Glasgow City Council Agenda - 31 March 2022, 11:00 
A meeting to be held at by hybrid meeting at 11:00 on 31 March 2022.
| Number | Item |
|---|---|
| 1 | Minutes of Council meeting of 17th February 2022 Print 7 (pages 449 to 472). View Papers |
| 2 | Print 7 - Committees' minutes - Consideration of paragraphs marked "C", remaining paragraphs being submitted for information and approval as a correct record only (page 473 onwards). View Papers |
| 3 | Changes to committees etc. |
| 4 | Representation on outside bodies - Scotcash - Remove Elaine Galletly, Director of Legal and Administration and appoint Roddy Maciver, Executive Legal Manager, Corporate Law. View Papers |
| 5 | Correspondence. |
| 6 | Glasgow Slavery Audit - Report by Chief Executive. View Papers |
| 7 | Questions. View Papers |
| 8 | Notice of Motions. |
| (a) | By Councillor Susan Aitken:- "Council unreservedly condemns the unprovoked war of aggression by the Russian Federation on the nation and people of Ukraine and expresses particular horror at indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets such as hospitals, which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of ordinary Ukrainian citizens, including children, as well as the Ukrainian and Russian soldiers killed in the fighting. Council notes the extraordinary courage and determination of the Ukrainian people in resisting the attack on their country and expresses its solidarity with them and full support for their right to assert and defend their sovereignty, independent nationhood and right to self-determination. Council further expresses its solidarity with and deepest sympathy for Ukrainian citizens living in Glasgow and asks citizens of Glasgow to show their support the Ukrainian community-led vigils in George Square and at the Russian consulate in Edinburgh if they are able to do so. Council further notes the bravery of Russians who have spoken out against the war, at considerable cost to their own safety. Council notes that an estimated 3 million Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes by the war and are seeking refuge across Europe; further notes the Scottish government's proposal to become a 'super-sponsor' of 3000 refugees; resolves that Glasgow will play our full part in providing sanctuary and support for Ukrainians arriving in Scotland; and instructs the Chief Executive to continue engagement with government, COSLA and third sector partners to this end. Council urges the UK government to remove every possible barrier to Ukrainian refugees reaching Scotland and to provide adequate resources for services to ensure that the right kind of support is available to meet the particular individual and family needs of those arriving here. Council further supports calls upon the UK Government to work with bilateral and multilateral partners to ensure the Ukrainian people and government have all their resources at their disposal for their country's self defence, including consideration of the cancellation of all of Ukraine's foreign debts. Council notes and commends the decision of the City Administration Committee of 10 March 2022 to donate £20,000 from Glasgow City Council to the Disasters Emergency Committee to fund its member charities' UK-based activities, in recognition of the considerable strain the crisis in Ukraine is placing on the resources of these charities. Council further notes the unanimous decision of the City Administration Committee of 24 February 2022 to immediately suspend Glasgow City Council's twinning arrangement with the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and for an options paper to be brought to a future CAC. Council reaffirms its support for and belief in the power of international city-to-city friendships; believes that a twinning relationship with a Ukrainian city could provide a route for Glasgow to provide support and assistance as Ukraine seeks to rebuild places and lives following the destruction and trauma of war; and instructs the Chief Executive to include options for a future twinning arrangement with a Ukrainian city to be included in the paper to come to CAC." View Papers |
| (b) | By Councillor Malcolm Cunning:- "Council notes: the findings of the 2021 Glasgow Household Survey, conducted by Ipsos Mori, including that satisfaction with bin collections and street cleaning have fallen to their lowest levels in over a decade; and the findings of the 2020 Household Survey that highlighted 40% of respondents wanted to see cleaner neighbourhoods. Council further notes that in the 2021 Household Survey, nearly 40% disagreed with the statement "I trust Glasgow City Council", which is a 12-point deterioration from 2017; and that, for the first time, more than 50% agree with the statement "The Council is too remote and impersonal". Council believes that this Council is for Glasgow, and this Council is for Glaswegians. Council condemns the falling levels of satisfaction and trust in the Council over the past five years. Council believes that good, high quality public services are the gateway to community empowerment; that asking communities to deliver those services instead of the Council is cost-cutting and not empowerment; and that this strategy has led to industrial relations hitting rock-bottom further to the detriment of the citizens we seek to represent. Council believes that Glasgow, its people, its communities, and its workers, deserve better. Council, therefore, resolves to prepare for the outcome of the 2022 Local Government Elections on the 5th of May." View Papers |
| (c) | By Councillor Thomas Kerr:- "This Council expresses its deep dissatisfaction with the current condition of the city's roads and footways and its concern over the current plans for their repair which are unlikely to deliver the improvement that the city's infrastructure needs and deserves. In the Council's most recent Roads Infrastructure Status and Options Report (RISO), it was noted that carriageway condition deteriorated for the first time since 2013 to 70.5% of carriageways in acceptable condition. In addition, this report highlighted that customer satisfaction, as measured by the household survey, is at its lowest level for carriageways since 2011 at 18% with footway condition falling to 39%. While the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact in slowing down the rate of repairs at certain points, it has been clear for some years that the city's roads and pavements are in a poor condition. The Council's RISO report noted that to bring carriageways up to "Best Condition in Over a Decade" would cost £15.5 million annually over 5 years with a 20-year investment of £250 million. To bring footways up to the Gold/Silver Standard would cost £3.97 million with a 20-year investment of £50.48 million. Further to this, a recent Freedom of Information request confirmed that Glasgow currently has an outstanding bill to repair its known road and footway repairs of £96 million. In the Budget Report tabled at the Council meeting of 17/02/22, it was noted that the Council plans the following capital investment in carriageways and footways: - Carriageways: £4.5 million (2022/23), £5.2 million (2023/24) and £6.5 million (2024/25). - Footways: NIL (2022/23), £300,000 (2023/24) and £300,000 (2024/25) The Council recognises its financial challenges in funding such works. However, it is clear that the current investment proposals are extremely unlikely to allow the city to bring its roads and footways to a "Best in a Decade"/Gold standard or to seek to bring all roads and footways up to a good standard with only new maintenance required. Even if all of the capital that the 2022/23 budget seeks to make available for potential use on roads and footways by Area Partnerships was directed to this task alone, over a three-year period the Council would still be significantly adrift of the resource required to bring roads and footways up to good condition. This Council expresses its view that the city's residents deserve to have good quality infrastructure to allow them to move about the city in an efficient manner. It is self-evident that if we are to encourage more of our citizens to take up active travel options that we require to provide the infrastructure to allow this to be done safely and that at its most basic level this will require having roads and footways in good condition. For example, the personal injury that a cyclist or pedestrian could suffer from a pothole or road/pavement defect is much more significant than that of a vehicle driver. Further, this Council recognises the significant cost to road users - cyclists, car drivers, bus operators, LGV/HGV operators and others - for the repair of damage to cycles and vehicles caused by potholes and road defects. To allow for Councillors to consider the best way to put in place a serious and costed plan to tackle the significant damage to our city's roads and pavements, this Council instructs the Chief Executive to prepare the following: - An up-to-date assessment of the cost of repairing ALL of the city's identified road and pavement defects to allow the Council to come to a point where it only requires to undertake repairs to new defects - noting that much of this detail should already be available to the Council as it is utilised within its RISO report. - An assessment of the impact of third party works on the city's infrastructure e.g. utility works and how the Council can best ensure that these parties rectify any damage caused by these works. - An assessment of the potential to link up a programme of significant road and footway repairs with carrying out other works such as drainage repair/upgrades or traffic changes. - An assessment of the capacity of both the Council and its contractors to undertake such a scale of work and on what timeframe this could take place. - To write to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy providing her with an up-to-date estimate of the cost to repair Glasgow's roads and footways and the required capital/revenue to allow this to be carried out and to further request that the Scottish Government take this into consideration as part of Glasgow's funding settlement in future financial years. - An assessment of the potential ways in which to fund this that are available to the Council in the short, medium and long-term. This Council instructs the Chief Executive that this work should be presented to the Council no later than 6 months following the 2022 Local Government Elections." View Papers |
| (d) | By Councillor Martha Wardrop:- "Council extends its thanks to local library campaigners for their long-running campaigns which culminated in the recent reopening of all Glasgow's libraries. Council believes these campaigns, and others in the media, have helped to shine a light on the vital importance of library services to communities. Council believes that while our city's libraries will always have literacy at the heart, over recent years they have expanded their offering and become about so much more than books. Council notes the successful support work offered by Macmillan through our libraries, the importance of libraries as a place for people who are digitally excluded to get online, and the wealth of information available in our archives. Council commends the many groups that make our libraries the vibrant places they are, from Bookbug for our youngest children, to homework clubs, reading groups, local historians, and support groups for people from all walks of life. Council notes the progress made in this Council term towards a more sustainable future for our city, including the approval of a Circular Economy Route Map in December 2020. Council notes research from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation that 80% of household items such as drills, sound systems and sewing machines are used less than once per month. Council supports a real sharing economy, including the development of Tool Libraries, which allow people to join flexible membership schemes to access hundreds of tools for the price of one tool, saving space and money, and reducing unnecessary consumption. Council notes that other local authorities, including Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire, operate children's toy libraries, ensuring toys have a regular new lease of life. Council believes as we move away from pandemic lockdowns, this provides an opportunity to engage people to get their views on the future of public libraries, and the range of services which could be delivered from public libraries so they maximise their potential as a community resource. Council asks the incoming Chief Executive of Glasgow Life to begin work on a new Libraries Strategy, which should include a large-scale public engagement exercise and encompass the potential to host tool and toy libraries, repair and skills workshops, as well as acting as a focal point for community climate action. Council requests a report to the relevant Committee outlining the scope of the engagement exercise within six months." View Papers |
| (e) | By Councillor Maggie McTernan:- "Council notes, with concern that at the last election, just 29% of Scotland's Councillors were women; and that this inequality extends to other elected office more broadly; and that it is even more pronounced for young, disabled, BAME, and LGBT+ women. Council further notes a considerable number of news reports that a number of female Councillors intend not to seek re-election at the upcoming election, including many who were first elected five years ago; that this is a worrying trend across Local Government; and that this trend is further evidence of the findings in the recent CoSLA Councillors Survey. Council believes that this is evidence of a structural problem across Local Government in Scotland, and the rest of the UK; and that all parties and all politicians have a huge role to play in supporting more women of all backgrounds into politics and to stay in elected office. However, Council recognises that there are steps that can, and should, be taken locally to help address these problems, and to provide greater support and encouragement to those who are elected. Therefore, Council resolves to instruct Officers to engage with COSLA, COSLA's Challenging Barriers to Elected Office Group, and others, to prepare a report to the appropriate Council committee to carry forward any relevant and necessary changes to policy." View Papers |
| (f) | By Councillor Jon Molyneux:- "Council notes that 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the Optimo club night, the 30th anniversary of pioneering record and music equipment shop Rubadub, and the 35th anniversary of the Sub Club nightclub. Council further notes that these businesses have helped Glasgow establish an enduring national and international reputation for producing and enjoying high quality electronic, house and techno music. Council recognises their substantial cultural and economic impact on the city and their role in encouraging and nurturing a steady stream of talented DJs and producers, many of whom have gone on to achieve international success, and that this continues today. Council thanks their respective founders and key figures for their contributions to the city of Glasgow. Council recalls Glasgow's status as UNESCO City of Music and believes there is an important opportunity to better tell the story of electronic music in Glasgow, including the contribution of these and other Glasgow nightclubs, club nights, promoters, DJs, producers, record shops and related creative industries. Council therefore asks the Chief Executive of Glasgow Life and the Lord Provost's office to consider how the Council can help these businesses to mark their respective milestone celebrations in 2022, which should include ways we can celebrate and tell the story of electronic music in Glasgow, its pioneers and their enduring legacy. Further, Council recognises it is important to continue to support these and other music industry businesses as the city recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, including direct business support and ensuring they are not put at risk from neighbouring development through correct application of the Agent of Change principle in planning policy." View Papers |