Agenda and draft minutes

To receive, as read, the Minutes of the proceedings of the previous Council meeting, and to confirm them or otherwise.

RESOLVED         The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on the 4^th March 2025 were confirmed as corrected and signed by the Chair.

To receive any declarations of interest.

Members should consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda represent a conflict with any interests previously declared or new interests.  They should also consider whether their register of interests requires updating as a result of any new undeclared interests.  It is a requirement in law that any new or changed interests are declared within 28 days.  It is incumbent on Members to notify Officers of these changes.

The following declarations of interest were declared:

Item 5a – Oliver Ryan Motion

Disclosable Pecuniary Interest

Cllr Gemma Haigh (employment), Cllr Gail Barton (Labour Party sponsorship),

Cllr Margaret Brindle (Labour Party sponsorship), Cllr Barbara Dole (Labour Party sponsorship), Cllr Sue Graham (Labour Party sponsorship), Cllr John Harbour (Labour Party sponsorship), Cllr Bill Horrocks (Labour Party sponsorship), Cllr Paul Reynolds (Labour Party sponsorship), Cllr Mark Townsend (Labour Party sponsorship), Cllr Fiona Wild (Labour Party sponsorship).

Item 5d – Building Bridges Motion

Other Prejudicial Interest

Cllr Afrasiab Anwar (Chairman), Cllr Christine Sollis (Trustee).

To receive communications (if any) from His Worshipful the Mayor.

The Mayor and members of the Mayoresses Committee thanked retiring Mayor’s Assistant Maureen Neave for her service.  A presentation of flowers and gifts was made.

Mister Mayor informed the meeting that confirmation had been received that the ‘new’ HMS Active would be affiliated with the Borough of Burnley.

He also invited members to a fundraising event on Monday 28^th April.

To receive questions, statements or petitions (if any) from members of the public.

Mr Ian Chapman presented a petition to Council regarding Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSes).

Councillor Lubna Khan thanked Mr Chapman for attending and provided a response.

As per Minute 52 Cllrs Barton, Brindle, Dole, Graham, Haigh, Harbour, Horrocks, Reynolds, Townsend and Wild had declared an interest in this item.  They left the room and took no part in the debate or decision.

Cllr Martyn Hurt moved an altered motion:

‘This Council believes that:

As news broke of the Labour WhatsApp group titled TriggerMeTimbers, it soon became apparent that the Burnley MP, Oliver Ryan, had been both an active member of the group, but had also reacted with laughing faces to, and posted, sexist, homophobic, ableist and discriminatory remarks about others.

Those messages are not suitable for including into this motion text, such is their content.

We recognise the swift actions of the Labour Party nationally in suspending Oliver Ryan, but feel that this does not go far enough, given the clear evidence against him.

Therefore;

This Council:

·         Believes Oliver Ryan has brought shame on the residents of Burnley and embarrassment to the Borough.

·         Has no confidence or belief that Oliver Ryan can represent the people within the Burnley constituency, as constituents cannot be sure that they are not being abused or ridiculed on chat groups or in conversations.

·         Requests that the Leader of the Council writes to Oliver Ryan MP, on behalf of Burnley Council and all Group Leaders, to express the disgust that this Chamber feels over the content of the messages, and request that he resign as an MP with immediate effect.

·         Requests that the Leader of the Council issues a public statement on on behalf of Burnley Council and all Group Leaders condemning Mr Ryan and his comments, and expresses this council’s commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusiveness, on, or immediately after, May 2^nd 2025.’

Cllr Alex Hall seconded the altered motion.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule (CPR) 14.7 the meeting consented to the alteration.

Following the debate on the motion, Cllr Hurt suggested a further alteration to the motion and moved the following:

‘This Council believes that:

As news broke of the Labour WhatsApp group titled TriggerMeTimbers, it soon became apparent that the Burnley MP, Oliver Ryan, had been both an active member of the group, but had also reacted with laughing faces to, and posted, sexist, homophobic, ableist and discriminatory remarks about others.

Those messages are not suitable for including into this motion text, such is their content.

We recognise the swift actions of the Labour Party nationally in suspending Oliver Ryan, but feel that this does not go far enough, given the clear evidence against him.

Therefore;

This Council:

·         Believes Oliver Ryan has brought shame on the residents of Burnley and embarrassment to the Borough.

·         Has no confidence or belief that Oliver Ryan can represent the people within the Burnley constituency, as constituents cannot be sure that they are not being abused or ridiculed on chat groups or in conversations.

·         Requests that the Leader of the Council writes to Oliver Ryan MP, on behalf of Burnley Council and all Group Leaders, to express the disgust that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55.

Under CPR 14.7(a) and with the consent of the meeting Cllr Martyn Hurt moved, and Cllr Helen Bridges seconded the following altered motion:

‘The recent Labour Governments’ Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, along with the Spring Statement from the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, propose unprecedented cuts to the incomes of some the poorest and most vulnerable people in Burnley and Padiham.

The scale and effects of these cuts should not be underestimated, and the slow leaking of the plans, over weeks, without denial or confirmation, was despicable and caused untold anxiety and fear for millions of vulnerable people.

The Government proposes cuts of around £5billion to disability benefits, which would lead to at least 250,000 people been pushed into poverty including 50,000 children across the country, which will be absolutely devastating for disabled people in Burnley, which already has some of the most deprived areas in the country – the Joseph Rowntree Foundation place this figure as closer to 400,000 people.

However, this is not the full story. The Office for Budget Responsibility puts the actual cuts at a staggering £6.7bn by 2029 when taking the proposed increase to the base rate of Universal Credit into account.

Over 370,000 people are expected to lose their Daily Living Component of PIP.

2.25 million people who currently receive health related payments as part of their Universal Credit will be impacted by the freeze in rates, and 730,000 future recipients will not be eligible for an average of £3,000 support each year.

Over 500,000 people are expected to lose the Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity element of Universal Credit Payments, or have the payments eroded over time.

In addition, it is estimated that over 150,000 unpaid carers will lose their entitlement to Carers Allowance or the Carers Element of Universal Credit due to the person they care for losing health related benefits, such as PIP.

This doesn’t even include the loss of care packages, mobility equipment,  Blue Badges, the ability to travel independently, purchasing essential equipment, goods and services that disabled people have to pay for, that cost thousands of pounds per year, that non-disabled people do not have to fund themselves.

3.2million families will be hit financially with an average loss of £1,700 per year.

PIP is not an out-of-work benefit, despite the media and Government Ministers portraying it as such and many long-term ill and disabled people use this money so that they are able to work – withdrawing that financial support will mean that they can no longer work.

For those that are not able to work, they face losing their independence and ability to leave their homes, as public transport, especially in Burnley, is not accessible enough or reliable enough.

Those that have been deemed medically unfit for work will not suddenly be able to work just because their payments are stopped and they are forced into poverty, starvation and destitution.

The proposed changes will mean that someone who cannot  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

Under CPR 14.7(a), with the consent of the meeting, the following altered motion, which had been published in a supplementary agenda earlier in the day, was moved by Cllr Hosker and seconded by Cllr McGowan:

Burnley Council:

1. Recognises the profound and lasting harm caused by grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation to victims, their families, and communities across the United Kingdom, including within the borough of Burnley.

2. Acknowledges that historic failings by local authorities, police, and other agencies in tackling these crimes have been documented in multiple independent reviews, yet systemic issues persist, leaving survivors without full justice and future generations at risk.

3. Notes the limitations of local inquiries and the lack of a comprehensive national framework to address the scale, patterns, and root causes of grooming gang activities across the country.

4. Expresses concern that without a coordinated national response, lessons from past failures cannot be fully learned, nor can effective preventative measures be universally implemented.

5. Calls upon His Majesty’s Government to establish a statutory public inquiry into grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation, with the powers to:

• Compel witnesses and access all relevant evidence

• Investigate the national scope and historical prevalence of these crimes

• Identify systemic failures across agencies and regions

• Recommend robust, enforceable measures to protect vulnerable children and deliver justice to survivors

6. Resolves to write to the Home Secretary, the Prime Minister, and our MP to formally request this inquiry, urging swift action to address this disgusting national scandal.  We also call on the government to implement all the recommendations from the IICSA and other local inquiries.”

7. Commits to supporting local efforts in Burnley to safeguard children, support survivors, and work collaboratively with other councils to amplify this call for a national investigation.

8. Encourages all councillors to unite in this motion, reflecting our shared duty to prioritise the safety and well-being of our residents over any political divisions.

Cllr Howard Baker indicated that he wished to move the following amendment, which was seconded by Cllr Kelly:

Burnley Council:

1. Recognises the profound and lasting harm caused by grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation to victims, their families, and communities across the United Kingdom, including within the borough of Burnley.

2. Acknowledges that historic failings by local authorities, police, and other agencies in tackling these crimes have been documented in multiple independent reviews, yet systemic issues persist, leaving survivors without full justice and future generations at risk.

3. Notes the limitations of local inquiries and the lack of a comprehensive national framework to address the scale, patterns, and root causes of grooming gang activities across the country.

4. Expresses concern that without a coordinated national response, lessons from past failures cannot be fully learned, nor can effective preventative measures be universally implemented.

5. Calls upon His Majesty’s Government to establish a statutory public inquiry into grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation, with the powers to:

• Compel witnesses and access all relevant evidence

• Investigate the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.

As per Minute 52 Cllrs Anwar and Sollis had declared an interest in this item.  They left the room and took no part in the decision.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule (CPR) 14.8, it was moved by Cllr Gemma Haigh  and seconded by Cllr Sue Graham that this motion be withdrawn. With the consent of the meeting it was duly RESOLVED.

Consideration was given to the Calendar of Meetings for 2025-26.

On being put to the vote, it was declared to be CARRIED and RESOLVED accordingly.

Consideration was given to a report outlining a minor constitutional amendment carried out under delegation, and a waiver of call-in.

RESOLVED, THAT Council note:

1.    A waiver of call-in relating to a decision taken by the Executive on 12th March 2025.

2.    Administrative updates to the Constitution Part 5.2 – Code of Conduct for Employees approved by the Monitoring Officer through delegated powers.

Consideration was given to a report setting out the use of Executive Urgency Powers from April 2024 to March 2025.

RESOLVED, THAT:

Council note the use of Urgency Powers as set out in the report.

RESOLVED, THAT: The reports of the Committee Chairs be noted.

RESOLVED, That: The Strategic Plan Progress Reports of Executive Members be noted.

To deal with questions (if any) relating to matters not contained in the Minutes before the Council and of which notice in writing has been received in accordance with Standing Order No. 10(2).

No questions had been received.