Agenda item

A. Notice of Motion standing in the names of County Borough Councillors M Powell, L Walker, W Owen, K Jones, W Jones and P Howe:

"This Council recognises:

• that persistent littering has a detrimental effect on communities within Rhondda Cynon Taff.  It makes the area unattractive for visitors and does not serve to instil any sense of pride in residents.

• the need to educate people in order to change their habits if we are to be successful in cleaning up our local environment and in order to do so we need a campaign slogan which will capture people’s attention.

This Council notes:

• the success of campaigns such as the ‘Check Your Balls’ campaign to promote awareness of testicular cancer.

• the campaigns in other areas such as Swansea 

https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/59211/Dont-be-a-tosser-this-Bank-Holiday-weekend

• that there have been numerous anti-litter campaigns set up across the UK which include the ‘Don’t be a Tosser ‘ tag line since the idea was proposed to and turned down by this Council in 2009.

• that times have changed a great deal in the past 12 years and sayings that some may have found unacceptable then would not be considered in the same way now.

This Council therefore resolves:

• to ask the Cabinet and relevant officers to give full consideration to introducing a ‘Don’t Be a Tosser’ campaign as part of its anti-littering stance."

B. Notice of Motion standing in the names of County Borough Councillors: G. Caple, R. Williams, L. M. Adams, D. R. Bevan, H. Boggis, J. Bonetto, S. Bradwick, J. Brencher, A. Calvert, A. Crimmings, A. Davies-Jones, L. De- Vet, J. Elliott, S. Evans, G. Jones, M. Fidler Jones, M. Forey, A. Fox, E. George, M. Griffiths, J. Harries, G. Holmes, G. Hopkins, R. Lewis, W. Lewis, C. Leyshon, A. Morgan, S. Morgans, M. A. Norris, D. Owen-Jones, S. Pickering, S. Powell, S. Rees, A. Roberts, J. Rosser, G. Stacey, M. Tegg, G. Thomas, W. Treeby, R. K. Turner, M. Webber, D. Williams, T. Williams and  R. Yeo

On April 29^th 2021, the Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee published its report on the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, which examined the historical injustice of mineworkers being deprived of their rightful pension entitlements.

As Members may recall, this Council supported a Notice of Motion supporting the UK Miners Pension Association Justice and Fair Play Campaign in 2017 and called for a renegotiation of the 50:50 sharing arrangement of any surplus between the former mineworkers and the U.K. Government.  Despite calling for a Parliamentary Debate, the issue was made subject of a Select Committee inquiry.

Now, the recently published BEIS report found that this surplus award arrangement should be reviewed and replaced with a fairer system which sees the recipients of the pension given a “more realistic percentage of any surplus.”

Indeed, the report acknowledges a number of significant issues with the outcome of the 1994 negotiations, including the failure of the Government to carry out due diligence and the absence of actuarial advice.  This has resulted in the Westminster Government receiving over £4bn from the arrangement with a further £1.9bn expected to follow.  This substantial profit has come without the U.K. Government paying a single penny in to the scheme.

The search for a revised arrangement should be pursued urgently, and this Council supports the recommended model proposed in the BEIS report which includes the following details:

• The U.K. Government would only be entitled to a share of surpluses if the Scheme falls into deficit and the Government has to provide funds.  This would then be an entitlement to 50% of future surpluses up to the total value of the provided funds to bridge any shortfall.
• The Westminster Government should also relinquish its entitlement to the Investment Reserve and transfer the £1.2bn fund to former miners in order to provide an immediate cash uplift.

This Council therefore resolves for the Leader of the Council to write to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to convey this Council’s support for the recommendations of the BEIS report and to urge the Westminster Government to replace the unjust arrangement with a fair settlement that is based on actuarial advice and places the best interests of pension recipients at its heart.

The following Notice of Motion standing in the names of County Borough Councillors M Powell, L Walker, W Owen, K Jones, W Jones and P Howe was received:

"This Council recognises:

• that persistent littering has a detrimental effect on communities within Rhondda Cynon Taff.  It makes the area unattractive for visitors and does not serve to instil any sense of pride in residents.

• the need to educate people in order to change their habits if we are to be successful in cleaning up our local environment and in order to do so we need a campaign slogan which will capture people’s attention.

This Council notes:

• the success of campaigns such as the ‘Check Your Balls’ campaign to promote awareness of testicular cancer.

• the campaigns in other areas such as Swansea 

https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/59211/Dont-be-a-tosser-this-Bank-Holiday-weekend

• that there have been numerous anti-litter campaigns set up across the UK which include the ‘Don’t be a Tosser ‘ tag line since the idea was proposed to and turned down by this Council in 2009.

• that times have changed a great deal in the past 12 years and sayings that some may have found unacceptable then would not be considered in the same way now.

This Council therefore resolves:

• to ask the Cabinet and relevant officers to give full consideration to introducing a ‘Don’t Be a Tosser’ campaign as part of its anti-littering stance."

Following consideration, it was RESOLVED not to adopt the Notice of Motion. 

(Note: County Borough Councillors P Jarman and W Lewis wished to have it recorded that they voted not to adopt the Notice of Motion).

Members RESOLVED – that in view of the Seconder of the Notice of Motion, County Borough Councillor R Williams having declared a personal and prejudicial interest and taking no part in the meeting that Council Procedure Rule 10.6 be suspended in order that the under-mentioned Notice of Motion could be considered.

The following Notice of Motion standing in the names of County Borough Councillors: G. Caple, R. Williams, L. M. Adams, D. R. Bevan, H. Boggis, J. Bonetto, S. Bradwick, J. Brencher, A. Calvert, A. Crimmings, A. Davies-Jones, L. De- Vet, J. Edwards, J. Elliott, S. Evans, G. Jones, M. Fidler Jones, M. Forey, A. Fox, E. George, M. Griffiths, J. Harries, G. Holmes, G. Hopkins, R. Lewis, W. Lewis, C. Leyshon, A. Morgan, S. Morgans, M. A. Norris, D. Owen-Jones, S. Pickering, S. Powell, S. Rees, A. Roberts, J. Rosser, G. Stacey, M. Tegg, G. Thomas, W. Treeby, R. K. Turner, M. Webber, D. Williams, T. Williams and R. Yeo was received:

On April 29^th, 2021, the Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee published its report on the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, which examined the historical injustice of mineworkers being deprived of their rightful pension entitlements.

As Members may recall, this Council supported a Notice of Motion supporting the UK Miners Pension Association Justice and Fair Play Campaign in 2017 and called for a renegotiation of the 50:50 sharing arrangement of any surplus between the former mineworkers and the U.K. Government.  Despite calling for a Parliamentary Debate, the issue was made subject of a Select Committee inquiry.

Now, the recently published BEIS report found that this surplus award arrangement should be reviewed and replaced with a fairer system which sees the recipients of the pension given a “more realistic percentage of any surplus.”

Indeed, the report acknowledges a number of significant issues with the outcome of the 1994 negotiations, including the failure of the Government to carry out due diligence and the absence of actuarial advice.  This has resulted in the Westminster Government receiving over £4bn from the arrangement with a further £1.9bn expected to follow.  This substantial profit has come without the U.K. Government paying a single penny in to the scheme.

The search for a revised arrangement should be pursued urgently, and this Council supports the recommended model proposed in the BEIS report which includes the following details:

• The U.K. Government would only be entitled to a share of surpluses if the Scheme falls into deficit and the Government has to provide funds.  This would then be an entitlement to 50% of future surpluses up to the total value of the provided funds to bridge any shortfall.
• The Westminster Government should also relinquish its entitlement to the Investment Reserve and transfer the £1.2bn fund to former miners in order to provide an immediate cash uplift.

This Council therefore resolves for the Leader of the Council to write to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to convey this Council’s support for the recommendations of the BEIS report and to urge the Westminster Government to replace the unjust arrangement with a fair settlement that is based on actuarial advice and places the best interests of pension recipients at its heart.

Following consideration, it was RESOLVED to adopt the Notice of Motion.

(Note: The following members of the Labour Group wished to have their names recorded as voting in favour of the Notice of Motion:

The following Members of the Plaid Cymru Group wished to have their names recorded as voting in favour of the Notice of Motion:

The following Members of the RCT Independent Group wished to have their names recorded as voting in favour of the Notice of Motion: