To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 18 February 2015 for signature by the Mayor as Chairman.

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 18 February 2015, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any announcements from the Mayor, Leader of the Council, Members of the Executive, Chairmen of Scrutiny Committees and the Head of Paid Service.

(a)        Youth Parliament Elections

The Mayor announced that earlier in the afternoon, acting as a Returning Officer for the 2015 United Kingdom Youth Parliament Elections, he was pleased to declare that Lauren Barclay had been elected for the Trafford Constituency. The Mayor congratulated Lauren and all the other candidates for their efforts.

(b)        Retiring Members of Council

The Mayor announced that it was the last Council meeting for Councillors Boyle, Mrs. Cooke and Higgins since they were not seeking re-election at the next local elections, so would be retiring from the Council in May.

The Council joined with the Mayor in thanking them for all their hard work on behalf of Trafford and wished them happiness and every success for the future.

(c)        Deborah Brownlee – Corporate Director Children, Families and Wellbeing

The Mayor advised that Deborah Brownlee’s was leaving the Council at the end of the week, therefore, was attending her last Council meeting. The Mayor invited the Group Leaders to say a few words of thanks.

The Political Group Leaders placed on record their thanks for her dedication and upmost ability, particularly in bringing together the former Adult Social Services and Children and Young People’s Service Directorates.

On behalf of the Council, the Mayor thanked Deborah for all her efforts and wished her every success for the future.

(d)        Councillor Whit Stennett

The Mayor was delighted to announce that Councillor Whit Stennett had been presented with a lifetime award at the Heros and Sheroes awards ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel, Manchester on 28February 2015. The Council congratulated Councillor Stennett on his award that recognised the work of volunteers in the Manchester Community.

(e)        Deputy Chief Executive

The Leader of the Council was pleased to announce that the Chief Executive had confirmed the appointment of Helen Jones, Corporate Director Economic Growth, Environment and infrastructure to the role of Deputy Chief Executive.

(f)         Open Data Champion

The Leader of the Council reported that the Council had been recognised by the Cabinet Office as an open data champion at an event in Whitehall on the 24 March 2015 and congratulated Trafford Innovation and Intelligence Lab for its achievement and commitment to releasing open data.

(g)    Joint Health Scrutiny

Councillor Lloyd, Chairman of Health Scrutiny, reported that the Joint Health Scrutiny Committee met on 23 March 2015 and that Trafford would continue its work with Manchester Council on the New Deal for Health Services in Trafford in the future.

This is an opportunity for Members of Council to ask the Mayor, Members of the Executive or the Chairman of any Committee or Sub-Committee a question on notice under Procedure Rule 10.2.

The Mayor reported that 2 questions had been received under Procedure Rule 10.2.

(a)        Councillor Boyes asked the following question for which he had given notice:

“We hear much about the excellent results achieved by pupils in Trafford at Key Stage 2, Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 of which we are rightly proud. These undoubted successes lead to large number of Trafford's young people going on to study in Tertiary Education. Given the country's needs for excellence in its future graduates would the Executive Member for Children's Services be able to provide information on the number of Trafford students who go on to study at one of the country's recognised top universities?” 

In response to the question, Councillor Cornes, Executive Member for Children’s Services advised that it would be difficult to compile all the details but was able to confirm that approximately 25% of Trafford students do subsequently attend one of the top thirty universities in the country.

As a supplementary question, Councillor Boyes asked how Trafford’s educational performance compared generally with other authorities in the North West? Councillor Cornes indicated that Trafford was the only authority from the North West, North East and Midlands that appeared in the top 20 of the best performing local education authorities, with the remainder all from London, the South East and South West. The Executive Member speculated that the retention of the Grammar School System played a large part in Trafford’s success. 

(b)        Councillor Lally asked the following question for which he had given notice:

“The final Budget before the General Election was delivered by the Chancellor George Osborne last Wednesday. He was on his feet for just under an hour announcing several measures. Was it a Budget, the North West including Councils like Trafford welcome and why?”

In response, the Executive Member for Finance, Councillor Myers was of the opinion that the budget was good news for Trafford and Greater Manchester as a whole. Building on the commitment to create a ‘Northern Powerhouse’, Councillor Myers welcomed the news that Greater Manchester Councils would be able to retain every penny collected in business rates from 1 April 2015. The additional income would help the Council to continue to deliver excellent services for its residents.   

In asking a supplementary question, Councillor Lally was pleased that Greater Manchester was a focus for National Government and referred to a Manchester Evening News article and various quotes from the Chancellor, local politicians and an independent non-partisan think tank, which all highlighted the benefits of the business rate funding boost. Based on their projections, Councillor Lally asked as a supplementary question whether the Executive Member could indicate the potential value in real terms that Trafford could benefit from this policy change, given the Borough’s ‘8000’ strong business community? Councillor Myers estimated that the boost to Trafford and the whole of Greater Manchester of additional funds that otherwise would have been handed over to Westminster was worth millions to the residents of Greater Manchester.

To consider a report of the Acting Director of Human Resources following a referral from the Employment Committee meeting held on 9 March 2015.

Following a referral from the Employment Committee meeting held on 9 March 2015 (Minute No. 17 refers), the Acting Director of Human Resources submitted a report providing the Council with information relating to Trafford’s Pay Policy for 2015/16, in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011.

It was moved and seconded that the recommendation set out in the report be approved. Following a debate on the matter the Motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted and the 2015/16 Pay Policy Statement, as set out in appendix 1 to the report, be approved.

To consider a joint report of the Executive Member for Finance and the Director of Finance which is expected to be referred from the Executive Meeting held prior on 25 March 2015.

The Executive Member for Finance and the Director of Finance submitted a report regarding loan finance arrangements with Lancashire County Cricket Club for the proposed replacement of the club’s existing Lodge facilities with a new purpose built 150 room hotel. The Executive had considered and approved a loan of £4 million to the club at its meeting held prior on 25 March 2015.

It was moved and seconded that the recommendations set out in the report be approved. Following a debate on the matter the Motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

RESOLVED:

(1)        That the Council approves the addition of £4 million to the Capital Programme for 2015-17 by way of prudential borrowing.

(2)        That the updated Prudential Indicators, as detailed in appendix 1 to the report, be approved.

To consider the following joint reports of the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive:

The Council received two joint reports of the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive providing Members of the Council with a briefing on the Memorandum of Understanding between Greater Manchester local authorities, Greater Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS England, which creates a framework for the delegation and ultimate devolution of health and social care responsibilities to Greater Manchester. The second of the reports was also presented to the Executive meeting held prior on 25 March 2015 and set out the actions required by the Council to meet the requirement of the Memorandum of Understanding.

RESOLVED: That the content of both reports be noted.

To consider a report of the Executive Member for Economic Growth and Planning which is expected to be referred from the Executive Meeting held prior on 25 March 2015.

The Executive Member for Economic Growth and Planning submitted a report advising the Council on the production of a statutory joint Greater Manchester Spatial Framework Development Plan Document (GMSFDPD) and outlining the necessary resultant steps required in relation to the decision making process and the impact of the preparation of the Trafford Local Plan: Land Allocations document (LAP). The report had been recommended to Council from the Executive meeting held earlier on 25 March 2015.

RESOLVED: That the Council delegates responsibility for all stages in the production of the GMSFDPD, other than publication, submission and adoption which will remain the responsibility of each Greater Manchester Council, to the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities Executive Board (Joint Committee).

To note a report of the Executive Member for Transformation and Resources following a referral from the Executive Meeting held on 26 January 2015.

The Executive Member for Transformation and Resources submitted a report providing information on council-wide health and safety performance and trends in workplace accidents. The report which had been referred from the Executive meeting on 26 January 2015 also provided a summary of other key developments in health and safety for the six month period April to September 2014.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

This Council recognises and welcomes the Reshaping Trafford initiative that details how services will be sustained in the medium-term in the light the need to secure additional financial savings for the period 2015-2018.

Through having a detailed plan, the Council is clear on its purpose and has outlined how it expects to deliver services, secure greater value for money and become outcome focused for residents and businesses of the Borough.

The Council notes:

·             strong public services are only sustainable if they are based on a sound financial footing

·             the track record of the Council in meeting its fiscal targets and delivering good services to residents

·             the need for the Council to maximise income to support public services through economic growth and development

·             the focus on improving outcomes for residents and businesses across the Borough

·             the lack of any viable alternative from the opposition Labour party, which would bring chaos to the Council

The Council therefore endorses the Reshaping Trafford Council blueprint as a clear plan to secure and sustain services for residents and businesses of Trafford.

[Note: Prior to consideration of the Motions listed on the Summons, the time being 8:45 p.m., the Mayor announced that speeches would be limited to a maximum of two minutes for each Mover of a Motion and one minute each for all other speakers.]

It was moved and seconded that:

“This Council recognises and welcomes the Reshaping Trafford initiative that details how services will be sustained in the medium-term in the light the need to secure additional financial savings for the period 2015-2018.

Through having a detailed plan, the Council is clear on its purpose and has outlined how it expects to deliver services, secure greater value for money and become outcome focused for residents and businesses of the Borough.

The Council notes:

•       strong public services are only sustainable if they are based on a sound financial footing

•       the track record of the Council in meeting its fiscal targets and delivering good services to residents

•       the need for the Council to maximise income to support public services through economic growth and development

•       the focus on improving outcomes for residents and businesses across the Borough

•       the lack of any viable alternative from the opposition Labour party, which would bring chaos to the Council

The Council therefore endorses the Reshaping Trafford Council blueprint as a clear plan to secure and sustain services for residents and businesses of Trafford.”

During the debate on the matter a slight revision to the first line of the Motion was suggested. The mover and seconder of the Motion accepted the proposed revision in part so that the first line now declared “This Council recognises the need for and welcomes the Reshaping Trafford initiative that …etc”. The revised Motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

RESOLVED: That this Council recognises the need for and welcomes the Reshaping Trafford initiative that details how services will be sustained in the medium-term in the light the need to secure additional financial savings for the period 2015-2018.

Through having a detailed plan, the Council is clear on its purpose and has outlined how it expects to deliver services, secure greater value for money and become outcome focused for residents and businesses of the Borough.

The Council notes:

•       strong public services are only sustainable if they are based on a sound financial footing

•       the track record of the Council in meeting its fiscal targets and delivering good services to residents

•       the need for the Council to maximise income to support public services through economic growth and development

•       the focus on improving outcomes for residents and businesses across the Borough

•       the lack of any viable alternative from the opposition Labour party, which would bring chaos to the Council

The Council therefore endorses the Reshaping Trafford Council blueprint as a clear plan to secure and sustain services for residents and businesses of Trafford.

This Council continues to be committed to ensuring every young person in Trafford gets off to the best possible start in life and therefore welcomes continued progress towards that aim. 

Consequently, using the latest figures for 2014, the Council notes:

·             Trafford outperformed every single Labour-controlled Council in Greater Manchester in ensuring that free early education and childcare is accessed by those two-year olds who are eligible for it.

·             94% of pupils attend Ofsted rated good or outstanding schools in Trafford, compared to 79% nationally, and 57% of pupils attend schools graded outstanding which is approaching three times the national average of 21%.

·             at Early Years Foundation Stage 69% children achieved a “Good” level of development which places Trafford 7th out of 150 authorities nationally.

·             87% of year six pupils achieved the expected Key Stage 2 standard of level four or above in Reading, Writing and Maths in 2014, placing Trafford the joint top performing authority in England.

·             at Key Stage 4 Trafford was the only Borough in Greater Manchester to show an increase to 71.4% of pupils achieving at least five GCSEs, or equivalent, at A* to C including English and Maths. The national average of 55% demonstrates the value of our selective Grammar and High school system which does so much to improve social mobility.

·             that performance at Key Stage 5 bucked the national trend of slight reductions in top grade A-Levels as Trafford pupils attained increases in categories A*, A*-A, and A*-B grades.

·             that Children in Care achieved their best ever GCSE results, with the key indicator of 5 or more A*-C including English and Maths, showing Trafford pupils achieved more than double the national average. In addition to the hard work by the pupils and others this is also testament to the support from the Local Authority in its role as Corporate Parent.

·             outcomes for pupils with Special Educational Needs were also very positive at all levels. Trafford pupils at Key Stage 4 were well above the national average at the key indicator of 5 or more A*-C including English and Maths.

·             the recent independent inspection of Youth Offending Services, led by the Deputy Chief Inspector of Probation, secured the highest rating provided nationally and Trafford became the first authority to achieve a 4* rating in three of the inspected criteria - Protecting the Public, Ensuring the Sentence is Served, and Interventions.

·             the Early Help Delivery Model and establishment of a Youth Trust that will target resources at securing youth service provision across the Borough and providing an integrated service for 0-18 year olds.

·             figures for young people Not In Education Employment or Training (NEET) show that Trafford has the lowest rate in Greater Manchester, the third lowest in the North West, and is therefore well below the Greater Manchester, Regional and National averages.

The Council therefore congratulates all pupils, parents, teaching and non-teaching staff, school governors, and Trafford officers for their achievements, and recognises the substantial steps being taken by a Conservative-controlled Council to support the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 84.

It was moved and seconded that:

“This Council continues to be committed to ensuring every young person in Trafford gets off to the best possible start in life and therefore welcomes continued progress towards that aim. 

Consequently, using the latest figures for 2014, the Council notes:

•       Trafford outperformed every single Labour-controlled Council in Greater Manchester in ensuring that free early education and childcare is accessed by those two-year olds who are eligible for it.

•       94% of pupils attend Ofsted rated good or outstanding schools in Trafford, compared to 79% nationally, and 57% of pupils attend schools graded outstanding which is approaching three times the national average of 21%.

•       at Early Years Foundation Stage 69% children achieved a “Good” level of development which places Trafford 7th out of 150 authorities nationally.

•       87% of year six pupils achieved the expected Key Stage 2 standard of level four or above in Reading, Writing and Maths in 2014, placing Trafford the joint top performing authority in England.

•       at Key Stage 4 Trafford was the only Borough in Greater Manchester to show an increase to 71.4% of pupils achieving at least five GCSEs, or equivalent, at A* to C including English and Maths. The national average of 55% demonstrates the value of our selective Grammar and High school system which does so much to improve social mobility.

•       that performance at Key Stage 5 bucked the national trend of slight reductions in top grade A-Levels as Trafford pupils attained increases in categories A*, A*-A, and A*-B grades.

•       that Children in Care achieved their best ever GCSE results, with the key indicator of 5 or more A*-C including English and Maths, showing Trafford pupils achieved more than double the national average. In addition to the hard work by the pupils and others this is also testament to the support from the Local Authority in its role as Corporate Parent.

•       outcomes for pupils with Special Educational Needs were also very positive at all levels. Trafford pupils at Key Stage 4 were well above the national average at the key indicator of 5 or more A*-C including English and Maths.

•       the recent independent inspection of Youth Offending Services, led by the Deputy Chief Inspector of Probation, secured the highest rating provided nationally and Trafford became the first authority to achieve a 4* rating in three of the inspected criteria - Protecting the Public, Ensuring the Sentence is Served, and Interventions.

•       the Early Help Delivery Model and establishment of a Youth Trust that will target resources at securing youth service provision across the Borough and providing an integrated service for 0-18 year olds.

•       figures for young people Not In Education Employment or Training (NEET) show that Trafford has the lowest rate in Greater Manchester, the third lowest in the North West, and is therefore well below the Greater Manchester, Regional and National averages.

The Council therefore congratulates all pupils, parents, teaching and non-teaching staff, school governors, and Trafford  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84.

The Council recognises the efforts of this Conservative administration to grow and support our economy, to increase employment opportunities and to create wealth across the Borough. 

In particular, Council welcomes:

·             the increase in Gross Value Added (GVA) of the Trafford economy from £5.8 billion to £6.6 billion being a 14% increase over the last year, evidencing the strength and importance of the Trafford economy to the rest of Greater Manchester, and the need to maintain the environment for this to continue

·             the joint highest employment levels in Greater Manchester with employment at a level of 94.5% in February 2015, outperforming every Labour-controlled Council in the region

·             that youth unemployment has fallen by a record 80% over the last 12-months, helping to ensure our young people our economically active and contributing to their community

·             the success of the Trafford Pledge that has supported businesses to create 110 apprenticeships and job opportunities for local people over the last year

·             the work of the Council in securing apprenticeships for young people with disabilities and children in the care of the local authority

·             that the Greater Manchester Agreement secures a £350 million investment to extended the Metrolink Line through Trafford Park and onto the Trafford Centre

The Council commits to being a long term pro-growth, open for business authority, that will use necessary resources to continue to support the economic growth and infrastructure demands of the Borough that ultimately will bring sustained prosperity to the people and businesses of Trafford.

It was moved and seconded that:

“The Council recognises the efforts of this Conservative administration to grow and support our economy, to increase employment opportunities and to create wealth across the Borough. 

In particular, Council welcomes:

•       the increase in Gross Value Added (GVA) of the Trafford economy from £5.8 billion to £6.6 billion being a 14% increase over the last year, evidencing the strength and importance of the Trafford economy to the rest of Greater Manchester, and the need to maintain the environment for this to continue

•       the joint highest employment levels in Greater Manchester with employment at a level of 94.5% in February 2015, outperforming every Labour-controlled Council in the region

•       that youth unemployment has fallen by a record 80% over the last 12-months, helping to ensure our young people our economically active and contributing to their community

•       the success of the Trafford Pledge that has supported businesses to create 110 apprenticeships and job opportunities for local people over the last year

•       the work of the Council in securing apprenticeships for young people with disabilities and children in the care of the local authority

•       that the Greater Manchester Agreement secures a £350 million investment to extended the Metrolink Line through Trafford Park and onto the Trafford Centre

The Council commits to being a long term pro-growth, open for business authority, that will use necessary resources to continue to support the economic growth and infrastructure demands of the Borough that ultimately will bring sustained prosperity to the people and businesses of Trafford.”

Following a debate on the matter, the Motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

RESOLVED: That the Council recognises the efforts of this Conservative administration to grow and support our economy, to increase employment opportunities and to create wealth across the Borough. 

In particular, Council welcomes:

•       the increase in Gross Value Added (GVA) of the Trafford economy from £5.8 billion to £6.6 billion being a 14% increase over the last year, evidencing the strength and importance of the Trafford economy to the rest of Greater Manchester, and the need to maintain the environment for this to continue

•       the joint highest employment levels in Greater Manchester with employment at a level of 94.5% in February 2015, outperforming every Labour-controlled Council in the region

•       that youth unemployment has fallen by a record 80% over the last 12-months, helping to ensure our young people our economically active and contributing to their community

•       the success of the Trafford Pledge that has supported businesses to create 110 apprenticeships and job opportunities for local people over the last year

•       the work of the Council in securing apprenticeships for young people with disabilities and children in the care of the local authority

•       that the Greater Manchester Agreement secures a £350 million investment to extended the Metrolink Line through Trafford Park and onto the Trafford Centre

The Council commits to being a long term pro-growth, open for business authority, that will  ...  view the full minutes text for item 85.

This Council endorses the approach adopted by this Conservative administration to maintain a low Council Tax and ensure value for money in all that we do as part of our commitment to securing the financial sustainability of the Council and to support the people and businesses of Trafford.

Council notes:

·             that a Trafford maintains the lowest Council Tax charge in the North West and the 19^th lowest in the country

·             that the Council’s budget will balance for the tenth successive year, a stark contrast to previous Labour overspends

·             that an unqualified value for money statement was received from the district auditor for the last financial year

·             that collection rates for Council Tax and Business Rates are the highest in Greater Manchester, supporting public services

·             the work of this Conservative-controlled Council to lobby the Government for the sustainable reform of business rates, so critical to the future of local authority funding, and this is lobbying initiative that has the potential for a favourable outcome

Council is aware that the Labour party have committed to the same level of austerity funding reductions for local government should it win the general election, and is critical of the approach adopted by the Labour opposition in Trafford for not presenting viable alternative to the people of this Borough and the ensuing chaos that would bring this Council.

Therefore, Council agrees that it is only a Conservative-controlled Trafford that has a long term plan to ensure value for money and good services for the people of this Borough delivered at low cost to the taxpayer.

It was moved and seconded that:

“This Council endorses the approach adopted by this Conservative administration to maintain a low Council Tax and ensure value for money in all that we do as part of our commitment to securing the financial sustainability of the Council and to support the people and businesses of Trafford.

Council notes:

•       that Trafford maintains the lowest Council Tax charge in the North West and the 19th lowest in the country

•       that the Council’s budget will balance for the tenth successive year, a stark contrast to previous Labour overspends

•       that an unqualified value for money statement was received from the district auditor for the last financial year

•       that collection rates for Council Tax and Business Rates are the highest in Greater Manchester, supporting public services

•       the work of this Conservative-controlled Council to lobby the Government for the sustainable reform of business rates, so critical to the future of local authority funding, and this is lobbying initiative that has the potential for a favourable outcome

Council is aware that the Labour party have committed to the same level of austerity funding reductions for local government should it win the general election, and is critical of the approach adopted by the Labour opposition in Trafford for not presenting viable alternative to the people of this Borough and the ensuing chaos that would bring this Council.

Therefore, Council agrees that it is only a Conservative-controlled Trafford that has a long term plan to ensure value for money and good services for the people of this Borough delivered at low cost to the taxpayer.”

Following a debate on the matter, the Motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

RESOLVED: That this Council endorses the approach adopted by this Conservative administration to maintain a low Council Tax and ensure value for money in all that we do as part of our commitment to securing the financial sustainability of the Council and to support the people and businesses of Trafford.

Council notes:

•       that Trafford maintains the lowest Council Tax charge in the North West and the 19th lowest in the country

•       that the Council’s budget will balance for the tenth successive year, a stark contrast to previous Labour overspends

•       that an unqualified value for money statement was received from the district auditor for the last financial year

•       that collection rates for Council Tax and Business Rates are the highest in Greater Manchester, supporting public services

•       the work of this Conservative-controlled Council to lobby the Government for the sustainable reform of business rates, so critical to the future of local authority funding, and this is lobbying initiative that has the potential for a favourable outcome

Council is aware that the Labour party have committed to the same level of austerity funding reductions for local government should it win the general election, and is critical of the approach adopted by the Labour opposition in Trafford for not presenting viable alternative to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

In light of the recent extremely misleading and confusing publicity statements issued by the Conservative Group claiming that they had secured a halt to the Barton Renewable Energy Plant, whilst Peel explored the possibility of producing heat as well as electricity. And, in light of the subsequent communication issued by the Breathe Clear Air Group stating that the incinerator is not on hold, that Peel already have planning permission to build a plant which is capable of producing heat as well as electricity and that plans are on schedule with work due to commence on the plant within three years.

This Council now seeks to reaffirm its opposition to the proposed Biomass Incinerator, in a genuine and meaningful way.

Therefore in light of current press statements, where the Peel Group has said that BREP is planning to provide heat as well as electricity, the Council resolves to:

Write to Peel calling for them to permanently scrap plans to build a Biomass Incinerator in Davyhulme and to inform Peel that the Council accepts that burning biomass produces more carbon dioxide than burning coal and much more than burning gas per unit of electricity produced; burning wood produces masses of dangerous Particulate Matter; burning biomass with refuse derived fuel such as plastics, at the relatively low temperature of 850 degrees C, as proposed by BREP, is likely to produce deadly dioxins and other organic chemicals as well as masses of nitrogen oxides. Burning wood with preservatives from construction and demolition sites will release heavy metals such as arsenic.

And clearly state to Peel that the proposed plant is out-dated and its emissions are likely to cause ill-health amongst Trafford residents and to affirm that Trafford Council does not want or need a high carbon-based electricity and heat production plant within its boundary.

It was moved and seconded that:

“In light of the recent extremely misleading and confusing publicity statements issued by the Conservative Group claiming that they had secured a halt to the Barton Renewable Energy Plant, whilst Peel explored the possibility of producing heat as well as electricity. And, in light of the subsequent communication issued by the Breathe Clear Air Group stating that the incinerator is not on hold, that Peel already have planning permission to build a plant which is capable of producing heat as well as electricity and that plans are on schedule with work due to commence on the plant within three years.

This Council now seeks to reaffirm its opposition to the proposed Biomass Incinerator, in a genuine and meaningful way.

Therefore in light of current press statements, where the Peel Group has said that BREP is planning to provide heat as well as electricity, the Council resolves to:

Write to Peel calling for them to permanently scrap plans to build a Biomass Incinerator in Davyhulme and to inform Peel that the Council accepts that burning biomass produces more carbon dioxide than burning coal and much more than burning gas per unit of electricity produced; burning wood produces masses of dangerous Particulate Matter; burning biomass with refuse derived fuel such as plastics, at the relatively low temperature of 850 degrees C, as proposed by BREP, is likely to produce deadly dioxins and other organic chemicals as well as masses of nitrogen oxides. Burning wood with preservatives from construction and demolition sites will release heavy metals such as arsenic.

And clearly state to Peel that the proposed plant is out-dated and its emissions are likely to cause ill-health amongst Trafford residents and to affirm that Trafford Council does not want or need a high carbon-based electricity and heat production plant within its boundary.”

It was moved and seconded as an amendment that:

“The Council reaffirms its opposition to the scheme in its entirety, recognising this cross party position has never been in doubt.

Council welcomes the recent joint statement issued by the Conservative Group and Peel Energy to inform residents of a delay in construction at the Barton Renewable Energy Plant, whilst Peel Energy considers alternative options to improve the sustainability of the plant, should it be built in future.

The Council requests the Leader to write to Peel Energy to reiterate its opposition to the plant and to outline the Council's desire to continue to engage in a meaningful and genuine manner on future activity.”

Following a debate on the matter, the amendment was put to the vote and declared carried. The substantive Motion was then put to the vote and declared.

RESOLVED: That the Council reaffirms its opposition to the scheme in its entirety, recognising this cross party position has never been in doubt.

Council welcomes the recent joint statement issued by the Conservative Group and Peel Energy to inform residents of a delay in construction at the Barton Renewable Energy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 87.

This Council reaffirms its appreciation of all the work done locally and nationally by Greater Manchester Police and all its employees.

The Greater Manchester Police Budget 2015/16 has been cut by a further £41 million and it is noted that if the current trend of cutting the Police Budget continues, the budget by 2020 will be almost half of what it was in 2010.

This Council notes that over 1100 warranted Police Officers have already been lost to GMP since 2010 with further losses to come in the next 12 months, whilst crime has risen by 8% in the past year, particularly violent crime, domestic violence and hate crime.

Council recognises that partnership working with Greater Manchester Police is a key driver to ensuring Trafford remains the safest place to live in Greater Manchester.

Concern is therefore noted in respect of the March 2015 Safer Trafford Partnership Executive Performance Report and the clear effects of the strain, cuts to the Trafford Council Budget are placing on partnership working.

This Council notes that the rate of hate crime incidents are on the increase, should this current rate continue there will be an increase of 75 more incidents which is 63% up on last year. Yet the Hate Crime post is dis-established.

Greater Manchester Police are trying to cope with the financial challenges they face by transforming how policing is delivered and making sure vulnerable people are to the best of their ability protected. This is being delivered by a dedicated Leadership Team and a Labour Police and Crime Commissioner not afraid to speak the truth about rising crime and the need for policing resources to be better protected.

This Council boasts that Trafford is the safest place to live in Greater Manchester. The continued support for austerity pursued by the Conservatives nationally and locally puts this in jeopardy.

RESOLVED: That, in view of the time, this matter be deferred to the next ordinary meeting of the Council.