Decision

(A)

Incinerators and the danger to human health

The Mayor advised that a Motion had been received from the Conservative Group regarding Incinerators and the danger to human health. The Mayor further advised that an amendment had been received from the Labour Group which had been circulated to the full membership of the Council prior to the meeting. On receipt of the amendment the Conservative Group, after due consideration, withdrew their original Motion and replaced it with the Labour Group Amendment. 

After being put to the vote, the acceptance of the amendment as the substantive motion was .

                                      It was moved by Councillor Leigh MBE,

                                      Seconded by Councillor Ashton

This Council notes:

·         Tackling climate change is a priority for Calderdale Council. In 2023 the council published a Climate Action Plan. This document is a roadmap for action to support reaching net-zero emissions by 2038. It has considerable synergies with the council’s 2019 air quality strategy, with measures aimed at achieving net zero also likely to reduce air pollution.

·         Councils are legally obliged to determine applications for environmental permits, including for waste incineration plants, in accordance with the relevant legislative framework and guidance. Under the Council’s Constitution the decision for such applications is delegated to officers.

·         The long history of the proposed small waste incineration plant (SWIP) at Belmont Industrial Estate in Sowerby Bridge started with Calderdale Council refusing planning permission. This decision was then overturned on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

·         In 2021, the then Cabinet granted an environmental permit for the incinerator. This took place following the legal process which included opportunities for residents and other parties to object. Subsequently, objectors successfully secured a judicial review, which concluded with the Cabinet decision to grant the environmental permit being quashed.

·         The application was then considered by a Planning Inspector who dismissed it and stated: “I am unable to find that granting an environmental permit for the SWIP would not have an unacceptable adverse effect on human health and the environment”.

This Council acknowledges:

·         This prolonged process has caused significant distress amongst local residents, who are deeply concerned about the potential impact on human health and the community.

·         Councils are not legally required to respond to all questions submitted by residents in consultations for environmental permits. However, all responses are carefully reviewed.

·         There have been two public consultations in respect of the current application. In response to significant feedback Calderdale Council has asked the applicants to provide more information before making a decision.The receipt and online publication of this additional information will start a further 21-day public consultation.

·         In 2021 an assessment by the National Infrastructure Committee warned that the increasing greenhouse gas emissions from waste incineration would hinder the UK's ability to achieve its net-zero targets by 2050. In a subsequent report published in October 2023 they highlighted that to hit net zero the tonnage of waste treated at energy from waste plants without carbon capture and storage will need to reduce by around a quarter by 2035, and by around 80 per cent by 2050.

·         In 2021, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on air pollution published a synopsis of research presentations on pollution from waste incineration. One researcher found that “even though incinerator filters stop small particulates like PM2.5, they allow ultrafine particulates into the local environment which at scale constitute a significant health hazard.”  Other research “found heavy metals in the toenails of children living near incinerators linked with childhood leukaemia” and “dioxins in chicken eggs up to 10 kilometres away from incinerators.”

This Council resolves to:

·         Ask the Leader and Chief Executive of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs requesting that they pause current and future applications for waste incinerators, regardless of size or regulatory authority, and carry out a national review of development rules. This review could examine the operation of all current incinerators in the UK; the impacts on human health; impacts on recycling rates; and whether capacity has been reached in terms of national demand for new incinerators. The review could also include consideration of the recent and currently unpublished work by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on “the role of waste incineration capacity in the management of residual wastes in England”.

·         Do everything within its power to prevent any potential health and environmental impacts that the proposed incinerator could have on the local community and residents (if the environmental permit were to be granted). Moreover, the Council will impose any relevant sanctions on the applicants should the rules stipulated in the environmental permit and Planning application be breached.

RESOLVED that:

·         Tackling climate change is a priority for Calderdale Council. In 2023 the council published a Climate Action Plan. This document is a roadmap for action to support reaching net-zero emissions by 2038. It has considerable synergies with the council’s 2019 air quality strategy, with measures aimed at achieving net zero also likely to reduce air pollution.

·         Councils are legally obliged to determine applications for environmental permits, including for waste incineration plants, in accordance with the relevant legislative framework and guidance. Under the Council’s Constitution the decision for such applications is delegated to officers.

·         The long history of the proposed small waste incineration plant (SWIP) at Belmont Industrial Estate in Sowerby Bridge started with Calderdale Council refusing planning permission. This decision was then overturned on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

·         In 2021, the then Cabinet granted an environmental permit for the incinerator. This took place following the legal process which included opportunities for residents and other parties to object. Subsequently, objectors successfully secured a judicial review, which concluded with the Cabinet decision to grant the environmental permit being quashed.

·         The application was then considered by a Planning Inspector who dismissed it and stated: “I am unable to find that granting an environmental permit for the SWIP would not have an unacceptable adverse effect on human health and the environment”.

This Council acknowledges:

·         This prolonged process has caused significant distress amongst local residents, who are deeply concerned about the potential impact on human health and the community.

·         Councils are not legally required to respond to all questions submitted by residents in consultations for environmental permits. However, all responses are carefully reviewed.

·         There have been two public consultations in respect of the current application. In response to significant feedback Calderdale Council has asked the applicants to provide more information before making a decision.The receipt and online publication of this additional information will start a further 21-day public consultation.

·         In 2021 an assessment by the National Infrastructure Committee warned that the increasing greenhouse gas emissions from waste incineration would hinder the UK's ability to achieve its net-zero targets by 2050. In a subsequent report published in October 2023 they highlighted that to hit net zero the tonnage of waste treated at energy from waste plants without carbon capture and storage will need to reduce by around a quarter by 2035, and by around 80 per cent by 2050.

·         In 2021, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on air pollution published a synopsis of research presentations on pollution from waste incineration. One researcher found that “even though incinerator filters stop small particulates like PM2.5, they allow ultrafine particulates into the local environment which at scale constitute a significant health hazard.”  Other research “found heavy metals in the toenails of children living near incinerators linked with childhood leukaemia” and “dioxins in chicken eggs up to 10 kilometres away from incinerators.”

This Council resolves to:

·         Ask the Leader and Chief Executive of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs requesting that they pause current and future applications for waste incinerators, regardless of size or regulatory authority, and carry out a national review of development rules. This review could examine the operation of all current incinerators in the UK; the impacts on human health; impacts on recycling rates; and whether capacity has been reached in terms of national demand for new incinerators. The review could also include consideration of the recent and currently unpublished work by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on “the role of waste incineration capacity in the management of residual wastes in England”.

·         Do everything within its power to prevent any potential health and environmental impacts that the proposed incinerator could have on the local community and residents (if the environmental permit were to be granted). Moreover, the Council will impose any relevant sanctions on the applicants should the rules stipulated in the environmental permit and Planning application be breached.

(B)

Care Leaver Covenant

                                      It was moved by Councillor White,

                                      Seconded by Councillor Prashad

Council notes that children and young people in care, and leaving care, experience significantly lower outcomes than those not in care, and in a wide range of fields.

These include:

·         In general, about 38% of children in care have more than one placement during a year, while 11% had three or more placements

·         14% of children in care in 2016 achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C compared to 58% of children not in care

·         40% of all care leavers of 19, 20 and 21 years of age (in 2016) were not in employment, education or training compared to 14% of all 19, 20 and 21 year-olds

·         The percentage of children in care gaining entry to university is 7% and this figure has not been improved since 2006; compared to the university entry in 2016 of around 40% of their peer group

·         20% of young homeless people have been previously in care

·         Children in care are four times more likely to have a mental health difficulty, which in many cases is attributed to isolation and loneliness.

This Council notes with gratitude the immense amount of work being undertaken by the Council and its partners to support those in and leaving care but believes that more should and can be done.

This Council therefore resolves to request that Cabinet consider improving its offer to care leavers by signing up to the Care Leaver Covenant, sharing experiences and ideas with other signatories to achieve the outcomes for care leavers of:

·         Being better prepared and supported to live independently

·         Having improved access to employment, education and training

·         Experiencing stability in their lives and feeling safe and secure

·         Improved access to health and emotional support.

·         Achieving financial stability

Additionally, Council requests that the Cabinet investigates the following possible actions:

·         Formalising the employment/apprenticeships that the council offers care leavers

·         Writing the requirement for employment opportunities/guaranteed interviews for care leavers in the procurement process for large contracts

·         Council Tax exemption for care leavers

It was moved as an AMENDMENT by Councillor Wilkinson,

Seconded by Councillor Tremayne

Council notes that children and young people in care, and leaving care, experience significantly lower outcomes than those not in care, and in a wide range of fields.

These include:

·         In general, about 38% of children in care have more than one placement during a year, while 11% had three or more placements.

·         14% of children in care in 2016 achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C compared to 58% of children not in care.

·         40% of all care leavers of 19, 20 and 21 years of age (in 2016) were not in employment, education or training compared to 14% of all 19, 20 and 21 year-olds.

·         The percentage of children in care gaining entry to university is 7% and this figure has not been improved since 2006; compared to the university entry in 2016 of around 40% of their peer group.

·         20% of young homeless people have been previously in care. Children in care are four times more likely to have a mental health difficulty, which in many cases is attributed to isolation and loneliness.

Delete

This Council notes with gratitude the immense amount of work being undertaken by the Council and its partners to support those in and leaving care, but believes that more should and can be done.

And replace with

This Council notes with gratitude the immense amount of work being undertaken by the Council and its partners to support those in and leaving care. The service was recently judged to be good by Ofsted, and has the aspiration to do even more.

Delete:

This Council therefore resolves to request that Cabinet consider improving its offer to care leavers by signing up to the Care Leaver Covenant, sharing experiences and ideas with other signatories to achieve the outcomes for care leavers of:

·         Being better prepared and supported to live independently.
Having improved access to employment, education and training.
Experiencing stability in their lives and feeling safe and secure.

·         Improved access to health and emotional support.

·         Achieving financial stability.

Additionally, Council requests that the Cabinet investigates the following possible actions:

·         Formalising the employment/apprenticeships that the council offers care leavers.

·         Writing the requirement for employment opportunities/guaranteed interviews for care leavers in the procurement process for large contracts.

And replace with:

This Council also notes the work of our Pathways service with the National Advisor for Care Leavers Mark Riddell, who wrote to our Chief Executive in March 2024 commenting that the council was “ambitious” and “aspirational” and that he “got a real sense of passion and commitment to have a better offer for care leavers across the whole service”. He stated the council had “workers who were highly responsive to the needs of care leavers” and that he saw many examples where he felt the service was well above good and had some outstanding features.

It is recognised that the council:

·         Has worked hard to strengthen the Local Offer for care leavers to provide support on accommodation, education, employment and training, health and wellbeing, money and finances and relationships and that work to further improve the Offer is underway.

·         Has signed up to the Care Leaver Friendly Charter, developed by the Care Leaver Covenant to help create opportunities for care experienced young people and help them thrive in the workplace.

·         Has a policy of guaranteeing an interview for council apprenticeships or jobs for care leavers who meet minimum criteria for the post.

·         Is running a business engagement event with Mark Riddell to help promote career opportunities for care leavers.

·         Has an employment hub with an allocated worker that works with Pathways Advisors and care leavers.

·         Has worked with the LGA to strengthen the work of the Corporate Parenting Partnership Board

·         Has agreed a new set of guarantees for care leavers through a refresh of the Promise, signed by full Council and introduced at an event for care leavers.

·         Has passed a decision at Cabinet to treat care experience as a protected characteristic.

·         Has passed a council tax exemption for foster carers which has led to the recruitment of more in-house carers, ensuring more children in care are placed close to their families and communities.

·         Has signed up to Project Hope providing a 6-month work placement for a care leaver, acting as a pilot for future apprentice work placements for care experienced young people and the development of a Care Experienced Employability Programme.

·         Has agreed that the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) will consider making provision to centrally fund work placements leading to ringfenced funded apprenticeships for our care leavers

·         Has set up a new ‘Aspire panel’ to work cross agency to assist NEET young people.

·         Has partnered with the Good Things Foundation to become a digital inclusion centre to provide digitally excluded care leavers with online skills and has accessed funding from National Data Bank to provide care leavers with sim cards and free data.

·         Is considering a council tax exemption for care leavers through the review of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme which was agreed at this year’s Budget Council, with a paper on this coming to the next Cabinet meeting.

This Council resolves to request that Cabinet consider further strengthening its offer to care leavers by signing up to the Care Leaver Covenant, sharing experiences and ideas with other signatories to achieve the outcomes for care leavers of:

·         Being better prepared and supported to live independently.

·         Having improved access to employment, education and training.

·         Experiencing stability in their lives and feeling safe and secure.

·         Improved access to health and emotional support.

·         Achieving financial stability.

Additionally, Council requests that the Cabinet explores the possibility of developing inclusion of improving skills development and opportunities for care leavers into the quality requirements of procurement processes for large contracts where appropriate.

After being put to the vote, the amendment was .

RESOLVED that:

Council notes that children and young people in care, and leaving care, experience significantly lower outcomes than those not in care, and in a wide range of fields.

These include:

·         In general, about 38% of children in care have more than one placement during a year, while 11% had three or more placements.

·         14% of children in care in 2016 achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C compared to 58% of children not in care.

·         40% of all care leavers of 19, 20 and 21 years of age (in 2016) were not in employment, education or training compared to 14% of all 19, 20 and 21 year-olds.

·         The percentage of children in care gaining entry to university is 7% and this figure has not been improved since 2006; compared to the university entry in 2016 of around 40% of their peer group.

·         20% of young homeless people have been previously in care. Children in care are four times more likely to have a mental health difficulty, which in many cases is attributed to isolation and loneliness.

Delete

This Council notes with gratitude the immense amount of work being undertaken by the Council and its partners to support those in and leaving care, but believes that more should and can be done.

And replace with

This Council notes with gratitude the immense amount of work being undertaken by the Council and its partners to support those in and leaving care. The service was recently judged to be good by Ofsted, and has the aspiration to do even more.

Delete:

This Council therefore resolves to request that Cabinet consider improving its offer to care leavers by signing up to the Care Leaver Covenant, sharing experiences and ideas with other signatories to achieve the outcomes for care leavers of:

·         Being better prepared and supported to live independently.
Having improved access to employment, education and training.
Experiencing stability in their lives and feeling safe and secure.

·         Improved access to health and emotional support.

·         Achieving financial stability.

Additionally, Council requests that the Cabinet investigates the following possible actions:

·         Formalising the employment/apprenticeships that the council offers care leavers.

·         Writing the requirement for employment opportunities/guaranteed interviews for care leavers in the procurement process for large contracts.

And replace with:

This Council also notes the work of our Pathways service with the National Advisor for Care Leavers Mark Riddell, who wrote to our Chief Executive in March 2024 commenting that the council was “ambitious” and “aspirational” and that he “got a real sense of passion and commitment to have a better offer for care leavers across the whole service”. He stated the council had “workers who were highly responsive to the needs of care leavers” and that he saw many examples where he felt the service was well above good and had some outstanding features.

It is recognised that the council:

·         Has worked hard to strengthen the Local Offer for care leavers to provide support on accommodation, education, employment and training, health and wellbeing, money and finances and relationships and that work to further improve the Offer is underway.

·         Has signed up to the Care Leaver Friendly Charter, developed by the Care Leaver Covenant to help create opportunities for care experienced young people and help them thrive in the workplace.

·         Has a policy of guaranteeing an interview for council apprenticeships or jobs for care leavers who meet minimum criteria for the post.

·         Is running a business engagement event with Mark Riddell to help promote career opportunities for care leavers.

·         Has an employment hub with an allocated worker that works with Pathways Advisors and care leavers.

·         Has worked with the LGA to strengthen the work of the Corporate Parenting Partnership Board

·         Has agreed a new set of guarantees for care leavers through a refresh of the Promise, signed by full Council and introduced at an event for care leavers.

·         Has passed a decision at Cabinet to treat care experience as a protected characteristic.

·         Has passed a council tax exemption for foster carers which has led to the recruitment of more in-house carers, ensuring more children in care are placed close to their families and communities.

·         Has signed up to Project Hope providing a 6-month work placement for a care leaver, acting as a pilot for future apprentice work placements for care experienced young people and the development of a Care Experienced Employability Programme.

·         Has agreed that the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) will consider making provision to centrally fund work placements leading to ringfenced funded apprenticeships for our care leavers

·         Has set up a new ‘Aspire panel’ to work cross agency to assist NEET young people.

·         Has partnered with the Good Things Foundation to become a digital inclusion centre to provide digitally excluded care leavers with online skills and has accessed funding from National Data Bank to provide care leavers with sim cards and free data.

·         Is considering a council tax exemption for care leavers through the review of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme which was agreed at this year’s Budget Council, with a paper on this coming to the next Cabinet meeting.

This Council resolves to request that Cabinet consider further strengthening its offer to care leavers by signing up to the Care Leaver Covenant, sharing experiences and ideas with other signatories to achieve the outcomes for care leavers of:

·         Being better prepared and supported to live independently.

·         Having improved access to employment, education and training.

·         Experiencing stability in their lives and feeling safe and secure.

·         Improved access to health and emotional support.

·         Achieving financial stability.

Additionally, Council requests that the Cabinet explores the possibility of developing inclusion of improving skills development and opportunities for care leavers into the quality requirements of procurement processes for large contracts where appropriate.

(C)

Delivering Decent Homes

                                      It was moved by Councillor Patient,

                                      Seconded by Councillor Taylor

This council notes:

·         Following the recent general election this country now has a Labour government. They will work with the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, our two newly elected Labour MPs for Halifax and the Calder Valley, and our Labour run council. Together we will serve working people, putting their priorities at the forefront of decision-making.

·         The Labour government have stated their intention to take bold action to tackle the housing crisis. Across the country, ordinary people find themselves unable to find decent homes to rent and buying a property is an impossible dream.

·         Labour have pledged to build 1.5 million homes over the course of the next Parliament. There is a commitment to reform planning policy with a presumption in favour of approving sustainable development; prioritising social rented housing; reducing right to buy discounts; making changes to the affordable homes programme; and a 10-year infrastructure strategy. This is in conjunction with our Mayor's pledge to build 5000 'truly affordable' homes across our region.

·         In Calderdale house prices have risen by around 29% over the past 5 years. Whilst prices and rents charged are lower than the average for Yorkshire and England, so are incomes and in the private rented sector specifically remain largely unaffordable which can push tenants into debt and homelessness.

·         The demand for social housing in Calderdale significantly outstrips supply. As of June 2024, 9,773 households were on the Keychoice waiting list.

·         The shortage of available social housing in Calderdale has created huge competition for private rentals. More often than not the rent demanded is much higher than the Local Housing Allowance payable, creating huge financial pressure for already vulnerable families.

·         The most common reason for homelessness in Calderdale where the council has a duty of care is the end of a private tenancy. As a result, vulnerable groups now lack the support services needed to maintain the tenancy.

·         Under the Local Plan developers are required to provide affordable homes, a total of 3,140 by 2032/33. So far there have been 402 completions, of which 213 were part of housing projects.

This council believes:

·         A decent and secure home is a basic human right, and the foundation of a good life.

·         Bold action is needed to deliver high-quality, energy efficient, affordable housing in Calderdale and across the UK.

·         Councils like ours, in partnership with combined authorities and elected mayors are best placed to determine local housing needs. This means new, low and zero carbon, energy efficient homes that meet the needs of residents, as well as improving the quality of existing homes through retrofit.

This council resolves:

To ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government welcoming her early commitment to resetting relationships between national and local government, and devolving power to the regions to help deliver urgent priorities such as better housing.

In addition, we ask:

·         That the expertise of councils like Calderdale are drawn upon in developing long-term solutions to tackle the housing crisis, which need to be bespoke to each area.

·         That we would welcome a visit by ministers to see the groundbreaking work we have done so far, but also the challenges we face as an authority.

·         That the Government revisits provisions previously set out in the Renters Reform Bill; and consider how the rights of tenants can be strengthened particularly in relation to the quality of rented housing and banning no-fault evictions.

RESOLVED that:

This council notes:

·         Following the recent general election this country now has a Labour government. They will work with the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, our two newly elected Labour MPs for Halifax and the Calder Valley, and our Labour run council. Together we will serve working people, putting their priorities at the forefront of decision-making.

·         The Labour government have stated their intention to take bold action to tackle the housing crisis. Across the country, ordinary people find themselves unable to find decent homes to rent and buying a property is an impossible dream.

·         Labour have pledged to build 1.5 million homes over the course of the next Parliament. There is a commitment to reform planning policy with a presumption in favour of approving sustainable development; prioritising social rented housing; reducing right to buy discounts; making changes to the affordable homes programme; and a 10-year infrastructure strategy. This is in conjunction with our Mayor's pledge to build 5000 'truly affordable' homes across our region.

·         In Calderdale house prices have risen by around 29% over the past 5 years. Whilst prices and rents charged are lower than the average for Yorkshire and England, so are incomes and in the private rented sector specifically remain largely unaffordable which can push tenants into debt and homelessness.

·         The demand for social housing in Calderdale significantly outstrips supply. As of June 2024, 9,773 households were on the Keychoice waiting list.

·         The shortage of available social housing in Calderdale has created huge competition for private rentals. More often than not the rent demanded is much higher than the Local Housing Allowance payable, creating huge financial pressure for already vulnerable families.

·         The most common reason for homelessness in Calderdale where the council has a duty of care is the end of a private tenancy. As a result, vulnerable groups now lack the support services needed to maintain the tenancy.

·         Under the Local Plan developers are required to provide affordable homes, a total of 3,140 by 2032/33. So far there have been 402 completions, of which 213 were part of housing projects.

This council believes:

·         A decent and secure home is a basic human right, and the foundation of a good life.

·         Bold action is needed to deliver high-quality, energy efficient, affordable housing in Calderdale and across the UK.

·         Councils like ours, in partnership with combined authorities and elected mayors are best placed to determine local housing needs. This means new, low and zero carbon, energy efficient homes that meet the needs of residents, as well as improving the quality of existing homes through retrofit.

This council resolves:

To ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government welcoming her early commitment to resetting relationships between national and local government, and devolving power to the regions to help deliver urgent priorities such as better housing.

In addition, we ask:

·         That the expertise of councils like Calderdale are drawn upon in developing long-term solutions to tackle the housing crisis, which need to be bespoke to each area.

·         That we would welcome a visit by ministers to see the groundbreaking work we have done so far, but also the challenges we face as an authority.

·         That the Government revisits provisions previously set out in the Renters Reform Bill; and consider how the rights of tenants can be strengthened particularly in relation to the quality of rented housing and banning no-fault evictions.