Council will consider a motion, notice of which has been given by Councillor Carrie Doyle pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 12.

Earlier on in the meeting, as recorded under 44 above, Councillor Chapman BEM Councillor Chapman BEM stated she was not sure if she had to declare for the public record that her daughter was an end-of-life carer.

Council had before it the following motion, notice of which had been given by Councillor Doyle pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 12:-

“(a) That this Tendring District Council:-

(1)  notes that the NHS was set up to provide care from the cradle to the grave yet care at the end of life is currently greatly under resourced;

(2)  notes that the impact of this on the District of Tendring’s population is amplified due to its elderly demographic and has been exacerbated in recent times with a reduction in inpatient beds at end-of-life care providers, both charitable or otherwise, many of which are currently struggling financially;

(3)  laments that the District’s residents, like many across the country, are suffering, and too often dying inhumanely, in corridors of overcrowded hospitals when person, intimate and compassionate care cannot be delivered in such a non-clinical area; and

(4)  believes that this would not be acceptable for any human being when entering the world, so neither should it be acceptable when they are leaving this world.

(b) That this Council therefore requests that the Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State for Health to urge that the Government addresses the inequality in funding for end-of-life care as a matter of urgency so that, with the correct funding, the terminally ill and their families can be cared for in comfort and in an appropriate setting.”

Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Council’s Monitoring Officer had confirmed that the statutory officers did not need to provide any professional advice in relation to this motion and that therefore an Advisory Note pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 12.5 had not needed to be produced.

Councillor Doyle formally moved the motion, and Councillor Newton formally seconded the motion.

In accordance with provisions of Council Procedure 12.6 Councillor Doyle then explained the purpose of the Motion and Council proceeded to debate it.

Councillor Newton spoke during the debate on this matter.

Councillor P B Honeywood moved and Councillor M Cossens seconded that Councillor Doyle’s motion be amended to read (in its entirety) as follows:

“(a) That this Tendring District Council:-

(1)  notes that the NHS was set up to provide care from the cradle to the grave yet care at the end of life is currently greatly under resourced;

(2)  recognises the damaging effect the rising employer National Insurance contributions has had on private providers;

(3)  notes that the impact of this on the District of Tendring’s population is amplified due to its elderly demographic and has been exacerbated in recent times with a reduction in inpatient beds at end-of-life care providers, both charitable or otherwise, many of which are currently struggling financially;

(4)  laments that the District’s residents, like many across the country, are suffering, and too often dying inhumanely, in corridors of overcrowded hospitals when personal, intimate and compassionate care cannot be delivered in such a non-clinical area; and

(5)  believes that this would not be acceptable for any human being when entering the world, so neither should it be acceptable when they are leaving this world.

(b)        That this Council therefore requests that the Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State for Health to urge that the Government addresses the inequality in funding for end-of-life care as a matter of urgency so that, with the correct funding, the terminally ill and their families can be cared for in comfort and in an appropriate setting.”

Councillors P B Honeywood, Bray, Calver, I J Henderson, Griffiths, Harris and Doyle each addressed the Council during the debate on Councillor P B Honeywood’s amendment.

When the amendment was put to the vote, it was thereupon declared LOST, and Council returned to consider the original motion.

In addition, Councillors M E Stephenson and Doyle spoke during the debate on this motion.

Councillor Doyle’s motion, the original motion, on being put to the vote was declared CARRIED.