Glasgow City Council Agenda - 23 June 2022, 11:00 Help

A meeting to be held at by hybrid meeting at 11:00 on 23 June 2022.

Number Item
1Minutes of Council meeting of 19th May 2022 Print 1 (pages 1 to 184). View Papers
2Print 1 - Committees' minutes - Consideration of paragraphs marked "C", remaining paragraphs being submitted for information and approval as a correct record only (page 185 onwards).  View Papers
3Changes to committees etc. View Papers
(a)Local Licensing Forum - Remove Hanzala Malik and appoint Hanif Raja;
(b)Appointments to committees etc. View Papers
4Representation on outside bodies. View Papers
(a)Culture and Sport Glasgow (Glasgow Life) - Remove Patricia Ferguson and appoint Kieran Turner
(b)Appointments to Outside Bodies. View Papers
5Correspondence.
6Questions. View Papers
7Notice of motions.
(a)By Bailie Leòdhas Massie:-

"Council recalls its unanimous motion of 31 March 2022, which condemned the unprovoked war by the Russian Federation and praised the extraordinary courage and determination of the Ukrainian people. Council congratulates Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra for their emphatic win at last month's Eurovision Song Contest, winning with an outstanding score of 631 points, receiving the maximum 12-point score from 28 countries, including the United Kingdom.

Council notes that in recent days the European Broadcasting Union has announced it is in talks with the BBC regarding holding the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in the second-placed United Kingdom, given the ongoing war in Ukraine. Council expresses its strong hope that Ukraine will be able to hold the contest as planned.

However, in the event that Ukraine is unable to host the event due to the continued Russian invasion, Council believes that Glasgow would be the most appropriate city in the United Kingdom to hold a relocated contest. Glasgow has a strong record of hosting complex international events, most recently and significantly COP26 in November 2021, the largest conference ever held in the UK. Glasgow successfully hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014, co-hosted the 2018 European Championships with Berlin, and was the venue for several Euro2020 football matches. Glasgow is a UNESCO City of Music, and regularly hosts festivals, gigs and concerts for all genres of music.

Council therefore instructs the relevant Council officers to immediately begin conversations with the BBC, UK Government and Scottish Government, into the possibility of Glasgow acting as host or co-host of the 2023 contest should a replacement city be necessary." View Papers
(b)By Councillor Susan Aitken:-

"Council agrees that the cost-of-living crisis is the most acute challenge currently facing Glasgow and that a collective effort is required to meet this challenge head on.

Council recalls the £3m Cost of Living Crisis Fund included in the SNP and Green combined budget for 22/23. Council instructs the Executive Director of Finance to bring a paper to the first CAC after the recess outlining how this fund is being distributed and how its impact will be assessed.

Council agrees that supporting the individuals, households and communities most vulnerable to the effects of the cost-of-living crisis is an urgent organisational priority; and resolves to seek every opportunity to enhance and expand on existing work in this area: to mitigate and ameliorate the immediate financial impact of the crisis, particularly in relation to the rising costs of food and household fuel; to prevent vulnerable individuals and households from falling into homelessness or other severe consequences; and to support individuals and households to permanently improve their financial circumstances.

Council commends the joint report by the Glasgow Centre for Population Health and The University of Glasgow, 'Resetting the course for population health: evidence and recommendations to address stalled mortality improvements in Scotland and the rest of the UK'.

Council is deeply disturbed if not surprised by its central finding that "Austerity is highly likely to be the most substantial causal contributor to the stalled mortality trends seen in Scotland and across the UK" and fears that this impact will be further exacerbated by the current crisis in household incomes.

Council agrees that, while primary responsibility for both the causes and solutions to these trends lies within the policy and budget choices of UK governments, Council also has a responsibility to act where it can to support affected citizens.

Council notes that the report has several recommendations to be progressed at local level - defined as local authority or health board. These recommendations include:

- Provide high-quality money advice and welfare rights services to ensure people receive all the benefits and other entitlements for which they are eligible.
- Use public spend to advance progressive employment practices, including good/fair work, and to create healthier working environments.
- Maximise the potential of City and Regional Growth Deals to reduce inequality and improve health.
- Implement the principles of inclusive economies to ensure that the economy is redesigned to achieve economic, social and health equity
- Design local services for the populations they serve, involving citizens in the design of services wherever possible
- Reduce the cost of public transport for those most in need

Council understands that Glasgow City Council and our city partners are already advancing work in all of these recommended areas, including but not limited to: the Financial Inclusion in Schools project; the Glasgow Alliance to End Homelessness; Civic Innovation community pilot work being undertaken by the Centre for Civic Innovation and other ongoing work to support community budgeting and service-co-design; and inclusive and wellbeing-focused economic development practices supported by the Inclusive Growth Diagnostic, the Glasgow Green Deal and the developing Community Wealth-Building Strategy.

Council resolves: to understand what positive outcomes are already being progressed through this and related work; to seek the necessary resources to turn successful pilots into embedded ways of working; and to accelerate the rollout of these and similar collaborations, pioneering service models and investments to spread and maximise impact across the city, targeting individuals, households and communities in the greatest need. Council therefore instructs the Chief Executive to bring forward a paper to the first appropriate committee after recess, outlining how these objectives can be achieved."  View Papers
(c)By Councillor George Redmond:-

"Council notes: the publication of the Scottish Government's Resource Spending Review covering the period up to 2026/27; that this document assumes that there will be no increase to the Local Government budget until 2026/27; and the initial analysis by the Fraser of Allander Institute which demonstrates that this amounts to 7% real terms cut to core Local Government spending.

Council recognises that Local Government is key to the achievement of many of the objectives set out in the Scottish Government's National Performance Framework and its objectives set out in the Scottish Government's Programme for Government; and recognises that early intervention is key to tackling longstanding inequalities and reducing demand on elsewhere on the public sector.

Council further notes that Unite, GMB and UNISON have all indicated that they intend to begin balloting their members for industrial action in response to an inadequate pay offer from CoSLA.

Council believes that the assumptions contained within the Spending Review are unacceptable and will further harm our communities; that the needs of our communities cannot be met in full if Local Government spending power continues to be eroded and is disappointed that Local Government is not identified as a priority area.

Council further believes that the chronic underfunding of local services arises from decisions made at Westminster and Holyrood; and believes that this, combined with the deplorably low pay offer for 2022/23, undermines this Council's ability to respond to the emerging cost of living crisis and will likely place an even greater burden on already over-stretched staff.
Council therefore resolves to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy outlining its deep concern at the implications of the Spending Review; and to invite the Cabinet Secretary to meet directly with a cross-party delegation of Elected Members and frontline workers of this Council to discuss the proposals." View Papers
(d)By Councillor Dan Hutchison:-

"Council notes that the world's biggest trial of a four-day work week has been launched this month with 70 employers across sectors in the UK participating, organised by 4 Day Week Global, Autonomy, and 4 Day Week Campaign, and with research being undertaken by Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College.

Council also notes that this trial is being undertaken on the 100:80:100 model which maintains 100 per cent of the workers' pay while working 80 per cent of their previous hours in return for 100 per cent of productivity achieved during a five day week. Council affirms that this model has successfully been implemented by local businesses, charities and other workplaces already here in Glasgow.

Council agrees that we must be at the forefront of the improvements of workers' terms and conditions and in doing so must accept our responsibility to investigate the Council's ability to reduce the work week by a day. Council further agrees that the five day work week is now nearly 90 years old, and agrees that there is a need to transition to a wellbeing economy.

Council instructs the Chief Executive to bring a proposal to the Workforce Board within 6 months in order to progress a feasibility study of the Council's workforce, considering the reduction of the workforce hours by 20 per cent while maintaining current remuneration level, and evaluating the efficacy of a pilot scheme and how quickly it could be rolled out across the Council's workforce." View Papers
(e)By Bailie Thomas Kerr:-

"That this Council congratulates Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee; expresses its gratitude for Her Majesty's exceptional public service and dedication to duty over 70 years; affirms the deep respect that is held for Her Majesty in Glasgow and across Scotland, and sends good wishes for her continued service." View Papers
(f)By Councillor Angus Millar:-

"Council welcomes Glasgow's success in securing £1.95million from the Scottish Government's City Centre Recovery Fund, which will support the delivery of the Council's City Centre Recovery Plan. Council notes that work is progressing on a range of activity including short-term actions to improve the look and feel of the city centre and longer-term work to plan for a more sustainable mix of uses for the city centre economy.

Council notes with concern the number of vacant sites and properties across the city centre, including concentrations in areas such as Sauchiehall Street. Council recognises that a number of issues lie behind this phenomenon, including local factors such as the Sauchiehall Street fires and the impact of structural economic change within the retail sector.

Council welcomes the allocation of funding to undertake a Strategic Review of Sauchiehall, Buchanan and Argyle Streets to help identify a suitable mix of uses for these key city centre streets and establish a new planning framework to underpin development. Council further notes that fragmented ownerships across and within vacant sites can prove a barrier to their maintenance, repurposing or redevelopment.

Council instructs the Chief Executive to ensure that officers support Glasgow's City Centre Task Force in developing options for interventions to activate and bring into use vacant property and sites within the city centre, and calls on owners of such sites and other interested parties to engage with the Council to this end.

Council further instructs officers to contribute to the ongoing development of a Property Repurposing Strategy, including the identification of actions the Council can take to support refurbishment and conversion of vacant property into new uses, and a review of the powers available to the Council to promote positive development and a proactive, joined-up approach to city centre recovery and regeneration. Council considers that this should include review of existing powers such as Compulsory Purchase Orders, alongside the identification of new and additional powers that the Council may look to secure and instructs the Chief Executive to bring a report outlining the outcomes of this work to the relevant Council committee."
(g)By Bailie Elaine Gallagher:-

"Council acknowledges that car-centric transport design in Glasgow has created many challenges for communities, particularly those bordering the M8 motorway, including ongoing physical barriers, unattractive and unsafe routes for walking, wheeling and cycling, and increased noise and air pollution. In addition, the presence of a vehicular choke point beside the city centre causes further emissions, and increased expense and adverse effects on quality of life for commuters from a wide area across the West of Scotland.

Council notes that transport is Scotland's biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions; that car and van use accounts for over half of these emissions; that easy access to roads creates more vehicle traffic through induced demand. Council reaffirms commitments in Glasgow's Transport Strategy to reduce car vehicle kilometres travelled in Glasgow by 30% and "to deliver spaces for people first and foremost, with high quality public spaces which respect and respond to the natural and built environment".

Council notes that negative impacts for people are not evenly distributed across the city; that over half of Glasgow's population do not own a car, yet the impact of dominant road infrastructure and excessive car-use affects those already experiencing poverty and inequality the most.

Council also notes that the propping of the Woodside Viaduct alone, to allow for permanent works to begin, is estimated at over £35 million; and that these works are intended to take place over a period of four years, at which point the total cost will be significantly greater. Council believes the public cost of maintaining an ageing motorway in the city-centre is significant and warrants further investigation of long-term alternatives, including an M8 Green Infrastructure Cap, to re-stitch the city-centre to Anderston and the West End, as well as additional options to further reduce the impact of the M8 on the city centre.

Council therefore agrees:

- To instruct the relevant Council officers, in conjunction with Transport Scotland, to request support for and carry out a feasibility study into options to reduce the adverse impacts of the city-centre sections of the M8, including more significant redesign and replacement of the wider central section;

- To continue to engage with the Scottish Government to explore options to further reduce the impact of the M8 on the city centre;

- To consider any infrastructure improvements of the M8 city-centre sections within the wider context of reducing demand and lowering greenhouse gas emissions."