Agenda item

To consider the following motions:

 

·  Scrap the Two Child Cap

·  Extension of the Franchise

·  A Fair Deal for Southwark’s Carers

·  A National Care Service for England

Motion 1: Scrap the Two Child Cap

 

This motion was considered prior to the guillotine having fallen. 

 

Councillor Victor Chamberlain moved the motion. Councillor Rachel Bentley seconded the motion.

 

There was one amendment to the motion.  Councillor Jasmine Ali moved Amendment B.  Councillor Cleo Soanes seconded Amendment B.  After debate (Councillors Catherine Rose, Emily Tester, Irina von Wiese) Councillor Victor Chamberlain responded to the debate.

 

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

 

The amended substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

1.  Council assembly notes:

 

a.  The dire impact of austerity on children and families in Southwark and across the country instigated by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition, undoing all of the work of the previous Labour Government that lifted 2 million children out of poverty

 

b.  The £22 billion black hole in the national finances inherited by the government and the responsible handling of the economy since Labour were elected in 2024.

 

c.  The Labour Party’s commitment to tackling child poverty, including the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy.

 

d.  The Free Breakfast Clubs pilot rolled out by the government, already benefitting two schools in Southwark and set to give every child in the country a healthy breakfast when fully rolled out.

 

e.  The additional 3,000 nurseries with 100,000 places committed in Labour’s 2024 manifesto.

 

f.  Labour’s New Deal for Working People and uplift to the living wage, set to benefit working people across our borough and have a material impact on child poverty.

 

g.  The government’s plan for 100,000 urgent child dental appointments and major new supervised toothbrushing programme, helping children have the best start in life.

 

h.  The commitment of the Mayor of London to fund free healthy school meals for primary school children across London.

 

2.  Council Assembly further notes:

 

a.  The work of Southwark’s Labour administration to support children and families in our borough and help alleviate poverty, including:

 

  i.  Over £53million of cost of living support provided to thousands of families.

  ii.  The most comprehensive free healthy school meals offer for children in the country, which has improved reading skills, reduced childhood obesity and increased financial support to households.

  iii.  Free healthy school meals during the holidays.

  iv.  Holiday food and fun programmes.

  v.  Support for low income families with school uniform costs.

  vi.  Help with energy costs and free advice on reducing bills.

 

b.  This administration’s submission to the Child Poverty Taskforce, which outlined the impacts of child poverty in Southwark and describing the work we are doing with partners to ameliorate its affects.

 

c.  This administration’s continued work with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and other government ministers in finding and working through long term solutions to child poverty.

 

d.  The council’s work with the Living Wage Foundation to lift Southwark residents out of poverty pay, which so far has benefitted over 7,000 working people in the borough.

 

3.  Council Assembly resolves to:

 

a.  Ask that the council continue to provide support to children and families in Southwark, putting money back in our residents’ pockets wherever possible. This includes:

 

  i.  Continuing providing free healthy school meals for Southwark children.

  ii.  Continuing to provide holiday school meals.

  iii.  Continuing the council’s Holiday Food and Fun schemes for families in the school holidays.

  iv.  Continue with a cash first approach to our cost of living support.

  v.  Continue to expand the number of registered Living Wage employers in the borough to lift residents out of poverty pay.

b.  Support the government in the establishment of the Child Poverty Strategy, providing expertise on the pressures facing families in Southwark and working to end child poverty in this country.

 

Motion 2: Extension of the Franchise

 

This motion was considered prior to the guillotine having fallen. 

 

Councillor Sam Dalton moved the motion. Councillor Joseph Vambe seconded the motion.

 

There were no amendments to the motion.  After debate (Councillors Maria Linforth-Hall, Charlie Smith, Maggie Browning, Irina von Wiese, Jasmine Ali) Councillor Sam Dalton responded to the debate.

 

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

1.  Council Assembly notes:

 

a.  Southwark have given a welcome and a home to migrant communities across the ages, from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Our culture, cuisine, community, and spirit have been enriched a thousandfold by citizens and families from all over the world.  In 2024 we were recognised by the wonderful Charity City of Sanctuary as a Borough of Sanctuary for welcoming, supporting opportunities to our sisters and brothers from overseas.

 

b.  The Elections Act is a major piece of national legislation with local implications for the residents of this local authority, including the use of mandatory photographic voter ID at the polling station, changes to overseas voting and voting and candidacy rights of EU citizens. 

 

c.  According to the 2021 census, one in six usual residents of England and Wales were born outside the UK. They live, work, study, make use of public services, and call the UK their home. Many foreign-born residents of this local authority from EU and Commonwealth countries can vote in our local elections. However, over 1 million residents across England and Northern Ireland do not have a right to vote. 

 

d.  Scotland and Wales implemented residence-based voting rights where all residents with lawful immigration status have the right to vote in local and devolved national elections.

 

e.  According to a poll by Opinium Research, over 50% of people agree that every resident, no matter where they are from, should have the right to vote at least in local elections.

 

2.  Council Assembly welcomes:

 

a.  That all our residents, no matter their nationality, call this local authority their home and bring significant value to our area. 

 

b.  That the voting and candidacy rights of EU citizens with pre-settled and settled status who entered the UK before 2021 will be maintained through the Elections Act. 

 

c.  That 15 local authorities across England have passed motions asking for the right to vote to be extended to all residents in local elections. 

 

3.  Council Assembly expresses concern that:

 

a.  EU citizens who enter the UK from the 1st of January 2021 and are not covered by bilateral voting rights treaties (currently only active with Poland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and Denmark) will lose voting and candidacy rights in local elections when the Elections Act is fully implemented. This will create an unequal situation where some EU citizens will have the right to vote where others will not. 

 

b.  The complexity in voting eligibility will cause confusion and will reduce voter turnout in local elections amongst migrant voters, a group already under-registered compared to British voters. 

 

c.  This is particularly pertinent in Southwark, where more than 40% of our residents were born outside of the UK – over 121,000 people.

 

d.  Furthermore, a burden will be placed on Local Authorities managing the removal of a significant number of EU citizens from the electoral register. This may result in some being wrongfully removed from the electoral register.

 

4.  The Council commits to: 

 

a.  Request that the relevant cabinet member writes to the Minister of State at the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the relevant shadow frontbencher requesting that the franchise for local elections be extended to all qualifying foreign nationals in England and Northern Ireland in line with eligibility criteria in Scotland and Wales. This would ensure a UK-wide and fair approach to voting rights so that all our residents, who are also our council taxpayers, are enfranchised.

 

b.  Delivering a training to councillors and relevant officers on the changes brought by the Elections Act so that residents can be accurately informed about their voting rights. 

 

c.  Work collaboratively with voluntary sector organisations in our local authority to reach residents about voter eligibility rules and how to vote. 

 

d.  Ensure council officers have a strategy in place to ensure that the implementation of the Elections Act, including the removal of some EU citizens from the register, does not wrongfully remove eligible voters from the register.

 

e.  Continue promoting voter registration and photo ID requirements to residents at citizenship ceremonies, events, and other communication channels. 

 

At this point, Councillors Gavin Edwards and Victoria Mills left, as they have disclosable pecuniary interests in Motions 3 and 4 (see Declarations of Interests).

 

Motion 3: A Fair Deal for Southwark’s Carers

 

This motion was considered prior to the guillotine having fallen. 

 

Councillor Nick Johnson moved the motion. Councillor Maria Linforth-Hall seconded the motion.

 

The guillotine fell at this point.

 

There were two amendments to the motion. 

 

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

 

The amended substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

1.  Council Assembly notes:

 

a.  The Carers Trust estimates that there are at least one million young carers aged 17 and under in the UK and over 600,000 young adult carers between the ages of 18 and 25.

 

b.  In Southwark, 407 young carers are supported by the council, but the true number of young carers in the area is likely to be far higher.

 

c.  Young carers miss an average of 23 school days per year and young adult carers are four times more likely to drop out of college or university.

 

d.  Caring responsibilities can affect young carers’ readiness to engage fully in school life, adding barriers to punctuality, their capacity to complete homework, and their ability to focus and participate effectively in lessons.

 

2.  Council Assembly further notes:

 

a.  That the NHS and social care system face multiple crises of access, staff retention, long waiting times, missed targets and poor outcomes as a direct result of 14 years of cuts from Conservative and Liberal Democrat governments.

 

b.  That people across Southwark are struggling to access health and care services, and that much of the strain on the NHS is caused by a dire lack of funding and support for social care inherited from the Conservative government.

 

c.  the Labour government has initiated and is actively working on holding cross-party talks to achieve meaningful social care reform, recognising the positive vision for social care in Southwark and nationally.

 

d.  That difficulty accessing services increases pressure on acute care such as Accident & Emergency (A&E) as well as undermining overall population health

 

e.  That the new Labour government struck a fair pay deal with doctors and nurses within months of running the country. 

 

f.  That the Labour government has also already met its target of 2 million new NHS appointments, after just 8 months in office.

 

g.  The Labour government has set out immediate investment and reforms to improve adult social care and support the workforce, including helping to keep older people out of hospital and living at home independently for longer, and improved technology and data sharing between NHS and social care.

 

h.  That Baroness Louise Casey is chairing an independent commission into adult social care to build a national consensus around a new national care service able to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st century.

 

i.  That the Southwark Labour administration has shown leadership in investing in the care workforce – paying the London Living Wage, Travel time, Enhancements for unsocial Hours, Occupational Sick Pay and much more to staff that are employed by local services who are signed up to Southwark’s Ethical Care Charter and the more recently Southwark’s Residential Care Charter.

 

j.  The positive efforts by Southwark’s health partners to increase GP access, with Southwark GPs conducting an additional 23,971 appointments in Q3 2024/25 compared to Q3 2023/24, reflecting a 6.5% increase. Efforts to promote the NHS App in Southwark have also led to a significant rise in registrations from 5.4% in January 2024 to 60.1% by January 2025.

 

3.  Council Assembly welcomes:

 

a.  The government’s plans for reforming the NHS and building an integrated health service, with health and social care services delivered locally and in coordination with one another.

b.  The great work in Southwark to bring together key partners from Health, VCS and Council to collectively design and implement plans to improve health and care services for Southwark residents and patients through partnership Southwark and Health and Wellbeing Board.

c.  The Council's collaboration with partners continues to facilitate timely discharges from hospitals, enabling residents to return home. This involves commissioning community-based reablement services in partnership with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust and a home care agency, as well as bed-based reablement services at the Avon Unit located within Waterside Care Home.

d.  The Council’s commitment to enhancing support for carers by redesigning services and embedding them in the Health and Wellbeing Board’s strategy. We value unpaid carers for their role in keeping residents safe and well and aim to support their health.

e.  The commitment made in the Labour Party's 2024 general election manifesto to "undertake a programme of reform to create a National Care Service, underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country".

f.  This Labour-run council’s ‘Health on the High Street’ programme, bringing vital services into local areas for our residents to access.

 

4.  Council Assembly therefore pledges its support for a National Care Service, with health and social care delivered locally, and encourages the new government to carry out this reform.

 

Motion 4: A National Care Service for England

 

This motion was considered after the guillotine had fallen.

 

There was one amendment to the motion. 

 

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

 

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

1.  This council believes adult social care should enable people to live the life they want to live.

 

2.  But despite the previous government’s commitment to "fix social care", buck-passing and intransigence by the previous national government has broken this vital public service.

 

3.  The problems in social care are particularly evident in the workforce.  Many care staff are paid minimum wage or less for a difficult and skilled job. Some domiciliary care employees do not get paid for their travel time between care visits, while care workers are paid significantly less than the minimum wage for overnight sleep-in shifts. Most care workers do not even have access to an adequate occupational sick pay scheme, which means they lose significant sums in wages when they are unwell or need to self-isolate.  Meanwhile, this country has been shamed by the exploitation of many migrant care staff, who are forced to work excessive hours or pay huge amounts for their training or equipment.

 

4.  Figures from Skills for Care show there are 131,000 vacancies in the care sector, one of the highest rates in the entire economy. Workforce shortages; poor pay and conditions; and a lack of national direction on social care mean too many people cannot access the care they need. 

 

5.  But there is hope. This council notes the campaign by UNISON, the lead trade union in social care, for a National Care Service (NCS) in England, for a service which will:

 

a.  improve the quality of care for everyone who needs it.

 

b.  support independent living and take a ‘home first’ approach which enables people to recover outside hospital and care homes with the right help.

 

c.  promote public sector and non-profit delivery of care services.

 

d.  have national partnership working, bringing together employers, unions, and government in a national partnership.

 

e.  implement a Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care.

 

6.  This council also welcomes the commitment made in the Labour Party's 2024 general election manifesto to "undertake a programme of reform to create a National Care Service, underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country".

 

7.  This council acknowledges the commendable efforts made in the borough to invest in the workforce through the implementation of both the Ethical and Residential Care Charter, inspired by UNISON’s charter. These charters are designed to enhance care standards for vulnerable residents and improve working conditions for care workers. By offering the London Living Wage, compensating travel time, providing occupational sick pay, and remunerating staff for training hours, the borough has effectively attracted and retained staff, resulting in relatively low vacancy and turnover rates.

 

8.  This council further notes that the Fabian Society has published a comprehensive plan for building a NCS in England, with empowered local authorities at its core, called Support Guaranteed: The Roadmap to a National Care Service.  The report states: “Councils should remain in charge [of social care]. But our firm view is that more nationwide rights, standards and functions are needed for local government to fulfil its adult social care mission

 

9.  This council believes that building a NCS can also help drive wider economic growth. The 2023 Future Social Care Coalition report Carenomics demonstrates the contribution that social care makes to the UK economy, with the sector generating in England alone £51.5 billion in gross value added to the economy.

 

10.  This council pledges its support for a NCS and encourages the new government to carry out this reform.