Agenda item

To debate the following motions which have been submitted with advance notice, in accordance with the Constitution (to be debated in the order submitted).

 

Topic	Proposer	Seconder
Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill	Councillor Ian Middleton	TBC
Hunting	Councillor Ian Middleton	TBC
Improving Coronavirus testing and tracing	Councillor Katherine Tyson	Councillor Ian Middleton

 

Please note that the deadline to submit motions has passed. The deadline for Members to submit amendments to motions is noon on Thursday 10 December 2020. No amendments will be permitted after this deadline.

 

Any amendments submitted will be published as a supplement to the agenda on the afternoon of Friday 11 December 2020. Amendments for motions will be dealt with in the order submitted. 

 

 

On being put to the vote, each of the three motions were lost and subsequently fell

 

The Chairman advised that three motions had been submitted.  No amendments to any of the motions had been submitted and, in line with the Constitution, no amendments to the motion were now permitted.

 

Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill

 

The Chairman invited those people who had registered to speak on the motion to address Council prior to Council’s consideration of the motion. Council heard from the following public speakers:

 

Jane Rogers, local resident

Berenice Westwood, local resident

Michael Taylor, local resident 

 

It was proposed by Councillor Middleton and seconded by Councillor Broad that the following motion be adopted.

 

“In 2019 this council and many others recognised the importance of tackling impending global ecological disaster by unanimously passing a climate emergency motion.

 

As a next step, Green MP Caroline Lucas recently introduced the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill (CEE) to Parliament, which seeks to ensure that the UK plays its fair and proper role in limiting global temperatures to 1.5°C. Full details can be found at https://www.ceebill.uk/.

 

The Bill was prepared by the CEE Bill Alliance, a team of scientists, academics, lawyers and campaigners guided by current science and has received cross party support from over 80 MPs.

 

It calls for urgent, far-reaching actions from the Government that take into account our entire global carbon footprint, including all emissions involved in the production and transport of goods from overseas that are consumed in the UK.

 

The Bill seeks to ensure that we take action now, rather that depending on new, untested future technologies, with a focus on the natural world as much as on the climate, protecting and conserving wildlife habitats in the UK and across the world.

 

A central mechanism for achieving these aims would be Citizen's Assemblies that would have a real influence on government strategy.

 

This council wishes to show support for the CEE Bill by :

·         Taking into account the goals of The Bill when setting its own strategies, policies and targets.

·         Encouraging individual councillors to join the CEE campaign

·         Calling on all Oxfordshire MPs to sign the CEE Bill Early Day Motion (no 832)”

 

No amendments to the motion having been proposed, the motion was debated as submitted. In the course of the debate it was proposed by Councillor Broad and seconded by Councillor Middleton that a recorded vote be taken.  Having been proposed and seconded, a recorded vote was duly taken, and Members voted as follows:

 

Councillor Hannah Banfield	Abstain
Councillor Andrew Beere	Abstain
Councillor Nathan Bignell	Against
Councillor Maurice Billington	Against
Councillor Mike Bishop	Against
Councillor John Broad	For
Councillor Hugo Brown	Against
Councillor Phil Chapman	Against
Councillor Mark Cherry	Abstain
Councillor Colin Clarke	Against
Councillor Conrad Copeland	For
Councillor Ian Corkin	Against
Councillor Surinder Dhesi	Abstain
Councillor John Donaldson	Against
Councillor Sean Gaul	Against
Councillor Carmen Griffiths	Against
Councillor Timothy Hallchurch	Against
Councillor Chris Heath	Against
Councillor Simon Holland	Against
Councillor David Hughes	Against
Councillor Shaida Hussain	Abstain
Councillor Tony Ilott	Against
Councillor Mike Kerford-Byrnes	Against
Councillor James Macnamara	Against
Councillor Kieron Mallon	Against
Councillor Nick Mawer	Against
Councillor Tony Mepham	Against
Councillor Ian Middleton	For
Councillor Perran Moon	Abstain
Councillor Richard Mould	Against
Councillor Cassi Perry	Abstain
Councillor Lynn Pratt	Against
Councillor George Reynolds	Against
Councillor Barry Richards	Abstain
Councillor Dan Sames	Against
Councillor Les Sibley	Against
Councillor Jason Slaymaker	Against
Councillor Katherine Tyson	For
Councillor Tom Wallis	Against
Councillor Douglas Webb	Against
Councillor Fraser Webster	Abstain
Councillor Lucinda Wing	Against
Councillor Barry Wood	Against
Councillor Sean Woodcock	Abstain

 

The vote was lost and the motion therefore fell.

 

 

Improving Coronavirus testing and tracing 

 

It was proposed by Councillor Tyson and seconded by Councillor Middleton that the following motion be adopted.

 

“Cherwell District Council would like to stand in solidarity with Oxford City Council in expressing our concern that, so far into the COVID pandemic, the country still does not have an adequate testing and tracing system. A fully functioning system decreases the risk of Oxfordshire residents to coronavirus. 

 

Test and trace is proven in countries with a properly functioning locally-based system to be a successful strategy to manage and contain COVID-19 outbreaks.

 

This Council agrees that to rectify the situation substantial control should be passed to local authorities, with the necessary funding to do the job properly, with national input providing any support necessary to ensure effective co-ordination.

 

A local scheme will: 

·         Improve traceability 

·         Enable increased and targeted testing, including asymptomatic testing 

·         Be better integrated into existing Council COVID support services 

·         Be a more cost-effective solution 

·         Achieve greater community engagement 

·         Allow for the engagement of local volunteers 

 

Pressure is building on the Government both to use local authorities more and to cease contracting out 'NHS Test and Trace' to private companies. Local authorities in Oxfordshire are working better than the national average in tackling COVID19 and should be supported.

 

This Council agrees to add its voice to those challenging the current, failed national system by asking the Leader to: 

·         Call on our Director of Public Health and the Leader of the County Council to support more local authority engagement in testing and tracing. 

·         Write to our MPs asking them for their support.”

 

No amendments to the motion having been proposed, the motion was debated as submitted. In the course of the debate it was proposed by Councillor Tyson and seconded by Councillor Richards that a recorded vote be taken.  Having been proposed and seconded, a recorded vote was duly taken, and Members voted as follows:

 

Councillor Hannah Banfield	For
Councillor Andrew Beere	For
Councillor Nathan Bignell	Against
Councillor Maurice Billington	Against
Councillor Mike Bishop	Against
Councillor John Broad	For
Councillor Hugo Brown	Against
Councillor Phil Chapman	Against
Councillor Mark Cherry	For
Councillor Colin Clarke	Against
Councillor Conrad Copeland	For
Councillor Ian Corkin	Against
Councillor Surinder Dhesi	For
Councillor John Donaldson	Against
Councillor Sean Gaul	Against
Councillor Carmen Griffiths	Against
Councillor Timothy Hallchurch	Against
Councillor Chris Heath	Against
Councillor Simon Holland	Against
Councillor David Hughes	Against
Councillor Shaida Hussain	For
Councillor Tony Ilott	Against
Councillor Mike Kerford-Byrnes	Against
Councillor James Macnamara	Against
Councillor Kieron Mallon	Against
Councillor Nick Mawer	Against
Councillor Tony Mepham	Against
Councillor Ian Middleton	For
Councillor Perran Moon	For
Councillor Richard Mould	Against
Councillor Cassi Perry	For
Councillor Lynn Pratt	Against
Councillor George Reynolds	Against
Councillor Barry Richards	For
Councillor Dan Sames	Against
Councillor Les Sibley	For
Councillor Jason Slaymaker	Against
Councillor Katherine Tyson	For
Councillor Tom Wallis	Against
Councillor Douglas Webb	Against
Councillor Fraser Webster	For
Councillor Lucinda Wing	Against
Councillor Barry Wood	Against
Councillor Sean Woodcock	For

 

The vote was lost and the motion therefore fell.

 

Hunting

 

The Chairman invited Linda Newberry, local resident, who had registered to speak on the motion to address Council.

 

It was proposed by Councillor Middleton and seconded by Councillor Copeland that the following motion be adopted.

 

“The 2005 Hunting Act banned hunting wild mammals with dogs except in specific circumstances. Hunts subsequently switched to trail hunting, where artificial scent trails are laid for the hounds to follow.

 

The League Against Cruel Sports recently released a secretly recorded meeting between key members of the hunting community in which they allegedly describe trail hunting as a "smokescreen" for hunts that wish to follow live prey. This is being investigated by the police and potentially makes any organisation that facilitates hunting on its land complicit in an illegal activity.

 

As a result national bodies including The National Trust, Forestry England, The Lake District National Park, Natural Resources Wales and United Utilities have suspended hunting on their land. Similar responses are likely from other organisations including the MOD and the Church of England.

 

Council notes that hunts in and around Cherwell have crossed public land and highways in the district, and as a result of these new restrictions these incidents may increase. As a responsible authority, we must also take steps to ensure we are not seen to be supporting potentially illegal activities.

 

Council calls on the leader to write to hunt masters in and around the district and Thames Valley Police, making it clear that, while investigations into trail hunting are ongoing, hunts will not be permitted to cross public or council controlled land or cause a nuisance on public highways within Cherwell, and that we will expect any such encroachments to be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

 

No amendments to the motion having been proposed, the motion was debated as submitted and on being put to the vote was lost and therefore fell.