Agenda item

Under paragraph 3.22.7 of the Constitution, Councillor Goldspink provided the meeting with an altered motion from the one she had submitted on notice. Copies of the altered motion were distributed to the meeting.

Councillor Goldspink proposed the following motion:

“We are all living in the midst of a serious Cost of Living Crisis and Emergency. Council does note the Government’s Decision, taken in June 2022, to impose a Windfall Tax on the super profits of the oil and gas companies and to redistribute this as a one-off payment to many households. Though this Windfall Tax is welcome, and the payments are helpful, not everyone is out of difficulty. Council believes that it does not go nearly far enough, and that the Government should be doing much more to support the people of East Herts through this Cost-of-Living Crisis. East Herts Council therefore acknowledges that we are in a “Cost of Living Emergency”.

Councillors on East Herts Council believe the primary objective of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement tomorrow should be support for the most vulnerable in our communities.

We welcome the support we have received from the Department of Work and Pensions on the Household Support Fund which amounts to £60,000 for food support and £60,000 for energy support. This money administered by the Community Alliance in East Herts went into supporting food banks and fuel poverty. The fuel support funding is in collaboration with housing associations.

We also welcome the £150 rebate in council tax earlier this year and the £326 followed by £324 for those on Universal Credit or indeed, other benefits. The £400 we shall all receive towards our energy costs has already started to take effect with £66 off our bills last month and more to come this winter.

With the proposed rise in National Insurance now cancelled and older people receiving between £500 and £600 in winter fuel allowance, we believe this is a good start to creating more stability in the economy to help fight inflation despite the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

East Herts Council will be working with Hertfordshire County Council’s Cost of Living Taskforce to monitor any problems our residents face in the coming months.

We await the outcome of the Autumn Statement to hear what further support may be provided to our vulnerable residents. In the meantime we will continue to work with our District and County colleagues to provide the very best support we can.

We call upon the government to ensure that measures be taken to alleviate poverty and help those most in need. The Council asks the Leader of the Council to write on behalf of East Herts District Council to lobby the government to take further steps to help those most in need, including the elderly, the disabled, those on low wages and those on benefits.

This Council resolves to consider the measures to be announced in the Autumn Statement and will continue to lobby government through the District Councils Network and the LGA for financial support and will continue to work with all councils and agencies across county to ensure the best possible resources are in place for all our residents.”

Councillor Dumont seconded the motion and reserved his right to speak.

Councillor Snowdon said he was in favour of the motion. He said that those struggling were not necessarily on benefits and with rising heating bills, residents need all the support offered to them. He said a key group that was overlooked was those that were in work but on low wages. He said that there were indications from the government that the minimum wage would be increased.

Councillor Haysey said she welcomed the altered motion, and she was happy to support it. She said it was important for the District Council to show unity and to improve the quality of life for the residents of East Herts. She said she was happy to write the necessary letters and invited the other Group Leaders to join her.

Councillor Redfern said that she was disappointed that the altered motion had been watered down and would have preferred to have seen the restoration of the Universal Credit supplement included. She did not feel there was enough strength to the current motion.

Councillor Wilson said that residents’ mortgages were high and struggling even if they earned a decent salary. He said he would also like to see Universal Credit increased.

Councillor E Buckmaster said that the Council were united and agreed that more could be done. He said that the council should be working across the political spectrum and across the other 10 councillors in Hertfordshire. He referred to the ‘Here for you’ campaign and said a booklet was delivered to all residents. He said the motion should not be too specific and would need to wait and see what the whole package was from the government in the Autumn Statement.

Councillor Kaye said he supported the comments from his colleagues. He said that there was speculation that Universal Credit and benefits would get a full inflation rise which could be more than the twenty pound that was withdrawn.

Councillor Symonds said that she worked closely with the Bishop’s Stortford Food Banks and said the team always work with those collecting food to make sure there are not any underlying issues that could be addressed. She wanted to pay tribute to the benefits department who have been doing an excellent job.

Councillor Dumont said that it was good to hear the Council come together and support the motion. He said the impacts of Brexit and the Mini Budget had contributed to the issue. He hoped that the Government would correct its previous mistakes in the Autumn Statement.

Councillor Goldspink thanked members across the Chamber for their support. She hoped that they could continue to lobby the government to do more to help the most vulnerable in East Herts.

Having been proposed and seconded, the substantive motion was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That:

We are all living in the midst of a serious Cost of Living Crisis and Emergency. Council does note the Government’s Decision, taken in June 2022, to impose a Windfall Tax on the super profits of the oil and gas companies and to redistribute this as a one-off payment to many households. Though this Windfall Tax is welcome, and the payments are helpful, not everyone is out of difficulty. Council believes that it does not go nearly far enough, and that the Government should be doing much more to support the people of East Herts through this Cost-of-Living Crisis. East Herts Council therefore acknowledges that we are in a “Cost of Living Emergency”.

Councillors on East Herts Council believe the primary objective of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement tomorrow should be support for the most vulnerable in our communities.

We welcome the support we have received from the Department of Work and Pensions on the Household Support Fund which amounts to £60,000 for food support and £60,000 for energy support. This money administered by the Community Alliance in East Herts went into supporting food banks and fuel poverty. The fuel support funding is in collaboration with housing associations.

We also welcome the £150 rebate in council tax earlier this year and the £326 followed by £324 for those on Universal Credit or indeed, other benefits. The £400 we shall all receive towards our energy costs has already started to take effect with £66 off our bills last month and more to come this winter.

With the proposed rise in National Insurance now cancelled and older people receiving between £500 and £600 in winter fuel allowance, we believe this is a good start to creating more stability in the economy to help fight inflation despite the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

East Herts Council will be working with Hertfordshire County Council’s Cost of Living Taskforce to monitor any problems our residents face in the coming months.

We await the outcome of the Autumn Statement to hear what further support may be provided to our vulnerable residents. In the meantime we will continue to work with our District and County colleagues to provide the very best support we can.
 

We call upon the government to ensure that measures be taken to alleviate poverty and help those most in need. The Council asks the Leader of the Council to write on behalf of East Herts District Council to lobby the government to take further steps to help those most in need, including the elderly, the disabled, those on low wages and those on benefits.

This Council resolves to consider the measures to be announced in the Autumn Statement and will continue to lobby government through the District Councils Network and the LGA for financial support and will continue to work with all councils and agencies across county to ensure the best possible resources are in place for all our residents.