Full Council (December 2023)
Summary
You can view:
- the live broadcast and recording of this meeting
- the agenda pack of this meeting
- the minutes of this meeting
1. Apologies for Absence
2. Mayor’s Announcements
3. Declarations of Interest
Members are reminded that they must disclose any interests they know they have in items of business on the meeting’s agenda and that they must do so at this point on the agenda or as soon as they become aware of the interest. If the interest is a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest they are also obliged to notify the Monitoring Officer within 28 days of the meeting.
4. Minutes
Minutes of meeting on 25 July 2023.
5. Public Questions
To receive questions from members of the public in accordance with Council Rules 10.1 to 10.6 on any matter for which the Council is responsible.
Any member of the public who wishes to submit a question or statement to this meeting should email it to committees@chelmsford.gov.uk 24 hours before the start time of the meeting. All valid questions and statements will be published with the agenda on the website at least six hours before the start time and will be responded to at the meeting. Those who have submitted a valid question or statement will be entitled to put it in person at the meeting.
6. Cabinet Question Time
The Leader and Members of the Cabinet to answer questions submitted by Members of the Council in accordance with Council Rules 10.18 to 10.22.
7. Reports from the Cabinet
To consider the attached reports.
The recommendations of the Cabinet on 14 November on reports 7.1 to 7.2 be notified to members before the meeting.
7.1 Proposed Amendments to the Constitution
7.2 Treasury Management Mid-Year Review
8. Reports from the Leader of the Council
8.1 Review of Scheme of Members' Allowances
8.2 Committee Membership
8.3 Our Chelmsford Our Plan
9. Notice of Motion
In accordance with notice duly given, Councillor D Clark to move:
Council notes with concern;
The increased use of vaping products by children in the UK. Recent data from the ASH Smokefree GB Youth Survey 2022 found that the prevalence of vaping amongst 11-18 year olds is increasing – from 4% in 2021 to 8.6% in 2022 – and a significant number of children buy these vaping products directly from newsagents or supermarkets.
The increased number of local authorities who have recently had to take enforcement activity against shops illegally selling vaping products to youngsters. In the last 6 months Trading Standards received 6 complaints about sales of Vapes to people under the age of 18, and have carried out 3 test purchases so far within the District Council area.
The marketing of certain vaping products – with bright coloured packaging and flavours such as bubblegum – that might appeal to children.
The significant increase in availability of disposable and single-use vaping products which are cheaper and easier for children to access.
The high volume of single use vapes being disposed of in general waste.
Increase in fires at UK waste plants due to damaged and highly flammable batteries and the increased costs this causes.
Council acknowledges the role vaping products may play in aiding adults to stop smoking, and that vaping products carry a small fraction of the risk, and exposure to toxins, that are associated with cigarettes.
However vaping is not risk free; particularly for those who have never smoked. Vaping products contain nicotine and research shows that most children who use them have never smoked.
Council recognises the Local Government Association has raised concerns about the sale of vaping products to children. Council calls for vaping products to be regulated in a similar way as tobacco products, with plain packaging and a requirement for products to be kept out of sight behind shop counters.
Council calls for;
Vaping products to be in plain packaging and kept out of sight behind the counter.
Mandatory age-of-sale signage on vaping products (this is currently voluntary)
A ban on free samples of vaping products being given out to people of any age, or if they contain nicotine.
A ban on the sale of single-use vaping products in the UK
The Council will commit to not allowing sale of vaping products in any Chelmsford City Council run premises.
Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to both Victoria Atkins and Steve Barclay MP’s, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Secretary of State for Environment respectively, to express the Council’s demand for the greater regulation of vaping products detailed in this motion and ban on the sale of single-use vapes.
Part 2 (Exempt Items)
To consider whether to exclude the public from the meeting during the following matter,
which contains exempt information within the category of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the
Local Government Act 1972 indicated:
10. Chelmer Waterside Developer Selection
To consider the attached report.
Category: Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972
Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)
Public interest statement: It is not in the public interest to release details of this report at present, on the grounds that the report contains information that is commercially sensitive and to place the information in the public realm will be detrimental to the negotiations to be undertaken by the Council.