Agenda item

Note:

Under the Council’s constitution, 30 minutes are available for the consideration of motions. In practice, this realistically means that there is usually only time for one, or possibly two motions to be considered.

 

With the agreement of the Lord Mayor, motion 1 below will be considered at this meeting, and motion 2 is likely to be considered, subject to time.

 

Details of other motions submitted, (which, due to time constraints, are very unlikely to be considered at this meeting) are also set out for information.

 

MOTIONS RECEIVED FOR FULL COUNCIL

 

GOLDEN MOTION: COST OF LIVING

 

The Council notes:

·       Inflation has hit a 40-year high of 9%, with the cost of staple foods rising by 13%[1]

·       Electricity prices are set to rise by 54%

·       Rents in the South west have increased by 18% since to 2020.

The combination of these factors, as well as factors such as the rising cost of petrol, which has now reached £2 a litre, has left people struggling to make ends meeting.

 

Women are disproportionately affected by the rise in the cost-of-living[2]. Equally, research has found that people from racially diverse backgrounds are more likely to struggle paying bills, rent, or mortgages than people from white backgrounds[3], and disabled people will also be disproportionally affected by the increase in the cost-of-living[4]. This shows the cost-of-living crisis could have a profound, negative affect on Bristol’s efforts to create a more equal, fairer society.

 

The rising cost-of-living is exacerbated by continued cuts to benefits. The £34 billion cut from benefits spending by successive Governments has resulted in increased poverty - a figure that will likely increase due to inflation and real-terms benefits cuts.

 

The continued wage stagnation and rise in insecure working conditions, meaning inflation has a stronger impact on people’s discretionary income. Between 1992 and 2008, real wages went up by 36%; for 2008 to 2024 a rise of just 2.4% is expected. Currently, 2.8% of all workers in the United Kingdom were on a zero-hours contract, compared with just 0.4% in the mid-2000s.

 

This has contributed to in an increase in the use of foodbanks, with some 15% of people using food banks are thought to be in employment, with reliance on foodbanks up at least 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

 

The Labour administration has implemented a number of measures to help mitigate the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. These include suspending the eviction of council tenants, maintaining the Council Tax Reduction Scheme rate at 100%, and introducing the No Cold Homes strategy, which puts the city on track to eliminating fuel poverty by 2028 – among many other things.

 

This Council believes:

 

There is a cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

 

There is a rent crisis in the UK, which compounds the impact of the cost-of-living crisis for the 58,000 households in Bristol in private rented accommodation.

 

This cost-of-living crisis’ effect on the worst-off has been exacerbated by a decade of austerity, first imposed by the Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition, and continued by successive Conservative Governments.

 

The Government U-turn on Labour’s demands for a windfall tax on energy firms is welcome, needed, and long overdue. However, further work is needed to help the worst-off during the cost-of-living crisis both in the immediate and it the long term, through work to eradicate poverty from the UK.

 

Therefore, this Council resolves to:

 

To develop a ‘One City’ regular system of partnership reporting to help track impact of the crisis at ward level to grow our evidence base for our needs analysis and so we can target our response accurately.

 

Work with community and voluntary organisations to develop our community response, building on what already exists and taking a social justice approach. Ideas include a network of welcoming space where people can spend time, have access to Wi-Fi, free activities and support

 

Work with council staff and VCSE organisations to roll out signposting training to ensure we maximise opportunities to inform and support residents in crisis and direct them towards services that can advise on saving money on heating bills, employment and skills and wellbeing support.

 

Support the development of a ‘Pledge My Check’ type scheme, where beneficiaries of the £400 relief grant who do not need the additional financial support can donate it to organisations that do, and promote this scheme through the Council’s social media and websites.

 

Work to expand the use of the Council’s reuse shops, which provide people with cheap household items and supporting our circular economy principles.

 

Build on our work as a Living Wage City, by encouraging businesses throughout Bristol to end the use of zero-hour contracts and instead give employers secure, fairly paid employment.

 

Continue to protect the Council Tax Reduction Scheme in full, ensuring the people most affected by the cost-of-living crisis do not have to pay any Council Tax.

 

Continue to protect children’s centres and nurseries as a priority when faced with real-terms Government funding cuts to Local Authorities.

 

Call on Party Group Leaders to lobby the Government to:

-        Keep benefit payments in line with inflation, in a system similar to the state pension ‘triple lock’.

-        Continue provide free school meals during school holidays and for it to expand eligibility to include anyone in receipt of Universal Credit.

Golden Motion to be moved by Councillor Nicola Beech (Labour)

 

Received 22 June

 

---

 

SILVER MOTION: TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

 

This Council notes:

?      Figuresobtained by VICE Worlds News using Freedom of Information Requests to all 45 UK Police Forces^[5] showed there were 6,363 reports of hate crimes based on sexual orientation in 2014-15, compared to 19,679 in 2020-21 (210% increase). For reports of transphobic hate crimes, there were 598 in 2014-15 and 2,588 in 2020-21 (332% increase).

?      Stonewalls‘School Report’ (2017)found:

?       64% of trans pupils are bullied for being LGBT at school.

?       One in three trans pupils (33%) are not able to be known by their preferred name at school.

?       More than two in five trans young people (45 per cent) have attempted to take their own life.

?      Stonewall’s 2018 ‘LGBT in Britain Trans Report’ found:                 

?       41% of trans people and 31% of non-binary people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months.

?       12% of trans employees have been physically attacked by colleagues or customers in the last year.

?       36% of trans university students in higher education have experienced negative comments or behaviour from staff in the last year.

?       44% of trans people avoid certain streets because they don’t feel safe there as an LGBT person. 40% of trans people adjust the way they dress because they fear discrimination or harassment - this number increases significantly 52% of non-binary people.

?       41% of trans people said that healthcare staff lacked understanding of specific trans health needs when accessing general healthcare services in the last year.

?       42% of trans people who would like to undergo medical intervention as part of their transition, haven’t done so yet, because they fear the consequences it might have on their family life.

?       62% of trans people who have undergone, or are currently undergoing, medical intervention for their transition are unsatisfied with the time it took to get an appointment.

?      Trans Actual UK  ‘Trans Lives Survey 2021: Enduring the UK’s hostile environment’ found:

Everyday Transphobia – Housing, Employment, Family and Public Transport:

?       85% of trans people who responded have experienced transphobia from family members, with 26% experiencing it ‘frequently’ and 13% ‘every time’.

?       85% of trans women reported being subjected to transphobic street harassment from strangers, with 71% of trans men and 73% of non-binary people saying the same.

?       80% of non-binary people reported having experienced transphobia from colleagues compared to 73% of trans men and 73% of trans women saying the same.

?       69% of Black people and people of colour (BPOC) respondents reported experiencing transphobia from their line manager at work.

Media Transphobia: 

?       99% of trans people surveyed have experienced transphobia on social media, and 97% reported witnessing transphobia in digital and print media.

?       93% of participants reported that media transphobia had impacted their experiences of transphobia from strangers on the street.

?       85% said that transphobic rhetoric in the media has impacted how people in their family treat them, 81% said this was true of their colleagues, and 70% for friends.

?       Over 70% of the individuals surveyed felt that media transphobia impacted their mental health to some extent, with nearly two-thirds reporting that it impacted them ‘moderately’ or ‘very much.

?      Just Like Us Report  ‘Growing Up LGBT+’ (2021) highlighted:                     

?       Transgender staff are the least likely to be out in school (8%).

?       LGBT+ pupils are three times more likely to have witnessed transphobic bullying in comparison to non-LGBT+ pupils  (33% vs 10%).

?       63% of LGBT+ pupils and 57% of non-LGBT+ pupils think a staff member would be supportive of a pupil coming out as transgender, in contrast to 81% of LGBT+ pupils and 80% of non-LGBT pupils think a staff member would be supportive of a pupil coming out as LGB.

?       84% of young people would be supportive of a friend coming out as transgender.

?      Galop’s‘Hate Crime Report 2021’ found Two-thirds (64%) of respondents had experienced anti-LGBT+ violence or abuse. Out of those who had experienced anti-LGBT+ violence and abuse:

?       9 in 10 had experienced verbal abuse (92%).

?       3 in 10 had been subject to physical violence (29%).

?       2 in 10 had experienced sexual violence (17%).

?      In the last 12 months, Stand Against Racism & Inequality (SARI), based in Bristol, has seen 40 referrals come from the LGBTQ+ community in Bristol alone, with concerns about the number of cases that are going unreported.

?      The National LGBT Survey (2017), which had over 108,000 responses from people who identify as LGBTQ+ and live in the UK, showed:

?       5% of respondents said they had been offered conversion in an attempt to “cure” them of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) in their lifetime.

?       2% said they had undergone conversion therapy.

?       4% of transgender respondents said they had undergone conversion therapy, and 8% reported having been offered it.

?      The proposed plan by the Government is to ban conversion therapy in relation to sexual orientation and not gender identity, despite previous promises. In addition, the proposed ban will not now include those over 18 who “consent” to it.

?      The Gender Identity Clinic serving the South West (‘The Laurels’) is the worst in the country for waiting times for a 1^st appointment.

This Council Believes:

?      Bristol is a city that believes in gender equality and solidarity.

?      Bristol has a strong history of being a progressive city connected and strengthened by diverse communities that represent it and are embedded in core values of equality, acceptance and solidarity.

?      A full ban on conversion therapy is crucial to protect the entire LGBTQIA+ community, including LGBTQIA+ youth. It must extend to clearly protecting relation to sexual orientation, gender identity, and people with intersex variations, including surgical conversion therapy on intersex youth. To ensure this legislation is effective, it must clearly extend to protecting all people with minority sexual orientations and gender identities and who are intersex. This includes clearly stating in the terminology it includes asexual, aromantic, intersex, non-binary, and genderqueer people as well as people with other minority sexual orientations and gender identities.

?      A full ban should also include practices even where consent has, nominally, been granted, recognising the disproportionate power relationships that often exist between providers and recipients of conversion therapies.

?      More work can be done by the council to ensure all local services are inclusive to trans and non-binary people.

This Council Resolves:

1. To recognise and affirm trans men are men, trans women are women, non-binary and genderqueer people's genders are valid, and trans rights are human rights.

2. Facilitate and strongly encourage all council staff and Councillors to attend training to learn about the challenges faced by trans people.

3. Fly the trans flag on the International Trans Day of Visibility (31st March), International Non-Binary People's Day (14th July)  and Trans Day of Remembrance (20th November)

 

4. Write to the Secretary of State for Health and Adult Social Care to call for the government to:

· Provide the funding and resources necessary to increase the capacity of and improve access to trans and non-binary healthcare, including expanding gender identity services and reducing waiting times.

· Develop strategies to recruit more clinicians to become gender identity specialists across all relevant disciplines and train staff across the NHS on issues affecting trans and non-binary people.

· Commit to effectively and regularly consulting trans and non-binary people and groups in the design and delivery of trans and non-binary healthcare.

5. To work with all four Bristol MPs to help coordinate joint cross-party initiatives within parliament to bring forward a full ban on conversion therapy that includes gender identity.

 

6. To continue supporting the improvement of services in Bristol to be fully accessible to trans and non-binary people, working with recognised trans-inclusive services and not taking advice from or awarding contracts to organisations that promote an anti-trans agenda or propaganda.

 

7. Conduct an audit of Council services to ensure they are as accessible as possible to trans and non-binary people.

8. Look into what we can do as a Council as an employer to support further those who identify as trans and non-binary and to protect them from transphobic harassment within their roles.

9. To ensure there are accessible gender-neutral toilet facilities throughout the City (including within Council buildings) and to ensure there are menstrual care dispensers and sanitary bins in all toilets, regardless of gender. This includes municipal-run toilets and toilet facilities under its ‘Community Toilet Scheme’.

 

10. Encourage schools to follow expert legal guidance outlined by the Good Law Project. That it will consider publishing a ‘Trans Inclusion Toolkit’ for our schools (as available in Brighton). That it will act on any known instances of anti-trans literature or propaganda being sent into our schools. That it recognises that beliefs such as that of ‘gender critical’ can be protected, however this does not provide the right to express those beliefs and will not allow this as a lever for hate speech and bullying in the school estate.

 

11. To write to the Home Secretary calling for:

?      An action plan on tackling LGBTQIA+ Hate Crimes within the UK.

?      Prevented deportation of LGBTQIA+ refugees to Rwanda and a review into applications for LGBTQIA+ refugees claiming asylum status within the UK.

 

Motion to be moved by: Cllr Brown (Liberal Democrats)

 

Submitted 23^rd July 2022

 

Following a short adjournment, it was then moved by the Lord Mayor that standing order CPR2.1(xi) be suspended to allow the meeting to go past the 30 minutes time limit for motions.  Following a vote, it was agreed to proceed up until 9.00pm.

Motion 1 – Golden Motion: Cost of Living

 

Councillor Nicola Beech moved the following motion:

 

Full Council notes that:

•          Inflation has hit a 40-year high of 9%, with the cost of staple foods rising by 13%

•          Electricity prices are set to rise by 54%

•          Rents in the South-West have increased by 18% since to 2020.

 

The combination of these factors, as well as factors such as the rising cost of petrol, which has now reached £2 a litre, has left people struggling to make ends meeting.

 

Women are disproportionately affected by the rise in the cost-of-living. Equally, research has found that people from racially diverse backgrounds are more likely to struggle paying bills, rent, or mortgages than people from white backgrounds, and disabled people will also be disproportionally affected by the increase in the cost-of-living. This shows the cost-of-living crisis could have a profound, negative affect on Bristol’s efforts to create a more equal, fairer society.

 

The rising cost-of-living is exacerbated by continued cuts to benefits. The £34 billion cut from benefits spending by successive Governments has resulted in increased poverty - a figure that will likely increase due to inflation and real-terms benefits cuts.

 

The continued wage stagnation and rise in insecure working conditions, meaning inflation has a stronger impact on people’s discretionary income. Between 1992 and 2008, real wages went up by 36%; for 2008 to 2024 a rise of just 2.4% is expected. Currently, 2.8% of all workers in the United Kingdom were on a zero-hours contract, compared with just 0.4% in the mid-2000s.

 

This has contributed to in an increase in the use of foodbanks, with some 15% of people using food banks are thought to be in employment, with reliance on foodbanks up at least 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

 

The Labour administration has implemented a number of measures to help mitigate the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. These include suspending the eviction of council tenants, maintaining the Council Tax Reduction Scheme rate at 100%, and introducing the No Cold Homes strategy, which puts the city on track to eliminating fuel poverty by 2028 – among many other things.

 

Full Council believes:

 

There is a cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

 

There is a rent crisis in the UK, which compounds the impact of the cost-of-living crisis for the 58,000 households in Bristol in private rented accommodation.

 

This cost-of-living crisis’ effect on the worst-off has been exacerbated by a decade of austerity, first imposed by the Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition, and continued by successive Conservative Governments.

 

The Government U-turn on Labour’s demands for a windfall tax on energy firms is welcome, needed, and long overdue. However, further work is needed to help the worst-off during the cost-of-living crisis both in the immediate and it the long term, through work to eradicate poverty from the UK.

 

Full Council resolves to:

 

To develop a ‘One City’ regular system of partnership reporting to help track impact of the crisis at ward level to grow our evidence base for our needs analysis and so we can target our response accurately.

 

Work with community and voluntary organisations to develop our community response, building on what already exists and taking a social justice approach. Ideas include a network of welcoming space where people can spend time, have access to Wi-Fi, free activities and support

 

Work with council staff and VCSE organisations to roll out signposting training to ensure we maximise opportunities to inform and support residents in crisis and direct them towards services that can advise on saving money on heating bills, employment and skills and wellbeing support.

 

Support the development of a ‘Pledge My Check’ type scheme, where beneficiaries of the £400 relief grant who do not need the additional financial support can donate it to organisations that do and promote this scheme through the Council’s social media and websites.

 

Work to expand the use of the Council’s reuse shops, which provide people with cheap household items and supporting our circular economy principles.

 

Build on our work as a Living Wage City, by encouraging businesses throughout Bristol to end the use of zero-hour contracts and instead give employers secure, fairly paid employment.

 

Continue to protect the Council Tax Reduction Scheme in full, ensuring the people most affected by the cost-of-living crisis do not have to pay any Council Tax.

 

Continue to protect children’s centres and nurseries as a priority when faced with real-terms Government funding cuts to Local Authorities.

 

Call on Party Group Leaders to lobby the Government to:

-          Keep benefit payments in line with inflation, in a system similar to the state pension ‘triple lock’.

-          Continue provide free school meals during school holidays and for it to expand eligibility to include anyone in receipt of Universal Credit.

The motion was seconded by Councillor Ellie King

 

The Liberal Democrat Group had submitted an amendment for this motion prior to the meeting but it was subsequently withdrawn.

 

Councillor Mark Weston then moved the following amendment on behalf of the Conservative Group:

 

‘That the motion be amended to read as follows:

 

Full Council notes that:

 

·         Inflation has hit a 40-year high of 9%, with the cost of staple foods rising by 13%

·         Electricity prices are set to rise by 54%

·         Rents in the South West have increased by 18% since to 2020.

The combination of these factors, as well as factors such as the rising cost of petrol, which has now reached £2 a litre, has left people struggling to make ends meeting.

 

Women are disproportionately affected by the rise in the cost-of-living. Equally, research has found that people from racially diverse backgrounds are more likely to struggle paying bills, rent, or mortgages than people from white backgrounds, and disabled people will also be disproportionally affected by the increase in the cost-of-living. This shows the cost-of-living crisis could have a profound, negative affect on Bristol’s efforts to create a more equal, fairer society.

 

Full Council believes:

 

There is a cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

 

There is a rent crisis in the UK, which compounds the impact of the cost-of-living crisis for the 58,000 households in Bristol in private rented accommodation.

 

Full Council resolves to:

 

Invest the £900,000 that is being added to the Mayor’s Office budget to the Local Crisis Prevention Fund to help those most in need.

 

To develop a ‘One City’ regular system of partnership reporting to help track impact of the crisis at ward level to grow our evidence base for our needs analysis and so we can target our response accurately.

 

Work with community and voluntary organisations to develop our community response, building on what already exists and taking a social justice approach. Ideas include a network of welcoming space where people can spend time, have access to Wi-Fi, free activities and support

 

Work with council staff and VCSE organisations to roll out signposting training to ensure we maximise opportunities to inform and support residents in crisis and direct them towards services that can advise on saving money on heating bills, employment and skills and wellbeing support.

 

Support the development of a ‘Pledge My Check’ type scheme, where beneficiaries of the £400 relief grant who do not need the additional financial support can donate it to organisations that do and promote this scheme through the Council’s social media and websites.

 

Work to expand the use of the Council’s reuse shops, which provide people with cheap household items and supporting our circular economy principles.

 

Build on our work as a Living Wage City, by encouraging businesses throughout Bristol to offer alternatives to use of zero-hour contracts where this is practical to do so and not contrary to employee preferences, and provide more people with access to secure, fairly paid employment.

 

Continue to protect the Council Tax Reduction Scheme in full, ensuring the people most affected by the cost-of-living crisis do not have to pay any Council Tax.

 

Continue to protect children’s centres and nurseries as a priority.

 

The amendment was seconded by Councillor John Goulandris.

 

Following debate, upon being put to the vote, the amendment was LOST (19 For, 37 Against, 2 Abstentions).

 

There was a debate on the original motion. Following final remarks, upon being put to the vote, the original motion was CARRIED (44 For, 0 against, 14 abstentions) and it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

Full Council notes that:

•          Inflation has hit a 40-year high of 9%, with the cost of staple foods rising by 13%

•          Electricity prices are set to rise by 54%

•          Rents in the South-West have increased by 18% since to 2020.

 

The combination of these factors, as well as factors such as the rising cost of petrol, which has now reached £2 a litre, has left people struggling to make ends meeting.

 

Women are disproportionately affected by the rise in the cost-of-living. Equally, research has found that people from racially diverse backgrounds are more likely to struggle paying bills, rent, or mortgages than people from white backgrounds, and disabled people will also be disproportionally affected by the increase in the cost-of-living. This shows the cost-of-living crisis could have a profound, negative affect on Bristol’s efforts to create a more equal, fairer society.

 

The rising cost-of-living is exacerbated by continued cuts to benefits. The £34 billion cut from benefits spending by successive Governments has resulted in increased poverty - a figure that will likely increase due to inflation and real-terms benefits cuts.

 

The continued wage stagnation and rise in insecure working conditions, meaning inflation has a stronger impact on people’s discretionary income. Between 1992 and 2008, real wages went up by 36%; for 2008 to 2024 a rise of just 2.4% is expected. Currently, 2.8% of all workers in the United Kingdom were on a zero-hours contract, compared with just 0.4% in the mid-2000s.

 

This has contributed to in an increase in the use of foodbanks, with some 15% of people using food banks are thought to be in employment, with reliance on foodbanks up at least 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

 

The Labour administration has implemented a number of measures to help mitigate the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. These include suspending the eviction of council tenants, maintaining the Council Tax Reduction Scheme rate at 100%, and introducing the No Cold Homes strategy, which puts the city on track to eliminating fuel poverty by 2028 – among many other things.

 

Full Council believes:

 

There is a cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

 

There is a rent crisis in the UK, which compounds the impact of the cost-of-living crisis for the 58,000 households in Bristol in private rented accommodation.

 

This cost-of-living crisis’ effect on the worst-off has been exacerbated by a decade of austerity, first imposed by the Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition, and continued by successive Conservative Governments.

 

The Government U-turn on Labour’s demands for a windfall tax on energy firms is welcome, needed, and long overdue. However, further work is needed to help the worst-off during the cost-of-living crisis both in the immediate and it the long term, through work to eradicate poverty from the UK.

 

Full Council resolves to:

 

To develop a ‘One City’ regular system of partnership reporting to help track impact of the crisis at ward level to grow our evidence base for our needs analysis and so we can target our response accurately.

 

Work with community and voluntary organisations to develop our community response, building on what already exists and taking a social justice approach. Ideas include a network of welcoming space where people can spend time, have access to Wi-Fi, free activities and support

 

Work with council staff and VCSE organisations to roll out signposting training to ensure we maximise opportunities to inform and support residents in crisis and direct them towards services that can advise on saving money on heating bills, employment and skills and wellbeing support.

 

Support the development of a ‘Pledge My Check’ type scheme, where beneficiaries of the £400 relief grant who do not need the additional financial support can donate it to organisations that do and promote this scheme through the Council’s social media and websites.

 

Work to expand the use of the Council’s reuse shops, which provide people with cheap household items and supporting our circular economy principles.

 

Build on our work as a Living Wage City, by encouraging businesses throughout Bristol to end the use of zero-hour contracts and instead give employers secure, fairly paid employment.

 

Continue to protect the Council Tax Reduction Scheme in full, ensuring the people most affected by the cost-of-living crisis do not have to pay any Council Tax.

 

Continue to protect children’s centres and nurseries as a priority when faced with real-terms Government funding cuts to Local Authorities.

 

Call on Party Group Leaders to lobby the Government to:

-          Keep benefit payments in line with inflation, in a system similar to the state pension ‘triple lock’.

-          Continue provide free school meals during school holidays and for it to expand eligibility to include anyone in receipt of Universal Credit.

 

 

 

 

Motion 2 – Silver Motion: Trans Rights are Human Rights

 

Councillor Andrew Brown moved the following altered motion:

 

This Council Notes:

?       Figures obtained by VICE Worlds News using Freedom of Information Requests to all 45 UK Police Forces  showed there were 6,363 reports of hate crimes based on sexual orientation in 2014-15, compared to 19,679 in 2020-21 (210% increase). For reports of transphobic hate crimes, there were 598 in 2014-15 and 2,588 in 2020-21 (332% increase).

?       Stonewalls ‘School Report’ (2017) found:

?       64% of trans pupils are bullied for being LGBT at school.

?       One in three trans pupils (33%) are not able to be known by their preferred name at school.

?       More than two in five trans young people (45 per cent) have attempted to take their own life.

?       Stonewall’s 2018 ‘LGBT in Britain Trans Report’ found:                      

?       41% of trans people and 31% of non-binary people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months.

?       12% of trans employees have been physically attacked by colleagues or customers in the last year.

?       36% of trans university students in higher education have experienced negative comments or behaviour from staff in the last year.

?       44% of trans people avoid certain streets because they don’t feel safe there as an LGBT person. 40% of trans people adjust the way they dress because they fear discrimination or harassment - this number increases significantly 52% of non-binary people.

?       41% of trans people said that healthcare staff lacked understanding of specific trans health needs when accessing general healthcare services in the last year.

?       42% of trans people who would like to undergo medical intervention as part of their transition, haven’t done so yet, because they fear the consequences it might have on their family life.

?       62% of trans people who have undergone, or are currently undergoing, medical intervention for their transition are unsatisfied with the time it took to get an appointment.

?       Trans Actual UK  ‘Trans Lives Survey 2021: Enduring the UK’s hostile environment’ found:

Everyday Transphobia – Housing, Employment, Family and Public Transport:

?       85% of trans people who responded have experienced transphobia from family members, with 26% experiencing it ‘frequently’ and 13% ‘every time’.

?       85% of trans women reported being subjected to transphobic street harassment from strangers, with 71% of trans men and 73% of non-binary people saying the same.

?       80% of non-binary people reported having experienced transphobia from colleagues compared to 73% of trans men and 73% of trans women saying the same.

?       69% of Black people and people of colour (BPOC) respondents reported experiencing transphobia from their line manager at work.

Media Transphobia:   

?       99% of trans people surveyed have experienced transphobia on social media, and 97% reported witnessing transphobia in digital and print media.

?       93% of participants reported that media transphobia had impacted their experiences of transphobia from strangers on the street.

?       85% said that transphobic rhetoric in the media has impacted how people in their family treat them, 81% said this was true of their colleagues, and 70% for friends.

?       Over 70% of the individuals surveyed felt that media transphobia impacted their mental health to some extent, with nearly two-thirds reporting that it impacted them ‘moderately’ or ‘very much.

?       Just Like Us Report  ‘Growing Up LGBT+’ (2021) highlighted:             

?       Transgender staff are the least likely to be out in school (8%).

?       LGBT+ pupils are three times more likely to have witnessed transphobic bullying in comparison to non-LGBT+ pupils  (33% vs 10%).

?       63% of LGBT+ pupils and 57% of non-LGBT+ pupils think a staff member would be supportive of a pupil coming out as transgender, in contrast to 81% of LGBT+ pupils and 80% of non-LGBT pupils think a staff member would be supportive of a pupil coming out as LGB.

?       84% of young people would be supportive of a friend coming out as transgender.

?       Galop’s ‘Hate Crime Report 2021’ found Two-thirds (64%) of respondents had experienced anti-LGBT+ violence or abuse. Out of those who had experienced anti-LGBT+ violence and abuse:

?       9 in 10 had experienced verbal abuse (92%).

?       3 in 10 had been subject to physical violence (29%).

?       2 in 10 had experienced sexual violence (17%).

?       In the last 12 months, Stand Against Racism & Inequality (SARI), based in Bristol, has seen 40 referrals come from the LGBTQ+ community in Bristol alone, with concerns about the number of cases that are going unreported.

?       The National LGBT Survey (2017), which had over 108,000 responses from people who identify as LGBTQ+ and live in the UK, showed:    

?       5% of respondents said they had been offered conversion in an attempt to “cure” them of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) in their lifetime.

?       2% said they had undergone conversion therapy.

?       4% of transgender respondents said they had undergone conversion therapy, and 8% reported having been offered it.

?       The proposed plan by the Government is to ban conversion therapy in relation to sexual orientation and not gender identity, despite previous promises. In addition, the proposed ban will not now include those over 18 who “consent” to it.

?       The Gender Identity Clinic serving the South West (‘The Laurels’) is the worst in the country for waiting times for a 1st appointment.

 

This Council Believes:

?       Bristol is a city that believes in gender equality and solidarity.

?       Bristol has a strong history of being a progressive city connected and strengthened by diverse communities that represent it and are embedded in core values of equality, acceptance and solidarity.

?       A full ban on conversion therapy is crucial to protect the entire LGBTQIA+ community, including LGBTQIA+ youth. It must extend to clearly protecting relation to sexual orientation, gender identity, and people with intersex variations, including surgical conversion therapy on intersex youth. To ensure this legislation is effective, it must clearly extend to protecting all people with minority sexual orientations and gender identities and who are intersex. This includes clearly stating in the terminology it includes asexual, aromantic, intersex, non-binary, and genderqueer people as well as people with other minority sexual orientations and gender identities.

?       A full ban should also include practices even where consent has, nominally, been granted, recognising the disproportionate power relationships that often exist between providers and recipients of conversion therapies.

?       More work can be done by the council to ensure all local services are inclusive to trans and non-binary people.

 

This Council Resolves:

1. To recognise and affirm trans men are men, trans women are women, non-binary and genderqueer people's genders are valid, and trans rights are human rights.

2. Facilitate and strongly encourage all council staff and Councillors to attend training to learn about the challenges faced by trans people.

3. Fly the trans flag on the International Trans Day of Visibility (31st March), International Non-Binary People's Day (14th July)  and Trans Day of Remembrance (20th November)

4. Write to the Secretary of State for Health and Adult Social Care to call for the government to:

· Provide the funding and resources necessary to increase the capacity of and improve access to trans and non-binary healthcare, including expanding gender identity services and reducing waiting times.

· Develop strategies to recruit more clinicians to become gender identity specialists across all relevant disciplines and train staff across the NHS on issues affecting trans and non-binary people.

· Commit to effectively and regularly consulting trans and non-binary people and groups in the design and delivery of trans and non-binary healthcare.

5. To work with all four Bristol MPs to help coordinate joint cross-party initiatives within parliament to bring forward a full ban on conversion therapy that includes gender identity.

6. To continue supporting the improvement of services in Bristol to be fully accessible to trans and non-binary people, working with recognised trans-inclusive services and not taking advice from or awarding contracts to organisations that promote an anti-trans agenda or propaganda. This does not preclude the Council using, where appropriate, third-party providers that utilise appropriate exemptions under Equalities Law to provide single-sex services as "a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim."

7. Conduct an audit of Council services to ensure they are as accessible as possible to trans and non-binary people.

8. Look into what we can do as a Council as an employer to support further those who identify as trans and non-binary and to protect them from transphobic harassment within their roles.

9. To ensure there are accessible gender-neutral toilet facilities throughout the Council's property estate and to ensure there are menstrual care dispensers and sanitary bins in all toilets, regardless of gender, and to encourage best practices amongst its Community Toilet Scheme partners.

10. Encourage schools to follow expert legal guidance outlined by the Good Law Project. That it will consider publishing a ‘Trans Inclusion Toolkit’ for our schools (as available in Brighton). That it will act on any known instances of anti-trans literature or propaganda being sent into our schools.

11. To write to the Home Secretary calling for:

?       An action plan on tackling LGBTQIA+ Hate Crimes within the UK.

?       Prevented deportation of LGBTQIA+ refugees to Rwanda and a review into applications for LGBTQIA+ refugees claiming asylum status within the UK.

 

Councillor Jenny Bartle seconded the motion.

 

Following debate, upon being put to the vote, the altered motion was CARRIED (40 For, 12 against, 6 abstentions) it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

This Council Notes:

?       Figures obtained by VICE Worlds News using Freedom of Information Requests to all 45 UK Police Forces  showed there were 6,363 reports of hate crimes based on sexual orientation in 2014-15, compared to 19,679 in 2020-21 (210% increase). For reports of transphobic hate crimes, there were 598 in 2014-15 and 2,588 in 2020-21 (332% increase).

?       Stonewalls ‘School Report’ (2017) found:

?       64% of trans pupils are bullied for being LGBT at school.

?       One in three trans pupils (33%) are not able to be known by their preferred name at school.

?       More than two in five trans young people (45 per cent) have attempted to take their own life.

?       Stonewall’s 2018 ‘LGBT in Britain Trans Report’ found:                   

?       41% of trans people and 31% of non-binary people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months.

?       12% of trans employees have been physically attacked by colleagues or customers in the last year.

?       36% of trans university students in higher education have experienced negative comments or behaviour from staff in the last year.

?       44% of trans people avoid certain streets because they don’t feel safe there as an LGBT person. 40% of trans people adjust the way they dress because they fear discrimination or harassment - this number increases significantly 52% of non-binary people.

?       41% of trans people said that healthcare staff lacked understanding of specific trans health needs when accessing general healthcare services in the last year.

?       42% of trans people who would like to undergo medical intervention as part of their transition, haven’t done so yet, because they fear the consequences it might have on their family life.

?       62% of trans people who have undergone, or are currently undergoing, medical intervention for their transition are unsatisfied with the time it took to get an appointment.

?       Trans Actual UK  ‘Trans Lives Survey 2021: Enduring the UK’s hostile environment’ found:

Everyday Transphobia – Housing, Employment, Family and Public Transport:

?       85% of trans people who responded have experienced transphobia from family members, with 26% experiencing it ‘frequently’ and 13% ‘every time’.

?       85% of trans women reported being subjected to transphobic street harassment from strangers, with 71% of trans men and 73% of non-binary people saying the same.

?       80% of non-binary people reported having experienced transphobia from colleagues compared to 73% of trans men and 73% of trans women saying the same.

?       69% of Black people and people of colour (BPOC) respondents reported experiencing transphobia from their line manager at work.

Media Transphobia: 

?       99% of trans people surveyed have experienced transphobia on social media, and 97% reported witnessing transphobia in digital and print media.

?       93% of participants reported that media transphobia had impacted their experiences of transphobia from strangers on the street.

?       85% said that transphobic rhetoric in the media has impacted how people in their family treat them, 81% said this was true of their colleagues, and 70% for friends.

?       Over 70% of the individuals surveyed felt that media transphobia impacted their mental health to some extent, with nearly two-thirds reporting that it impacted them ‘moderately’ or ‘very much.

?       Just Like Us Report  ‘Growing Up LGBT+’ (2021) highlighted:                      

?       Transgender staff are the least likely to be out in school (8%).

?       LGBT+ pupils are three times more likely to have witnessed transphobic bullying in comparison to non-LGBT+ pupils  (33% vs 10%).

?       63% of LGBT+ pupils and 57% of non-LGBT+ pupils think a staff member would be supportive of a pupil coming out as transgender, in contrast to 81% of LGBT+ pupils and 80% of non-LGBT pupils think a staff member would be supportive of a pupil coming out as LGB.

?       84% of young people would be supportive of a friend coming out as transgender.

?       Galop’s ‘Hate Crime Report 2021’ found Two-thirds (64%) of respondents had experienced anti-LGBT+ violence or abuse. Out of those who had experienced anti-LGBT+ violence and abuse:

?       9 in 10 had experienced verbal abuse (92%).

?       3 in 10 had been subject to physical violence (29%).

?       2 in 10 had experienced sexual violence (17%).

?       In the last 12 months, Stand Against Racism & Inequality (SARI), based in Bristol, has seen 40 referrals come from the LGBTQ+ community in Bristol alone, with concerns about the number of cases that are going unreported.

?       The National LGBT Survey (2017), which had over 108,000 responses from people who identify as LGBTQ+ and live in the UK, showed:  

?       5% of respondents said they had been offered conversion in an attempt to “cure” them of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) in their lifetime.

?       2% said they had undergone conversion therapy.

?       4% of transgender respondents said they had undergone conversion therapy, and 8% reported having been offered it.

?       The proposed plan by the Government is to ban conversion therapy in relation to sexual orientation and not gender identity, despite previous promises. In addition, the proposed ban will not now include those over 18 who “consent” to it.

?       The Gender Identity Clinic serving the South West (‘The Laurels’) is the worst in the country for waiting times for a 1st appointment.

 

This Council Believes:

?       Bristol is a city that believes in gender equality and solidarity.

?       Bristol has a strong history of being a progressive city connected and strengthened by diverse communities that represent it and are embedded in core values of equality, acceptance and solidarity.

?       A full ban on conversion therapy is crucial to protect the entire LGBTQIA+ community, including LGBTQIA+ youth. It must extend to clearly protecting relation to sexual orientation, gender identity, and people with intersex variations, including surgical conversion therapy on intersex youth. To ensure this legislation is effective, it must clearly extend to protecting all people with minority sexual orientations and gender identities and who are intersex. This includes clearly stating in the terminology it includes asexual, aromantic, intersex, non-binary, and genderqueer people as well as people with other minority sexual orientations and gender identities.

?       A full ban should also include practices even where consent has, nominally, been granted, recognising the disproportionate power relationships that often exist between providers and recipients of conversion therapies.

?       More work can be done by the council to ensure all local services are inclusive to trans and non-binary people.

 

This Council Resolves:

1. To recognise and affirm trans men are men, trans women are women, non-binary and genderqueer people's genders are valid, and trans rights are human rights.

2. Facilitate and strongly encourage all council staff and Councillors to attend training to learn about the challenges faced by trans people.

3. Fly the trans flag on the International Trans Day of Visibility (31st March), International Non-Binary People's Day (14th July)  and Trans Day of Remembrance (20th November)

4. Write to the Secretary of State for Health and Adult Social Care to call for the government to:

· Provide the funding and resources necessary to increase the capacity of and improve access to trans and non-binary healthcare, including expanding gender identity services and reducing waiting times.

· Develop strategies to recruit more clinicians to become gender identity specialists across all relevant disciplines and train staff across the NHS on issues affecting trans and non-binary people.

· Commit to effectively and regularly consulting trans and non-binary people and groups in the design and delivery of trans and non-binary healthcare.

5. To work with all four Bristol MPs to help coordinate joint cross-party initiatives within parliament to bring forward a full ban on conversion therapy that includes gender identity.

6. To continue supporting the improvement of services in Bristol to be fully accessible to trans and non-binary people, working with recognised trans-inclusive services and not taking advice from or awarding contracts to organisations that promote an anti-trans agenda or propaganda. This does not preclude the Council using, where appropriate, third-party providers that utilise appropriate exemptions under Equalities Law to provide single-sex services as "a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim."

7. Conduct an audit of Council services to ensure they are as accessible as possible to trans and non-binary people.

8. Look into what we can do as a Council as an employer to support further those who identify as trans and non-binary and to protect them from transphobic harassment within their roles.

9. To ensure there are accessible gender-neutral toilet facilities throughout the Council's property estate and to ensure there are menstrual care dispensers and sanitary bins in all toilets, regardless of gender, and to encourage best practices amongst its Community Toilet Scheme partners.

10. Encourage schools to follow expert legal guidance outlined by the Good Law Project. That it will consider publishing a ‘Trans Inclusion Toolkit’ for our schools (as available in Brighton). That it will act on any known instances of anti-trans literature or propaganda being sent into our schools.

11. To write to the Home Secretary calling for:

?       An action plan on tackling LGBTQIA+ Hate Crimes within the UK.

?       Prevented deportation of LGBTQIA+ refugees to Rwanda and a review into applications for LGBTQIA+ refugees claiming asylum status within the UK.