Council are asked to consider the following 3 Motions on Notice.
MOTION 1
Council are asked to consider the following Motion on Notice from Councillors Smith, Wainwright, Candon, Flaxman-Taylor, Wells and Plant.
We, as Elected Members of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, request that Council agree to holding an extraordinary meeting of the Council to consider the granting of Freedom of the Borough to :-
Cecil Page
Hugh Sturzaker
Jayne Biggs
Great Yarmouth Samaritans
MOTION 2
Council are asked to consider the following Motion on Notice from Councillors Candon, Smith, Wells, P Carpenter and G Carpenter.
The 2025 Budget introduced an increase in the rate of employer National Insurance contributions (NICs), rising from 13.8% to 15% from April 2025. This represents a 9% rise in the NIC rate for employers. In addition, the threshold at which employers begin paying National Insurance has been lowered - from £9,100 to £5,000 per year.
This policy is having a profound effect on many businesses and entrepreneurs in Great Yarmouth. With over 98% of all enterprises in the Borough classed as micro or small businesses (according to the latest Office for National Statistics business demography data), the impact is widespread. Local employers, including high street retailers and hospitality businesses, have reported that job losses, delayed recruitment, price increases, and wage stagnation are a direct result of these NIC changes.
According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), "in 2025126 firms will pass on 60% of the higher costs to workers and consumers, via lower wages and higher prices."
In local government, this too has a knock-on effect. Higher contractor costs directly affect council budgets. Here at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, this increase totals approximately £186k for 25/26.
Given the structure of our local economy, and the numerous concerns shared by local businesses, it is plain to see that these increases are having a detrimental effect on many.
Council Notes:
That raising revenue through substantial increases in employer National Insurance contributions is having significant consequences, including job losses, fewer new roles being created, rising consumer prices, and wage stagnation.
That the rise in employer National Insurance has contributed to increased costs for Great Yarmouth Borough Council when procuring services from third-party providers, thus placing further pressure on council budgets.
Council Resolves:
That the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Growth. along with the Inward Investment team, continues working with local businesses and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to support them during this period of economic difficulty.
To formally record our concern at the increase in employer NICs and its detrimental impact on businesses in Great Yarmouth.
To request that the Leader of the Council write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking for a reconsideration of this policy in light of the harm it is causing to small businesses, vital services. and employment in coastal communities like Great Yarmouth.
MOTION 3
Council are asked to consider the following Motion on Notice from Councillors Smith, Flaxman-Taylor, Candon, Wells and Plant.
2025 has been the worst year ever for small boat crossings, with over 25,000 people crossing the Channel this year alone. Since July 2024, over 50,000 people have crossed the Channel, leaving immigration policy under the government in tatters.
In May 2023, Great Yarmouth Borough Council successfully obtained a final High Court injunction blocking Home Office contractors, including Serco, from using any hotels within the borough's tourist-designated "GY6" seafront area to accommodate asylum seekers.
This ruling not only shielded Great Yarmouth's tourism industry from disruption but also set a legal precedent, empowering other local councils to pursue similar planning- based legal challenges when migrant accommodation is proposed in sensitive or strategically important zones.
These instances are proof that it is Conservative-led councils that are taking real action to protect their residents, while other parties issue press releases and politically posture.
Despite the council's strong legal position, many residents remain deeply concerned about the pressures on local services and the potential for future accommodation sites in the borough, particularly in the HMO market.
This Council believes:
That local communities must be properly consulted before significant decisions are made that impact local services, housing, and community cohesion.
That the use of local hotels and HMOs as long-term accommodation for migrants is not a sustainable solution and places disproportionate pressures on local infrastructure and services.
That local councils, as the democratic voice of their communities, should have a say in how accommodation needs are managed and delivered.
That our council can respectfully differentiate between legal migrants in Great Yarmouth with permission to stay in the country, many of whom work in the rural poultry factories, and asylum seekers who legally cannot work and have no recourse to public funds.
This Council resolves:
To write to the Home Office expressing this Council's concerns about the potential use of hotels and/or HMOs in our area for asylum seeker accommodation and to request full consultation with this Council on any future decisions.
To call on the Government to develop a sustainable, properly planned, and community-consulted approach to housing asylum seekers.
To call on the Government to adopt the Conservative Party's draft Deportation Bill that tackles the underlying cause.