Agenda item

That the Council agrees to:

(1)    suspend Standing Order 42.1 to consider (2) to (8) below;

(2)    cease the interim design works for public realm improvements on the mid section of Union Street (from Market Street to Bridge Street);

(3)    instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to reopen Union Street between its junctions with Union Terrace and Market Street to service buses, taxis, private hire vehicles and pedal cycles only, all as soon as is practicably possible, but not before any necessary investigatory or other required works are completed and not before any necessary statutory processes are completed: such work shall include the reopening of the temporarily closed bus stops and pedestrian crossings on this section of Union Street, where practicable;

(4)    retain the current timed delivery arrangements via Back Wynd/Belmont Street;

(5)    instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to remove the existing bus gate on Union Street, just East of Market Street and introduce new bus gates on Union Street between Bridge Street and Market Street;

The estimated cost of the works to be incurred is £10,000 and this expenditure will be met from existing operational budgets and the Spaces for People budget;

(6)    instruct the Chief Officer - Governance to initiate the consultation process to re-establish the taxi rank stances on Back Wynd and the night time taxi rank on Union Street at St Nicholas churchyard and report back to the Licensing Committee with the results of the consultation exercise;

(7)    instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to complete any necessary statutory processes to allow for waiting on Back Wynd by taxis; and

(8)    note the Director of Resources will continue to engage with stakeholders across the city, including children and young people and the Disability Equity Partnership, in relation to the work packages instructed through the City Growth and Resources Committee on 12 November 2021.

The Council had before it the wording of the written request for this special Council meeting which had been signed by 19 members in accordance with Standing Order 8.2.2:-

“That the Council agrees to:

(1)    suspend Standing Order 42.1 to consider (2) to (8) below;

(2)    cease the interim design works for public realm improvements on the mid section of Union Street (from Market Street to Bridge Street);

(3)    instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to reopen Union Street between its junctions with Union Terrace and Market Street to service buses, taxis, private hire vehicles and pedal cycles only, all as soon as is practicably possible, but not before any necessary investigatory or other required works are completed and not before any necessary statutory processes are completed: such work shall include the reopening of the temporarily closed bus stops and pedestrian crossings on this section of Union Street, where practicable;

(4)    retain the current timed delivery arrangements via Back Wynd/Belmont Street;

(5)    instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to remove the existing bus gate on Union Street, just East of Market Street and introduce new bus gates on Union Street between Bridge Street and Market Street;

The estimated cost of the works to be incurred is £10,000 and this expenditure will be met from existing operational budgets and the Spaces for People budget;

(6)    instruct the Chief Officer - Governance to initiate the consultation process to re-establish the taxi rank stances on Back Wynd and the night time taxi rank on Union Street at St Nicholas churchyard and report back to the Licensing Committee with the results of the consultation exercise;

(7)    instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to complete any necessary statutory processes to allow for waiting on Back Wynd by taxis; and

(8)    note the Director of Resources will continue to engage with stakeholders across the city, including children and young people and the Disability Equity Partnership, in relation to the work packages instructed through the City Growth and Resources Committee on 12 November 2021.”

Councillor Yuill indicated that he would be moving the motion, as set out above, and the procedural motion to suspend Standing Order 42.1, and that Councillor Alex Nicoll would be his seconder.

The Lord Provost enquired whether there were any alternative proposals, at which point Councillor Laing indicated that she would be moving an amendment proposing that no action be taken. Councillor Boulton indicated that she would also be moving an amendment.

Councillor Yuill moved as a procedural motion, seconded by Councillor Alex Nicoll:-

That the Council suspend Standing Order 42.1 to enable parts (2) to (8) of the motion to be considered.

On a division, there voted:-

For the procedural motion  (24)  -  Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Boulton, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Delaney, Jackie Dunbar MSP, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Alex Nicoll, Audrey Nicoll MSP, Noble, Radley, Reynolds, Townson and Yuill.

Against the procedural motion  (21)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Bell, Cross, Donnelly, Lesley Dunbar, Duncan, Graham, Grant, Houghton, Imrie, John, Laing, Lumsden MSP, Macdonald, MacKenzie, Malik, Mason, Sellar and Wheeler.

The Council resolved:-

to note that the procedural motion to suspend Standing Order 42.1 failed to attract the necessary agreement of two thirds of the Members present and entitled to vote, as required by Standing Order 41.1, and therefore no further action was taken.

In terms of Standing Order 32.8, Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Delaney, Jackie Dunbar MSP, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Alex Nicoll, Audrey Nicoll MSP, Noble, Radley, Reynolds, Townson and Yuill expressed their dissent against the foregoing decision.

- BARNEY CROCKETT, Lord Provost