Hate crime, climate change and ‘sharing’ mayor duties
based on the “strength of political groups”.
Liberal Democrats said they favoured the mayor being replaced with a “elected chairperson” while UKIP councillor Pam Mann said the role should be “meritbased.”But Labour council leader, Graeme Miller, defended the current system and accused Conservatives of using the motion to “politicise the mayoral role.” scrutiny to residents to allow them to improve their neighbourhoods.
Other ideas in the plan, outlined by Labour’s cabinet secretary Paul Stewart, included a review of how residents can shape council services and a “robust communication strategy.”
The motion was unanimously backed by all councillors and will now go to the chief executive to be worked up into formal proposals.
Conservative councillor, Robert Oliver, raised concerns about increased investment into communications creating a risk of “propaganda”.
Lib Dem leader, Coun Niall Hodson, called for more clarity on specific services under the plan and noted the risk of the strategy creating a heavier workload for council officers. was backed by councillors.
The Conservative group originally tabled a motion calling on council bosses to adopt an international definition of anti-semitism.
This followed a recent report which revealed a dramatic rise in hate crimes against the Jewish community in the UK.
At the meeting, Labour launched a bid to expand the motion to tackle hate crimes for all protected groups.
While the amended motion was voted through, the majority of the meeting saw political point scoring between the Conservative and Labour groups.
This included discussions of alleged anti-semitism in the national Labour party – which was recently investigated by BBC Panorama.
But Sunderland Labour hit back at the meeting, with deputy leader Michael Mordey saying the Conservative party had, so far, done “diddly squat” about Islamophobia.
Earlier this year, Washington and Sunderland West MP, Sharon Hodgson, criticised the start time of a meeting to decide a controversial planning application.
The Washington waste energy plant – dubbed a ‘monster incinerator’ by protestors – sparked thousands of objections and was rejected by the council’s Planning and Highways Committee.
At the time, the MP criticised the meeting for starting at 4.30pm which, she claimed, made it difficult for working people to attend.
At full council, Sunderland Conservatives asked for support to change the Planning and Highways Committee start time to 6pm permanently.
Labour bosses said the waste plant meeting met “exceptional circumstances” due to the amount of public interest with the changes aiming to accommodate all speakers.
At the meeting, Lib Dem also launched a bid expand all public council meetings to a 6pm start time – a move rejected by Labour.
Council leader, Graeme Miller, said this change would “paralyse” council business.
Following discussion, the original motion and amendment were voted down.
Sunderland’s first Green Party councillor, Dom Armstrong, made his first speech in the chamber on the dangers of the climate crisis.
This followed a ‘climate emergency’ agreed earlier this year which set a council target of carbon-neutral by 2030.
The new motion asked for regular updates and progress against this target in future.
Coun Armstrong said “coordinated and continuous action” was needed.
“Business as usual just isn’t working anymore, if the council is seeing this as an emergency it must act as it would in any other emergency,” he said.
Labour bosses also outlined their commitment to reducing carbon emissions – including recording the “carbon cost” of all of council decisions.
Deputy Council Leader, Coun Michael Mordey, said the new carbon plan up to 2030 will go out to public consultation this Autumn.
He added the council is working towards developing business cases for energysaving projects and working with other authorities.
Council leader, Graeme Miller, said that a short-term fix to reduce carbon emissions involved moving council business from the current civic centre to the planned city hall by Keel Square.
The motion was backed unanimously by councillors.