a) To consider the following Motion to be proposed by Councillor John Tippett-Cooper (seconded by Councillor Kathleen Becker):
Winchester City Council Motion: Request for Smartphone Ban Guidance in Hampshire Schools
This Council notes:
1. The growing body of evidence indicating that the unrestricted use of smartphones in schools can negatively affect academic performance, mental health, and social development. Research from 2023 highlights that smartphone distractions impair focus and exacerbate anxiety and cyberbullying among students.
2. The recent “Parent Pact” organised by the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood in Hampshire received over 3,000 signatures. This involved parents of school students signing a "pact" that they will wait to give their child a smartphone until at least the end of Year 9.
3. That Winchester City Council offers a wide variety of active opportunities for young people across the district, encouraging physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Examples include the successful School Holiday Activity Programmes, which promotes sports and physical activity, as well as support to a number of youth groups and funding of various outdoor facilities such as skate parks, play parks and multi-use games areas (MUGAs), providing valuable alternatives to screen-based activities.
This Council believes:
1. Schools should be safe, focused environments conducive to learning, free from the distractions and pressures associated with smartphone use during school hours.
2. Clear guidance from Hampshire County Council is necessary to support schools in managing smartphone use effectively.
This Council resolves:
1. To call on Hampshire County Council to develop and issue guidance for schools across Hampshire to consider introducing restrictions or bans on smartphone use during school hours, ensuring that students benefit from a more engaged and supportive learning environment. This request (and points 2 and 3) below are to be made to Hampshire County Council through a letter from the Leader of Winchester City Council.
2. To request that Hampshire County Council provide schools with resources, training, and consultation opportunities to ensure the effective implementation of these measures, including engagement with teachers, parents, and students.
3. To ask Hampshire County Council to monitor the impact of any smartphone restrictions on academic performance, pupil behaviour, and mental health, and to report back on the outcomes to enable informed decision-making.
4. Requests the relevant WCC Cabinet lead to engage with the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign to identify potential adjustments to WCC activities that support the aims of the campaign.
By passing this motion, Winchester City Council seeks to support the health, wellbeing, and academic success of school students in the district.
b) To consider the following Motion to be proposed by Councillor Neil Bolton (seconded by Councillor Caroline Horrill):
MOTION: Changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance and protecting pensioners from fuel poverty
Council Notes:
• The Labour Government’s recent decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment to only pensioners in receipt of means-tested benefits like Pension Credit, as announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
• The estimated impact of this decision, which Age UK says will mean 2 million pensioners who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it.
• The significant role that Winter Fuel Payments play in helping older residents of the Winchester districtand across the UK afford heating during the coldest months, thereby preventing 'heat or eat' dilemmas and safeguarding health.
• The criticism from Age UK, the Countryside Alliance and other charities, highlighting the social injustice and potential health risks posed by this sudden policy change.
• The additional strain this decision will place on vulnerable pensioners, many of whom do not claim Pension Credit despite being eligible, further exacerbating their financial hardship.
Council believes:
• That the Winter Fuel Payment has been a lifeline for many older people across the UK and that restricting its availability solely to those on Pension Credit risks leaving many pensioners in financial hardship.
• While some pensioners currently in receipt of the Winter Fuel Payment may not require it, many thousands across the Winchester district sit just above the cut-off for Pension Credit and will now lose their allowance.
• The decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments, especially with such short notice and without adequate compensatory measures, is deeply unfair and will disproportionately affect the health and well-being of our poorest older residents.
• The government’s approach fails to consider the administrative barriers and stigma that prevent eligible pensioners from claiming Pension Credit, leaving many without the support they desperately need.
Council resolves to:
• Bring forward a Council-led local awareness campaign to alert those eligible of Pension Credit which in some respects will help access to the Winter Fuel Payment for those most in need.
• Request that the Council Leader write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, urging a review of the decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment and asking the government to ensure that vulnerable pensioners, particularly those who do not claim Pension Credit, are protected from fuel poverty.
• Commit the Council to signing the ‘Save the Winter Fuel Payment for Struggling Pensioners’ petition being run by Age UK and write to all members offering them the opportunity to sign the petition themselves.
• Encourage local efforts to promote Pension Credit uptake through council services and partnerships with local charities and community organisations to ensure that all eligible pensioners in the Winchester district are supported in claiming their entitlement.