Being a Councillor Workshop

An excellent workshop was organised by East Yorkshire CLP Women's Officer today in Driffield.  My presentation:

Event – CLP    Life as a Councillor

To become a councillor of a town or parish council or of East Riding of Yorkshire Council you must:

• be 18 years of age or over and on the electoral register of the local authority that you wish to stand for
• have worked in the area for the past 12 months or more
• have occupied land in the area, either as an owner or tenant, for 12 months or more.

To assess whether you fit the criteria to become a councillor, please refer to the Local Government Act 1972, which outlines the qualification details in full.

Wards

The East Riding is divided into 26 wards, each of which is represented by one, two or three elected councillors. These councillors form part of East Riding of Yorkshire Council and make decisions for the whole of the East Riding.

Parishes

Each ward is divided up into a number of parishes. Each parish has a parish or town council which is made up of a number of parish councillors who represent the views of their parish and made local decisions.

Councillors act as the link between the public and the council they are elected to serve. Much of a councillor’s time is spent dealing with any problems and questions from their local community. Councillors play an important role in planning, running, monitoring, and developing council business.

Councillors work to improve the quality of life for people within their area and make decisions about local issues. They have to decide what is in the public interest among a range of conflicting issues and views. Councillors usually represent a political party, however, they can be independent. All councillors represent all the citizens in their ward or parish, not just the people who voted for them.

The full council (a meeting of all ward councillors) is the strategic body, responsible for all decisions and oversees all of the work of the council, more information on the council page.

The day to day decision making is undertaken by a number of committees made up of a number of ward councillors. The Cabinet makes most of the day-to-day decisions whilst other committees have specific decision making powers for things such as planning applications, taxi licenses, licensed premises and education appeals. Decisions are therefore made by a whole committee of elected councillors. No individual councillor has any decision making authority.

To view information on specific individual committees please visit the committees page.

 There are 67 Councillors

So what do I do?

Committees/representation

Licensing 2003 Committee and Hearings Objections and Police Reviews (3 Councillors 2 Tories and 1 other) main Committee every 3 months and Hearings when needed

Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny sub Committee once a month except for recess

Eastern Area Planning – every 3 weeks and includes Chairs Brief and site visits

Full Council once a month

Labour Group meetings to discuss questions and motions to Full Council

Budget Briefs

Review Panels

Humberside Fire Authority – meetings once a month and a members day once a month + Appeals Committee

Local Authority Governor Hilderthorp Primary School

Foundation Trustee of Bridlington School as a Town Councillor Representative

Chamber of Commerce as a Ward Council – meetings once a quarter

Parker Home Trust – 2 Tories and myself

Ward Work

Parking

Housing

Dog  Poo

Antisocial behaviour

Fly tipping

Further Information to help you become a Councillor

https://labour.org.uk/members/jo-cox-women-leadership/#apply

http://www.lwn.org.uk/

Women make up half of Labour’s membership, but are absent from leadership positions across our party. It’s time to deliver the rule change and culture change we need to ensure Labour women can lead.

Although women make up just under half of Labour’s membership and 43% of Labour MPs, they are just 30% of CLP Chairs, 16% of Labour council leaders, and 0% of Labour’s leadership team. To tackle this leadership gap, Labour must urgently change its rules and its culture. That is why LWN is:

- Calling on our leader to implement his #leadforwomen promises to us. These include rule changes to ensure 50:50 representation on every party committee (including the shadow cabinet), continued support for positive action, the publication of diversity data, and, a guaranteed place for a woman in Labour’s leadership team the next time there are elections.

- Asking all Labour members to pledge to share their power by taking the #powerpledge. By taking the pledge, party members can help improve our party from the grassroots up.

- Running training for Labour women across the UK. From our local workshops, to our local government leadership training, we are playing our part to ensure all Labour women are equipped with the skills they need.

Foundation Day

Our Foundation Day is ideal for women who may want to think about going into public life, but aren't yet ready for our residential Aspiring Candidates' course.

Because we want to make sure every woman can benefit from our training, we have developed our Foundation Day to cover all the basics and provide an excellent grounding for women at all stages of political development.

Delivered to the same gold-standard as our Parliamentary training, the Foundation Day will cover;

policy-making and party structures;

selection procedures and how they work;

political life planning and development. 

Places on each day are limited and all our volunteer trainers are knowledgeable and experienced.

To apply, you need to have been a member of the Labour Party for at least one year (although this is waivable at LWN 's discretion), and be or become a member of LWN. You can find out more about us here, or go straight to the joining page here.

This course is heavily subsidised by LWN members, which means that we are able to keep the fee down to just £20.  This needs to be paid at least 48 hours before the day of the course.  

Foundation Days will run from 10.00 am to 5pm, and are planned for the following locations:  

 Saturday, 4 November 2017 - London

Saturday, 11 November 2017 - Manchester

Saturday, 13 January, 2018 - Sheffield

Saturday, 3 March 2018 - Bristol

To apply, click here and complete the application form.

Please note that all our training courses are over subscribed, so a completed application form does not guarantee a place. 

Complete the Foundation Day application form here.

Labour Group Motion to Council – Northern Rail

5 April 2017

Motion

 That this Council, in the interests of the residents of the East Riding, agrees to write to Northern Rail requesting that they retain train guards on board every northern train.

 Comments from Councillors Moore & Finlay

 At the moment, guards are “safety-critical staff”.  They are responsible for checking the doors prior to departure and generally keeping the train and the passengers safe;staying in touch with the control room; and standing ready to respond to alarm calls from passengers or the driver.  Current attempts to reduce the hours, and duties, of platform and ticket office staff means your late night journey home is ever more likely to be a lonely one, with no-one to help you if you are in difficulty, lost, or threatened and no-one to notice if you need help.  This is a prospect, as a lone, female traveller, I do not look forward to.

 Safety critical conductors also take on the emergency protection duties of the Train Driver should the driver become incapacitated in the event of an incident.

 Case Study

 On 26 July 1986 at Lockington, between Beverley and Driffield, a four coach unit, travelling from Bridlington to Hull, collided with a motor vehicle on Lockington level crossing.  The train was completely derailed and seriously damaged.  Nine people were killed and 59 people were hospitalised.  The driver of the train was seriously incapacitated and trapped with the cab.

 The guard on this train was uninjured and, having a comprehensive knowledge of the Hull to Scarborough line and being fully trained to deal with such issues, jumped from the train and made his way to check on the driver who, he found, was unconscious.

 The guard was also aware that another train was shortly due, in the opposite direction, for Bridlington.

 Owing to the derailed train being foul of the opposite line, he knew it was imperative that he halt the oncoming train, so he ran down the track and managed to stop the Bridlington bound train, which was approaching at speed.  The driver saw the danger signals from this guard and managed to stop his train just short of the derailed unit, thus preventing what would have been a huge loss of life; there were approximately 120 people on the train.

 In conclusion, without the expertise, knowledge and quick thinking of this guard there would have been a catastrophe of huge magnitude, which is precisely why there is a need for a guardon every train.

 After all these years this railway line is still operating, and the same conditions exist at Lockington as they did that fateful day.

 Summary

 Driver-only train operation is being spun as modern and safe, but beneath the spin it is nothing more than a money-saving attack on everyone’s safety.  Let us all fight to retain our guards.  Any saving will not be passed on to the travelling public. Please support the Motion.   

 Unfortunately the ruling Conservative Group did not think that this subject warranted discussion, or a letter to Northern Rail.  Instead it referred the whole matter to a scrutiny committee, without discussion.  Due to the huge majority it holds on the Council this was passed, much to the disappointment of the Labour Group, whose whole objective was to protect the safety of residents.

 Proposed by Councillor Keith Moore (mobile: 07737 586949)

Seconded by Councillor Shelagh Finlay

                      email: cllr.s.finlay@bridlington.gov.uk

WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality)

Fair Transitional State Pension Arrangements

 

Labour Group Member, Cllr Shelagh Finlay, moved the following Motion to Full Council today (12 October), seconded by Cllr Keith Moore.

 

“That this Council calls upon the Government to make fair transitional state pension arrangements for all women born on, or after, 6 April 1951, who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA) with lack of appropriate notification.”

 

The following Amendment was submitted by Cllr Parnaby and was voted on, and passed, by Full Council with the exception of the words ‘or influence’ which was removed at Cllr Finlay’s request.

 

“That this Council, whilst recognising it has no control or influence over national government policy on state pensions, has sympathy with those affected by any increase to the State Pension Age and encourages members either individually, through political groups, local MPs or national contacts to raise any issues of unfairness they may have in regard to the State Pension Age (SPA).”

 

At Full Council, over 25 WASPIs from around the region came to offer their support and were pleased that Members of East Riding of Yorkshire Council were prompted to raise issues of unfairness.

 

 

 

For further information please contact:

 

Cllr Shelagh Finlay -                     01262 675921

Cllr Keith Moore -                       07737 586949

 

12 October 2016

I Love the NHS - well some of it...

Yesterday was a game of two halves.  Let me give you a flavour of the second half.  I went to Bridlington Hospital for my pre-assessment for a minor operation.  This process saves time on the day of operation whilst ensuring that the patient is able to undertake the operation - a double saving.  I was called in for my assessment by two very friendly NHS staff who introduced themselves.  One asked and answered questions whilst the other took bloods, blood pressure etc.  Both were very professional and knowledgeable whilst putting me at ease.  The whole process took about 25 minutes and as I left clutching an information booklet they told me they would see me on the ward.  I felt that they would both be my new best friends who would look after me on the day.  So a satisfied customer of our wonderful NHS then - well not quite. 


Let's have a look at the first half.  I follow a series of signs that lead me into a rather sterile waiting room.  A radio is playing, lots of leaflets (none of them relevant to my operation), out of date magazines and one other person. Time 10 am and another person arrives.  Time 10.10 and the first person is call.  Time 10.35 and the second person is call.  I ask the nurse why I am still here when my appointment clearly says 10 am (I was on time) to be told that all the appointments were for 10 am and I was next in say 25 minutes.  So rather than book one at 10 am, one at 10.25 and one at 10.50 I was expected to sit there for possibly 50 min and wait. I fumed as I read the out of date magazine "glad" that I had paid for 2 hour parking (£2.50) rather than the hour (£1 - not sure how that works but that is for another day). Time 10.50 and in I go for the second half - perfect from then on as described above.


How difficult is it to schedule 3 patients at staggered times?  Why does the NHS think that their time is more important than mine?  Would any business schedule 3 clients at the same time and expect the last one just to wait?


Why oh why does the NHS score so many home goals?