Agenda item

This report sets out notices of motions ruled in order.

The Council received two Motions submitted under FCR 14 of Appendix 4 of the Constitution.

Motion 1: “Debate not Hate”

The Council resolved by unanmously to debate this Motion at the meeting.

In pursuance of the Council’s Rules of Procedure, Councillor Hannah Dalton MOVED and Councillor Julie Morris SECONDED the following Motion.

In moving the motion, Councillor Hannah Dalton identified an amendment to the wording of the motion set out in the agenda.  This amendment was to replace the words “to use to” in paragraph 3 with the words “can use to”, as set out in bold below.

Motion

“This council notes that increasing levels of toxicity in public and political discourse is having a detrimental impact of local democracy and that prevention, support and responses to abuse and intimidation of local politicians must improve to ensure councillors feel safe and able to continue representing their residents.

This council therefore commits to challenge the normalisation of abuse against councillors and officers and uphold exemplary standards of public and political debate in all it does.

The council further agrees to sign up to the LGA’s Debate Not Hate campaign. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the role of councillors in local communities, encourage healthy debate and improve the response to and support those in public life facing abuse and intimidation. 

This Council resolves to:

(1)          Write to Chris Grayling MP to ask their support of the campaign.

(2)          Write to the Government to ask them to work with the LGA to develop and implement a plan to address abuse and intimidation of politicians.

(3)          Ensure the council has a clear reporting mechanism which councillors can use to monitor and record incidents of harassment and abuse of councillors and/or officers.

(4)          Regularly review the support available to councillors in relation to abuse and intimidation and councillor safety.

(5)          Work with the local police to ensure there is a clear and joined-up mechanism for reporting threats and other concerns about the safety of councillors and their families and discuss the need to take a preventative approach that accounts for the specific risks that councillors face, as they do with other high-risk individuals, like MPs.

(6)          Take a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of councillors and officers.”

Upon being put the motion was CARRIED unanimously.

Accordingly the Council resolved that:

This council notes that increasing levels of toxicity in public and political discourse is having a detrimental impact of local democracy and that prevention, support and responses to abuse and intimidation of local politicians must improve to ensure councillors feel safe and able to continue representing their residents.

This council therefore commits to challenge the normalisation of abuse against councillors and officers and uphold exemplary standards of public and political debate in all it does.

The council further agrees to sign up to the LGA’s Debate Not Hate campaign. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the role of councillors in local communities, encourage healthy debate and improve the response to and support those in public life facing abuse and intimidation. 

This Council resolves to:

(1)          Write to Chris Grayling MP to ask their support of the campaign.

(2)          Write to the Government to ask them to work with the LGA to develop and implement a plan to address abuse and intimidation of politicians.

(3)          Ensure the council has a clear reporting mechanism which councillors can use to monitor and record incidents of harassment and abuse of councillors and/or officers.

(4)          Regularly review the support available to councillors in relation to abuse and intimidation and councillor safety.

(5)          Work with the local police to ensure there is a clear and joined-up mechanism for reporting threats and other concerns about the safety of councillors and their families and discuss the need to take a preventative approach that accounts for the specific risks that councillors face, as they do with other high-risk individuals, like MPs.

(6)          Take a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of councillors and officers.

Motion 2: “Monitoring of the Chalk Pit site, Epsom”

The Council resolved by a majority vote (with 6 votes for dealing with the motion at the meeting, 19 votes to refer the motion to the relevant committee, 1 abstention and the Mayor not voting) to refer the Motion to the Environment Committee for consideration.