Agenda item

The leader of the council to present the theme for the meeting.

At this point, it was moved and seconded to suspend council assembly procedure rule 2.10(4), notice of amendments, to accept late Amendment E.  This was voted on by the meeting and declared to be Carried.

Late Amendment E was put to the vote and declared to be Carried.

The leader of the council, Councillor Peter John, presented the motion on the themed debate.

Councillor Anood Al-Samerai, the majority opposition group spokesperson, responded to the cabinet member's motion and proposed Amendment A.

Following debate (Councillors Coldwell, Chopra, Whitehead, Livingstone, Lamb, O’Brien, Fleming, Hamvas, Shimell, Flynn, Ali, Mann, and Mills), the leader of the council, Councillor Peter John, responded to the debate.

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

The motion was put to the vote and declared to be Carried.

DECISION:

What does Brexit mean for Southwark?

1.  Council assembly notes that the administration remains committed to its core values of fairness and equality, and to delivering its manifesto commitments made to the residents of our borough in 2010 and 2014 - to creating a fairer future for all.  This commitment will not change as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

2.  Council assembly notes that the UK Statistics Authority estimates the number of EU nationals living in the borough is 31,000, and recognises the significant contribution that EU nationals living and working in Southwark make to our community.

3.  Council assembly notes that 73% of those who voted in the EU referendum in Southwark opted for the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union and welcomes the administration’s public commitment at that time to “work hard to ensure that Southwark does not lose the many benefits that the EU brings”.

4.  Council assembly notes that since 2010 the employment rate in our borough has risen by over 10% to nearly 77%, with nearly 40,000 more people aged 16 – 64 now in work.

5.  Council assembly welcomes the administration’s commitment to attracting jobs and investment to Southwark, and notes with concern that some employers may delay investment decisions or consider transferring some employment away from London as a result of the Brexit decision.

6.  Council assembly notes that this administration is dedicated to making our borough a greener and healthier place to live, and has invested in making walking and cycling easier, and reducing the council’s own carbon emissions.

7.  Council assembly notes that despite years of national government funding cuts, this administration has remained committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities, recognising that because of inflation and a weaker pound in the period since June 2016, our residents are facing rising costs for food, energy and other essentials.

8.  Council assembly recognises the importance of Southwark’s cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, and believes that this diversity is one of the factors that makes Southwark such an exciting and vibrant area to live and work in. Our diversity is strengthened by our bonds with other EU countries, and we should therefore continue to work with, and strengthen our connections with, our twinned boroughs of Clichy and Langenhagen.

9.  Council assembly calls on cabinet to work with Southwark’s three Labour MPs to lobby their leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and this Conservative government in order to clarify the rights of EU nationals to remain, rule out withdrawal from the EU without a deal, guarantee a Parliamentary vote on any final outcome to negotiations, set out transitional arrangements to maintain jobs, trade and certainty for business, set out proposals to retain the benefits of the Customs Union and Single Market, set out clear measures to respect the competencies of the devolved administrations, include clear protections for EU nationals living in the UK now, including retaining their right to remain in the UK, and reciprocal rights for UK citizens, and to take every opportunity to ensure that local residents can continue to benefit from the jobs and apprenticeships in our borough which are connected to the EU.

10.  Council assembly further calls on cabinet to maintain our high environmental standards and diversity, and to continue to protect our most vulnerable residents during the Brexit negotiations and after the UK leaves the EU.