Minutes:
(i) At item 11(4) on the Summons, the Council received a Motion in the names of Councillors Bill Stephenson and Ben Wealthy in the following terms:
“This Council notes that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review threatens Harrow’s economic recovery.
Many senior economists believe that the scale and speed of cuts in public spending will damage business and lead to job losses.
Experts have also warned that the Coalition Government’s spending plans are regressive, not progressive, and will hit the poorest hardest.
This Council notes:
Ÿ Following the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility downgraded its growth forecast for next year from 2.6% to 2.3% in response to the increased pace of public spending reductions.
Ÿ In their independent assessment of the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said that the measures were ‘more regressive, than progressive’ and made clear that children were the biggest losers, not bankers.
Ÿ The Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, outlines big cuts in Local Government spending of almost 30%. The Local Government Group has been clear that such reductions ‘will lead to cuts at the front line.’
Ÿ Local Government has had some of the biggest cuts in the public sector, and most authorities’ cuts are significantly front-loaded to 2011/12.
Ÿ The Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government have admitted that at least 1 million jobs will be lost - half in the public sector and half in the private sector.
Ÿ Other cuts to funding for new social housing, child tax credits, university teaching budgets and school modernisation programmes will curb aspirations and opportunities for many people in Harrow.
Ÿ The Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s decision to raise VAT to 20% in 2011 will damage Harrow businesses and is unfair, hitting those on low and fixed incomes hardest.
This Council believes that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review will hinder, not help Harrow’s economic recovery. Furthermore, their wider economic policies are deeply unfair and will hit the poorest and most vulnerable in Harrow hardest.”
(ii) There was an amendment proposed in the names of Councillors Barry Macleod-Cullinane and Paul Osborn, which sought to amend the Motion to read as follows:
“This Council notes that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review threatens Harrow’s economic recovery.
Many senior economists believe that the scale and speed of cuts in public spending will damage business and lead to job losses.
Experts have also warned that the Coalition Government’s spending plans are regressive, not progressive, and will hit the poorest hardest.
This Council notes:
Ÿ Following the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility downgraded its growth forecast for next year from 2.6% to 2.3% in response to the increased pace of public spending reductions.
Ÿ In their independent assessment of the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said that the measures were ‘more regressive, than progressive’ and made clear that children were the biggest losers, not bankers.
Ÿ The Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, outlines big cuts in Local Government spending of almost 30%. The Local Government Group has been clear that such reductions ‘will lead to cuts at the front line.’
Ÿ Local Government has had some of the biggest cuts in the public sector, and most authorities’ cuts are significantly front-loaded to 2011/12.
Ÿ The Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government have admitted that at least 1 million jobs will be lost - half in the public sector and half in the private sector.
Ÿ Other cuts to funding for new social housing, child tax credits, university teaching budgets and school modernisation programmes will curb aspirations and opportunities for many people in Harrow.
Ÿ The Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s decision to raise VAT to 20% in 2011 will damage Harrow businesses and is unfair, hitting those on low and fixed incomes hardest.
This Council believes that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review will hinder, not help Harrow’s economic recovery. Furthermore, their wider economic policies are deeply unfair and will hit the poorest and most vulnerable in Harrow hardest.
This Council agrees that Councils have a duty to ensure their plans for working through economically challenging times are robust, and in terms of the Council Vision and Priorities report passed by Cabinet on 7 October 2010, considers whether this is the case for Harrow.”
(iii) Upon a vote, the amendment at (ii) was lost;
(iv) Upon a further vote the substantive Motion, was agreed.
RESOLVED: That the substantive Motion, as set out at (i) above, be adopted.