To receive and consider any notices of motion from members of the Council under Standing Order 15.
a) From Councillor Abby King
Cost of living crisis – Free Period Products in Runnymede Borough Council Buildings
1. This council notes that:
a. In 2022 a survey commissioned by Action Aid UK found nearly one in eight women in Great Britain had recently struggled to buy menstrual products – either for themselves or for a dependent.
b. The charity found that girls across the country were cutting down on food and school supplies in order to afford period products. Of those who struggled to afford menstrual products, 75% had needed to prioritise spending money on food and 49% needed to prioritise spending money on gas/electric.
c. A number of councils across the UK, including Surrey County Council, Oxford City Council and Southwark Council, have all set up or agreed to schemes to provide free period products.
d. In a YouGov survey undertaken last year two thirds of Britons supported making it a legal requirement for local authorities to provide free period products.
2. This council believes that:
a. The cost of living crisis has forced many women to prioritise other household essentials such as food, clothes and heating over menstrual products.
b. No one should experience period poverty.
3. This council resolves to:
a. Ask the Community Services Committee to look at ways to provide free, and where possible sustainable, period products in all of the council’s public accessible toilets and buildings including leisure centres, libraries and community centres.
b) From Councillor Steve Ringham
Public Consultation on Proposed Closure of SouthWestern Railway Ticket Offices
a.
There are 6 train stations across the
borough - Addlestone, Byfleet & New Haw, Chertsey, Egham,
Longcross and Virginia Water. All of
which bar Longcross currently have some level of manned ticket
office operation.
b. These stations will be impacted by the “Station Change Proposal” - see Appendix 1 for link - as they are identified as type 2,3 or 4 stations.
c. Egham and Virginia Water stations will be upgraded to contactless payment by December 2023 (not to be confused with Oyster Zone membership).
d. 1.3 million UK adults were identified as “unbanked” in 2019 - having no bank account.
e. 15 Disability Charities, including Transport For All, RNIB, RNID and Guide Dogs have written to the Secretary of State with their objections to the proposals.
f. Not all ticket fares can be purchased via Ticket Vending Machines. Some such as 50% Wheelchair User Discount can only be purchased at a ticket office.
g. Travellers can only get refunds at ticket offices
a. The proposed measures are about cutting costs rather than a genuine attempt to improve the traveller experience.
b. The proposed changes do not demonstrate sufficiently how they will deliver real benefit to all travellers.
c. Having a manned ticket office provides a more universal and consistent customer experience, especially for vulnerable travellers, if compared to trying to track down a member of staff “somewhere” in the station.
d. The complexity of rail fares with a wide variety of ticket types for what often appears the same journey means that travellers, especially larger groups (such as families), those with accessibility needs and infrequent users can overpay significantly.
e. Overall the proposed changes will deteriorate the quality of service for disabled people to the extent of violating the Equality Act (2010).
f. This proposal would also violate the Secretary of State for Transport’s Ticketing and Settlement Agreement ticket office guidance as it would constitute a lapse in the operator’s duty to “safeguard the interests of passengers - see appendix 3.
g. The proposed changes will act as an obstacle to the recovery of rail passenger numbers post-pandemic.
h. Furthermore, it will be responsible for more car journeys as a result, an outcome at odds with the drive towards Net Zero.
a. Respond to the SWR / Transport Focus public consultation before the deadline of Wednesday 26th July 2023 via the links below Appendix 4
b. State in the strongest possible terms our objections to the proposals on the grounds that:
i. It will worsen the travelling experience for all passengers at a time when the operators (and the Department of Transport) should be doing all they can to encourage travellers out of their cars and back onto the trains
ii. It will disproportionately affect those who are most vulnerable because of disability, and other factors as outlined above in sections 1 & 2
Appendix:
a. Email: TicketOffice.SWR@transportfocus.org.uk
b. Freepost: RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ, Transport Focus, PO Box 5594, Southend on Sea, SS1 9PZ
Minutes:
Motion a)
The proposed motion, as set out in the summons, was moved by Councillor A. King, subject to a referral being made to the Community Services Committee.
Councillor Ringham seconded the proposed motion.
The proposed motion was debated by the Council.
Councillor Ringham proposed (seconded by Councillor R. King) that the final paragraph of the proposed motion be amended to read as follows:
“Ask the Community Services Committee to look at ways to provide free, and as a preference, plastic-free and bio-degradable, period products in all of the council’s public accessible toilets and buildings including leisure centres, libraries and community centres.”
The proposed amendment was put to the vote and carried.
The amended motion was carried:
1) This council notes that:
a) In 2022 a survey commissioned by Action Aid UK found nearly one in eight women in Great Britain had recently struggled to buy menstrual products – either for themselves or for a dependent.
b) The charity found that girls across the country were cutting down on food and school supplies in order to afford period products. Of those who struggled to afford menstrual products, 75% had needed to prioritise spending money on food and 49% needed to prioritise spending money on gas/electric.
c) A number of councils across the UK, including Surrey County Council, Oxford City Council and Southwark Council, have all set up or agreed to schemes to provide free period products.
d) In a YouGov survey undertaken last year two thirds of Britons supported making it a legal requirement for local authorities to provide free period products.
2) This council believes that:
a) The cost of living crisis has forced many women to prioritise other household essentials such as food, clothes and heating over menstrual products.
b) No one should experience period poverty.
3) This council resolves to:
a) Ask the Community Services Committee to look at ways to provide free, and as a preference, plastic-free and bio-degradable, period products in all of the council’s public accessible toilets and buildings including leisure centres, libraries and community centres.
Motion b)
The proposed motion, as set out in the summons, was altered by Councillor Ringham in accordance with Standing Order 17.9 to read as follows:
This Council notes that
a) There are 6 train stations across the borough - Addlestone, Byfleet & New Haw, Chertsey, Egham, Longcross and Virginia Water. All of which bar Longcross currently have some level of manned ticket office operation.
b) These stations will be impacted by the “Station Change Proposal” - see Appendix 1 for link - as they are identified as type 2,3 or 4 stations.
c) Egham and Virginia Water stations will be upgraded to contactless payment by December 2023 (not to be confused with Oyster Zone membership).
d) A number of residents also choose to use one of a number of stations on the boundaries of the borough due to the current level of service offered. These include the stations of Staines, Woking, West Byfleet and Weybridge, all of which will also be affected by proposed adjustments to service offering.
e) 1.3 million UK adults were identified as “unbanked” in 2019 - having no bank account.
f) 15 Disability Charities, including Transport For All, RNIB, RNID and Guide Dogs have written to the Secretary of State with their objections to the proposals.
g) Not all ticket fares can be purchased via Ticket Vending Machines. Some such as 50% Wheelchair User Discount can only be purchased at a ticket office.
h) The ability of travellers to get refunds is restricted to ticket offices or online. Refunds cannot be obtained from a ticket machine.
This Council believes that:
a) The proposed measures are being consulted on by South Western Railway with the intention of managing costs, rather than a genuine attempt to improve the traveller experience.
b) The proposed changes do not demonstrate sufficiently how they will deliver real benefit to all travellers.
c) Having a manned ticket office provides benefits especially to vulnerable or disadvantaged customers. It is unclear how the impact of the loss of this service on these customers will be mitigated.
d) The complexity of rail fares with a wide variety of ticket types for what often appears the same journey means that travellers, especially larger groups (such as families), those with accessibility needs and infrequent users can overpay significantly.
e) The South Western Railway consultation document states that an equality impact assessment will have to be carried out for changes to each station. This must ensure that disabled or vulnerable customer are not disproportionately affected.
f) South Western Railways must pay due regard to the Rail Delivery Group’s Ticketing and Settlement Agreement in respect of the retailing of tickets. This Council acknowledges that there are concerns over the duty to safeguard the interests of passengers, which may be subject to legal review..
g) The proposed changes may act as an obstacle to the recovery of rail passenger numbers post-pandemic.
h) Furthermore, it may be responsible for more car journeys as a result, an outcome at odds with the drive towards Net Zero.
This Council resolves that:
a) The Leader of the Council will submit a response to the SWR / Transport Focus public consultation by the deadline Wednesday 26 July 2023 in the form of a Letter. Leaders of all political groups will be invited to sign this letter.
b) This letter will outline the significant concerns we have regarding the proposals as set out above, and, call on South Western Railways to cease work on these proposals until these concerns have been clearly addressed.
The altered proposed motion was seconded by Councillor Gracey.
It was agreed that the proposed altered motion be determined at the meeting, in accordance with Standing Order 15.6 (b) ii.
The proposed altered motion was debated by the Council.
The altered motion was carried.