Agenda item

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

Please note that the deadline to submit motions has passed. The deadline for Members to submit amendments to motions is noon on Thursday 22 February. 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 23 February. Amendments for motions will be dealt with in the order submitted. 

Resolved

(1)          That the following motion be adopted:

“The cost-of-living crisis has highlighted the need for access to enough fresh food, especially fruit and vegetables. This has been worsened by the lack of available allotments and communal gardens.

Greater access to growing spaces would better support CDC in ensuring it places the health and well-being of its residents at the heart of its policy making by increasing the availability of fresh locally produced food at an affordable price. 

Such initiatives can reduce pressures on NHS and social care whilst increasing community cohesion, tackling loneliness and isolation, and providing for the healthy food needs of their neighbourhoods.

We recognise that officers already work with our communities to encourage them to come together to develop local growing spaces in areas of under-used publicly owned land and that we have endorsed the countywide Food Strategy. But that we can always do more.

This council therefore calls on the Executive to,

1.    Identify council owned land suitable for community cultivation and facilitate the production of a publicly available map of such sites.

2.    Adopt a ‘Right to Grow’ policy whilst continuing to work with Cherwell Collective and other community organisations to encourage the adoption of such land for growing schemes by means of a simple licence at no direct cost to the community.

3.    Consider ways to encourage developers to include community growing spaces in all new developments and, where practical, on land awaiting development.

4.    Write to all Cherwell MPs asking them to support the national ’Right to Grow’ campaign.”

The Chairman advised that one motion was included on the agenda, a motion that had been deferred from the 18 December 2023 Council meeting. No further motions had been submitted.

No amendments to the motion had been submitted. In line with the Constitution, no amendments were now permitted.

Motion: Right To Grow

It was proposed by Councillor Middleton and seconded by Councillor Beckett that the following motion be adopted:

“The cost-of-living crisis has highlighted the need for access to enough fresh food, especially fruit and vegetables. This has been worsened by the lack of available allotments and communal gardens.

Greater access to growing spaces would better support CDC in ensuring it places the health and well-being of its residents at the heart of its policy making by increasing the availability of fresh locally produced food at an affordable price. 

Such initiatives can reduce pressures on NHS and social care whilst increasing community cohesion, tackling loneliness and isolation, and providing for the healthy food needs of their neighbourhoods.

We recognise that officers already work with our communities to encourage them to come together to develop local growing spaces in areas of under-used publicly owned land and that we have endorsed the countywide Food Strategy. But that we can always do more.

This council therefore calls on the Executive to,

1.    Identify council owned land suitable for community cultivation and facilitate the production of a publicly available map of such sites.

2.    Adopt a ‘Right to Grow’ policy whilst continuing to work with Cherwell Collective and other community organisations to encourage the adoption of such land for growing schemes by means of a simple licence at no direct cost to the community.

3.    Consider ways to encourage developers to include community growing spaces in all new developments and, where practical, on land awaiting development.

4.    Write to all Cherwell MPs asking them to support the national ’Right to Grow’ campaign.”

No amendments to the motion having been proposed, the motion was debated as submitted. On being put to the vote the motion was carried unanimously.

Resolved

(1)          That the following motion be adopted:

“The cost-of-living crisis has highlighted the need for access to enough fresh food, especially fruit and vegetables. This has been worsened by the lack of available allotments and communal gardens.

Greater access to growing spaces would better support CDC in ensuring it places the health and well-being of its residents at the heart of its policy making by increasing the availability of fresh locally produced food at an affordable price. 

Such initiatives can reduce pressures on NHS and social care whilst increasing community cohesion, tackling loneliness and isolation, and providing for the healthy food needs of their neighbourhoods.

We recognise that officers already work with our communities to encourage them to come together to develop local growing spaces in areas of under-used publicly owned land and that we have endorsed the countywide Food Strategy. But that we can always do more.

This council therefore calls on the Executive to,

5.    Identify council owned land suitable for community cultivation and facilitate the production of a publicly available map of such sites.

6.    Adopt a ‘Right to Grow’ policy whilst continuing to work with Cherwell Collective and other community organisations to encourage the adoption of such land for growing schemes by means of a simple licence at no direct cost to the community.

7.    Consider ways to encourage developers to include community growing spaces in all new developments and, where practical, on land awaiting development.

8.    Write to all Cherwell MPs asking them to support the national ’Right to Grow’ campaign.”