Decision

(A) Calderdale’s commitment to transparent
and impartial cooperation with the National Inquiry on Grooming
Gangs                                         
It was moved by Councillor Wilkinson,                                      
Seconded by Councillor Swift MBE   After being put to the vote, the Amended Motion
was carried.   This
Council welcomes:   The
Government’s announcement of a national inquiry into Grooming
gangs following the findings of the Casey Report. Calderdale Council Cabinet’s public announcement of full
cooperation with the inquiry. This
Council recognises: The
significant impact these cases have had in Calderdale and the
strong public feeling that perpetrators must face justice and that
public servants be held accountable for any failures. The
concerns locally and nationally that the failure of public services
to protect children may have resulted from certain political
cultures and agendas. This
council further recognises: The
serious case review of child M conducted by Calderdale Safeguarding
Partnership Board and published in 2016, which highlighted failings
in the way that statutory authorities approached CSE between
2008-11. That the case of child M and her courageous testimony led to the
arrest of 54 men, 25 of whom were charged and 17
prosecuted. That whilst Casey stated that many authorities have shied away
from recording the ethnicity of perpetrators, the ethnicity was
recorded and evident in the serious case review in Calderdale,
as highlighted in Casey’s audit report. Furthermore, that the
review found that cultural sensitivity was not a factor in the
failings affecting child M. That significant lessons were learned, and that the review found
the way in which children were protected from CSE in Calderdale
even back in 2016 bore no relation to the approach
of 2011. That the council continues to work hard with the police to
support victims of recent and historic CSE and bring perpetrators
to justice, so far leading to the arrest of 110 men since 2015, 10
of whom have been charged and are awaiting trial and 29 who have
already been convicted. That in April 2025, Ofsted inspected the council's current
arrangements for protecting children from harms outside the home,
such as grooming, and noted the effective multi-agency arrangements
that are in place to support children who are identified as being
at potential risk of exploitation. This
Council believes:   That full cooperation with the national inquiry is vital
to securing justice for victims and restoring trust in public
services. The
independence of this process is integral to both its success and
the public’s faith in the process. That the Cabinet has rightly set out its intention to regularly
update all Elected Members on the progress of the inquiry and
provide assurance on the matter through the relevant Cabinet
Member’s report to full council, which they can then be
questioned on. That to deal quickly with the dissemination of information
assessed as being urgent, and which would fall outside of the Lead
Member reporting process, the Director of Children and Young
People’s Services should email all Members with a briefing
update as soon as practicably possible. This
Council resolves: To
await details of the Terms of Reference of the inquiry which are to
be set nationally, in line with the recommendations of Casey's
independent report. To
contribute openly, transparently and with integrity to disclose
information it holds on child sexual exploitation and grooming
gangs. To
ensure that effective and detailed scrutiny of the council’s
engagement with the inquiry takes place via the Children and Young
People’s Scrutiny Board, which sets its own work plan and
contains several co-opted independent members, as well as nine
councillors that reflect a cross-party political
balance.  To
continue to do everything it can to support victims of recent and
historic CSE to come forward, and assist them and the police in
bringing perpetrators to justice.     (B) Tackling
the Harmful Impact of Buy Now, Pay Later schemes on Vulnerable
Residents   Councillor Blagbrough advised that an amendment had been
received from the Liberal Democrat group which had been circulated
to the full membership of the Council prior to the meeting. On
receipt of the amendment the Conservative Group, after due
consideration, amended their original Motion to incorporate Liberal
Democrat amendment.                                               It was moved by Councillor Blagbrough                                           
Seconded by Councillor Hunt   After being put to the vote, the Motion was
carried.   RESOLVED that:   This
Council Notes:   ·   The rapid growth of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)
schemes across the UK, with millions of people using them to
finance everyday purchases. ·   BNPL is increasingly being used to purchase
non-essential goods, including fast food, takeaway services, and
other products, which can exacerbate cycles of poverty and poor
health. ·   The Labour Government has taken positive steps with
legislation currently going through Parliament that aims to
introduce more regulation to the BNPL sector. This will include
requirements for clearer information about late fees and credit
impacts, affordability checks, and oversight of the sector by the
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). ·   The dedicated efforts of Council Officers, local
charities, and the Calderdale Credit Union who provide debt advice
and financial support services to vulnerable residents.   This
Council Acknowledges Research from Citizens Advice:   One
in five (21%) BNPL users have missed or made a late BNPL payment in
the last twelve months, with one in ten (10%) of those visited by
an enforcement agency or bailiff as a result. Almost a third (29%) of BNPL users who were due to make a
payment in the last month borrowed money to repay their
instalments, meaning their initial debt is only leading to more
debt. A
quarter of young people making BNPL repayments haven’t been
able to pay for food, rent or bills as a result. The
average person is repaying £63 a month. But Citizens Advice
found almost two in five (5.7 million) who’ve used BNPL in
the last year didn’t think it was ‘proper
borrowing’ and six million didn’t fully understand what
they were signing up for.   This
Council Believes:   The
Government’s actions are welcome and necessary, but the
legislation should go further in protecting financially vulnerable
residents from accumulating unmanageable debt. It
is deeply concerning that BNPL can be used to purchase fast food
and takeaways which can encourage impulsive and unsustainable
financial behaviour, and this often occurs in communities already
grappling with food insecurity, health inequalities, and economic
hardship.   This
Council Resolves:   ·   To ask the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive
to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of
State for Business and Trade to welcome the legislation going
through Parliament but urge further action to restrict the use of
BNPL schemes for the purchase of fast food and
takeaways. ·   To ask the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive
to write to Calderdale’s two Members of Parliament seeking
their support in the Council’s Campaign to restrict the use
of BNPL schemes for the purchase of fast food and
takeaways. ·   To launch a local campaign and work with local
organisations to raise further awareness about the risks associated
with BNPL schemes and to signpost people towards other means of
accessing food, such as local food banks. FIELD_DECISION_SUMMARY   (c) Road
Traffic & Parking – Safety Outside our Schools                                              It was moved by Councillor Taylor                                           
Seconded by Councillor Swift MBE   After being put to the vote, the Motion was
carried.   RESOLVED that:   This
Council notes that:   In
2024, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
reported that approximately 1200 children nationally were injured
per month in traffic-related collisions within a 500m radius of a
school. This number does not include ‘near-misses’,
injuries to adults, or road traffic collisions between
vehicles. The
Living Streets charity has also noted that in recent decades the
number of car journeys to take children to and from school has
significantly increased. The number of pupils making all or part of
their journey to school on foot has decreased. Traffic outside all of the schools at drop-off and pick-up times
in the Borough comprises of private cars, taxis, service buses,
school buses and minibuses, and cycles. For
historical reasons, in certain parts of the Borough, there is a
concentration of schools (and hence student and staff numbers)
within one locality, intensifying traffic related problems. Some
schools in the same locality also have the same start and end
times, exacerbating the problems. The
increase in vehicular traffic, and therefore the incidences of
careless and irresponsible parking and manoeuvring in areas around
schools has increased the risk of accident or injury (and
‘near misses’) due to traffic numbers. Inconsiderate
parking around schools impedes driver sightlines, making it
dangerous for pedestrians to traverse roads safely. Likewise, the
volume of traffic at peak times of the day causes congestion in
surrounding streets and roads. Residents near schools often report dissatisfaction and even
distress to their ward councillors. Furthermore, the behaviour of a
minority of car drivers has caused residents to feel vulnerable
during drop-off and pick-up times. Inconsiderate or illegal parking affects local residents and
their ability to go about their daily business. In addition, the
increase in vehicles has resulted in an increase not following
highway markings (such as yellow lines and white
zigzags). Distance and time are sometimes significant barriers to children
walking, cycling or using public transport to school, as least for
part of the journey. ‘School Street’ schemes have proven successful
within the vicinity of some schools in the Borough regarding
drop-off and pick-up times to improve safety and promote more
active travel. Some schools have travel plans that at least alleviate the
volume of traffic and problem parking outside their school
gates. However, there are instances where a School Street scheme would
not be appropriate or effective in some instances.   This
Council believes that:   The
number of private car journeys to and from school needs to be
reduced, especially in the more urban parts of the Borough. This
will not only improve safety but will also have a positive effect
on a school’s air quality. Reducing the number of vehicles on our roads helps everybody get
to their destination faster, makes streets safer, less polluted and
more enjoyable. The
School Street schemes establish a vehicle-free zone near school
entrances at drop-off and pick-up times. Therefore, safe crossings
are possible in front of school entrances. These schemes also help
to promote walking or cycling to school for at least part of the
journey. Where a School Street scheme would not be appropriate for a
particular school or group of schools within one locality, other
solutions are available, such as: ­   ‘Park and Stride’ and car-sharing should
be encouraged for parents and carers whose children live a
considerable distance from school. ­   Engineers’ solutions such as Traffic
Regulation Orders (TROs), traffic calming and highway
markings. ­   Finally, enforcement solutions (both in terms of
parking enforcement, and where necessary, Public Space Protection
Orders (PSPOs) should be used to deter the most persistent
inconsiderate drivers). More secondary-age children should be taking public transport
(in particular dedicated school services provided by Metro) or more
active transport options, even for only part of the
journey. More active travel and use of public transport results in
healthier children, less traffic and pollution, and healthier and
safer communities near schools.   This
Council resolves:   To
be proactive in working with individual schools, groups of schools
and ward councillors to identify schools which would benefit from a
School Streets scheme and/or where traffic and parking is a
significant risk to pedestrian safety. To
encourage schools to adopt schemes such as walking buses and
‘park and stride’. To
actively promote campaigns to encourage more walking and higher
take-up of public transport to school. To
continue to promote and support the efforts in promoting road
safety in the Borough. To
adopt a ‘children first’ approach to planning and
street design, particularly around schools, prioritising the
pedestrian and not the motorist. The
Authority should regularly collect and monitor robust data on rates
of walking and/or using public transport to schools in the
Borough. Explore engineered solutions such as traffic regulation orders
or road markings at certain schools. Tackle inconsiderate and illegal parking by creating controlled
parking zones and actively undertake parking enforcement outside
all schools on a regular basis. Work with all schools in the Borough to develop Travel Plans for
their staff and pupils. Work with Metro to more actively promote, to parents, bus use
for secondary-age pupils, and for those primary-age pupils who live
a further distance from the school they attend.