The Council of St Helens Borough was scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 17 September 2025. Councillors were expected to discuss changes to scrutiny procedures, and consider several notices of motion.

Notices of Motion

Four notices of motion were scheduled to be discussed.

Hillsborough Law

Councillor Lynn Clarke, Chair of Audit and Governance Committee, proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member - Regeneration, to endorse the Hillsborough Law, also known as the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill. ¹

The motion stated that the Hillsborough disaster of 15 April 1989 resulted in the loss of 97 lives, and that the trauma was compounded by decades of institutional defensiveness and cover-ups by public authorities.

The motion asked the council to:

• Endorse the Hillsborough Law in its entirety, including a robust duty of candour and provisions for equal legal representation for victims' families
• Urge the Labour Government to introduce the Hillsborough Law in full and without further delay, meeting the expectations of bereaved families and survivors.

No Place for Hate Campaign

Councillor Andy Bowden, Cabinet Member - Adult Social Care and Health, Mental Health Member Champion, proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor Michelle Sweeney, Chair Children & Young People's Services Scrutiny Committee, to support the No Place for Hate campaign.

The motion noted that hate crime and hate incidents have a devastating impact on individuals, families and communities, and that rising levels of hate crime nationally necessitate local authorities to take a strong and proactive stance in tackling all forms of hate and discrimination.

The council was asked to:

1. Publicly support the No Place for Hate campaign and commit to promoting its values throughout St Helens.
2. Display No Place for Hate branding and materials in council buildings, public spaces and on digital platforms.
3. Encourage all councillors and council staff to undertake hate crime awareness training and promote reporting pathways for hate incidents.
4. Work with Merseyside Police, local schools, voluntary and community sector organisations and other partners to develop a borough-wide approach to promoting inclusion and challenging hate.

Domestic Abuse Prevention

Councillor Trisha Long, Cabinet Member - Stronger Communities, Representative on Merseyside Police and Crime Panel, Equalities Member Champion, proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor Jeanie Bell, Representative on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority, in support of communities in St Helens Borough in their work to reduce and prevent domestic abuse.

The council was asked to commit to:

• Delivering a new strategy on Domestic Abuse over 2025-28
• Ask the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, to work with the council to press for improved reporting, conviction rates and perpetrator oversight
• Secure White Ribbon accreditation by March 2026
• Hold a summit with survivors, service providers and law enforcers to review progress against the Strategy and identify further partnership working improvements
• Ensure that domestic abuse is treated as a priority by this council through creating and supporting a new Council Member Domestic Abuse Prevention Champion role.

Council Funded Events

Councillor Terence Maguire, Leader of Newton-le-Willows Independents, proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor Karl Collier, that members wishing to attend future council hosted/funded events, pay for their own place where food is provided.

The motion noted that:

Given the Council's difficulty year on year with budget pressures, this puts members in an awkward predicament, on one hand wanting to support events such as the parade but on the other hand, not wanting to use public funds to pay for our place.

Changes to Scrutiny Procedures

Councillors were scheduled to consider a report from the Children and Young People's Services Scrutiny Committee (CYPS) regarding changes to the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules relating to parent governor co-optees.

The Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules currently state that there are three positions on the Children and Young People Services Scrutiny Committee that parent governors can be co-opted to. The three positions are currently designated as being for a parent governor from a primary school, a secondary school and a special school, but the secondary school and special school positions have been vacant for a number of years.

It was proposed that the council's arrangements for parent governor representatives be changed from three positions to two that are split geographically between the North and South of the Borough along the Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries.

The council was asked to:

• Approve an amendment to the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules in Part 4 of the Constitution as set out in appendix 1 parent governor rule change july 2025
• Authorise the Monitoring Officer to update the Constitution following the changes.