Agenda item

Notice of Motion

17A To consider the under-mentioned Notice of Motion standing in the names of County Borough Councillors: W. Lewis, S. Evans, L. M. Adams, J. Barton, D. R. Bevan, H. Boggis, J. Bonetto, S. Bradwick, J. Brencher, A. Calvert, G. Caple, A. Crimmings, L. De- Vet, J. Edwards, J. Elliott, A. Fox, M Griffiths, G. Jones, M. Fidler Jones, M. Forey, E. George, J. Harries, G. Holmes, G. Hopkins, W. Lewis, R. 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, G. Thomas, W. Treeby, R. K. Turner, M. Webber, D. Williams, R. Williams, T. Williams R. Yeo:

 

This Council notes that when the UK Government negotiated its exit from the European Union, a commitment was given to matching the level of funding provided to local areas from the European Union and accepted the assurances by UK Ministers, that Wales would not lose “a single penny” of EU funding as a result of this process. 

A recent cross-party Commons’ Treasury Committee found in a report on October’s Autumn Budget and Spending Review, that the Shared Prosperity Fund will be worth 40% less a year than the EU funding schemes it will replace.  The report also expressed its surprise that the “size of the Fund is being reduced to such an extent”.

In context, the EU Structural Fund programme was worth £2.5bn a year and Wales received a disproportionate share of this funding at around £400m a year, or four times the UK average on a per-person basis. In November, the Welsh Government highlighted that the £46m Wales would receive through the Community Renewal Fund – the ‘precursor’ to the Shared Prosperity Fund - fell short of that promised amount of funding and that anything less than £375m in new funding per year from the UK Government would be a failure to honour that commitment.

Furthermore, the inordinate delay in getting the UKSPF programme up and running has left vulnerable individuals at risk of long-term unemployment at risk because of the cuts and delays.

This Council therefore:

  • Recognises the vital contributions that EU Structural Funding delivered to the West Wales and the Valleys region in particular.

 

  • Calls on the U.K. Government to make good on its promise to replace European Union funding in full.

And resolves to:

 

 

 

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17B To consider the under-mentioned Notice of Motion standing in the names of County Borough Councillors: R. Williams,  A. Fox, L. M. Adams, J. Barton, D. R. Bevan, H. Boggis, J. Bonetto, S. Bradwick, J. Brencher, A. Calvert, G. Caple, A. Crimmings, A. Davies-Jones, L. De- Vet, J. Edwards, J. Elliott, S. Evans, M Griffiths, G. Jones, M. Fidler Jones, M. Forey, E. George, J. Harries, G. Holmes, G. Hopkins, W. Lewis, R. 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, G. Thomas, W. Treeby, R. K. Turner, M. Webber, D. Williams, T. Williams, R. Yeo:

Losing a loved one can be one of the most traumatic and emotionally stressful experiences for an individual, in addition to the potential added burden of having to deal with their affairs.

The last two years in particular have brought unprecedented further challenges to families and friends who have lost loved ones, with public health restrictions being placed on funerals and family gatherings at various times as the country tackled the coronavirus pandemic.

For families and friends of those who have passed away whilst living in rented accommodation, the challenges can, sadly, be even greater, with some housing associations only allowing one week for the deceased’s possessions to be cleared from the property.

It is, however, within the discretionary powers of housing associations to extend this timeframe, and this would undoubtedly reduce the stress and upset for the family or friends of the deceased tenant.

This Council therefore resolves to:

  • Request that the Leader of the Council writes to local Housing Associations in Rhondda Cynon Taf to ask them to consider using their discretionary powers to give families additional time of, at least 2 weeks following the funeral of their relatives, to clear belongings from a premises where an occupant has recently passed away.

 

 

Minutes:

17A To consider the under-mentioned Notice of Motion standing in the names of County Borough Councillors: W. Lewis, S. Evans, L. M. Adams, J. Barton, D. R. Bevan, H. Boggis, J. Bonetto, S. Bradwick, J. Brencher, A. Calvert, G. Caple, A. Crimmings, L. De- Vet, J. Edwards, J. Elliott, A. Fox, M Griffiths, G. Jones, M. Fidler Jones, M. Forey, E. George, J. Harries, G. Holmes, G. Hopkins, W. Lewis, R. 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, G. Thomas, W. Treeby, R. K. Turner, M. Webber, D. Williams, R. Williams, T. Williams R. Yeo:

 

This Council notes that when the UK Government negotiated its exit from the European Union, a commitment was given to matching the level of funding provided to local areas from the European Union and accepted the assurances by UK Ministers, that Wales would not lose “a single penny” of EU funding as a result of this process. 

A recent cross-party Commons’ Treasury Committee found in a report on October’s Autumn Budget and Spending Review, that the Shared Prosperity Fund will be worth 40% less a year than the EU funding schemes it will replace.  The report also expressed its surprise that the “size of the Fund is being reduced to such an extent”.

In context, the EU Structural Fund programme was worth £2.5bn a year and Wales received a disproportionate share of this funding at around £400m a year, or four times the UK average on a per-person basis. In November, the Welsh Government highlighted that the £46m Wales would receive through the Community Renewal Fund – the ‘precursor’ to the Shared Prosperity Fund - fell short of that promised amount of funding and that anything less than £375m in new funding per year from the UK Government would be a failure to honour that commitment.

Furthermore, the inordinate delay in getting the UKSPF programme up and running has left vulnerable individuals at risk of long-term unemployment at risk because of the cuts and delays.

This Council therefore:

  • Recognises the vital contributions that EU Structural Funding delivered to the West Wales and the Valleys region in particular.

 

  • Calls on the U.K. Government to make good on its promise to replace European Union funding in full.

And resolves to:

 

 

At the meeting the Chair announced that in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.4.1 the following amendment to the Notice of Motion had been received from County Borough Councillors P. Jarman, A. Cox, J. Williams, H. Fychan, E, Griffiths, E. Webster, S. Evans, A. Chapman, M. Weaver, S. Rees-Owen, L. Jones, E. Stephens, J. Davies, J. Cullwick, G. Davies, K. Morgan, D. Grehan:

The amended motion read:

 

This Council notes that when the UK Government negotiated its exit from the European Union, a commitment was given to matching the level of funding provided to local areas from the European Union and accepted the assurances by UK Ministers, that Wales would not lose “a single penny” of EU funding as a result of this process. 

A recent cross-party Commons’ Treasury Committee found in a report on October’s Autumn Budget and Spending Review, that the Shared Prosperity Fund will be worth 40% less a year than the EU funding schemes it will replace.  The report also expressed its surprise that the “size of the Fund is being reduced to such an extent”.

In context, the EU Structural Fund programme was worth £2.5bn a year and Wales received a disproportionate share of this funding at around £400m a year, or four times the UK average on a per-person basis. In November, the Welsh Government highlighted that the £46m Wales would receive through the Community Renewal Fund – the ‘precursor’ to the Shared Prosperity Fund - fell short of that promised amount of funding and that anything less than £375m in new funding per year from the UK Government would be a failure to honour that commitment.

Furthermore, the inordinate delay in getting the UKSPF programme up and running has left vulnerable individuals at risk of long-term unemployment at risk because of the cuts and delays.

This Council therefore:

  • Recognises the vital contributions that EU Structural Funding delivered to the West Wales and the Valleys region in particular.

 

  • Calls on the U.K. Government to make good on its promise to replace European Union funding in full.

 

And resolves to:

·         Request that the Leader of the Council writes to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister to convey this Council’s view:

(1) That the disparity in funding under the Shared Prosperity Fund be addressed as a matter of urgency.

 (2) That the UK Government in any event, should repatriate the authority to invest such funds to the democratically elected Welsh Government.

 

  • Request our local Members of the Senedd & Members of Parliament to support this Council’s calls to address this disparity in funding.

 

  • Request that the Council communicates the response of the Prime Minister to this Council representations.

 

Following a discussion on this matter, the vote was taken in respect of the amendment to the Notice of Motion and it was RESOLVED to adopt the amendment, which then became the substantive motion, as set out above, to which Members RESOLVED to adopt.

 

 

 

(Note: The Conservative Group wished to have it recorded as voting against the amended and substantive notice of motion) 

 

 

Supporting documents: