Okay, so I look forward to the comments.
Thank you, Councillor Smith, Councillor Williams.
Thank you, Mayor.
Happy to second, and we'll leave the right to reply.
Thank you very much.
Other Councillors to speak?
Councillor Galley.
Thank you, Mayor.
I appreciate Councillor Smith's attention to the detail that he supplied as with Mayor.
But there was something that was really missing in the data that he provided both tonight and in the report.
And that concerns who are this 17%, where is the equality analysis on the 17% that are going to pay this increase?
I've seen over the years the Labor members use the same reason every time when they put these rents up.
But the difference this time is this is the biggest rent increase I've seen you ever deliver in my 13 years as a Councillor.
And what does this amount of money work out to as a percentage?
Because percentages are just what they are, they're comforting, they're soft.
But there is a real figure in here, it's six pounds a week, Mayor.
So that's six pounds a week, times four, times 12.
He's actually a big number for somebody who may just be about getting by.
These are not going to be rich people.
And what I feel is really lacking in here is who are they?
And what support will they have? What I sense as well, Mayor, is there's another trend that's playing itself out.
Because last year it wasn't 17%, it was 19% who were affected.
And I think more and more people will be pushed into benefits, not away from them.
Which goes against directly some of our own Council priorities about creating resilience within our residents,
maximizing economic growth.
I feel incredibly concerned about what we're doing to these people.
But there's another fact that was emitted as well by Councillor Smith, Mayor.
And whilst we talk about rents around the UK, something else that plays itself out in Blackpool
is the fact that we have some of the lowest rages in the country here.
Our median wage, Mayor, is 21,000.
It gets smaller when we look at part-time wages, which often some of these people I suspect will be on.
I suspect they will be female, I suspect they will be cleaners, I suspect they will be carers.
They will be directly affected by this.
And for that reason, this side of the Chamber will absolutely not affect, will support it.
Especially when we know that the basis of this is they're 300,000 over.
They're reserved that they need to have, which is a million pounds.
And then for any resident that lives in Anca's own, Kim Craig area, or horseitis, parts of this estate,
they will be very comforted to know that their increase is going to support developments
elsewhere in the town.
There is nothing in there for them that can be delivered in here.
And I hear that first hand, having got two areas in my own ward.
So, out of respect, we absolutely cannot support this.
And we would very much like this to be a recorded vote item if we could, Mayor.
It will be anyway, Councillor Gull, yes.
Anyone else to speak?
Councillor Blanken should name me.
Sorry about that.
Thank you, Mayor.
I'm glad Paul talked to us.
Councillor Gally has talked about the detail.
But what he's forgot to mention is that the detail of this report is about maintaining
the housing revenue account for future.
It's not about this year, it's about the next 30 years.
Just for the record, BCH, approximately 4,700 properties, all those properties offer a
secure long-term tenancy and help to build sustainable communities for support.
If you're talking about rent level, we are the fifth lowest in the country which reflects
the people that we're looking after.
It's actually 34% below the highest in the northwest, all for the benefit of our communities.
Sadly, our social housing numbers are only about 9% of the overall property availability
locally are rent.
The regional average is 16% or 17%.
So basically, every other area nearby has got twice the number of social houses that we
have.
Why is that important?
Because we need to increase that stop level because that drives the rental market.
It means that private sector landlords can't rip people off with poor conditions that
they get away with currently.
That's because of the lack of competition.
We need to deliver a sound HRA over time if we're going to deliver the ambition to get
up to the regional average of social housing for rent.
The proposed increase of rent at 7.7% reflects that.
Just to compliment the discussion, it's not just about this year.
It's about the next 30 years.
And it's also about the things that the HRA and a sustainable HRA helps us to deliver.
To help create sustainable communities.
I don't want to teach Councillors to soak eggs with their own argument before.
But the HRA supports an awful lot of things other than just building council houses.
It talks about the more positive together scheme which is designed to help those furthest
from education or training into the labour market or the education market.
Over 1,000 people have been benefited from that scheme, 250 into work, 200 into education
or training.
The positive transition service is supported when it helps care leaders into accommodation.
And the latest example of how the benefit we can deliver for the community is the offer
of furnished tendencies.
We talk about the homeless people, we talk about people with no money.
VCH just started a pilot scheme to allow people to access furnished tendencies so that instead
of arriving in a property that's empty and sitting there with nothing to support them,
it's all blinds at the window.
They could actually rent white goods.
They can rent furniture and they can have a home to sustain and maintain a community.
So all those things are supported by the HRA.
If we don't vote for this, we risk in 25, 30 years time the HRA falling over.
And we can deliver none of that ambition and we won't help our residents at all.
Thank you Councillor Brooks.
Any further speakers?
No.
In that case Councillor SMITH, great to reply.
Thank you, Mayor.
Thank you.
Thank you for the questions.
Thank you, Councillor Gally, for your question there.
Yes, I mean, no one wants to put any increase charge on anybody in luck or anybody in life
really.
But as we know, the rise in increasing inflation has been 10% for the last two years, which
is compound effect as well.
So with an increase of 7.7 actually is below the rate of inflation.
And also, what's going to say, the rent, as I said before, it's a very affordable rent
compared to the private rent sector.
And we have been sort of allowed a lot of choice.
We look after tenants.
We have long-term secure tenancy that do not sort of threaten to be probably sold and asked
to go on to know, probably I know people have brewed four or five, six, seven times over
the number of years on the private.
So tenants there have long-term stability on where they want to live.
So for that reason, I don't, your comments, I don't sort of take a note, but I don't
think they're valid, you know.
I think we need to support the future of the HA.
As Councillor Brooks has said, we need to invest in the future, invest in the property,
invest in the housing stock.
The HA has helped fund the new 133 quality homes on Grange Park, which has been for another
130 people.
30 people have got new homes to live in, you know.
So we need to invest for now and need to invest for the future.
Also, as I said before, invest in trying to reduce energy, pinch some of these properties
as well going forwards.
So, but thank you.
And thank you for comments, Councillor Brooks, on what you said.
Okay, so we need five people to indicate if they'd like a recorded vote.
I think we've got that.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mayor.
This is a recorded vote in the motion in the name of Councillor Mark Smith.
Please could members indicate their answer with either yes, no, or abstain.
Councillor Baker?
Councillor Bambra?
Councillor Benson?
Councillor Bowdoin?
Councillor Neill Brooks?
Councillor Pambraux?
Councillor Schombrocks?
Councillor Bodes?
Councillor Collewell?
Yes.
Councillor Cooper?
Councillor Kritschlie?
Councillor Ellison?
Councillor Farrell?
Councillor Flanagan?
Councillor Gully?
Councillor Hobson?
Yes.
Councillor Hoyle?
Yes.
Councillor Hugo?
Councillor Humphreys?
Yes.
Councillor Hunter?
Yes.
Councillor Jackson?
Yes.
Councillor Jones?
Yes.
Councillor Marshall?
Yes.
Councillor Carl Mitchell?
Yes.
Councillor Dyan Mitchell?
Councillor Roberts?
Yes.
Councillor Rau?
Yes.
Councillor Donnie Scott?
Yes.
Councillor Michelle Scott?
Yes.
Councillor Sloemann?
I'm staying.
Councillor Mark Smith?
Yes.
Councillor Taylor?
Yes.
Councillor Thomas?
Yes.
Councillor Walsh?
Yes.
Councillor Warren?
No.
Councillor Williams?
Yes.
Councillor Wilshire?
No.
May I?
Yes.
Yes.
Members, a vote to this follows 25 for the motion 12 against one.
Okay, in that case the motion is carried, thank you.
So moving on, agenda item four, the general fund revenue budget, council tax and dedicated
school grant for 24/25.
There is a separate order of proceedings for this and if anyone does have it in a paper
form it's on page five that we start.
So this is now over to Councillor Williams.
Councillor Williams, over to you Councillor Williams.
We've got people that need to leave though, haven't we?
Sorry.
Go that way.
It's just—sorry, can we—yeah, not everyone, otherwise I'll be here on my own.
Just the housing company.
Yeah, that's why I say page five.
I'm going to just make sure.
Okay, right, is everyone left that needs to leave?
Yes.
In that case, forward to you Councillor Williams.
Thank you, Mayor.
So this is proposed budget saving in relation to having company recharges and review of
company overhairs for Blackpool Housing Company Limited, Blackpool Coastal Housing Limited.
I want page 125 of the agenda that I move to agree a budget saving of 422,000 based on
recharges and a review of company overhairs for Blackpool Coastal Housing Limited and Blackpool
Housing Company Limited referenced by Appendix 4B.
Thank you.
Seconder.
Yeah?
Councillor Taylor.
Any other speakers on this item?
Councillor Galley.
Thank you, Mayor.
I always said and I made it a point of honour that whatever happened, if we were going to
vote no on something, I would explain why.
This is one of those occasions where that absolutely must be honoured.
It was hard to work out what the Y should be though, Mayor, owing to the general lack of
information as to what that impact and consequence would be.
But bearing in mind, we've just had a conversation as regards the concern that some of our members
have around the HRA account, which is absolutely right, they should have that concern.
Ultimately though, I suspect that any debts and any ultimate concerns about these organisations
will ultimately have to be paid for by the people of the town, therefore, i.e. in this
case, the tenants, we absolutely will not be supporting that saving.
Thank you, Councillor Galley. Any other speakers?
No? Councillor Williams, do you have the right to reply?
Very briefly, Mayor.
Just to say that obviously these have been fully worked out, the company is consulted with
and we would not take any action, particularly in light of having the previous item to ensure
the HRA, but the housing companies to enable us to deliver those new essential housing
for our people, that we would be very proud of both companies and would never put either
a company into any issue of difficulty. Thank you.
Thank you, Councillor. In that case, this does have to be a recorded vote.
Oh, it needs to be.
If you may, there's a recorded vote in the motion in the name of Councillor Ian Williams.
Please good members, indicate their answer with yes, no, or abstain.
Councillor Baker? Councillor Bumborough?
Yes. Councillor Benson? Councillor Boughton? Yes.
Councillor Pumbrox? Councillor Schonbrooke? Yes.
Councillor Bades? Yes.
Councillor Colle? Yes. Councillor Cooper? Councillor Critchley?
Councillor Ellison? Yes. Councillor Farrell? Yes.
Councillor Flanagan? Yes. Councillor Galley? Yes.
Councillor Hoyle? Yes. Councillor Hugo? Yes.
Councillor Humphreys? Yes. Councillor Hunter? Yes.
Councillor Jackson? Yes. Councillor Jones? Yes.
Councillor Marshall? Yes. Councillor Colle Mitchell? Yes.
Councillor Diane Mitchell? Yes. Councillor Roberts? Yes.
Councillor Rose? Yes. Councillor Donnie Scott? No.
Councillor Michel Scott? Yes. Councillor Taylor? Yes.
Councillor Thomas? Yes. Councillor Walsh? Yes.
Councillor Wong? Yes. Councillor Williams? Yes.
Councillor Wilshaw? No. Yes.
Members have voted as follows, 23 for the motion 12 against.
So that motion is carried. Thank you. So we're moving on and I'm just having a look at the list of people.
Members? Yes, I was trying to make it easier by getting other people to move as well. Yes.
A little bit of like the magic roundabout in here tonight. So Councillor Bambara about
voting and Bradley Mitchell, Councillor Smith and Carne Mitchell, Faroe Walsh, Hoyle Jones and Wilshaw if you don't like to leave the room.
Councillors say no. No, you don't need to go.
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