Agenda item

Councillor Kyle Robinson has submitted the following motion in accordance with Procedure Rule 12:-

 

“This council notes that:

 

The Coalition government’s bedroom tax will bring disastrous consequences to the country and to Newcastle-under-Lyme specifically.

 

• Two thirds of the households hit are home to someone with a disability
• Weekend mums and dads will have to try and find additional money to enable their children to stay with them

 

Further, the policy is being introduced at the same time that millionaires are being given a substantial tax break.

 

This council believes that:

 

• It is not fair to residents in social housing that they should be financially penalised on the basis of the house in which they have made their home and in circumstances with which they are confronted through no fault of their own.
• It is cynical and shameful for the government to deliberately implement a policy that it knows cannot possibly lead to the desired outcomes of that policy – namely that people should be forced to downsize their homes on the basis of financial penalty when there is not sufficient stock of housing to permit such downsizing.

 

This council resolves that:

 

(1)       The Mayor should write to the Secretary of State to condemn the bedroom tax (spare room subsidy) and the impact it will have on residents in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

(2)       The Council be informed at a future meeting, with detailed information, of the impact of the policy on residents of the borough once the tax has been implemented.”

 

Councillor Robin Studd has submitted the following motion on behalf of the Liberal Democrat Group in accordance with Procedure Rule 12:-

 

“This council welcomes the lifting of the tax burden on the working families of North Staffordshire, and notes that 5,360 taxpayers in Newcastle (10,760 in Stoke-on-Trent) are being taken out of taxation altogether, and that nearly 51,000 Newcastle residents (91,900 in Stoke-on-Trent) will see a very substantial reduction in their tax burden.  The Council therefore notes that the total value of the tax cuts to the residents of North Staffordshire is well over £100 million each year.”

Councillor Kyle Robinson had submitted the following motion in accordance with Procedure Rule 12:-

 

“This council notes that:

 

The Coalition government’s bedroom tax will bring disastrous consequences to the country and to Newcastle-under-Lyme specifically.

 

• Two thirds of the households hit are home to someone with a disability
• Weekend mums and dads will have to try and find additional money to enable their children to stay with them

 

Further, the policy is being introduced at the same time that millionaires are being given a substantial tax break.

 

This council believes that:

 

• It is not fair to residents in social housing that they should be financially penalised on the basis of the house in which they have made their home and in circumstances with which they are confronted through no fault of their own.
• It is cynical and shameful for the government to deliberately implement a policy that it knows cannot possibly lead to the desired outcomes of that policy – namely that people should be forced to downsize their homes on the basis of financial penalty when there is not sufficient stock of housing to permit such downsizing.

 

This council resolves that:

 

(1)       The Leader should write to the Secretary of State to condemn the bedroom tax (spare room subsidy) and the impact it will have on residents in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

(2)       The Council be informed at a future meeting, with detailed information, of the impact of the policy on residents of the borough once the tax has been implemented.”

 

In proposing the motion, Councillor Robinson presented a petition stating:-

 

“We, the undersigned, call on Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to publicly condemn the Bedroom Tax and to promise there will be no evictions in the borough as a result of the effects of the tax.”

 

The motion was seconded by the Leader.

 

Councillor Mark Holland proposed the following amendment:-

 

“That resolution 1 be deleted, and resolution 2 be amended to read:

 

‘The Council be informed at a future meeting, with detailed information, of the impact of the policy on residents of the borough now that the spare room subsidy has been implemented.’”

 

The amendment was seconded by Councillor Stephen Sweeney.

 

The amendment was put to the vote and lost.

 

Councillor Nigel Jones then proposed the following amendment:-

 

“That the sentence, ‘Further, the policy is being introduced at the same time that millionaires are being given a substantial tax break.’ be deleted from the motion.”

 

The amendment was seconded by Councillor Andrew Wemyss.

 

The amendment was put to the vote and lost.

 

As the original motion, now being the substantive motion, was put to the vote, a recorded vote was requested by Councillor Cairns and 12 other members rising in their seats to support the request.  The motion was carried.

 

The following members voted for the motion:-

 

Councillors Allport, Astle, Bailey, Baker, Bates, Beech, Boden, Burgess, Burnett, Cairns, Clarke, Cornes, Eastwood, S Hambleton, T Hambleton, Johnson, Kearon, M Olszewski, S Olszewski, Reddish, Robinson, Simpson, Snell, Stringer, Stubbs, Studd, J Taylor, M Taylor, Turner, Waring, Welsh, Wemyss, White, Wilkes, G Williams, J Williams and Winfield (37)

 

The following members voted against the motion:-

 

None (0)

 

The following members abstained:-

 

Councillors Becket, Julie Cooper, Fear, Heames, Heesom, Holland, Howells, Jones, Loades, Mancey, Matthews and Sweeney (12)

 

The following members were not present during the vote:-

 

Councillors Bannister, John Cooper, Eagles, L Hailstones, P Hailstones, Lawton, Peers, Plant, Shenton, Tagg and Walklate (11)

 

Councillor Robin Studd had submitted the following motion on behalf of the Liberal Democrat Group in accordance with Procedure Rule 12:-

 

“This council welcomes the lifting of the tax burden on the working families of North Staffordshire, and notes that 5,360 taxpayers in Newcastle (10,760 in Stoke-on-Trent) are being taken out of taxation altogether, and that nearly 51,000 Newcastle residents (91,900 in Stoke-on-Trent) will see a very substantial reduction in their tax burden.  The Council therefore notes that the total value of the tax cuts to the residents of North Staffordshire is well over £100 million each year.”

 

At the meeting, the motion was proposed by Councillor Nigel Jones and seconded by Councillor Andrew Wemyss.

 

The Leader proposed the following amendment on behalf of the Labour Group:-

 

“To add after ‘The Council therefore notes that the total value of the tax cuts to the residents of North Staffordshire is well over £100 million each year.’ the following:

 

‘However, this Council condemns:

 

·        the hiking, by the Conservative and Lib Dem Government, of VAT to 20% putting additional pressure on the pockets of hard working families, despite election promises not to do so;

·        the below inflation increases in the Minimum Wage, effectively providing a real-terms cut to the lowest paid;

·        the reduction of the top rate of income tax, giving an income tax break to the wealthiest in our society;

·        the introduction of the Bedroom Tax which affected 1000 residents across Newcastle Borough;

·        the cutting of Council Tax Support, which takes £835,000 out of the pockets of Newcastle residents who, until 1 April, were deemed too poor to pay; and

·        the reduction of the Higher Rate Income Tax threshold, dragging more middle income earners into higher income tax brackets to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest.’”

 

The amendment was seconded by Councillor Mike Stubbs.

 

The amendment was put to the vote and carried.

 

The substantive motion, now being:-

 

“This council welcomes the lifting of the tax burden on the working families of North Staffordshire, and notes that 5,360 taxpayers in Newcastle (10,760 in Stoke-on-Trent) are being taken out of taxation altogether, and that nearly 51,000 Newcastle residents (91,900 in Stoke-on-Trent) will see a very substantial reduction in their tax burden.  The Council therefore notes that the total value of the tax cuts to the residents of North Staffordshire is well over £100 million each year.

 

However, this Council condemns:

 

·        the hiking, by the Conservative and Lib Dem Government, of VAT to 20% putting additional pressure on the pockets of hard working families, despite election promises not to do so;

·        the below inflation increases in the Minimum Wage, effectively providing a real-terms cut to the lowest paid;

·        the reduction of the top rate of income tax, giving an income tax break to the wealthiest in our society;

·        the introduction of the Bedroom Tax which affected 1000 residents across Newcastle Borough;

·        the cutting of Council Tax Support, which takes £835,000 out of the pockets of Newcastle residents who, until 1 April, were deemed too poor to pay; and

·        the reduction of the Higher Rate Income Tax threshold, dragging more middle income earners into higher income tax brackets to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest.”

 

was put to the vote and carried.