The following 3 motions have been received in accordance with Procedure Rule 16:

18.1    From Councillor Andy Boddington:

‘In March, the Communities Department published its final Statutory Guidance on the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts. This guidance will allow Shropshire Council to use capital receipts for service transformation from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2019.

The guidance states:

“Qualifying expenditure is expenditure on any project that is designed to generate ongoing revenue savings in the delivery of public services and/or transform service delivery to reduce costs and/or transform service delivery in a way that reduces costs or demand for services in future years for any of the public sector delivery partners.  Within this definition, it is for individual local authorities to decide whether or not a project qualifies for the flexibility.”

This Council requires that Shropshire Council allocates a proportion of income from future capital sales to the County’s Town and Parish Councils to support their contribution to transforming service delivery.’

18.2    From Councillor Viv Parry:

‘The Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Government asking it to ensure fair transitional arrangements for all women born on or after 6th April 1951. This cohort has unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA).  Hundreds of thousands of women have had significant changes imposed on them with a lack of appropriate notification after the 1995 Conservative Government’s Pension Act included plans to increase women’s SPA to 65, the same as for men.

Retirement plans for thousands of women have been shattered a as result with devastating consequences.’

18.3    From Councillor Roger Evans:

‘This Council notes the recent announcement by the Government to postpone the 6% cut to Community Pharmacy Funding from October 2016.  This would, if implemented, have resulted in a reduction of £170m to a much needed and valued service.

The LGA on behalf of its 370 councils warned that implementing the cut would put many at risk of going out of business and so pull the plug on a vital lifeline for many elderly and vulnerable patients.  Any reduction in Pharmacies would also impact adversely on our NHS and our hard-pressed GP Surgeries.

This Council requests the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minster and all our MPs asking them to make this postponement a permanent one and so maintain the budget at its present level.  As the largest inland rural county, many of our small communities would be adversely affected by the closure of any of the present Pharmacies.’

47.1    The following motion was proposed by Mr A Boddington and duly seconded by Mr R Evans:

“In March, the Communities Department published its final Statutory Guidance on the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts.  This guidance will allow Shropshire Council to use capital receipts for service transformation from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2019.  The guidance states:

Qualifying expenditure is expenditure on any project that is designed to generate ongoing revenue savings in the delivery of public services and/or transform service delivery to reduce costs and/or transform service delivery in a way that reduces costs or demand for services in future years for any of the public sector delivery partners.  Within this definition, it is for individual local authorities to decide whether or not a project qualifies for the flexibility.

This Council requires that Shropshire Council allocates a proportion of income from future capital sales to the County’s Town and Parish Councils to support their contribution to transforming service delivery.’

Mr M Pate proposed an amendment, which was seconded by Mrs C Motley, to amend the motion to read as follows;

“In March, the Communities Department published its final Statutory Guidance on the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts.  This guidance will allow Shropshire Council to use capital receipts for service transformation from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2019.

The Council therefore congratulates the Conservative Administration on its careful use of Capital Receipts to support the revenue budget to protect services.  The Council also congratulates those Parish and Town Councils who are working in partnership with the Council to continue delivering community services."

After debate and on being put to the vote, the amendment to the motion was agreed with the majority voting in favour.  The substantive motion was then put and was duly carried.

47.2    The following motion was proposed by Mrs V Parry and duly seconded by Mr R Evans:

“The Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Government asking it to ensure fair transitional arrangements for all women born on or after 6th April 1951.  This cohort has unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA).  Hundreds of thousands of women have had significant changes imposed on them with a lack of appropriate notification after the 1995 Conservative Government’s Pension Act included plans to increase women’s SPA to 65, the same as for men.

Retirement plans for thousands of women have been shattered a as result with devastating consequences.’

Mr M Pate proposed an amendment, which was seconded by Mr S Jones, to amend the motion to read as follows;

“The Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Government asking it to ensure fair transitional arrangements for all women born on or after 6th April 1951.

The Council welcomes the sense of equality in bringing women’s pension age level equal with men’s”.

Mrs V Parry then moved a further amendment to her original motion which was seconded by Mr R Evans as follows;

“This Council regrets the lack of notice imposed on a number of our residents by the application of the recent Pensions Act”

On being put to the vote this amendment was lost, with the majority voting against.

Mr Pate’s amendment then became the substantive motion and was carried with the majority voting in favour.

47.3    The following motion was proposed by Mr R Evans and duly seconded by Mr M Kenny:

“This Council notes the recent announcement by the Government to postpone the 6% cut to Community Pharmacy Funding from October 2016.  This would, if implemented, have resulted in a reduction of £170m to a much needed and valued service.

The LGA on behalf of its 370 councils warned that implementing the cut would put many at risk of going out of business and so pull the plug on a vital lifeline for many elderly and vulnerable patients.  Any reduction in Pharmacies would also impact adversely on our NHS and our hard-pressed GP Surgeries.

This Council requests the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minster and all our MPs asking them to make this postponement a permanent one and so maintain the budget at its present level.  As the largest inland rural county, many of our small communities would be adversely affected by the closure of any of the present Pharmacies.’

          An amendment was proposed by the Conservatives which read as follows;

“This Council welcomes the recent announcement by the Government to cancel the 6% cut to Community Pharmacy Funding from October 2016.  

The Council supports the Local Government Association in its efforts in this matter and requests that the Chief Executive write to the Prime Minster and all our MPs asking them to make this postponement permanent."

On being put to the vote this amendment was agreed unanimously.