Agenda item

To consider any Motions for debate in accordance with Council Procedure Rule A9.

The following motion was moved by Councillor Miles Parkinson and seconded by Councillor Loraine Cox under Council Procedure Rule A9:-

"The Council calls upon the Government to make fair transitional State Pension arrangements for all women born in the 1950s, who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA) with lack of appropriate notification.

  3.8 million women had significant pension changes imposed on them by the Pensions Acts of 1995 and 2011 with little or no personal notification of the changes. Some women had only two years notice of a six-year increase to their state pension age.

  Many had no notification at all. Many women born in the 1950's are living in hardship. Retirement plans have been shattered with devastating consequences. Many of these women are already out of the labour market, caring for elderly relatives, and/or providing childcare for grandchildren, or suffer discrimination in the workplace and struggle to find employment. Women born in this decade are suffering financially. These women have worked hard, raised families and paid their tax and national insurance with the expectation that they would be financially secure when reaching 60.

  It is not the pension age itself that is in dispute - it is widely accepted that women and men should retire at the same time. The issue is that the rise in the women's state pension age has been too rapid and has happened without sufficient notice being given to the women affected, leaving them with no time to make alternative arrangements.

            The Council calls upon the Government “To provide fair transitional State Pension arrangements for all women affected by the changes. This translates into a 'bridging' pension to provide an income from age 60 until State Pension Age. An income that is not means-tested, and also includes recompense for losses incurred, for those women who have already reached their SPA, so that women do not live in hardship due to pension changes they were not told about until it was too late to make alternative arrangements."

After a debate, the motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

Resolved                           (1)   That this Council supports the call for transitional State Pension arrangements for all women born in the 1950s; and

                                           (2)  That this Council calls upon the Government to take action to put arrangements in place, as set out in the motion above.

The following motion was moved by Councillor Gareth Molineux and seconded by Councillor Noordad Aziz under Council Procedure Rule A9:-

  “That this Council resolves to write to Lancashire County Council to ask that the proposal in their budget for 19/20 to introduce on street car parking charges in Great Harwood be abandoned.

We, the Council, believe this is a regressive move for the high street shops in Great Harwood and will drive customers away.  The changes in the retail sector means we need to be innovative in our approach in supporting our high street and this goes against that.”

An amendment was then proposed by Councillor Gareth Molineux and seconded by Councillor Noordad Aziz as the following addendum to the motion above:

“And that this Council commits to continue to keep all public car parks in its ownership free of charge.”

After a debate, the motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

Resolved                           (1)   That a letter be sent to Lancashire County Council requesting that the proposal in their budget for 2019/20 to introduce on street car parking charges in Great Harwood be abandoned; and

                                           (2)  That this Council commits to continue to keeping all public car parks in its ownership free of charge.

The following motion was moved by Councillor Judith Addison and seconded by Councillor Sara Britcliffe under Council Procedure Rule A9:-

“In light of the recent bad publicity for car parking fines at the Arndale Centre, can the leader of the council update members on what this council is doing to safeguard Accrington’s free parking reputation and ensure that any future visitors aren’t penalised for making a simple mistake?!”

An amendment was then proposed by Councillor Judith Addison and seconded by Councillor Sara Britcliffe as follows:

“In light of the recent bad publicity for car parking fines at the Arndale Centre, we ask the Leader to arrange a meeting with the Arndale Centre Management so that any issues can be resolved.”

After a debate, the motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

Resolved                               -   That a meeting be organised between the Leader of the Council and the Arndale Centre Management to discuss parking arrangements at the Arndale Centre.