Agenda item

In accordance with the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 12, the Council will consider a Motion to Council submitted by Councillor Neil Stock OBE.

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

“That the Council notes:

• That the impact of climate breakdown is already causing serious damage around the world.

• That the “Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees” published by the intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change in October 2018

-          Describes the enormous harm that a 2 degree C average rise in global temperatures is likely to cause compared with a 1 degree rise,

-          Confirms that limiting Global Warming to 1.5 degrees may still be possible with ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society and the private sector.

• That the impact of projected rises in sea levels as a result of global warming places the East Coast of the UK in the front line where impacts will be felt soonest and most severely.

• That all Governments (National, Regional and Local) have a moral duty to act, and local Governments should not wait for national Government to change their policies.

• That the challenge of taking action to avoid climate breakdown is of an unprecedented scale and scope which will have very significant additional costs and impacts on the prioritisation of budgets and will require sources of funding beyond the Council, and local Business Rate and Council Tax payers if the goals are to be met.

• That the need for determined action must be set alongside and balanced with the Council’s other statutory responsibilities.

• That strong policies to cut emissions also have associated health, well-being and economic benefits; and

• That, recognising the above, over 80 councils across the UK have already passed “Climate Emergency” motions.

It is therefore proposed that this Council:

1         Declares a Climate Emergency and instructs the Chief Executive to prepare an Action Plan for consideration by Cabinet and recommendation to the Full Council to form part of the Policy Framework, as soon as practicable with the aim of activities of the Council being carbon neutral by 2030.

2         Instructs the Chief Executive to draw up the Action Plan in two parts,

·      Part 1 setting out clear research and evidence as to what the Council’s Carbon footprint is and precisely how it is composed and setting out costed actions and policies together with appropriate milestones to make the Council’s activities carbon neutral by 2030

·      Part 2 setting out community leadership actions to influence and encourage partners, businesses, community groups and individuals across Tendring to join the Council in striving to achieve carbon neutrality for the District as a whole.

3         Calls on the UK Government to provide the powers, resources and help with funding to achieve carbon neutrality and to call on local MPs to do likewise.

4         Authorises the Chief Executive to use the £150,000 allocated by the last Cabinet meeting to a Climate Emergency budget to enable specialist advice to be obtained to complete the essential research to establish the Council’s Carbon footprint to be carried out and to provide the capacity to enable a comprehensive and costed Action Plan to be prepared for agreement by full Council as set out above.

5         Notes that the Leader will form a Working Party to oversee and work alongside officers to prepare the Action Plan, to be established in accordance with Article 7.7 of the Constitution, which will be broadly politically balanced, and that the Leader of each political Group on the Council will be invited to join the Working Party or to nominate a representative.”

Councillor Stock formally moved the motion, and Councillor G V Guglielmi formally seconded the motion.

Councillor Stock then explained the purpose of the motion and gave his reasons why he felt that it would be appropriate for the motion to be dealt with at the meeting.

As Councillor Stock was also the Leader of the Council there were no reasons put forward as to why it would be more appropriate for the motion to stand referred to the Cabinet.

The Chairman of the Council (Councillor Land) then made his ruling on whether the motion should be dealt with at the meeting or stand referred. He decided that the motion would be dealt with at the meeting.

Councillors Coley, Allen, Scott, Davis, M E Stephenson, Calver, Steady, Turner, Miles and G V Guglielmi addressed the Council on the subject matter of Councillor Stock’s motion.

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