To consider the notices of motions set out below:
12.1
Healthy Homes and Places
To be moved by: Councillor Matt Edwards
Seconded by: Councillor Martin Love
This Council notes:
· The powerful evidence which demonstrates the link between people’s homes and their health, wellbeing and life chances.
· That the COVID-19 emergency has reinforced the need for healthy environments which provide space for recreation, children’s play and walkable streets.
· That well-designed homes that meet all our resident’ needs over their lifetimes can radically reduce costs to NHS and social care budgets.
· That people have a basic right to live in environments free from unacceptable levels of air and noise pollution.
· That homes must be affordable to heat.
· This is a climate emergency. Houses in the UK account for 30 per cent of the UK's total energy use, 27 per cent of UK carbon dioxide emissions and around 24 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore more important than ever that new houses are built to zero carbon standards.
· That current government policy to deregulate planning is creating thousands of substandard homes through conversion of existing buildings into homes without planning permission.
This council also notes that these are the Healthy Homes Principles, as promoted by the Town and Country Planning Association:
· all new homes must be safe in relation to the risk of fire;
· all new homes must have, as a minimum, the liveable space required to meet the needs of people over their whole lifetimes, including adequate internal and external storage space;
· all main living areas and bedrooms of a new dwelling must have access to natural light;
· all new homes and their surroundings must be designed to be inclusive, accessible, and adaptable to suit the needs of all;
· all new homes should be built within places that prioritise and provide access to sustainable transport and walkable services, including green infrastructure and play space;
· all new homes must secure radical reductions in carbon emissions in line with the provisions of the Climate Change Act 2008;
· all new homes must demonstrate how they will be resilient to a changing climate over their full lifetime;
· all new homes must be built to design out crime and be secure;
· all new homes must be free from unacceptable and intrusive noise and light pollution;
· all new homes must not contribute to unsafe or illegal levels of indoor or ambient air pollution and must be built to minimise, and where possible eliminate, the harmful impacts of air pollution on human health and the environment, and;
· all new homes must be designed to provide year-round thermal comfort for inhabitants.
This Council resolves to:
· Strive to ensure that the principles of Healthy Homes and Places are met, in order to create the highest quality places for residents which will be a fitting legacy for future generations;
· Review related policies, processes and procedures as part of current Local Plan review, and develop and adopt new policies, to ensure that all new development is in line with the Healthy Homes and Places Principles;
· Make the Healthy Homes and Places principles an integral part of Council decision making on housing and planning; and
· Ensure the next review of the corporate plan includes healthy homes and places as a priority.
12.2
Children’s Services
To be moved by: Councillor Brendan Stubbs
Seconded by: Councillor Jeanette Sunderland
This council notes that the report of the Children’s Commissioner into Bradford’s Children’s Services has been delivered to the Secretary of State.
12.3
Elections Bill
To be moved by: Councillor Geoff Reid
Seconded by: Councillor Alun Griffiths
This Council notes that the government’s Electoral Integrity Bill proposes to bring in photo-ID checks at polling stations and reduce the independence of the Electoral Commission. We believe that both these changes would be particularly harmful to Bradford. As the United Kingdom’s youngest city, Bradford would be affected more than most local authorities by a law discriminating in favour of bus pass holders and those who have a driving licence, passport or equivalent forms of identification.
The Bill claims to be a response to electoral fraud but, whenever there has been suspicion of fraud in Bradford, West Yorkshire Police, like their colleagues in many other areas, have been reluctant to follow up allegations, preferring to leave such matters to the Electoral Commission. The maintenance of a properly funded, independent Electoral Commission with power to prosecute is in Bradford’s interest as a large local authority, whereas making the Commission subservient to a House of Commons committee controlled by the party of government would seriously undermine the Commission’s credibility and capacity to regulate elections.
The Council notes the report published in December by the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee which urged the government to pause the passage of the Bill with a view to making it more fit for purpose.
The Council commends the work of Bradford’s Electoral Services Department in its efforts to expand the electoral register by pro-active contact with hard to reach groups who would be most likely to be discouraged from voting should the Bill become law.
The Council requests the Leader of the Council to write to the District’s MPs expressing these concerns and to members of the House of Lords resident in Bradford, urging them to resist the Bill if it should be remitted to peers for approval.
12.4
Resident Parking Permit Reform
To be moved by: Councillor Peter Clarke
Seconded by: Councillor Rebecca Whitaker
The Council notes:
· That the current system of Resident Parking Permits is in parts not fit for purpose and has caused some residents significant anxiety, stress and concern.
· The current system is cumbersome in certain situations and doesn’t provide simplicity for the individual needs of some residents.
· Under the current system contractors or health care visitors, etc. are needlessly inconvenienced.
The Council resolves:
· To increase support for those applying for permits, who do not have ready access to the internet, those who are infirm or who have a disability, including offering easy access to paper Parking Permits for residents and visitors.
· To review the application system to make it easier for residents to apply and to simplify provision for contractors, health-carers and other visitors.
12.5
Home – school transport
To be moved by: Councillor Kyle Green
Seconded by: Councillor Rebecca Poulsen
Council notes:
· That there have been significant failings over a protracted period, in the Children’s Services that it provides.
· Many families rely on home – school transport, with much of it provided via council contracts with taxi, private hire or Hackney Carriage companies.
· Several of these contracts have been cancelled recently at short notice.
Council resolves:
· To request that appropriate officers, undertake an urgent review focussing on adherence with council safeguarding policies, by the providers of home – school transport and the measures taken by the Council to monitor this and provide a comprehensive report for the Executive. To also examine whether changes to the Personal Transport Assistance Budget impacted on parental choice in relation to home – school provision.
· To provide parents and guardians with a dedicated point of contact for raising any safeguarding concerns that they may have in relation to home – school transport.
12.6
Children’s Services – Our Number One Priority
To be moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Seconded by: Councillor Sue Duffy
The murder of Star Hobson and the suffering inflicted on her was shocking and deeply upsetting. The Council, the Police and Health partners have all come together to say how sorry we are for her death and have agreed that we let down Star and the people who loved her. The Bradford Partnership (all agencies in the district involved in the protection of children) has commissioned an independent Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review which is due to be published soon. It is essential that all agencies, including the council, immediately implement any improvements set out in the review so that children are kept safe now and into the future.
The Council therefore resolves to:
· Commit to immediately implementing all recommendations from the Safeguarding Practice Review once published.
· Be resolute in our determination to accelerate improvements to services for our children and to ensure that every child and young person in the Bradford district receives the excellent care and support they need and deserve.
· Work with Government, the Commissioner and the Government Chair of the Improvement Partnership to ensure that improvements are made quickly in Children’s Services.
· Fully support the Director of Children’s Services with the speedy implementation of the new Improvement Plan for Children’s Services which, when achieved, will mean that:
1. Children and Young People will recognise the Council and its partners as good corporate parents
2. Caseloads across all teams continue to reduce
3. Retention and progression opportunities for foster carers will reduce the use of Independent Fostering Agencies
4. An effective Edge of Care Strategy results in fewer Children in Care
5. The workforce plan increases retention and progression
6. Sufficiency Strategy is effective and responsive to changes/needs
7. Leaders have greater understanding of the quality of social work practice.
· Make sure that social workers in the Bradford district are supported to do their best work here.
· Continue to commit the resources required to enable Children’s Services to deal effectively with the growing demographic and cost pressures.
· Work closely with our partners to improve our practices, data sharing and communication to ensure effective, efficient and compliant processes are in place.
· Ensure that all assessments are centred on the risks to the child or young person notwithstanding the protected characteristics of the adults involved, recognising that child abuse can happen in every part of society.
· Enable and encourage professional curiosity in our staff at all times.
12.7
Bradford – Britain’s Biggest Levelling Up Opportunity
To be moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Seconded by: Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw
Council notes:
Bradford is Britain’s biggest levelling up opportunity. We are a young, entrepreneurial and globally connected district, ripe with potential for exponential growth – subject to the right level of national investment to match our ambition. For the country to truly level up, it depends on Bradford levelling up.
We have a high quality, deliverable plan. At the heart of that plan is a new city centre through station on Northern Powerhouse Rail within the Southern Gateway – a vision for Britain’s largest clean growth development zone with over 1 million sq ft of work space.
A new Bradford city centre rail station has the potential to deliver 27,000 jobs and £30bn in economic benefits to the district over the next decade, whilst bringing 6.7 million people and an area of over £167bn of annual economic output to within a 35-minute journey of central Bradford.
The Prime Minister and his government have repeatedly promised to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, in line with our vision. The Government’s Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) downgraded the PM’s original ambition to line upgrades.
Bradford cannot take ‘no’ for an answer. We will hold government to account to deliver on its promises to the people and businesses of our district.
Our Mayor, Tracy Brabin, as well as other Mayors and Leaders from across the Country and across the political divide have spoken up for Bradford and agree with us that we should be a stop on NPR.
Council resolves to:
Continue the delivery of our ambitious vision for the district’s transformational growth, which includes plans for a city centre stop on Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Proceed with the Bradford Development Framework as well as the sister development frameworks for our four principal towns, Keighley, Ilkley, Shipley and Bingley. This will create a framework for unlocking the development, clean growth and decarbonisation opportunities across the district.
Continue delivery of our district’s ambitious regeneration schemes and our plans for greater economic development as part of our vision to become Britain’s leading clean growth city, which would be accelerated by the new city centre station.
Council calls on government to:
Hear the voice of the North – its people, businesses and leaders across the political spectrum – and urgently reconsider the Integrated Rail Plan.
Deliver on its promise to build the new line for Northern Powerhouse Rail – including a new Bradford city centre through-station to accelerate the massive regeneration benefits the district needs
Work with us in Bradford and regionally to achieve our objectives of levelling up and ensure that the people of our district can have the same great opportunities to fulfil their potential as anyone else in the country.
12.8
Gambling
To be moved by: Councillor Sarah Ferriby
Seconded by: Councillor David Green
The Council notes that over the past 18 months Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee has looked into the issue of gambling-related harm as part of an informal review process.
Whilst we note that much of the gambling industry is regulated at a national level we also note that there is more that we can do to address the issue of gambling-related harm at a regional and local level. We therefore make recommendations to the Government via our MPs regarding national policy as well as making recommendations for action at a local level. Whilst the date of the formal national call for evidence in the gambling review has expired we feel that it is important that our district’s MPs are aware of the views of the Council.
We therefore ask the Executive to instruct the Chief Executive to write to the District MPs and relevant Minister requesting that consideration be given to the following recommendations as part of the ongoing review of national regulations:
i. The Government should publish a White Paper setting out its next steps by the end of the year.
ii. Gambling should be considered a public health issue. Current approaches targeting affected individuals substantially underestimate the harms of gambling. Public health approaches to reduce harms related to gambling should encompass a range of population based approaches supported by regulation, legislation and funding.
iii. Consider a mandatory levy to fund prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm and independent research into the issue. Funding must be spent independently of the companies and exclusively focused on reducing gambling related harm.
iv. The Government amend the definition of gaming in section 6 of the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate loot boxes as gambling.
v. To end all gambling advertising, sponsorship and promotion including bonus inducements and VIP schemes; and any exposure of gambling products likely to be viewed by children.
vi. All new gambling products to be licensed and classified according to a series of harm indicators.
vii. Introduce limits/caps for online betting, and measures to reduce stakes and speed of play.
viii. To consider a national membership scheme for those wishing to gamble in person or online.
ix. Simplify and improve self-exclusion schemes and measures from gambling premises and online sites, enforcing industry adherence and protecting gamblers from harm
Locally the committee asks that the council and its partners:
a. Carries out further work to establish the nature and level of gambling at elevated risk in the district, and use its links across Yorkshire and the Humber to develop data and insights on gambling-related harm.
b. Works across Yorkshire and the Humber to produce training and information materials for frontline services to improve the identification of gambling-related harm for those who come into contact with agencies such as social services, mental health and the police.
c. Uses local mechanisms to communicate the reality of gambling activity and related harms (including lived experience), and amplifies regional messaging to raise awareness, reduce stigma and encourage early help-seeking for those directly affected by gambling and affected others.
d. Establish an officer group on reducing gambling-related harms aligned with the Directors of Public Health, Yorkshire and the Humber and the NHS Gambling Addiction Centre in Leeds.
e. Promote the educational tools that are available to schools and other organisations to engage and raise awareness of gambling-related harm with young people, and use these as a basis for developing programmes that meet the needs of our community and add to local insight.
f. Work with community groups and workplaces to address gambling-related harms, particularly with at-risk groups.
g. Collaborate to develop a public health approach to gambling-related harm across Yorkshire and the Humber, to support local plans self-exclusion, planning, licensing and education.
Minutes:
Resolved – That the following notices of motion (with amendments) be approved:
12.1 – Healthy Homes and Places
Moved by: Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw
Seconded by: Councillor Sarah Ferriby
That with the addition of the following words the motion be amended to read as follows:
This Council notes:
· The powerful evidence which demonstrates the link between people’s homes and their health, wellbeing and life chances.
· That the COVID-19 emergency has reinforced the need for healthy environments which provide space for recreation, children’s play and walkable streets, reflected in this Council’s budget investment of £250,000 in repairing and maintaining our footpaths and rights of way, investing the £1.5m Towns Fund Accelerator Funding in our parks and green spaces, £4m renaturalisation of Bradford Beck project and the integration of blue/green infrastructure in wider transport and landscape schemes such as Transforming Cities and Shipley Streets for People.
· The Healthy Homes Principles, as promoted by the Town and Country Planning Association, cover a wide range of areas including safety and fire risk, quality living space standards, access to natural light, accessibility and adaptability, sustainable transport infrastructure, energy efficiency and climate adaptability, noise, light and air pollution and anti-crime design.
· That current government policy to deregulate planning is creating thousands of substandard homes through conversion of existing buildings into homes without planning permission.
This Council also notes:
· The work undertaken by our Housing team, working with Public Health and Planning colleagues in producing the Housing Strategy (2020-30), which addresses poor quality housing stock, the health impacts from poor quality housing and space standards in new housing.
· The ongoing achievements of our Housing Standards team, working with Public Health, Planning and Building Control as well as partners such as the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, to improve the standards of our existing housing stock.
· The Homes and Neighbourhoods Design Guide, produced by Planning working with a wide range of partners and stakeholders including Public Health, Housing, Born in Bradford and Bradford Civic Society, which promotes the creation of sustainable and healthy communities with high design and quality standards.
· The emerging Local Plan includes a new Strategic Policy, ‘Creating Healthy Places’, developed with colleagues in Public Health as well as a wide range of policies on climate change, green spaces, housing standards, space and accessibility standards as outlined in the Healthy Homes and Places principles.
· The need for Councillors to engage with the Local Plan on more than just housing numbers, to understand the wide range of policy areas it covers including those mentioned in this motion.
This Council resolves to:
· Review the Healthy Homes and Places principles against the existing policies already proposed in the emerging Local Plan for these areas to ensure they align wherever possible.
· Approve the creation of a cross-party Local Plan Reference Group to allow more in-depth discussion of the Local Plan development process beyond the simplistic debate about housing numbers.
12.2 – Children’s Services
Moved by: Councillor Brendan Stubbs
Seconded by: Councillor Jeanette Sunderland
This council notes that the report of the Children’s Commissioner into
Bradford’s Children’s Services has been delivered to the Secretary of
State.
12.3 – Elections Bill
Moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Seconded by: Councillor Abdul Jabar
That with the addition of the following words the motion be amended to read as follows:
This Council notes that the Elections Bill has passed its third reading in the House of Commons and will now move forward to the Lords. The Bill proposes the introduction of mandatory voter ID, gives government ministers new powers over the independent Electoral Commission and introduces first-past-the-post voting for elected mayors. The government’s calculations suggest the scheme will cost the taxpayer up to an additional £180 million per decade to put in place.
Council notes with concern the fears expressed by voters’ rights groups that the Bill as drafted will disproportionately exclude poorer and marginalised people from being able to vote. The government’s own commissioned research found that those with severely limiting disabilities, the unemployed, people without qualifications and those who had never voted before were all less likely to hold any form of photo ID. Similar research in the US has found that the wealthier you are, the more likely you have ID.
Council believes we should be seeking to increase, not hinder, democratic engagement while maintaining robust, free and fair elections. The maintenance of a properly funded, independent Electoral Commission with power to prosecute is in Bradford’s interest as a large local authority, whereas making the Commission subservient to a House of Commons committee controlled by the party of government would seriously undermine the Commission’s credibility and capacity to regulate elections.
Council notes the report published in December by the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee which urged the government to pause the passage of the Bill with a view to making it more fit for purpose.
The Council commends the work of Bradford’s Electoral Services Department in its efforts to expand the electoral register by proactive contact with hard to reach groups who would be most likely to be discouraged from voting should the Bill become law.
The Council congratulates the police for all the good work they have done in ensuring free and fair elections in Bradford in previous years and continue our good working partnership with them, ensuring all citizens in the district feel confident to vote according to their will.
The Council requests Group Leaders write to the District’s MPs expressing these concerns and to members of the House of Lords resident in the Bradford district, urging them to resist the Bill if it should be remitted to peers for approval.
12.4 – Resident Parking Permit Reform
Moved by: Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw
Seconded by: Councillor Abdul Jabar
That with the addition of the following words the motion be amended to read as follows:
The Council notes:
· Virtual permits are increasingly common in Local Authorities across the country and the vast majority of Local Authorities have online application systems.
· The virtual permit system for Bradford Council has been in place for 18 months and the online application process for nearly five years with over 95% of applicants submitting applications and managing their permits online.
· Virtual permits have a number of benefits for the resident including the fact they cannot be lost or stolen and cannot fall off the windscreen resulting in a Penalty Charge Notice that has to be appealed. They are also simpler to enforce so when residents request enforcement activity it is easier and quicker to do.
· There is a full process in place for Health Care Visitors and Contractors and many such workers already have permits. These have been in place for some time and predate the move to virtual permits.
· Digitally restricted residents are supported through the process and can manage their permit via the telephone. To make the process as simple as possible they are allowed ten active visitor registration numbers to be listed, though only one may be at the property at any time as per the wider visitor policy, which is common in many other Local Authorities.
· Residents who have questions or who are concerned about the permit process are encouraged to contact Parking Services direct on 01274 434300 and select ‘Option 4’ to speak to an operator, who will assist them.
The Council resolves:
· Review the literature issued to residents when a permit scheme is being consulted on and implemented to ensure commonly asked questions are addressed in plain English.
· Review the Parking Services website to ensure the information provided on the different types of permit available is clearly laid out with FAQs and Step by Step guides to aid residents and different users in applying for the relevant permit.
12.5 – Home – School Transport
Moved by: Councillor Imran Khan
Seconded by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Council notes:
· Safeguarding is always our number one priority.
· The Passenger Transport Service (PTS) comprises two discrete service delivery areas: the contracted service and the core fleet service. The contracted service uses 53 approved operators and it commissions 437 home to school contracts transporting approximately 1,200 children with special educational needs and/or physical disabilities every day of the school year. It also commissions 410 social care contracts every day. It is responsible for delivering approximately 475,000 journeys per year, every year.
· The Service supports the mobilisation of the district’s most vulnerable and those with the most complex special educational needs and disabilities.
· All staff employed by the service are subject to DBS checks and pre-recruitment checks in line with the statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education 2021’.
· Enhanced checks are carried out including spot checks, driver checklist checks, Covid-19 compliance checks, operator base checks and outbound customer service calls are made to 30 families at random every month.
· Immediate and robust action is taken in response to any risk or potential risk that is identified.
Council resolves:
· The Strategic Transport Manager to produce a briefing paper for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee setting out how safeguarding is monitored and managed within home-school contracts.
· The Strategic Transport Manager to produce a paper for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the impact of the changes to the Personal Transport Assistance Budget.
· The PTS to carry out an annual survey as a useful means of gaining more parental views and engagement on the provision of Home to School Transport.
12.6 – Children’s Services – Our Number One Priority
Moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Seconded by: Councillor Sue Duffy
The murder of Star Hobson and the suffering inflicted on her was shocking and deeply upsetting. The Council, the Police and Health partners have all come together to say how sorry we are for her death and have agreed that we let down Star and the people who loved her.
The Bradford Partnership (all agencies in the district involved in the protection of children) has commissioned an independent Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review which is due to be published soon. It is essential that all agencies, including the council, immediately implement any improvements set out in the review so that children are kept safe now and into the future.
The Council therefore resolves to:
· Commit to immediately implementing all recommendations from the Safeguarding Practice Review once published.
· Be resolute in our determination to accelerate improvements to services for our children and to ensure that every child and young person in the Bradford district receives the excellent care and support they need and deserve.
· Work with Government, the Commissioner and the Government Chair of the Improvement Partnership to ensure that improvements are made quickly in Children’s Services.
· Fully support the Director of Children’s Services with the speedy implementation of the new Improvement Plan for Children’s Services which, when achieved, will mean that:
1. Children and Young People will recognise the Council and its partners as good corporate parents
2. Caseloads across all teams continue to reduce
3. Retention and progression opportunities for foster carers will reduce the use of Independent Fostering Agencies
4. An effective Edge of Care Strategy results in fewer Children in Care
5. The workforce plan increases retention and progression
6. Sufficiency Strategy is effective and responsive to changes/needs
7. Leaders have greater understanding of the quality of social work practice.
· Make sure that social workers in the Bradford district are supported to do their best work here.
· Continue to commit the resources required to enable Children’s Services to deal effectively with the growing demographic and cost pressures.
· Work closely with our partners to improve our practices, data sharing and communication to ensure effective, efficient and compliant processes are in place.
· Ensure that all assessments are centred on the risks to the child or young person notwithstanding the protected characteristics of the adults involved, recognising that child abuse can happen in every part of society.
· Enable and encourage professional curiosity in our staff at all times.
12.7 – Bradford – Britain’s Biggest Levelling Up Opportunity
Moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Seconded by: Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw
Council notes:
Bradford is Britain’s biggest levelling up opportunity. We are a young,
entrepreneurial and globally connected district, ripe with potential for
exponential growth – subject to the right level of national investment to
match our ambition. For the country to truly level up, it depends on
Bradford levelling up.
We have a high quality, deliverable plan. At the heart of that plan is a
new city centre through station on Northern Powerhouse Rail within the
Southern Gateway – a vision for Britain’s largest clean growth
development zone with over 1 million sq ft of work space.
A new Bradford city centre rail station has the potential to deliver
27,000 jobs and £30bn in economic benefits to the district over the
next decade, whilst bringing 6.7 million people and an area of over
£167bn of annual economic output to within a 35-minute journey of
central Bradford.
The Prime Minister and his government have repeatedly promised to
deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, in line with our vision. The
Government’s Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) downgraded the PM’s original
ambition to line upgrades.
Bradford cannot take ‘no’ for an answer. We will hold government to
account to deliver on its promises to the people and businesses of our
district.
Our Mayor, Tracy Brabin, as well as other Mayors and Leaders from
across the Country and across the political divide have spoken up for
Bradford and agree with us that we should be a stop on NPR.
Council resolves to:
Continue the delivery of our ambitious vision for the district’s
transformational growth, which includes plans for a city centre stop on
Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Proceed with the Bradford Development Framework as well as the
sister development frameworks for our four principal towns, Keighley,
Ilkley, Shipley and Bingley. This will create a framework for unlocking
the development, clean growth and decarbonisation opportunities
across the district.
Continue delivery of our district’s ambitious regeneration schemes and
our plans for greater economic development as part of our vision to
become Britain’s leading clean growth city, which would be accelerated
by the new city centre station.
Council calls on government to:
Hear the voice of the North – its people, businesses and leaders
across the political spectrum – and urgently reconsider the Integrated
Rail Plan.
Deliver on its promise to build the new line for Northern Powerhouse
Rail – including a new Bradford city centre through-station to
accelerate the massive regeneration benefits the district needs
Work with us in Bradford and regionally to achieve our objectives of
levelling up and ensure that the people of our district can have the
same great opportunities to fulfil their potential as anyone else in the
country.
12.8 – Gambling
Moved by: Councillor Sarah Ferriby
Seconded by: Councillor David Green
The Council notes that over the past 18 months Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee has looked into the issue of gambling-related harm as part of an informal review process.
Whilst we note that much of the gambling industry is regulated at a national level we also note that there is more that we can do to address the issue of gambling-related harm at a regional and local level. We therefore make recommendations to the Government via our MPs regarding national policy as well as making recommendations for action at a local level. Whilst the date of the formal national call for evidence in the gambling review has expired we feel that it is important that our district’s MPs are aware of the views of the Council.
We therefore ask the Executive to instruct the Chief Executive to write to the District MPs and relevant Minister requesting that consideration be given to the following recommendations as part of the ongoing review of national regulations:
i. The Government should publish a White Paper setting out its next steps by the end of the year.
ii. Gambling should be considered a public health issue. Current approaches targeting affected individuals substantially underestimate the harms of gambling. Public health approaches to reduce harms related to gambling should encompass a range of population based approaches supported by regulation, legislation and funding.
iii. Consider a mandatory levy to fund prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm and independent research into the issue. Funding must be spent independently of the companies and exclusively focused on reducing gambling related harm.
iv. The Government amend the definition of gaming in section 6 of the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate loot boxes as gambling.
v. To end all gambling advertising, sponsorship and promotion including bonus inducements and VIP schemes; and any exposure of gambling products likely to be viewed by children.
vi. All new gambling products to be licensed and classified according to a series of harm indicators.
vii. Introduce limits/caps for online betting, and measures to reduce stakes and speed of play.
viii. To consider a national membership scheme for those wishing to gamble in person or online.
ix. Simplify and improve self-exclusion schemes and measures from gambling premises and online sites, enforcing industry adherence and protecting gamblers from harm Locally the committee asks that the council and its partners:
a. Carries out further work to establish the nature and level of gambling at elevated risk in the district, and use its links across Yorkshire and the Humber to develop data and insights on gambling-related harm.
b. Works across Yorkshire and the Humber to produce training and information materials for frontline services to improve the identification of gambling-related harm for those who come into contact with agencies such as social services, mental health and the police.
c. Uses local mechanisms to communicate the reality of gambling activity and related harms (including lived experience), and amplifies regional messaging to raise awareness, reduce stigma and encourage early help-seeking for those directly affected by gambling and affected others.
d. Establish an officer group on reducing gambling-related harms aligned with the Directors of Public Health, Yorkshire and the Humber and the NHS Gambling Addiction Centre in Leeds.
e. Promote the educational tools that are available to schools and other organisations to engage and raise awareness of gambling-related harm with young people, and use these as a basis for developing programmes that meet the needs of our community and add to local insight.
f. Work with community groups and workplaces to address gambling-related harms, particularly with at-risk groups.
g. Collaborate to develop a public health approach to gambling-related harm across Yorkshire and the Humber, to support local plans self-exclusion, planning, licensing and education.
Action: City Solicitor
