Decision details


Motions

Decision Maker: Council

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)           That the following motion be adopted:

 

“Peatlands located within the UK and The Republic Of Ireland, play a vital role in absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide and thus help to mitigate climate change. This council agrees that any supplier of our bedding plants at this time and in the future will from this juncture use no more than 50% peat compost within the cultivation of our plants and that the suppliers of our bedding plants now and in the future must make the commitment to be peat-free as soon as practicable and most definitely by 2030. In making this commitment we will conserve this diminishing natural resource and help to safeguard our peatlands. 

 

This Council agrees that officers will investigate sustainable alternatives in relation to the design and planting of our bedding schemes which will include perennial plants that are cost-effective, insect-friendly, and attractive to pollinators.”

 

(for information: On being put to the vote the proposed amendment to the  motion was lost and subsequently fell)

 

(2)           That the following motion, as amended, be adopted:

 

"This council notes with concern that in the last three years this district recorded the biggest increase in child poverty in the whole of Oxfordshire. 

 

This council agrees that 1 in 8 children living below the poverty line in Cherwell is completely unacceptable. Reducing child poverty is and has been a long term objective for this council. The council notes the great work of ‘Brighter Futures in Banbury’ in addressing child poverty since it was set up in over 10 years ago. The  economic  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  anticipated  to  be extremely negative, and likely to exacerbate the situation.

 

This council commits to the following in order to continue to tackle child povertywithin the district:

·       Continuing the  'Brighter  Futures'  programme which has  continued to run throughout the pandemic. 

·       Receive annual reports to this council’s committees from the Chairman of Brighter Futures, beginning  Autumn 2020.

·       Build on the work from the Brighter Futures workstream ‘Addressing Childhood Poverty’.

·       Use the Cherwell Industrial Strategy to attract high skilled, well paid jobs to the district as part of a green revolution.

·       Work with stakeholders to take actions that improve educational attainment, reduce exploitation and provide positive activities for young people

·       Support families to reduce inactivity and health inequalities”

 

(3)           That the following motion be adopted:

 

“This Council notes recent national awareness around the Black Lives Matter Movement.


This Council believes that of course all lives matter but knows that the evidence points to BAME communities being particularly vulnerable to deprivation, poorer life chances and racism. This is reflected in, among other indicators, disproportionate deaths from Covid 19.


The Council has a good record with things like help for the Sunshine Centre, the Bretch Hill Centre, the FAST programme and Banbury Brighter Futures, but a good Council always refreshes and updates its work.


To that end the Council resolves to request Officers to consider an engagement exercise with BAME communities and individuals to effectively listen to their experience of life in our District and to bring back recommendations to Scrutiny and the Executive for consideration by Members.”

 

(4)           That the following motion, as amended, be adopted:

 

“Boris Johnson recently announced his plan for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis is to Build, build, build, build back greener, build back better, and build back faster.”

 

This aspiration is to tackle this country’s great unresolved challenges of the last three decades: to build the homes, to fix the NHS, to solve social care, to tackle the skills crisis, to mend the indefensible gap in opportunity and productivity and connectivity between the regions of the UK, to unite and level up. A socially just and green recovery will create a better future for our planet and everyone on it.  Let’s build back better and build back bolder!

 

This council expects government to:

 

·    Work towards ensuring everyone has access to wholesome food, free healthcare, income and job security, affordable zero carbon housing, renewable energy, superfast broadband, public transport, clean air and green spaces.

·       Promote building homes on brownfield sites.

·       Build residential provision above stations and retail spaces.

·       Create new woodlands and invest in conservation.

·    Acknowledge the value of our carers and educators by protecting and investing in our NHS, social care, schools, colleges and early years care  

·   Protect genuine local democracy on planning matters.

·    Restructure public and private finance to give power to local communities and provide funding to councils to provide high quality local services for everyone.

·    Decarbonise the economy and create thousands of new, well-paid, secure jobs in green industries.

·    Ensure that the longer-term recovery will promote human rights, , protect the environment and tackle injustice.”

 

(For information: On being put to the vote the motion on “Motion to Guarantee Democratic Accountability in 2021” was lost and subsequently fell)

Publication date: 21/07/2020

Date of decision: 20/07/2020

Decided at meeting: 20/07/2020 - Council

Accompanying Documents: