Agenda item

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment which sought approval of a scheme to deliver the £1,000,000 Aberdeen Fuel Poverty Fund, setting out national and local context and proposing that the fund is used for wider anti-poverty measures in the city.

The report recommended:-

that the Council approve that the £1,000,000 Fuel Poverty Fund be considered in the wider Cost of Living Support report due to be heard at the Operational Delivery Committee on 31 August 2022.

Councillor Allard moved, seconded by Councillor Greig:-

That the Council approve the recommendation contained within the report.

Councillor Houghton moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Farquhar:-

          That the Council -

(1)       note that the previous Administration’s budget agreed by Council introduced a £1,000,000 Fuel Poverty Fund for the current financial year;

(2)       agree that residents of Aberdeen will suffer further with SNP/Green austerity measures imposed by the Scottish Government as intimated in the Scottish Government’s 2022 Resource Spending Review and oppose any reduction in our funding settlement from the Scottish Government;

(3)       agree with comments by Kate Forbes MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, that now is not the time to be holding large reserves, therefore; and

(4)       instruct the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to report to Council in August 2022 with details of a scheme to allocate the Fund as part of the wider Cost of Living Support by the Council to help the most vulnerable in our community, setting out the financial implications and options available for different allocations up to the full amount of £3million.

Councillor Grant moved as a further amendment, seconded by Councillor Macdonald:-

          That the Council -

(1)       note the decision taken at the Council Budget meeting in March 2022 in relation to establishing a £1million Fuel Poverty Fund which was intended to support thousands of hard-pressed Aberdeen households;

(2)       note that the Chief Officers - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment and Customer Experience were instructed to prepare the details of a scheme in a report for approval by Full Council at its meeting in June 2022 on how those most vulnerable could be further supported with rising energy costs;

(3)       agree that rising energy costs present a significant and immediate challenge to thousands of hard-pressed families; and

(4)       reiterate Council’s commitment to the original instruction of the previous Aberdeen Labour-led administration and instruct the Chief Officers - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment and Customer Experience to progress, as soon as possible, options for the disbursement of the funds to households in receipt of means tested benefits.

At this juncture, Councillor Brooks advised that he had a connection as a Trustee of a Foodbank, following matters that had been raised in debate, however having applied the objective test he did not consider that he had an interest and did not require to withdraw from the meeting.

There being a motion and two amendments, the Council first divided between the amendment by Councillor Houghton and the amendment by Councillor Grant.

On a division there voted:-

For the amendment by Councillor Houghton  (6)  -  Councillors Boulton, Brooks, Cross, Farquhar, Houghton and Massey.

For the amendment by Councillor Grant  (10)  -  Councillors Ali, Bonsell, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Macdonald, Malik, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

Declined to vote  (23)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Bouse, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, Mennie, Nicoll, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

Absent from the division  (1)  -  Councillor McRae.

The Council then divided between the motion and the amendment by Councillor Grant.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (23)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Bouse, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, Mennie, Nicoll, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

For the amendment by Councillor Grant  (11)  -  Councillors Ali, Bonsell, Boulton, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Macdonald, Malik, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

Declined to vote  (5)  -  Councillors Brooks, Cross, Farquhar, Houghton and Massey.

Absent from the division  (1)  -  Councillor McRae.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.