes the Government announcement on the council tax referendum threshold. This council asserts that it should be for councils and their residents to decide how local services are paid for, not Whitehall. The ballot box on local election-day allows for people to pass judgement on their councils.
This Council notes the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement that local government is the most efficient part of the public sector.
Council further notes the General Power of Competence introduced in the Localism Act 2011 giving local authorities power to do anything that individuals of full legal capacity may do giving authorities the power to take reasonable action they need ‘for the benefit of the authority, its area or persons resident or present in its area'.
This Council supports the Local Government Association and the County Council Network (CCN) in their campaigns for independence for local government based on the following principles:
(i) Councils should retain in full the proceeds of Council Tax and business rates, subject to retaining mechanisms for fairness and redistribution and that both these taxes should be determined by councils alone without central government interference;
ii) Councils should be granted greater freedoms and flexibilities to drive economic growth;
iii) Councils should be accountable to their electorates and not to ministers of the Crown;
iv) The burden of statutory duties and central compliance regimes should be lifted further; and
This Council therefore resolves to work with Surrey’s Members of Parliament, the LGA, CCN and other Councils to campaign for a far greater devolution of powers from central to local government.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned for lunch at 12.45pm and resumed at 2.00pm with all those present who had been in attendance in the morning session except for Mr Bennison, Mr Brett-Warburton, Mr Goodwin, Mrs Hammond, Mr Hickman, Mrs Hicks,
Mrs Moseley, Mr Norman, Mr Pitt, Mrs Saliagopoulos, Mr Selleck, Mr Skellett, Mr Townsend and Mrs Young.