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Urgent Motion – Save Our Local Rail
Ticket Offices
 
Councillor Lloyd Briscoe moved and Councillor Sandra Barr seconded the
following motion:
 
“That Council notes with dismay the news that the Department
for Transport and the 13 train operating companies it manages have
announced plans to close almost all staffed ticket offices in
England, totalling nearly 1,000, following changes to the
Government’s guidance relating to ticket office opening hours
and operation. Statutory Consultations began on 5th July and will
close on 26th July.
 
Council believes that
our ticket office provides a vital service to residents in
Stevenage and support passenger safety, security and accessibility. Having a central place
in the station for people requiring advice and assistance provides
certainty and confidence for customers who may struggle to
otherwise locate station staff and also
acts as a point of safety for passengers. At many stations, access
to facilities such as toilets and waiting rooms is reliant on
ticket office staff.
 
Not all residents are
able to use ticket vending machines or online ticketing platforms.
Many journeys require human assistance to ensure customers purchase
the most appropriate and cheapest tickets, and do not incur
penalties from mis-booked tickets. Ticket office staff have a
wealth of knowledge which ensures that customers get appropriate
advice for their whole journey.
 
Council is concerned the
closure of ticket offices will disproportionately affect disabled,
Deaf and older residents in Stevenage
– as well as those with poor literacy and IT skills or on
lower incomes. Council also notes the possible implications for
current station staff and believes that the closure of ticket
offices could lead to a de-staffing of rail
stations.
 
Council therefore
resolves to:
 

·            
Instruct the Chief Executive to
write to the Secretary of State for Transport, expressing
Council’s opposition to the possible closure of staffed rail
ticket offices – and in particular the office/s at Stevenage
Railway Station;

 

·            
Instruct the Chief Executive to
write to Network Rail expressing the Council’s opposition to
any plans to close the staffed ticket office/s at Stevenage Railway
Station; and
 

·            
Request that all councillors
respond to the consultations before 26th July to confirm their support for ticket
offices remaining open and for properly staffed rail
stations.”
 
Following debate, and upon
being put to the vote, the motion was carried.
 

(1)       
Education provision in Hertfordshire
 
Councillor Sandra Barr moved and Councillor Maureen McKay seconded the
following motion:
 
“In view of the
difficulties being experienced by schools in Hertfordshire due to
reductions in education funding, including:
 
·        
That Hertfordshire schools are running at a combined
deficit of £1.8 million;
 
·        
That the equivalent of one in 22 (4.6 per cent)
LA-maintained schools in Herts are now spending more than their
income;
 
·        
That with the lack of Pupil Premium Grant since
2020, Hertfordshire schools are missing out on
£1.9million of vital funding;
 
·        
That Hertfordshire’s education department are
glossing over the 800 children already awaiting special school's
provision and cutting mainstream budgets to prop up special school
places; and
 
·        
The worrying rate of teachers leaving the state
sector for reasons other than retirement, which grew to a record
high last year,
 
We as a Council have a duty of
care to put pressure on the government to properly fund our state
education system.
 
In recognition of
the above stated points, this Council instructs the Portfolio
Holder for Co-operative Council and Neighbourhood Communities to
write to the Secretary of State for Education and Hertfordshire
County Council to ask the Government to properly fund the state
education system, and to challenge the County Council to cease
formulating budgets that attempted to camouflage what
is, in reality, an educational
crisis.”
 
The following
amendment was moved by Councillor Bret Facey and seconded by
Councillor Alex Farquharson (additions and omissions in
bold):
 
“In view of
The financial difficulties being
experienced by schools in Hertfordshire due to reductions
in pressures on education funding have been
caused by the ongoing economic fallout from the Covid pandemic as
well as the worldwide inflationary problems caused by Putin’s
war in Ukraine. These pressures mean
including:
 
·        
That Hertfordshire schools are running at a combined
deficit of £1.8 million;

 
·        
That the equivalent of one in 22 (4.6 per cent)
LA-maintained schools in Herts are now spending more than their
income;

 
·        
That with the lack of Pupil Premium Grant since
2020, Hertfordshire schools are missing out on £1.9million of
vital funding;

 
·        
That Hertfordshire’s education department are
struggling to find SEND provision for glossing
over the 800 children already awaiting special
school’s provision and balancing
cutting mainstream budgets to support
prop-up SEND special school places; and
 

·        
The worrying rate of teachers leaving the state
sector for reasons other than retirement grew to a record high last
year.
Notwithstanding these challenges, there has been positive news
for education in Stevenage. The Thomas Alleyne Academy, Fairlands
Primary School and Camps Hill Primary School all benefited from the
government’s £450 million investment fund to upgrade
facilities. This investment is welcome.
 
This
Council also acknowledges that the County Council has just agreed
to invest an additional and ongoing £5million to
significantly improve SEND provision in Hertfordshire.
 
We as a Council have a duty of
care to lobby put pressure on the government
to properly increase funding for our
schools state education
system. In recognition of the above stated points, this
Council instructs the Portfolio Holder for Co-operative Council and
Neighbourhood Communities to write to the Secretary of State for
Education and Hertfordshire County Council to ask the Government to
increase properly funding for
Stevenage schools the state education system,
and to challenge work with the County Council to
support SEND children in Stevenage to prevent cease
formulating budgets that attempted to camouflage what is, in
reality, an educational crisis from
happening.”
 
Following debate,
and upon being put to the vote, the amendment was lost.
 
Following further
debate, and upon being put to the vote, the original motion was
carried.
 

(2)       
Consultation on planning applications
 
Councillor Stephen Booth moved and Councillor Robin Parker CC seconded the
following motion:
 
“That Council requests a report on the widening of the
number of properties
consulted over planning applications, including consulting with
ward councillors when planning applications are received involving
green space unspecified in the 2018 Local Development
Plan.”
 
Following debate,
and upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried.
 

(3)       
Mayor of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone
(ULEZ) Expansion
 
Councillor Graham
Lawrence CC moved and Councillor Bret
Facey seconded the following motion:
 
“That this Council notes
that:
 
·        
On 4 March 2022 the Mayor Khan announced his plan to
expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) from its current boundary
to cover all of outer London. The
expansion is due to come into force by 29 August 2023.
·        
The expansion will mean that those with
non-compliant vehicles will pay £12.50 per day to drive
within the ULEZ each day.
·        
Stevenage is a commuter town, with a significant
number of residents travelling into outer London for work via
public transport, but in their own vehicles also.
·        
Many Stevenage residents also have family
connections to outer London and so need to visit outer London to
see relatives.
·        
The less well-off will be disproportionately
penalised by this expansion, as such residents will be reliant on
their cars and are unable to replace them with more modern
(compliant) vehicles.
·        
The Mayor of London has set aside almost £400
million towards expanding the ULEZ and related projects.
·        
5 Councils (Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Hillingdon and Surrey Councils) have joined together
to oppose the Mayor’s decision to expand the ULEZ and have
successfully taken the issue to the High Court for Judicial
Review.
 
That this Council resolves
to:
 
·        
Condemn this expansion which will push up the cost
of living for some of our poorest residents, who rely ontheir cars
and trades vehicles to commute to outer London, by imposing this de
facto tax on motorists.
·        
Call on the Mayor of London to withdraw his
unworkable and discriminatory ULEZ expansion.
·        
Publicly express solidarity with, and support for,
the local authorities involved in the ‘Coalition Against ULEZ
Expansion’ legal challenge against the Mayor of
London’s flawed decision.”
 
Following debate,
and upon being put to the vote, the motion was lost.