Agenda item

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Early Intervention and Community Empowerment, which provided information on the selection and appointment of the external advisers to the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee.

The report noted that at the meeting on 25 August 2022, the Council delegated authority to the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment, following consultation with the Chief Officer - Governance and the Convener of the Anti- Poverty and Inequality Committee, to determine the process for the selection and appointment of the external advisers to the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee and report back to the next Council meeting to seek approval of the appointments.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)            agree the following non remunerated appointments:

(1)  1 resident of Aberdeen with lived experience of poverty – Evan Adamson;

(2)  Up to 2 people representing the charitable sector in Aberdeen –

a.     Maggie Hepburn, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations;

b.     Sophy Green, Chief Executive of Instant Neighbour;

(3)  1 person representing higher and further education in Aberdeen

a.     Dr John Bone, University of Aberdeen;

(4)  1 person representing key interest groups in Aberdeen (that may be appointed for a defined period of time)

a.     To be appointed on a cyclical basis after the first meeting to ensure the person identified has the expertise required to advise the Committee on the issues under discussion; 

(5)  1 public health professional/practitioner who works in Aberdeen

a.      Phil Mackie, Public Health consultant, NHS Grampian; and

(b)            agree the formation of a Working Group of partner agencies and lived experience to support the ongoing work of the Committee.

Councillor Allard, seconded by Councillor Bouse moved:-

That the Council -

1. note that the SNP/Lib Dem partnership distributed the £1million fund at Operational Delivery Committee on 31 August 2022 in anti-poverty measures, including food provision, energy cost mitigation and employability support;
2. note that the City Growth & Resource Committee on 21 September 2022, allocated £100k to be invested in winter clothing for school children; and
3. approve the recommendations contained in the report.  

Councillor Watson, seconded by Councillor Malik, moved as an amendment:-

That the Council –

1. notes that at the meeting of Full Council on 13 July 2022, the SNP/Lib Dem administration decided to delay distribution of the £1million fund until the Operational Delivery Committee on 31 August 2022 and that Aberdeen Labour’s amendment at this time for the funds to be distributed as soon as possible was unsuccessful. 
2. notes the recent publishing of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s “Poverty in Scotland 2022” report which highlighted that 18% of people in Scotland have already gone cold and hungry in the Cost-of-Living crisis which supports the recently published Child Poverty Action Report 2021/22 which identified that 21.8% of Aberdeen children were now living in poverty.  
3. notes that in debate, Councillor Allard, now the Convener of the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee, said, “that the committee will have a very ‘sharp focus’ on the Cost-of-Living crisis” and that, “…October is coming and coming fast.” 
4. notes that the Chief Officer – Early Intervention and Community Empowerment, will report on 1 November to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on the provision of warm spaces within Aberdeen. 
5. notes that in November, in Aberdeen the average maximum temperature is 9 degrees Celsius, and the average minimum temperature is 3 degrees Celsius. 
6. notes that providing warm spaces is only one of the crucial poverty-related issues which need addressing. 
7. agrees that it is a cause for serious concern that, as the Cost-of-Living crisis deepens, the SNP/Lib-Dem led Council decided that the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee should not meet until 23 November 2022 by which time winter will be upon the citizens and communities of Aberdeen.  
8. urges that the Convener brings forward the inaugural meeting of the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee in order to consider the range of urgent support citizens of Aberdeen will need this winter. 
9. agrees to defer the appointment of external advisers to the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee and instruct the Chief Officer – Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to review the recommendations for advisors to more fully reflect the ethnic diversity of the population of Aberdeen, and to report proposals for these appointments to the first meeting of the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee to decide upon them.

Councillor Houghton, seconded by Councillor Boulton, moved as a second amendment that the Council approve the recommendations contained in the report.

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

On a division, there voted:-

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

For the amendment by Councillor Houghton (33) – Lord Provost, Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Boulton, Bouse, Brooks, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Cross, Davidson, Fairfull, Farquhar, Greig, Henrickson, Houghton, Hutchison, Kusznir, MacGregor, MacKenzie, McLellan, McLeod, McRae, Massey, Mennie, Nicoll, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

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

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (24) – Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Bouse, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Nicoll, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

For the amendment by Councillor Houghton (9) – Councillors Boulton, Brooks, Cross, Farquhar, Houghton, Kusznir, MacKenzie, McLeod and Massey.

Declined to vote (10) – Councillors Ali, Blake, Bonsell, Graham, Grant, Macdonald, Malik, Thomson, Tissera and Watson. 

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.