Agenda item

To receive the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services on any Notices of Motion received by him (Lilac pages).

Councillors are asked to note that any Notices of Motion must be received by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services no later than noon on 29 October 2019.

The Council had before it a Notice of Motion set out in the agenda papers standing in the names of Mr G R Brookes, Mr R J Morris, Mr M J Hart, Dr K A Pollock and Ms R Vale.

The motion was moved by Mr G R Brookes and seconded by Mr R J Morris who both spoke in favour of it, and Council agreed to deal with it on the day.

In the ensuing debate, the following points were made:

·         Entrepreneurs took risks not only to benefit themselves but also to benefit the local community with the creation jobs and payment of taxes. Supporting the work of entrepreneurs also contributed to the Council’s corporate objectives including supporting Children and Young People, improving health and well-being and protecting the environment

·         The Council’s work with partners, including the Local Enterprise Partnership, could provide vital support to entrepreneurs and contribute to the county having one of the strongest economies in the country.

The following amendment was then moved by Mr L C R Mallett and seconded by Mr R C Lunn:

“Whether in the emergence of new technologies, the fresh availability of natural resources or of changes in society, change provides a catalyst for new ideas to emerge. Properly acted on and developed, new ideas can generate new businesses providing employment, generating income for this Council to support our infrastructure, and provide happier and more fulfilled lives for many of our residents.

As an example, after a gap of one hundred years, the recent availability of Droitwich Brine, a natural resource laid down over 200 million years ago, and the strongest natural saltwater known, has prompted the emergence of new businesses and products across the region, resulting in increased employment. Further individuals and groups are presently coming forward, seeing opportunities to develop tourism in Worcestershire by developing the “Stay-cation” industry as concerns rise at the cost in climate terms of extensive air travel.

History shows us that much of the wealth Britain has enjoyed has been generated as a result of lateral thinking by individuals and small companies. Successful small companies can grow to service world markets, not only generating wealth to support our vital services such as the NHS, but also in many cases improving the lives of people far removed from our county.

This Council calls on all its members to take a positive approach whenever and wherever possible and appropriate to support and encourage Entrepreneurs and Innovators in Worcestershire to develop new businesses, including all forms of co-operatives and social and community enterprises, to develop new products and services to enhance our economy, furthermore we encourage all Worcestershire employers to pay the Living Wage, so their employees can share in their success.”

Those in favour of the amendment made the following comments:

·         The amendment aimed to strengthen the original Motion by including reference to the full breadth of entrepreneurship in the county. It would not only capture the development of new products and services but also different types of businesses including co-operative, social and community enterprises. It would encourage businesses to pay staff the living wage and ensure that workers received a fair wage for a fair day’s work

·         The amendment merely encouraged employers to pay the living wage

·         There were businesses in the county that were paying their staff so little that they were reliant on benefits. Companies of this nature should not be considered viable

·         It was necessary for the state to intervene when employees were not receiving the living wage

·         The proposed changes in the amendment would promote the development of a mixed economy for the county to enable it to prosper and ensure that wages were not lower that neighbouring counties.

Those against the amendment made the following comments:

·         It was not for this Council to instruct or suggest to employers what they should pay to their employees

·         The original motion was concerned with the simple notion of supporting local entrepreneurs and this amendment unnecessarily complicated matters.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was lost.

In debating the substantive motion as originally moved and seconded the following main points were made:

·         It was important that the Council provided growth businesses with the necessary support they needed to develop and employ additional staff

·         The Council should be encouraging all businesses including existing businesses by helping them with the establishment of web sites and better use of social media

·         At the end of May 2019, 41,383 businesses had been registered by Companies House in Worcestershire (11,587 in Bromsgrove) which showed the supportive environment for businesses in the county

·         If local businesses were to survive in the county, it was vital that people made use of them.

RESOLVED “Whether in the emergence of new technologies, the fresh availability of natural resources or of changes in society, change provides a catalyst for new ideas to emerge. Properly acted on and developed, new ideas can generate new businesses providing employment, generating income for this Council to support our infrastructure, and provide happier and more fulfilled lives for many of our residents.

As an example, after a gap of one hundred years, the recent availability of Droitwich Brine, a natural resource laid down over 200 million years ago, and the strongest natural saltwater known, has prompted the emergence of new businesses and products across the region, resulting in increased employment. Further individuals and groups are presently coming forward, seeing opportunities to develop tourism in Worcestershire by developing the “Stay-cation” industry as concerns rise at the cost in climate terms of extensive air travel.

History shows us that much of the wealth Britain has enjoyed has been generated as a result of lateral thinking by individuals and small companies. Successful small companies can grow to service world markets, not only generating wealth to support our vital services such as the NHS, but also in many cases improving the lives of people far removed from our county.

This Council calls on all its members to take a positive approach whenever and wherever possible and appropriate to support and encourage Entrepreneurs and Innovators in Worcestershire to develop new products and services to enhance our economy.”