Agenda item

Council assembly to debate the recommendations of the cabinet held on 7 February 2012 for a general fund budget for 2012/13 of £308.2m and a nil council tax increase for 2012/13 and vote on whether to agree them.

(See pages 1 – 78 of the main agenda)

The meeting agreed in accordance with council assembly procedure rule 1.14(4) to allow for a single debate on the report and the amendments.  It also suspended council assembly procedure rule 1.14(11) (Deadline for receipt of amendments) to accept the late amendments.

There were twenty eight members’ questions on the report to the cabinet member for finance, resources and community safety, the written responses to which were circulated on lilac paper.  There were twenty three supplementary questions.  All questions and responses are attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

In accordance with council assembly procedure rule 2.11(1), Councillor Richard Livingstone moved the report and the cabinet’s recommendations.

Councillor Tim McNally, seconded by Councillor Anood Al-Samerai, moved Amendment A.

Councillor Toby Eckersley, seconded by Councillor Michael Mitchell, moved Late Amendment B.

Councillor Michael Mitchell, seconded by Councillor Lewis Robinson, moved Late Amendment C.

Following debate (Councillors Michael Situ, Helen Hayes, Paul Noblet, Cleo Soanes, Althea Smith, David Noakes, Rowenna Davis, Catherine Bowman, Gavin Edwards, Robin Crookshank Hilton and Claire Hickson), Councillor Paul Noblet made a point of personal explanation and the debate continued (Councillor The Right Revd Emmanuel Oyewole).  At this point Councillor Adele Morris made a point of personal explanation and the debate continued (Councillors Mark Williams, David Hubber, Andy Simmons, Columba Blango, Neil Coyle).  At this point Councillor Catherine Bowman made a point of personal explanation and the debate continued (Renata Hamvas, Jonathan Mitchell, Parick Diamond, Peter John, Denise Capstick, Mark Gettleson, Fiona Colley, Dora Dixon-Fyle, James Barber, Ian Wingfield, Mark Glover, Veronica Ward, Barrie Hargrove, Catherine McDonald, Helen Morrissey and Nick Dolezal).

At 10.02pm the bell was rang and the Mayor informed the meeting that the guillotine had fallen. 

Councillor Richard Livingstone exercised his right of reply.

Amendment A was put to the vote and declared to be lost.

Amendment B was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

Amendment C was put to the vote and declared to be lost.

The recommendations as amended were put to the vote and declared to be carried.

The cabinet recommendation had been amended, therefore in accordance with the budget and policy framework procedure rule 2 (g), the leader gave his consent to the amendment and the decision can be implemented with immediate effect.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the recommendations of the cabinet held on 7 February 2012 for a general fund budget for 2012/13 of £308.2m and a nil council tax increase for 2012/13, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, be agreed except that £18,000 be vired from the cleaner greener safer revenue fund reserved for the Dulwich community council, to the environment and leisure public realm budget for the purpose of retaining school crossing patrol services in the Dulwich Village area.

2.  That this council notes that the number one traffic safety priority in Dulwich Village is the retention of school crossing patrols.  It further notes that the main demand of the campaigners for the retention of the threatened school crossing patrols is secure long term funding for the patrols and that the Dulwich community council unanimously supported them in that demand.  This council concurs with the view that the best way of securing long term funding is to include the budgeted cost within the mainstream core funding of the council.