Agenda item

Motion A

This council:

 

- recognises the value of local green space to fighting climate change, promoting biodiversity, combatting particulate pollution and cleaning our air, providing areas of tranquillity and increasing the physical and mental wellbeing of local people;

 

- therefore welcomes the inclusion since 2012 of the Local Green Space designation for green areas of local community value in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

 

- further welcomes and reiterates its support for the designation of Local Green Spaces (LGS) through the Cheltenham Plan of 16 Local Green Spaces at Swindon Village, Fairview Green, St Mark’s, Lynworth Green, Albemarle Orchard Gardens, Colesbourne Road, Harrington Drive, George Readings Way, Henley Road, Newcourt Green, Cheriton Park, Holmer Park and Greatfield Park, Pilgrove Way and the Leckhampton Fields;

 

- Recognises that most if not all of these Local Green Spaces have been designated thanks to campaigns fought over many years by local communities, campaigners and residents, Parish Councils and ward councillors;

 

- Notes that all LGS sites have been tested through public examination and have been found to meet the criteria in the NPPF and that the Cheltenham Plan Inspector’s acceptance of the LGS sites has also been supported by the courts and the period for legal challenge has now passed.

 

On that basis, this council declares its intention to defend all the LGS sites in future plan-making processes, whether at JCS, local or neighbourhood level. Should zoning be introduced in any government changes to the planning system, this council will regard LGS sites as being protected areas alongside the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and other protected areas.

 

This council further resolves to contact the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and our local MPs urging them to protect the Local Green Space designation

 

The motion was proposed by Cllr. Horwood and seconded by Cllr. Fisher.

 

In proposing the motion, Cllr. Horwood explained the importance of local green spaces (LGS) as a valuable commodity for simple enjoyment and getting people away from looking at screens all the time.  It was a great illustration of inter-party working due to the 2012 coalition national policy framework to protect green spaces. The council had made full use of this policy and it gave proper protection to LGS so local communities did not have to fight to protect their green spaces. He stressed that there should be pride that new homes were being built whilst preserving local green spaces.  The motion was brought to Council as there may be changes to the planning system at a national government level. He urged Members to contact the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to protect green space policy going forward, and reiterated that the motion was a clear  declaration that LGS were not up for grabs.

 

The Mayor moved to debate, where Members made the following points:

·         It was not just local green spaces that needed protection, but also local wildlife sites. Hopefully, the 6 local wildlife sites would become part of the Local Cheltenham Plan, as well as a few parks that were not protected.

·         LGS were particularly important during lockdown for recreational purposes.

·         Members thanked Cllr. Horwood for his work on the subject.

·         Concern was raised over Henley Road LGS and its proximity to the West Cheltenham development. This area was important to the existing residents and for new occupiers of the new development.

·         Building new homes was important, but there needed to be just as much emphasis on local green spaces. During lockdown these spaces were invaluable to both physical and mental health, especially to those without gardens.

·         There was a need to look at the sites that were unprotected and how to protect them.

·         Friends groups provided a lot of support at Winston Churchill Gardens and the Honeybourne Line.

·         It was important to ensure proper protection for green corridors.

·         The land behind the school at Alstone Lane was earmarked for development and it was the Council’s responsibility to ensure that the land was not over developed. The same applied to Lansdown North.

·         The need to protect local green spaces needed to be balanced with the need for housing.

·         Members congratulated the 6 parks which had won Green Flag awards.

 

Cllr. Fisher then spoke on the motion as seconder.  He gave his thanks to Cllr. Horwood and a number of former members for the hard work that they had put in to this issue. Green space was the future, and he hoped that West Cheltenham would have plenty of it as the largest development in Cheltenham in some time.

 

Cllr Horwood then summed up the points that were made and thanked Members for their input to the debate.

 

The motion was unanimously approved.

 

 

 

Motion B

Emergency Situation in our Hospitals

 

Council, in supporting this motion, thanks the hard-working staff of our local NHS trust, and those working more widely in social care in our town, for the ways they have gone above and beyond to care for us in this time of crisis. It laments the dangerous overwork of many staff required to maintain even the current level of care and extended waiting times and calls on the government to provide our trust with the support it needs to provide better care and shorter wait times safely.

 

Recent reports in national newspapers concerned Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust declaration of a Black Alert, which was declared on 19th September and lasted until 5th October. A Black Alert is used when patients are at serious risk and their safety cannot be guaranteed by the Trust, nor can the Trust provide normal services.

 

In view of the impact on Cheltenham residents, and those of the wider East Gloucestershire area which CGH serves, of such a lengthy Black Alert, Council is requested to:

 

 Ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State, Care Quality Commission and the HOSC outlining Council’s concerns, which are: 

 

1. Why was the Black Alert not made known to HOSC?

 

2. Why has the Trust not been open about this with the public?

 

3. How does the Trust expect to retain staff when it is placing such intolerable pressure in them?

 

4. How will the Trust retain staff when winter pressures worsen in January and February?

 

5. How will the Trust support and help the ambulance service?

 

6. With long term staff retiring, how is the Trust going to recruit more staff?

 

Further, that the O&S Committee be requested to convene an emergency meeting with GHT, to raise these matters with the Hospital’s Trust Chief Executive and Medical leads.

 

The motion was proposed by Cllr. Clucas and seconded by Cllr. Payne.

 

In proposing the motion, Cllr. Clucas stressed the importance of uniting as a council across political divides. The motion related to the Black Alert declared by the ambulance service, and expressed concerns about the NHS Trust’s use of resources and the pressures upon it.

 

The Mayor moved to debate, where Members made the following points:

·         The motion drew attention to a significant issue, and this was an appropriate use of the council’s scrutiny process. The Chair of Overview & Scrutiny agreed that the committee should hear from the Trust.

·         Local issues within the health service were well known and had been of concern for a long time.

·         The motion was harshly worded and Members had not been given enough time to scrutinise it in detail.

·         A Black Alert was a sign of a dire situation where the safety of patients could not be guaranteed.

 

The motion was slightly amended to clarify that it was asking the Leader to write to various subjects about the council’s concerns, and to clarify that the meeting with the trust would be organised by the O&S committee.

 

A more significant amendment to the motion was proposed by Cllr. Lewis and seconded by Cllr. Flynn. The amendment was rejected by Members, but it was agreed that one paragraph of the amendment, which thanked those working for the NHS Trust and more widely in social care, lamented the overwork of staff required to maintain even the current level of care, and called on the government to provide the Trust with the support it needed, be incorporated in to the start of the substantive motion.

 

In seconding the motion, Cllr. Payne suggested that the issues faced by the local Trust had to be structural, at least in part. The council had a responsibility to do all it could to improve the situation. He was satisfied that the amended motion, taking into account the amendment submitted by Cllr. Lewis, covered the whole issue.

 

Cllr. Clucas thanked Members for their contributions to the debate.

 

The motion was approved, as amended.