1.         The following motion has been proposed by Councillor Asif Khan and seconded by Councillor Dennis Watling –

 

            This council notes:

·      The Russian army was ordered to attack Ukraine by Vladimir Putin. This was unjust and without any cause.

·      The ongoing horrendous loss of civilian life in Ukraine is a human tragedy.

·      The people of Ukraine have fought bravely and with courage defending their freedoms and democracy.

·      Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on democracy itself.

 

            The council resolves:

·      To stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine against Russian aggression and fully support their inalienable right to self-determination and freedom from occupation.

·      To encourage Watfordians to donate to appeals for humanitarian support in Ukraine.

·      To call on Russian troops to be withdrawn from Ukraine immediately and for the Ukrainian people to be allowed to peacefully return to their lives and homes.

·      To fully support serious punitive sanctions against Russia and Putin’s supporters in the UK.

 

            We call on the council to write:

·      To write to the Prime Minister to take serious action on Russian money laundering and Russian influence inside the UK.

·      To the Home Secretary to take in Ukrainian refugees, and to contribute financially towards supporting them through this trauma, wherever they choose to seek sanctuary.

 

            We call on the Mayor to write to the Russian Ambassador to the UK on our behalf:

·      Condemning the attack and war on Ukraine

·      That the attack is an attack on a democracy

·      To withdraw her troops from Ukraine immediately

 

 

2.         The following motion has been proposed by Councillor Matt Turmaine and seconded by Councillor Nasreen Shah –

 

            This council welcomes the recent decision by the Cabinet to go ahead and introduce a pilot project for mobile CCTV in our town.

 

            This Council further calls on the Mayor to make sure this CCTV becomes a permanent part of the council's policy and that it is properly funded so that ALL parts of our Borough can be accessed by it.

 

 

3.         The following motion has been proposed by Mayor Peter Taylor and seconded by Councillor Ian Stotesbury –

 

            This council notes:

·      Watford Council has made a commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2030;

·      According to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, transport accounted for 33.1% of all territorial carbon dioxide emissions in 2019, with “the large majority of emissions” from transport being from road transport¹;

·      According to the Williams-Shapps review, “for every mile a person travels, passenger trains produce a third of the emissions of the average petrol car”²

·      Public transport offers greener, more sustainable methods of travel than cars;

·      The government have committed the country to a policy of ‘living with covid’ by removing all legal restrictions placed on the public over the last 2 years, essentially asking people to return to pre-pandemic ‘normal’;

·      At the onset of the pandemic, train services were significantly reduced due to a lack of passenger demand. As Covid restrictions have gradually been lifted, passenger numbers have continued to recover but investment in restoring passenger services has not;

·      Local people want to use public transport to travel to and from Watford, but are unable to do so in an efficient way due to lack of appropriate services;

·      Outcome five of the Williams-Shapps review stated that new rail measures would grant greater control for local people and places, that “[r]ailways will be more responsive to the needs of local communities and customers”, and “locally-led teams will […] be accountable to the people and places they serve”, whereas Watford residents have found post-pandemic rail services are not responsive to their needs.

·      On 1^st March 2022, rail fares rose by the biggest increase in a decade (fares on national rail services increased by 3.8%).

           

            This council believes:

·      The government needs to increase investment in train services and work with (and, where necessary, require) operators to return timetabling to pre-pandemic levels;

·      The government needs to review existing local service levels and routes, and whether they meet demand, specifically with a view to increasing services between Bushey and London Euston, and introducing a direct service from Bushey to Shepherd’s Bush, West Brompton and Clapham Junction;

·      The government needs to fulfil its pledge that railways will be more responsive to the needs of local communities and customers;

·      The government should freeze rail fares for 5 years.

 

            This council resolves to:

·      Ask the Mayor of Watford to write to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for him to address the concerns raised in this motion.

 

            Endnotes:

            ¹ Page 11

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/972583/2020_Provisional_emissions_statistics_report.pdf

            ² Page 16

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/994603/gbr-williams-shapps-plan-for-rail.pdf

 

           

4.         The following motion has been proposed by Councillor Jennifer Pattinson and seconded by Councillor Glen Saffery –

 

            Created in the 1800s, when the electoral choice was between the aristocratic Tories and Whigs and women were denied the right to vote, First Past the Post is structurally undemocratic. It means millions of votes do not matter, millions of votes are wasted, both “safe seats” and tactical voting are commonplace, and seats won in Westminster often bear little relationship to votes cast. In short, it is an archaic rigged system. How can Britain of the 2020s move forward when, in some constituencies, the same party has won in every election since those constituencies were created in 1832?

 

            This council notes

 

·      The UK is the only country in Europe to still use First Past the Post for general elections aside from Belarus;

·      Watford’s elections for borough and county councillors use a First Past the Post system of election, whereas the election for Watford’s Mayor uses a form of Proportional Representation;

·      More than 80 nations around the world currently elect their legislatures through a system of Proportional Representation, including in Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland;

·      The Conservative Government is currently undergoing legislative procedures to remove all elections by Proportional Representation in the UK, which are used to elect Mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners, to replace them with First Past the Post systems.

 

            This council believes

 

·      Proportional Representation voting systems are objectively fairer and lead to a more representative legislature in which everyone can be confident that their vote counts;

·      The Conservative Government’s attempt to overturn local uses of Proportional Representation systems in the UK is a detrimental step backwards for democracy.

 

            This council therefore resolves to:

 

·      Reject First Past the Post, end minority rule, and support the introduction of a form of Proportional Representation for all elections in the UK in which all votes count equally and seats match votes;

·      Ask the Mayor to write to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities calling for a review of the Elections Bill and proposals to scrap all proportional voting systems in the UK.

Council was informed that four motions had been received.

 

Motion 1

                    

 

Following the publication of the agenda, an amendment to the published motion had been agreed and the revised motion was proposed by Councillor Khan and seconded by Councillor Dychton.

 

This council notes:

•             The Russian army was ordered to attack Ukraine by Vladimir Putin. This was unjust and without any cause. Watford Council joins all residents across the town in opposing Vladimir Putin’s barbaric war on Ukraine.

•             The ongoing horrendous loss of civilian life in Ukraine is a human tragedy.

•             The people of Ukraine have fought bravely and with courage defending their freedoms and democracy.

•             Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on democracy itself.

 

This Council recognises that we must play our part in supporting Ukrainian people and communities affected by this terrible conflict.

 

The council resolves:

·             Write to the Home Secretary to offer to do what we can to support displaced Ukrainian families – making clear that residents of Watford will welcome those affected and displaced by conflict. 

·             To stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine against Russian aggression and fully support their inalienable right to self-determination and freedom from occupation.

·             Support, promote and work in partnership with local charitable, community and religious organisations who are working to provide resources and assistance for those affected and displaced by the conflict and by encouraging Watfordians to donate to appeals for humanitarian support in Ukraine.

·             Work with the County Council and our local schools to urgently find placements for any school-age children seeking refuge in Watford.

·             Ask our Members of Parliament to raise with the Home Office the issues children, who don’t have a passport, who are currently experiencing problems at the UK border. 

·             To call on Russian troops to be withdrawn from Ukraine immediately and for the Ukrainian people to be allowed to peacefully return to their lives and homes.

·             To fully support serious punitive sanctions against Russia and Putin’s supporters in the UK.

 

We call on the council to write:

 

This Council also resolves to ask all Hertfordshire Council leaders and elected Mayors to sign a joint letter to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary calling on the UK Government to match words with action and offer support to Ukrainian people in their hour of need without having to go through the prolonged visa application process.

 

End our dependence on Russian energy and fast-track the transition to renewable energy sources.

 

Impose the severest economic, financial, technical and cultural sanctions on the Russian state.

 

·             To write to the Prime Minister to take serious action on Russian money laundering and Russian influence inside the UK.

 

We call on the Mayor to write to the Russian Ambassador to the UK on our behalf:

 

•       Condemning the attack and war on Ukraine

•       That the attack is an attack on a democracy

•       To withdraw her troops from Ukraine immediately

 

Members debated the revised motion.

 

On being put to Council, the motion was AGREED.

 

RESOLVED –

 

This Council notes:

 

·             The Russian army was ordered to attack Ukraine by Vladimir Putin. This was unjust and without any cause. Watford Council joins all residents across the town in opposing Vladimir Putin’s barbaric war on Ukraine.

·             The ongoing horrendous loss of civilian life in Ukraine is a human tragedy.

·             The people of Ukraine have fought bravely and with courage defending their freedoms and democracy.

·             Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on democracy itself.

 

The Council resolves:

·             Write to the Home Secretary to offer to do what we can to support displaced Ukrainian families – making clear that residents of Watford will welcome those affected and displaced by conflict. 

·             To stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine against Russian aggression and fully support their inalienable right to self-determination and freedom from occupation.

·             Support, promote and work in partnership with local charitable, community and   religious organisations who are working to provide resources and assistance for those affected and displaced by the conflict and by encouraging Watfordians to donate to appeals for humanitarian support in Ukraine.

·             Work with the County Council and our local schools to urgently find placements for any school-age children seeking refuge in Watford.

·             Ask our Members of Parliament to raise with the Home Office the issues children, who don’t have a passport, who are currently experiencing problems at the UK border. 

·             To call on Russian troops to be withdrawn from Ukraine immediately and for the Ukrainian people to be allowed to peacefully return to their lives and homes.

·             To fully support serious punitive sanctions against Russia and Putin’s supporters in the UK.

 

We call on the council to write:

 

This Council also resolves to ask all Hertfordshire Council leaders and elected Mayors to sign a joint letter to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary calling on the UK Government to match words with action and offer support to Ukrainian people in their hour of need without having to go through the prolonged visa application process.

 

End our dependence on Russian energy and fast-track the transition to renewable energy sources.

 

Impose the severest economic, financial, technical and cultural sanctions on the Russian state.

 

·             To write to the Prime Minister to take serious action on Russian money laundering and Russian influence inside the UK.

 

We call on the Mayor to write to the Russian Ambassador to the UK on our behalf:

 

•       Condemning the attack and war on Ukraine

•       That the attack is an attack on a democracy

•       To withdraw her troops from Ukraine immediately

                  

Motion 2  

    

The second motion had been proposed by Councillor Turmaine and seconded by Councillor Shah.  Following the publication of the agenda a revised motion was proposed by Councillor Turmaine and seconded by Councillor Shah.

 

“This Council welcomes the recent decision by cabinet to go ahead and introduce a pilot project for mobile CCTV in our town. If this pilot proves successful, the council should make sure that mobile CCTV cameras can be used across the borough to tackle fly-tipping and other crimes.”

 

Members debated the motion.

 

On being put to Council, the motion was AGREED.

 

RESOLVED –

 

This Council welcomes the recent decision by cabinet to go ahead and introduce a pilot project for mobile CCTV in our town.

 

If this pilot proves successful, the council should make sure that mobile CCTV cameras can be used across the borough to tackle fly-tipping and other crimes.

 

 

Motion 3

                       

The following motion was proposed by Mayor Taylor and seconded by Councillor

Stotesbury. 

 

This council notes:

•       Watford Council has made a commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2030;

•       According to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, transport accounted for 33.1% of all territorial carbon dioxide emissions in 2019, with “the large majority of emissions” from transport being from road transport;

•       According to the Williams-Shapps review, “for every mile a person travels, passenger trains produce a third of the emissions of the average petrol car”

•       Public transport offers greener, more sustainable methods of travel than cars;

•       The government have committed the country to a policy of ‘living with Covid’ by removing all legal restrictions placed on the public over the last 2 years, essentially asking people to return to pre-pandemic ‘normal’;

•       At the onset of the pandemic, train services were significantly reduced due to a lack of passenger demand. As Covid restrictions have gradually been lifted, passenger numbers have continued to recover but investment in restoring passenger services has not;

•       Local people want to use public transport to travel to and from Watford, but are unable to do so in an efficient way due to lack of appropriate services;

•       Outcome five of the Williams-Shapps review stated that new rail measures would grant greater control for local people and places, that “[r]ailways will be more responsive to the needs of local communities and customers”, and “locally-led teams will […] be accountable to the people and places they serve”, whereas Watford residents have found post-pandemic rail services are not responsive to their needs.

•       On 1st March 2022, rail fares rose by the biggest increase in a decade (fares on national rail services increased by 3.8%).

 

This council believes:

•       The government needs to increase investment in train services and work with (and, where necessary, require) operators to return timetabling to pre-pandemic levels;

•       The government needs to review existing local service levels and routes, and whether they meet demand, specifically with a view to increasing services between Bushey and London Euston, and introducing a direct service from Bushey to Shepherd’s Bush, West Brompton and Clapham Junction;

•       The government needs to fulfil its pledge that railways will be more responsive to the needs of local communities and customers;

•       The government should freeze rail fares for 5 years.

 

This council resolves to:

•       Ask the Mayor of Watford to write to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for him to address the concerns raised in this motion.

 

Members debated the motion.

 

On being put to Council, the motion was AGREED.

 

RESOLVED –

 

Council notes:

•       Watford Council has made a commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2030;

•       According to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, transport accounted for 33.1% of all territorial carbon dioxide emissions in 2019, with “the large majority of emissions” from transport being from road transport;

•       According to the Williams-Shapps review, “for every mile a person travels, passenger trains produce a third of the emissions of the average petrol car”

•       Public transport offers greener, more sustainable methods of travel than cars;

•       The government have committed the country to a policy of ‘living with Covid’ by removing all legal restrictions placed on the public over the last 2 years, essentially asking people to return to pre-pandemic ‘normal’;

•       At the onset of the pandemic, train services were significantly reduced due to a lack of passenger demand. As Covid restrictions have gradually been lifted, passenger numbers have continued to recover but investment in restoring passenger services has not;

•       Local people want to use public transport to travel to and from Watford, but are unable to do so in an efficient way due to lack of appropriate services;

•       Outcome five of the Williams-Shapps review stated that new rail measures would grant greater control for local people and places, that “[r]ailways will be more responsive to the needs of local communities and customers”, and “locally-led teams will […] be accountable to the people and places they serve”, whereas Watford residents have found post-pandemic rail services are not responsive to their needs.

•       On 1st March 2022, rail fares rose by the biggest increase in a decade (fares on national rail services increased by 3.8%).

 

Council believes:

•       The government needs to increase investment in train services and work with (and, where necessary, require) operators to return timetabling to pre-pandemic levels;

•       The government needs to review existing local service levels and routes, and whether they meet demand, specifically with a view to increasing services between Bushey and London Euston, and introducing a direct service from Bushey to Shepherd’s Bush, West Brompton and Clapham Junction;

•       The government needs to fulfil its pledge that railways will be more responsive to the needs of local communities and customers;

•       The government should freeze rail fares for 5 years.

 

Council resolves to:

•       Ask the Mayor of Watford to write to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for him to address the concerns raised in this motion.

 

Motion 4

 

The following motion was proposed by Councillor Pattinson and seconded by

Councillor Glen Saffery. 

 

“Created in the 1800s, when the electoral choice was between the aristocratic Tories and Whigs and women were denied the right to vote, First Past the Post is structurally undemocratic. It means millions of votes do not matter, millions of votes are wasted, both “safe seats” and tactical voting are commonplace, and seats won in Westminster often bear little relationship to votes cast. In short, it is an archaic rigged system. How can Britain of the 2020s move forward when, in some constituencies, the same party has won in every election since those constituencies were created in 1832?”

 

This council notes

•       The UK is the only country in Europe to still use First Past the Post for general elections aside from Belarus;

•       Watford’s elections for borough and county councillors use a First Past the Post system of election, whereas the election for Watford’s Mayor uses a form of Proportional Representation;

•       More than 80 nations around the world currently elect their legislatures through a system of Proportional Representation, including in Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland;

•       The Conservative Government is currently undergoing legislative procedures to remove all elections by Proportional Representation in the UK, which are used to elect Mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners, to replace them with First Past the Post systems.

 

This council believes

•       Proportional Representation voting systems are objectively fairer and lead to a more representative legislature in which everyone can be confident that their vote counts;

•       The Conservative Government’s attempt to overturn local uses of Proportional Representation systems in the UK is a detrimental step backwards for democracy.

 

This council therefore resolves to:

•       Reject First Past the Post, end minority rule, and support the introduction of a form of Proportional Representation for all elections in the UK in which all votes count equally and seats match votes;

•       Ask the Mayor to write to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities calling for a review of the Elections Bill and proposals to scrap all proportional voting systems in the UK.

 

Members debated the motion.

 

On being put to Council, the motion was AGREED.

 

RESOLVED –

 

Council notes

•       The UK is the only country in Europe to still use First Past the Post for general elections aside from Belarus;

•       Watford’s elections for borough and county councillors use a First Past the Post system of election, whereas the election for Watford’s Mayor uses a form of Proportional Representation;

•       More than 80 nations around the world currently elect their legislatures through a system of Proportional Representation, including in Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland;

•       The Conservative Government is currently undergoing legislative procedures to remove all elections by Proportional Representation in the UK, which are used to elect Mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners, to replace them with First Past the Post systems.

 

Council believes

•       Proportional Representation voting systems are objectively fairer and lead to a more representative legislature in which everyone can be confident that their vote counts;

•       The Conservative Government’s attempt to overturn local uses of Proportional Representation systems in the UK is a detrimental step backwards for democracy.

 

Council therefore resolves to:

•       Reject First Past the Post, end minority rule, and support the introduction of a form of Proportional Representation for all elections in the UK in which all votes count equally and seats match votes;

•       Ask the Mayor to write to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities calling for a review of the Elections Bill and proposals to scrap all proportional voting systems in the UK.