Agenda item

Motion from Councillor Aidan Van de Weyer

 

Following the removal of the Leader of this Council as the Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Housing, this Council no longer has confidence in the ability and the political will of the Mayor and Combined Authority to ensure that South Cambs equitably benefits from the devolved affordable housing fund.

Decision:

The following motion was LOST:-

 

Following the removal of the Leader of this Council as the Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Housing, this Council no longer has confidence in the ability and the political will of the Mayor and Combined Authority to ensure that South Cambs equitably benefits from the devolved affordable housing fund.

 

 

Minutes:

Councillor Aidan Van de Weyer moved the following motion, as set out on the agenda:-

 

“Following the removal of the Leader of this Council as the Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Housing, this Council no longer has confidence in the ability and the political will of the Mayor and Combined Authority to ensure that South Cambs equitably benefits from the devolved affordable housing fund.”

 

In moving his motion, Councillor Van de Weyer referred to an infographic contained in the papers for the next Combined Authority Board meeting indicating that East Cambridgeshire had received £925,000 in 2017-18 for affordable housing, whilst South Cambridgeshire had received £829,000. With regard to the change in the Portfolio Holder for Housing, he believed that it was important to now focus on how the Council could ensure that the Combined Authority honoured its commitments to support delivery of affordable housing in South Cambridgeshire and for the area to receive the appropriate share of the funding which the Combined Authority had been given by Central Government. Councillor Van de Weyer questioned how, if the Leader was no longer the Portfolio Holder for Housing, the Council could continue to be involved in the projects for affordable housing and how the interests of South Cambridgeshire could best be protected.

 

The motion was seconded by Councillor Philippa Hart.

 

During discussion:

 

·         Councillor Simon Edwards spoke against the motion as he did not consider there to be any detriment to South Cambridgeshire.  He noted that portfolio holders had to conduct their role in an impartial manner and not take decisions that favoured their own “patch”.  The Leader would now be free of any such constraints and would be able to lobby harder for South Cambridgeshire on the Combined Authority Board.

·         Councillor Bridget Smith noted that, at the last Cabinet meeting, there had been discussion on the advantages to be derived from the Council being the lead authority for the Combined Authority’s affordable housing programme and from the Leader being the Portfolio Holder for Housing.  She was concerned about the implications of the potential loss of the role as lead authority.

·         Councillor Tumi Hawkins noted that the budget report referred to the Council as lead partner for the delivery of the £100m affordable housing programme on behalf of the Combined Authority and indicated that South Cambridgeshire and its housing staff had led on the housing stream to date. She questioned how the Council could be the lead partner if the Leader was not the Portfolio Holder for Housing.

·         Councillor Lynda Harford, the Housing Portfolio Holder, commented that officers had worked to secure the £170m funding for housing, using their expertise to put together the business case against Government criteria to obtain the funding for the affordable housing programme.  Each constituent council of the Combined Authority wishing to bid for funding for housing would need to demonstrate how their bid met the appropriate criteria and this process would apply regardless of who the portfolio holder was.  The Council would continue to benefit from the expertise of its housing officers and would be well placed to ensure that a sound business case was presented for every application made by the Council which could be judged against the agreed criteria.

·         Councillor Sebastian Kindersley reminded the Council of concerns expressed during the devolution debate in November 2016 about the concept of a directly elected Mayor.  He expressed the view that the directly elected Mayor model was an “Americanisation” of the political system, which placed too much power and influence into the hands of one individual”.

·         Councillor Peter Topping, the Leader of the Council, indicated his view that it was important to work with the Mayor and Combined Authority and to continue to advocate on behalf of the interests of the residents of South Cambridgeshire.  In his judgment there was advantage in working with the Combined Authority to develop projects that would benefit South Cambridgeshire.  As to the distribution of the £100m affordable housing budget, Councillor Topping indicated that this was written into the devolution deal document agreed with the Government and, as a member of the Combined Authority, he would continue to fight to ensure that South Cambridgeshire received the appropriate share of that funding.

·         Councillor Des O’Brien referred to the devolution debate and wondered if the Council could take any comfort from the minutes of the Council meeting on 17 November 2016 which referred to “..a commitment for Greater Cambridge to receive a £100 million housing infrastructure fund to help deliver infrastructure for housing and growth, which included at least 2,000 affordable homes.”   The minute additionally noted that “..a capital fund of £70 million over five years would be ring-fenced for Cambridge to meet its housing needs.”

·          Councillor Ray Manning commented that, having carefully reviewed the wording of the motion, he considered that it would do nothing to assist the Council in making the case for its appropriate share of the affordable housing funding and, indeed, could be detrimental.  Moreover, it would be unhelpful to criticise the Combined Authority which included the Council’s own Leader.

·         Councillor Nick Wright spoke against the motion, noting that the Mayor had only been in office for 9 months and that he had been elected by the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.  He echoed Councillor Harford’s point about the Council being well placed to bid against the criteria for funding.

·         Councillor Philippa Hart, the seconder of the motion, supported earlier comments about the expertise of the Council’s housing staff. However, she repeated that East Cambridgeshire had secured £925,000 in funding for affordable housing, yet South Cambridgeshire had secured funding of £829,000.  Noting the comments around the processes in place to govern consideration of bids, Councillor Hart was concerned about whether that process would be adhered to.  She was of the view that the Council would now need to work harder to present its case against the criteria.  Acknowledging that the Council had no choice but to seek to work with the Combined Authority, as one of the constituent councils, Councillor Hart  argued that it was important for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to scrutinise decisions and hold the Mayor to account. 

·         Councillor Aidan Van de Weyer summed up and suggested that the Council needed reassurance that South Cambridgeshire would receive its fair share of the funding for affordable housing. Additionally he was sceptical about whether  the process for approving bids provided comfort.  He acknowledged that, as a constituent authority, the Council would remain part of the Combined Authority but felt it was important to record its concerns, as indicated in the motion.

 

Upon being put to the vote, votes were cast as follows:-

 

For (13):

 

Councillors Henry Batchelor, Anna Bradnam, Nigel Cathcart, Philippa Hart, Tumi Hawkins, Peter Johnson, Sebastian Kindersley, Janet Lockwood, Cicely Murfitt, Bridget Smith, Hazel Smith, Ingrid Tregoing and Aidan Van de Weyer.

 

Against (23):

 

Councillors David Bard,  Ruth Betson,  Brian Burling, Tom Bygott, Grenville Chamberlain, Graham Cone,  Christopher Cross, Simon Edwards, Andrew Fraser, Roger Hall, Lynda Harford, Ray Manning, David McCraith, Charles Nightingale, Tony Orgee, Ben Shelton, Edd Stonham, Peter Topping, Richard Turner, Robert Turner, Bunty Waters, Tim Wotherspoon and Nick Wright

 

Abstain: (3)

 

Councillors Sue Ellington, Mark Howell and Des O’Brien

 

The motion was therefore declared lost.