Decision details
Welsh Conservatives Debate
Decision Maker: Plenary - Fourth Assembly
Status: Recommendations approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Purpose:
Debates are one of the
most frequent items of business on the Plenary
agenda. Many types of debate are brought forward in Plenary, including:
- Opposition party debates on a topic of
their choice;
Other than in the case of
Government debates, the time allocated for all other types of debates and their
frequency are determined by the Business
Committee
Decision:
The item started at 15.30
Voting
on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
A vote was taken on
the motion without amendment:
NDM5205
William Graham (South Wales East)
The
National Assembly for Wales:
1.
Notes that the UK Government has made support available to local authorities in
England to freeze council tax for a third successive year.
2.
Further notes that the Scottish Government has made support available to local
authorities in Scotland to freeze council tax for 2013/2014; and that such a
freeze has been in place since 2008/2009.
3.
Believes local authorities have a moral imperative to spend public money with
care and prudence; ensuring council tax rates are as low as possible for
residents.
4.
Regrets the persistent refusal of the Welsh Government to utilise consequential
funding to support local authorities to deliver a Wales-wide council tax
freeze; placing communities at a disadvantage in comparison to those in England
and Scotland.
5.
Further regrets that, since 1997/1998, council tax bills in Wales have
increased by 148 per cent and believes such crippling rises have placed undue
pressure on hard-pressed households.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
12 |
0 |
42 |
54 |
The
motion without amendment not agreed.
The
following amendments were tabled:
Amendment
1 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)
Delete
point 4 and replace with:
Believes that council
tax and local authority expenditure levels should be decided by local
authorities, as part of a comprehensive localism agenda.
A vote was taken on Amendment 1:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
42 |
0 |
12 |
54 |
Amendment 1 was
agreed.
Amendment
2 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)
Add
as new point at end of motion:
Believes
that council tax is not a progressive system of taxation and calls on the Welsh
Government to examine whether new powers proposed by the Silk Commission could
allow it to develop a fairer system of taxation to fund local authority
expenditure.
A vote was taken on Amendment 2:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
15 |
0 |
39 |
54 |
Amendment 2 was not
agreed.
A vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM5205
William Graham (South Wales East)
The
National Assembly for Wales:
1.
Notes that the UK Government has made support available to local authorities in
England to freeze council tax for a third successive year.
2.
Further notes that the Scottish Government has made support available to local
authorities in Scotland to freeze council tax for 2013/2014; and that such a
freeze has been in place since 2008/2009.
3.
Believes local authorities have a moral imperative to spend public money with
care and prudence; ensuring council tax rates are as low as possible for
residents.
4.
Believes that council tax and local authority expenditure levels should be
decided by local authorities, as part of a comprehensive localism agenda.
5.
Further regrets that, since 1997/1998, council tax bills in Wales have
increased by 148 per cent and believes such crippling rises have placed undue
pressure on hard-pressed households.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
28 |
55 |
As required by Standing Order 6.20 the
Deputy Presiding Officer exercised his casting vote by voting against the
motion, as amended. Therefore, the motion, as amended was not agreed.
Publication date: 17/04/2013
Date of decision: 17/04/2013
Decided at meeting: 17/04/2013 - Plenary - Fourth Assembly