Minutes:
The Mayor
stated that he wished to speak about the following issues:
Covid
The Mayor
stated that there had been an increase in the rate of Covid
infections, and he reminded everyone that Covid was
lethal to some people. He urged people not to panic, but to be sensible and to
continue to wear face masks. Middlesbrough was
currently about 80th position in the table of rates of Covid cases, but as the town suffered from high
unemployment and had a dense population; compared to other towns with the same
issues, Middlesbrough had a lower rate of infections. The Mayor stated that this was largely down to
work of the Council’s Public Health Team. He encouraged people to take up the
offer of having a vaccination or booster.
Hemlington Ward
The Mayor
referred to a small group of people in the Hemlington
area that were carrying out anti-social behaviour and
intimidating residents. Some residents that lived in the Hemlington
area were afraid to report any instances of anti-social behaviour
to the police or the council. The groups carrying out the anti-social behaviour were aged between 12 – 16 years of age and they
were committing serious crimes. He stated that he was pleased to see that some
people had been arrested and that action would be taken against the
perpetrators. The same groups had been throwing bottles at the police and the
fire brigade.
The Mayor
urged people living in the Hemlington Ward to report
any instances of anti-social behaviour to the police
or crime stoppers. He stated that the Council also needed to put pressure on
those involved in the sentencing process.
Wardens had
been under attack along with the police and the fire brigade. The Wardens had
been involved in numerous different tasks whilst performing their role as a
Warden, including saving 13 lives, reuniting dementia sufferers and lost
children or pets with their families and assisting the homeless by signposting
them to the correct services in order for them to be re-housed. The Mayor also
referred to the work of the Fly-Tipping Enforcement Team.
Standards
Complaints
The Mayor referred
to the amount of money and time being spent on investigating complaints against
councillors. He urged councilors to think whether a
complaint was necessary, before submitting a Standards complaint against
another councillor.
The Mayor
stated that if any person felt lonely, isolated or intimidated, the Council was
available to help improve their life. He urged residents to get in touch with
the Council and they would do what they could to assist.
Councillor Mawston referred to the good response to attending for
vaccinations at the mobile vaccination centre in
Newport. He stated that only a few members were involved in submitting
complaints against other councillors.
The Mayor
stated that there was currently a culture in the Council of councillors
using the Standards complaints process to bully other councilors. This was
causing a strain on the department responsible for dealing with the complaints in
terms of the time being taken up to investigate the complaints and there was
also a financial cost involved.
Councillor
Rooney stated that everyone needed to be more vigilant in respect of dealing
with Covid and she stated that she had been hoping
for a stronger message to be conveyed to the public with regard to helping to
prevent the spread of Covid.
Councillor
Rooney stated that it was pleasing to see the queues of people waiting to
receive their vaccinations at the Newport hub. The Riverside site was sometimes
difficult for residents to get to, so it was good to see that residents had
access to other more accessible sites to receive their vaccination.
In terms of
the anti-social behaviour in the Hemlington
Ward, Councillor Rooney urged residents to report any instances to the
appropriate authorities.
In terms of
the amount of Standards complaints, Councillor Rooney stated that councilors had
a duty to uphold the highest standards of behaviour.
If there had been an increase in the number of complaints being submitted, then
this needed to be looked into to see what the reason was for the increase in
the receipt of complaints.
**At this
point of the meeting, member were informed that there had been a break down in
the filming of the meeting. As, according to the Access to Information Rules, the
meeting was open to the public to attend, the meeting continued.
Councillor
Cooke referred to the excellent attendance at the Newport vaccination centre.
In terms of
the issues of anti-social behaviour being experienced
in the Hemlington area, Councillor Cooke stated that
locality working should be rolled out in that and other Wards. It had made a
huge difference to anti-social behaviour in the
Newport Ward.
In relation
to the increase in the number of Standards complaints, Councillor Cooke stated
that having seen some emails concerning councillors
and their families, he could understand why some of the complaints had been
submitted and were justified. He stated that any councilor submitting
unnecessary complaints should be identified.
The Mayor stated
that it was interesting to see that crime had reduced in the Newport Ward, but
it was too early to tell if this was as a result of the introduction of
locality working.
He stated
that the Standards complaints system was available for instances where any
attempts to resolve a complaint informally, had failed. He reiterated the cost involved,
in terms of time and money, for investigating complaints against councilors,
and he urged councillors to be responsible in terms
of the use of the Standards complaints system.
Councillor Hellaoui stated that given the increased rate of Covid infections, it was ill-advised for councillors to be meeting in the Council Chamber for the
Council meeting. Not very councillor had carried out a lateral flow test or was
wearing a face mask. Councillor Hellaoui stated that
in her view, councilors were placing themselves at risk, by meeting in the
Council Chamber.
Councillor Hellaoui stated that the queues at the Newport Hub for
people wanting to receive a vaccination were long, but very well managed. The
pop up hubs and locality working were working very well.
The Mayor
stated that it was important to try and get things back to normal, but the
Council would not take unnecessary risks. The air conditioning was working in
the Council Chamber and both doors were open.
Councillor
Coupe referred to the fact that some people were not wearing masks when
visiting the supermarket, or carry out social distancing, and this might lead
to a further lockdown. The cancellation of operations in hospitals would have
an effect on the health service for some time to come.
In terms of
the number of complaints being submitted, Councillor Coupe stated that councillors often had differing political opinions, and
that was acceptable. If people in the community were of the view that councillors were complaining about each other regularly, it
might prevent new candidates putting themselves forward to stand as a councillor.
Councillor
Bell stated that he echoed the sentiments of the Mayor with regards to the
issues in Hemlington Ward. The police were working
with the Neighbourhood Safety Team with regard to the
anti-social behaviour and more people were coming
forward to make a complaint. Councillor Bell stated that he would like to see a
greater presence in terms of Street Wardens, the police and the Council’s
Enforcement Team in the Hemlington area.