To receive Notices of Motion submitted under Standing Order No.12
a) Two years ago, this Council recognised the Climate Crisis and put in place measures, and finance, to help address this. The Ecological Crisis is the other side of the same coin.
Ecosystems are the Earth’s ‘life support system’: they provide the oxygen we breathe; they are a crucial part of the carbon cycle and they help maintain a stable climate. Climate change is the consequence of humans exceeding the capacity of the planet’s ecosystems to take in CO2.
The UK Government’s Environment Act 2021 recognises the need to reconstruct ecosystems and gives Councils the legal responsibility to maintain a Nature Recovery Strategy.
The majority of Council activities affect natural systems at some level and therefore we need to review our activities to identify and end or minimise any negative impact upon ecosystems, and to bring about a ‘net gain’ in biodiversity.
This motion proposes that Council adopts a parallel approach to addressing the ecological emergency to that we adopted to address the climate emergency.
Full Council agrees to:
1. Declare an ‘Ecological Emergency’.
2. Conduct a cross service review to identify opportunities for service modernisation that will benefit biodiversity.
3. Work with partners and stakeholders to identify opportunities to benefit biodiversity.
4. Report to Communities Scrutiny Group within six months with details of potential actions the Council may implement considering their costs and broader implications associated with implementation.
5. Present an Ecological Emergency Response Plan to Cabinet within one year.
Councillor R Mallender
b) Threats from avoidable Climate Change to the future are all too real and Council has a leadership role in promoting action to reduce the local carbon footprint. Council believes that the voice of young people in Rushcliffe should be enhanced through the implementation of a structure for considering and advocating carbon reducing behaviour within Rushcliffe. This will be best achieved by establishing a 'Rushcliffe Youth Council for Action on Climate Change’ involving representatives of young people in Secondary Schools. This Council commits to investigating the establishment of a youth council through engagement with each of the eight local schools and YOUNG with a view to implementing this Rushcliffe initiative in early 2022. The Communities Scrutiny Group will consider progress to achieve Youth Council, its remit and the interaction with the Council and the Community.
Councillor R Jones
Minutes:
a) The following Notice of Motion was proposed by Councillor Mallender and seconded by Councillor Gowland.
“Full Council agrees to:
1. Declare an ‘Ecological Emergency’;
2. Conduct a cross service review to identify opportunities for service modernisation that will benefit biodiversity;
3. Work with partners and stakeholders to identify opportunities to benefit biodiversity;
4. Report to Communities Scrutiny Group within six months with details of potential actions the Council may implement considering their costs and broader implications associated with implementation;
5. Present the Ecological Emergency Response Plan to Cabinet within one year.”
Councillor Mallender addressed Council, in moving the motion, that as the dominant species, humans needed to recognise and take responsibility for their actions and the impact of industry, development and the way people lived. By creating an Ecological Emergency Strategy, that would support the reintroduction of natural habitats for wildlife and ecosystems and create biodiversity across the Borough. Councillor Mallender informed Council that the climate emergency alone would not be enough to save the planet, and that as a local authority we had a duty to our residents to influence and encourage at a local level the development and return of natural habitats for wildlife, which would, in the long term enhance the world in which we live.
Councillor Gowland seconded the motion and reserved the right to speak.
Councillor Brennan thanked Councillor Mallender for his heartfelt comments and agreed that the natural environment was not as it should be due to housing development and over intensive farming practises, destroying the natural habitats of small mammals and birds. Councillor Brennan reminded Council that nature and climate work together and with the Council’s commitment to the climate emergency by adopting a Climate Change Strategy in 2019, along with the Nature Conservation Strategy approved by Cabinet in February this year, the Council was already working towards biodiversity improvements across the Borough. Councillor Brennan informed Council that she supported Councillor Mallender’s ambition and the context of the motion, however she stated that the Council was already committed to working towards biodiversity improvements within its Climate Change Strategy, Carbon Reduction Plan and Nature Conservation Strategy, all of which would be reported via the Communities Scrutiny Group work programme. Councillor Brennan informed Council that the Conservative Group would therefore not be supporting this motion.
Councillor Walker informed Council that she would be supporting this motion.
Councillor Jones stated that he was fully aware of the Nature Conservation Strategy but fully supported the motion as he felt developers often ignored the conditions applied to a planning application in respect of tree planting schemes and wildlife corridors and had very little regard for the preservation of nature. Therefore, he felt it was important to establish an Ecological Emergency Plan to provide greater weight with regards to wildlife and conservation when considering planning applications.
Councillor Shaw in supporting the motion referred to the lyrics ‘they paved paradise put up a parking lot’ from the song Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchel, explaining that this has become an ecological anthem as the lyrics referred to taking things for granted and not appreciating things until they are gone. Councillor Shaw informed Council that recent housing developments had ripped into the countryside with no regard for wildlife and ecosystems and felt that this motion would strengthen the Council’s response when considering planning applications.
The Leader expressed his appreciation for the comments made and stated that he understood the frustrations of Councillors in respect of recent housing developments; however, he explained that this motion would not address those issues as they were a matter for planning enforcement. Councillor Robinson advised that creating lots of different policies did not work, building on the framework of what the Council had already adopted with the Climate Change Strategy and Carbon Reduction across all Council services was the way forward and advised that he would not be supporting the motion.
Councillor Gowland, in her right to reply, outlined that as a Council we were all in agreement that in respect of a climate and ecological emergency things need to change. She explained that filling fields with solar panels was not the answer and that the Council needed to recognise the concerns around the ecological emergency that was emerging from loss of natural habitat and over development.
Councillor Mallender, in his right to reply thanked Council and welcomed all the comments made. He stated that the motion would add extra weight to scrutiny and would be a useful aid in the fight the Council had to encourage change.
On being put to the vote, the motion was lost.
b) The following Notice of Motion was proposed by Councillor R Jones and seconded by Councillor L Howitt.
“This Council commits to investigating the establishment of a youth council through engagement with each of the eight local schools and Young with a view to implementing this Rushcliffe initiative in early 2022. The Communities Scrutiny Group will consider progress to achieve Youth Council, its remit and interaction with the Council and the Community.”
Councillor Jones addressed Council, in moving the motion, that as an organisation the Council prided itself on its inclusivity and the involvement of an age group whose voices were often powerless, but who would inherit the decisions that we make collectively as a Council now. As a Council we strive for change and young people deserved a brighter future by way of choice and a platform in which to voice their concerns. Councillor Jones reminded Council that when citizens acted together, their presence could often influence change, and this was why a focus on a Youth Council to encourage young people to speak out on actions effecting climate change would be a great achievement.
Councillor Howitt, on seconding the motion advised Council that as the youngest Councillor she welcomed the idea of a Youth Council specifically focused on climate change. Councillor Howitt expressed that a Youth Council would be a fantastic opportunity for the Council to engage with young people in the community on issues that would ultimately impact on their futures.
Councillor J Wheeler thanked Councillor Jones for raising this important topic but felt that the motion was too narrow in its focus. Councillor Wheeler agreed that young people did need a voice, but with a remit across all Council services, not just climate change. Councillor Wheeler advised he would not be supporting the motion as it stood and suggested a Scrutiny Matrix was put together as the next step. That could expand on the aims of this motion to develop a Youth Council that would have a broader programme of topics. That would need to be considered by the Corporate Overview Group and in turn would be reported to the Communities Scrutiny Group. Councillor Wheeler highlighted that the Council had a strong track record in respect of youth related programmes, providing Positive Futures and Young as examples of this.
Councillor Combellack, as Chairman of the Corporate Overview Group advised Council of her understanding and sentiment behind this motion and explained that there were mechanisms for such proposals in respect of scrutiny. She welcomed the views of young people and expressed the importance of those; however, Councillor Combellack advised that she could not support this motion and suggested that Councillor Jones worked with Councillor Wheeler to prepare a more detailed scrutiny item for the Corporate Overview Group to consider.
Councillor J Walker informed Council that she welcomed the motion and felt that by establishing a Youth Council it would provide young people with an insight into local government functions.
Councillor R Mallender informed Council that he would be supporting the motion, as he considered it to be a good idea. Councillor Mallender advised that if the motion was not passed, he would also be supporting the scrutiny item and looked forward to this coming to Communities Scrutiny Group for comment.
Councillor Way informed Council that she would be supporting the motion and advised that she would like to see the concept of a Youth Council go a little further to include the involvement of young people at a more local level within our communities. Councillor Way advised that East Leake Parish Council was proposing a Youth Council that would involve not just secondary school pupils, but primary and uniformed organisations too. Councillor Way stated that if Council rejected this motion it would send a negative message to the younger citizens of Rushcliffe that the Council did not care about their views and contribution to issues that would ultimately affect their future.
Councillor Gowland advised Council that she understood the commitment of the Council but considered that the intricate mechanisms of scrutiny within the Council would sadly not have the impact this motion would have if it was passed.
Councillor Price informed Council that evidence showed that young people were passionate about single issue politics, particularly climate change and climate anxiety. Councillor Price provided details of a study collated by the Journal ‘Nature’, which asked 10,000 young people from 10 different countries their concerns around climate change and how their Government’s responded. From those surveyed 60% felt very worried or extremely worried, reporting negative emotions and climate change anxiety which impacted on their daily lives. Councillor Price supported the motion and explained that a youth forum specifically aimed at climate change would provide young people with a mechanism to influence change.
Councillor Gaunt welcomed the comments raised and looked forward to the item coming to scrutiny; however, he believed that our younger citizens would be disappointed should the motion not be passed.
Councillor Robinson informed Council that he agreed that young people needed a voice, but felt the motion was too narrow as it stood, adding that young people were interested in a number of issues across Council services and not just climate change. Councillor Robinson stated that young people were not interested in motions but actions and that the Council, with the support of Positive Futures and Young would work with media to provide the platform for young people to voice their concerns and that young people would be delighted with what the Council was proposing.
Councillor Jones in his right to reply, reminded Council that many young people were concerned about single issues and climate change was a key concern for most young people and he considered that the Council’s scrutiny mechanism did not provide the impact and had very little action.
On being put to the vote the motion was lost.