Agenda item
TO RECEIVE ANY PETITIONS
Items 5.1 to 5.3 - Petitions for presentation
The Council Procedure Rules provide for a maximum of three petitions to be presented at an Ordinary Meeting of the Council. The deadline for submission of petitions to this meeting is noon on Thursday 5th July. However, as at 3rd July the maximum number of three petitions had already been received.
The petitions received for presentation at this meeting are set out in the attached report.
Item 5.4: Petition for debate
In addition to the above, the Council’s Petition Scheme, adopted in July 2010 in accordance with the provisions of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, provides that where a petition includes at least 2,000 signatures, the petitioners may request that a debate is held about the petition at the full Council meeting.
A petition containing 2,403 signatures has been received on the subject of Youth Service Delivery.
The text of the petition and guidance on the format for the debate on this matter are set out in the attached report. A maximum total of 18 minutes is allocated for this agenda item.
Decision:
5.1 Petition from Nahida Rashid, Mrs H Ali, Tajul Islam and Shamsul Hoque and signed by 89 persons regarding ‘Attack on Bengali as a mother tongue teaching-learning at Langdon Park Secondary School’:
This petition was not heard as the petitioners were not present owing to the late start of the meeting.
The Service Head, Democratic Services advised the meeting that officers would contact the petitioners and offer them the opportunity to present the petition at the next meeting if they wished.
(Action by: John S. Williams, Service Head, Democratic Services)
5.2 Petition from Emily Sawyer and signed by 47 persons plus others online regarding the ‘Residents Solidarity Campaign’:
Petition withdrawn.
5.3 Petition from Mr A S Alom and signed by 39 persons regarding ‘Sex and Relationship Education (SRE)’:
This petition was not heard as the petitioners were not present owing to the late start of the meeting.
The Service Head, Democratic Services advised the meeting that officers would contact the petitioners and offer them the opportunity to present the petition at the next meeting if they wished.
(Action by: John S. Williams, Service Head, Democratic Services)
5.4 Petition Debate: Youth Service Changes
Mr Helal Ahmed addressed the meeting on behalf of the petitioners and the Council then debated the matters raised by the petition.
Procedural Motion
Councillor Rachael Saunders moved, and Councillor Helal Uddin seconded, a procedural motion – “That under Procedure Rule 14.1.14, Rule 13.1 be suspended to allow an urgent motion regarding the youth service to be debated.”
The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.
Councillor Rachael Saunders the moved, and Councillor Helal Uddin seconded, the urgent motion [text of motion as set out in the resolution below].
Following debate, the urgent motion as tabled was put to the vote and was agreed.
DECISION
This Council
notes:
That the executive Mayor has decided to bring youth services in
house.
That the reasons given for this decision included assertions that
money would be saved if the council staff rather than the third
sector organisations and schools managed the provider
contracts.
That no evidence has been given for
this, and no numbers given.
That the decision is not in line with the principles set out in the
current Tower Hamlets Children and Young People’s
Plan.
That the current providers add significant value to the contracts
they hold through supporting services within their own HR and IT
and through running additional youth services with their own
resources.
That youth services across Tower Hamlets have improved
significantly since they were first contracted out, through
effective partnership working.
That a significant number of local people
have signed a petition to oppose bringing the youth service in
house.
This Council believes:
That in tough times it is right to work with partners to seek
savings and efficiencies, and wrong to undermine relationships and
act unilaterally.
That localism means local power to make
decisions, not local talking shops.
That the best youth services support
educational attainment and equip our young people to lead their
communities. Youth services are there to support
excellence not just tackle
ASB.
That resources should reflect need, with
the greatest resources for areas with the greatest youth
population.
That effective hyper
local partnerships have
been developed between youth services, schools, health services,
employers and others through locally based management of
services.
That currently our young people are able to shape and lead their
own services. This must be strengthened, not weakened, in any
future model.
That the targets that the contractors currently report against
should continue to be publicly reported against if the service is
taken in house.
That the youth service should continue to run at least as great a range of services as it does now.
That it is vital that our youth service
includes people from across the whole of Tower Hamlets, young women
and men, from all ethnic backgrounds.
This Council resolves:
To oppose bringing the youth service in
house.
To call on the Mayor to seek efficiencies working with local
community organisations, in a transparent way, not behind closed
doors in Mulberry Place.
To call on the Mayor to listen to local people, young people and their families and communities, before making any changes to their youth services.
(Action by: Isobel Cattermole, Acting Corporate Director, Children, Schools
and Families)
Minutes:
5.1 Petition from Nahida Rashid, Mrs H Ali, Tajul Islam and Shamsul Hoque and signed by 89 persons regarding ‘Attack on Bengali as a mother tongue teaching-learning at Langdon Park Secondary School’:
This petition was not heard as the petitioners were not present owing to the late start of the meeting.
The Service Head, Democratic Services advised the meeting that officers would contact the petitioners and offer them the opportunity to present the petition at the next meeting if they wished.
5.2 Petition from Emily Sawyer and signed by 47 persons plus others online regarding the ‘Residents Solidarity Campaign’:
Petition withdrawn.
5.3 Petition from Mr A S Alom and signed by 39 persons regarding ‘Sex and Relationship Education (SRE)’:
This petition was not heard as the petitioners were not present owing to the late start of the meeting.
The Service Head, Democratic Services advised the meeting that officers would contact the petitioners and offer them the opportunity to present the petition at the next meeting if they wished.
5.4 Petition Debate: Youth Service Changes
The Service Head, Democratic Services advised the Council that a petition containing 2,403 signatures regarding Youth Service Delivery Proposals had been brought to the Council for debate under the provisions of the Petition Scheme. The text of the petition was set out in the report circulated with the agenda for the meeting.
Mr Helal Ahmed addressed the meeting on behalf of the petitioners and the Council then debated the matters raised by the petition.
Procedural Motion
Councillor Rachael Saunders MOVED, and Councillor Helal Uddin SECONDED, a procedural motion – “That under Procedure Rule 14.1.14, Rule 13.1 be suspended to allow an urgent motion regarding the youth service to be debated.”
The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.
Councillor Rachael Saunders then MOVED, and Councillor Helal Uddin SECONDED, the urgent motion [text of motion as set out in the resolution below].
Following debate, the urgent motion as tabled was put to the vote and was agreed. Accordingly it was:-
RESOLVED
This Council
notes:
That the executive Mayor has decided to bring youth services in
house.
That the reasons given for this decision included assertions that
money would be saved if the council staff rather than the third
sector organisations and schools managed the provider
contracts.
That no evidence has been given for
this, and no numbers given.
That the decision is not in line with the principles set out in the
current Tower Hamlets Children and Young People’s
Plan.
That the current providers add significant value to the contracts
they hold through supporting services within their own HR and IT
and through running additional youth services with their own
resources.
That youth services across Tower Hamlets have improved
significantly since they were first contracted out, through
effective partnership working.
That a significant number of local people
have signed a petition to oppose bringing the youth service in
house.
This Council believes:
That in tough times it is right to work with partners to seek
savings and efficiencies, and wrong to undermine relationships and
act unilaterally.
That localism means local power to make
decisions, not local talking shops.
That the best youth services support
educational attainment and equip our young people to lead their
communities. Youth services are there to support
excellence not just tackle
ASB.
That resources should reflect need, with
the greatest resources for areas with the greatest youth
population.
That effective hyper
local partnerships have
been developed between youth services, schools, health services,
employers and others through locally based management of
services.
That currently our young people are able to shape and lead their
own services. This must be strengthened, not weakened, in any
future model.
That the targets that the contractors currently report against
should continue to be publicly reported against if the service is
taken in house.
That the youth service should continue to run at least as great a range of services as it does now.
That it is vital that our youth service
includes people from across the whole of Tower Hamlets, young women
and men, from all ethnic backgrounds.
This Council resolves:
To oppose bringing the youth service in
house.
To call on the Mayor to seek efficiencies working with local
community organisations, in a transparent way, not behind closed
doors in Mulberry Place.
To call on the Mayor to listen to local people, young people and their families and communities, before making any changes to their youth services.
Supporting documents: