Proposed by Councillor Collins,
Seconded by Councillor Heading,
"This Council notes that this month marks three years since the Northern Ireland Assembly voted to give consent to the Welfare Reform Bill (2015) being taken forward by the Westminster Parliament.
The Council believes that, since then, Welfare Reform has been a disaster for benefit claimants here and has resulted in thousands of our most vulnerable unfairly losing money, through the introduction of PIP, Universal Credit and the Bedroom Tax.
In the absence of an Assembly sitting at Stormont, the Council has an important role to play in articulating the negative impact of welfare reform and benefit cuts in this city. To this end, the Council calls on the British government to immediately halt the roll out of PIP and Universal Credit and to scrap the Bedroom Tax for all benefit claimants."
(To be debated by the Council)
Minutes:
In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor Collins proposed:
"This Council notes that this month marks three years since the Northern Ireland Assembly voted to give consent to the Welfare Reform Bill (2015) being taken forward by the Westminster Parliament.
The Council believes that, since then, Welfare Reform has been a disaster for benefit claimants here and has resulted in thousands of our most vulnerable unfairly losing money, through the introduction of PIP, Universal Credit and the Bedroom Tax.
In the absence of an Assembly sitting at Stormont, the Council has an important role to play in articulating the negative impact of welfare reform and benefit cuts in this city. To this end, the Council calls on the British government to immediately halt the roll out of PIP and Universal Credit and to scrap the Bedroom Tax for all benefit claimants."
The motion was seconded by Councillor Heading.
At the request of Alderman Copeland, the proposer agreed to amend his motion to include the following paragraph at the end of his motion: “The Council agrees that the Permanent Secretary and senior officials within the Department for Communities be invited to meet at the earliest opportunity with an All-Party delegation from the Council to discuss issues associated with Welfare Reform.”
Councillor Canavan requested that the proposer agree to amend his motion further to allow for the following paragraph to be inserted after the first paragraph: “The Council notes also that, without that happening, the Executive and Assembly would have collapsed and full- blown Welfare Reform would have been introduced, without the £500 million mitigation package being in place to assist those most directly affected.”
Councillor Collins declined the request.
Amendment
Moved by Councillor Canavan,
Seconded by Councillor Garrett,
That the motion under the heading “Welfare Reform”, as proposed by Councillor Collins and seconded by Councillor Heading, as amended, be amended further to allow for the following paragraph to be inserted after the first paragraph: “The Council notes also that, without that happening, the Executive and Assembly would have collapsed and full-blown Welfare Reform would have been introduced, without the £500 million mitigation package being in place to assist those most directly affected.”
On a recorded vote, thirty-four Members voted for the amendment and fourteen against and it was declared carried.
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For 34
The Lord Mayor (Councillor Hargey); the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor McDonough-Brown); Aldermen Haire, Kingston, L. Patterson and Sandford; and Councillors Baker, Beattie, Campbell, Canavan, Clarke, Corr, Craig, Dorrian, Garrett, Graham, Groves, Hussey, Long, Magee, Magennis, McAteer, McConville, McReynolds, Murphy, Newton, Nic Biorna, Nicholl, O’Donnell, O’Hara, O’Neill, Pankhurst, Reynolds and Walsh.
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Against 14
Aldermen Convery, Copeland, McGimpsey and Rodgers; and Councillors Attwood, Boyle, Collins, Corr Johnston, Dudgeon, Heading, Hutchinson, Johnston, Kyle and Lyons.
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The motion, as amended, was thereupon put to the Council as the substantive motion and passed as follows:
"This Council notes that this month marks three years since the Northern Ireland Assembly voted to give consent to the Welfare Reform Bill (2015) being taken forward by the Westminster Parliament.
The Council notes also that, without that happening, the Executive and Assembly would have collapsed and full-blown Welfare Reform would have been introduced, without the £500 million mitigation package being in place to assist those most directly affected.
The Council believes that, since then, Welfare Reform has been a disaster for benefit claimants here and has resulted in thousands of our most vulnerable unfairly losing money, through the introduction of PIP, Universal Credit and the Bedroom Tax.
In the absence of an Assembly sitting at Stormont, the Council has an important role to play in articulating the negative impact of welfare reform and benefit cuts in this city. To this end, the Council calls on the British government to immediately halt the roll out of PIP and Universal Credit and to scrap the Bedroom Tax for all benefit claimants.
The Council agrees that the Permanent Secretary and senior officials within the Department for Communities be invited to meet at the earliest opportunity with an All-Party delegation from the Council to discuss issues associated with Welfare Reform.”