Agenda item

Councillor L Hovvels to Move

The former Bluebell Primary School site in Trimdon Grange has been empty for some time, becoming a blight on our community, and a hotspot of ASB and other crime, including arson. This has resulted in damage to a Council building which would cost around £1 million to repair, with current ongoing costs of paying for 24/7 security.

This is because the Council does not have an empty buildings strategy.

Therefore, this Council calls on the relevant Portfolio Holder to establish a cross-party working group to create an Empty Buildings Strategy, to prevent issues, such as this in Trimdon, happening across our county.

Councillor R Crute to Move

Durham County Council warmly welcomes the decision made by the new Government to recognise the injustice faced by former mineworkers and their families. In reaching the recent landmark decision to hand £1.5 billion back to the Mineworkers Pension Scheme the Government has ensured that former pit workers who powered the country for generations will at last get the just rewards for their labour - and from Labour.

However, another significant injustice towards the miners stays unresolved, and that relates to the behaviour and tactics deployed by the police at Orgreave during the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike.

Durham County Council believes that several issues relating to events at the picketing of Orgreave on 18 June 1984 are of both local and national importance.

As a result of policing tactics at Orgreave during the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike Durham miners and their families were adversely affected by the events of that day, including instances of wrongful arrest, false imprisonment, loss of pension rights, family breakdown and termination of employment.

Durham County Council believes that an investigation into the military style policing deployed at Orgreave is long overdue and is the only means to ensure justice for the miners and their families. Only a full public inquiry can properly investigate the tactics used by the police that day.

Therefore this council calls on the Home Secretary to order a full public inquiry into the deployment of the police and their behaviour at Orgreave on 18 June 1984.

The Chair informed Council that there were two Motions for consideration.

Moved by Councillor L Hovvels, Seconded by Councillor J Miller

The former Bluebell Primary School site in Trimdon Grange has been empty for some time, becoming a blight on our community, and a hotspot of ASB and other crime, including arson. This has resulted in damage to a Council building which would cost around £1 million to repair, with current ongoing costs of paying for 24/7 security.

This is because the Council does not have an empty buildings strategy.

Therefore, this Council calls on the relevant Portfolio Holder to establish a cross-party working group to create an Empty Buildings Strategy, to prevent issues, such as this in Trimdon, happening across our county.

Councillors R Bell, M Wilkes, J Rowlandson and A Hopgood spoke against the Motion.

Councillors F Tinsley, L Maddison, C Marshall, A Surtees and O Gunn spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor L Hovvels requested a named vote which was supported.

For the Motion

Councillors E Adam, R Adcock-Forster, V Anderson, V Andrews, J Atkinson, P Atkinson, A Batey, K Batey, C Bihari, D Boyes, I Cochrane, R Crute, S Deinali, L Fenwick, C Fletcher, J Griffiths, O Gunn, C Hampson, A Hanson, S Henig, J Higgins, L Hovvels, M Johnson, L Maddison, R Manchester, C Marshall, B McAloon, D McKenna, I McLean, S McMahon, J Miller, P Molloy, D Mulholland, D Nicholls, P Pringle, J Purvis, S Quinn, J Scurfield, P Sexton, K Shaw, G Smith, T Smith, A Surtees, P Taylor, F Tinsley, S Townsend, A Watson, J Watson, M Wilson, D Wood and R Yorke.

Against the Motion

Councillors M Abley, R Bell, D Brown, J Cosslett, M Currah, D Freeman, L Holmes, J Howey, C Hunt, N Jones, P Jopling, D Oliver, E Peeke, R Potts, J Quinn, G Richardson, K Robson, J Rowlandson, E Scott, D Sutton-Lloyd and M Walton.

Abstentions

Councillors A Bell, C Bell, J Blakey, L Brown, J Cairns, J Charlton, B Coult, T Duffy, D Haney, P Heaviside, T Henderson, C Hood, A Hopgood, G Hutchinson, C Lines, C Martin, E Mavin, L Mavin, S McDonnell, J Nicholson, R Ormerod, A Reed, S Robinson, K Rooney, A Shield, J Shuttleworth, M Stead, W Stelling, T Stubbs, M Wilkes and S Zair.

The Motion was Carried.

In accordance with the Council Procedure Rules, the Chair announced that the time for consideration of Motions had lapsed and announced that the motion from Councillor R Crute would be deferred until the next meeting.