Agenda item

(a)        Councillor Stephen Bentley will propose the following Motion:-

 

This Council notes with concern the recent Statement by the Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham concerning a wish to see this Authority either merged with Shropshire or completely abolished.

 

This council completely opposes both of these scenarios and while recognising the benefits of joint working and cooperation with Shropshire Council, we also recognise the importance of local accountability and democracy.

 

Consequently this Council collectively resolves to oppose any plans for abolition or merger by all and any means possible.

 

The Motion will be seconded by Councillor Eric Carter.

 

(b)        Councillor Carolyn Healy will propose the following Motion:-

 

Part 1 - This Council resolves to declare a Climate Emergency and to:

·                     Make a commitment for the Council’s operations and activities to be carbon neutral by 2030;

·                     Work with partners to identify and implement adaptation and mitigation measures to deal with the effects of the onging changes in climate;

·                     Collaborate and engage with residents, partners and businesses in Telford & Wrekin and at a regional and national level to achieve our aspiration for the borough to be carbon neutral by 2030 – making sure we take communities with us, protect employment and without impoverishing our most deprived communities;

·                     Measure our current carbon footprint as a baseline to enable us to report on progress;

·                     Set up a partnership to develop an action plan to move this declaration to delivery.

Part 2 - This Council resolves to support the Plastic Free Communities Campaign and to:

·                     Make a commitment to remove single-use plastics from the Council’s operations and activities, replacing them with sustainable alternatives, by 2023;

·                     Continue to support national plastic-free campaigns such as Refill;

·                     Develop an action plan that sets out how the Council will reduce its own use of single-use plastic, and how the Council will encourage and promote plastic-free initiatives borough wide;

·                     Establish a Plastic Free Telford Community Group to help achieve our aspiration for the borough to become a certified Plastic Free Community.

This Council also resolves to:

·                     Call on this Government to provide the powers and resources to make both parts of this motion possible, and ask local MPs to do likewise;

·                     Ensure that the Council Plan and all Council reports consider their contribution to our commitments to becoming carbon neutral and plastic-free and identify the actions to be taken to address these issues;

·                     Report back to Council with a progress update on Plastic Free Telford in September 2019 and on Climate Change in January 2020.

 

The Motion will be seconded by Councillor Hilda Rhodes.

 

(c)        Councillor Stephen Bentley will propose the following Motion:-

 

The members of this Authority are united in their support of all residents aged 75 and above to have free TV Licenses irrespective of financial status.

 

The Motion will be seconded by Councillor Stephen Burrell.

 

 

(a)       Councillor S Bentley proposed the following Motion:-

 

This Council notes with concern the recent Statement by the Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham concerning a wish to see this Authority either merged with Shropshire or completely abolished.

 

This council completely opposes both of these scenarios and while recognising the benefits of joint working and cooperation with Shropshire Council, we also recognise the importance of local accountability and democracy.

 

Consequently this Council collectively resolves to oppose any plans for abolition or merger by all and any means possible.

 

The Motion was seconded by Councillor E J Carter.

 

Councillor G Reynolds then moved an amendment, with additional words shown in bold and underlined. 

 

““This Council notes with concern the recent Statement by the Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury & Atcham concerning a wish to see this Authority either merged with Shropshire or completely abolished.

 

Since 2011 Telford & Wrekin Council has a proud record of investing, protecting and caring for our Borough and being innovative in delivering local services, despite over £100m of Government cuts.  This Council therefore completely opposes both of these scenarios and while recognising the benefits of joint working and cooperation with Shropshire Council, we also recognise the importance of local accountability and democracy.  A merger would cause severe detrimental consequences to the Borough of Telford and Wrekin.

 

Consequently this Council collectively resolves to oppose any plans for abolition or merger by all and any means possible and calls upon Daniel Kawczynski to publicly apologise for his continuous disruptive and disgraceful attacks on Telford & Wrekin Council and its residents.”

 

The amendment was seconded by Councillor E Callear

 

At the end of the debate, a vote was taken on the amendment put forward by Councillor Reynolds which was unanimously CARRIED. 

 

RESOLVED - that the amended Motion be approved

 

(b)       Councillor C Healy proposed the following Motion:-

 

Part 1 - This Council resolves to declare a Climate Emergency and to:

·                     Make a commitment for the Council’s operations and activities to be carbon neutral by 2030;

·                     Work with partners to identify and implement adaptation and mitigation measures to deal with the effects of the onging changes in climate;

·                     Collaborate and engage with residents, partners and businesses in Telford & Wrekin and at a regional and national level to achieve our aspiration for the borough to be carbon neutral by 2030 – making sure we take communities with us, protect employment and without impoverishing our most deprived communities;

·                     Measure our current carbon footprint as a baseline to enable us to report on progress;

·                     Set up a partnership to develop an action plan to move this declaration to delivery.

Part 2 - This Council resolves to support the Plastic Free Communities Campaign and to:

·                     Make a commitment to remove single-use plastics from the Council’s operations and activities, replacing them with sustainable alternatives, by 2023;

·                     Continue to support national plastic-free campaigns such as Refill;

·                     Develop an action plan that sets out how the Council will reduce its own use of single-use plastic, and how the Council will encourage and promote plastic-free initiatives borough wide;

·                     Establish a Plastic Free Telford Community Group to help achieve our aspiration for the borough to become a certified Plastic Free Community.

This Council also resolves to:

·                     Call on this Government to provide the powers and resources to make both parts of this motion possible, and ask local MPs to do likewise;

·                     Ensure that the Council Plan and all Council reports consider their contribution to our commitments to becoming carbon neutral and plastic-free and identify the actions to be taken to address these issues;

Report back to Council with a progress update on Plastic Free Telford in September 2019 and on Climate Change in January 2020.

 

The motion was seconded by Councillor H Rhodes

 

Councillor T Janke moved the following amendment, with additional words shown in bold and underlined. 

 

“Part 1 - This Council resolves to declare a Climate Emergency and to:

·         Make a commitment for the Council’s operations and activities to be carbon neutral by 2030; 2025 and that every policy should now consider climate change at it’s very heart

·         Work with partners to identify and implement adaptation and mitigation measures to deal with the effects of the ongoing changes in climate;

·         Collaborate and engage with residents, partners and businesses in Telford & Wrekin and at a regional and national level to achieve our aspiration for the borough to be carbon neutral by 20302025 – making sure we take communities with us, protect employment and without impoverishing our most deprived communities;

·         Measure our current carbon footprint as a baseline to enable us to report on progress;

·         Through the existing scrutiny framework, collaborate cross party to set up a partnership to develop an action plan to move this declaration to delivery.

Part 2 - This Council resolves to support the Plastic Free Communities Campaign and to:

·         Make a borough wide commitment to remove single-use plastics from the Council’s operations and activities, replacing them with sustainable alternatives, by 2023; Including proactively encouraging residents, partners and stakeholders to find alternatives to single-use plastics.

·         Continue to support national plastic-free campaigns such as Refill;

·         Develop an action plan that sets out how the Council will reduce its own use of single-use plastic, and how the Council will encourage and promote plastic-free initiatives borough wide;

·         Establish a Plastic Free Telford Community Group to help achieve our aspiration for the borough to become a certified Plastic Free Community.

This Council also resolves to:

·         Call on this Government to provide the powers and resources to make both parts of this motion possible, and ask local MPs to do likewise;

·         Ensure that the Council Plan and all Council reports consider their contribution to our commitments to becoming carbon neutral and plastic-free and identify the actions to be taken to address these issues;

·         Report back to Council with a progress update on Plastic Free Telford in September 2019 and on Climate Change in January 2020.”

 

The amendment was seconded by Councillor W L Tomlinson

 

Following a lengthy debate a vote was taken on the adoption of the amendment put forward by Councillor Janke which was LOST.  A debate then took place on the original motion and upon being put to the vote the motion was CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED - that the motion be approved

 

(c)        Councillor S Bentley proposed the following Motion:-

 

The members of this Authority are united in their support of all residents aged 75 and above to have free TV Licenses irrespective of financial status.

 

The Motion was seconded by Councillor S P Burrell.

 

Councillor G Offland then moved an amendment to the motion with additional words and paragraphs as follows which was seconded by Councillor A D McClements:

“The members of this Authority are united in their support of all residents aged 75 and above to have free TV Licenses irrespective of financial status, which was introduced by a Labour Government!

“We therefore condemn the current Conservative government for knowingly forcing the responsibility for this austerity cut on to the BBC and breaking their Conservative manifesto promise.

We therefore call on the Government to immediately reverse this abhorrent attack on millions of vulnerable elderly and isolated people.”

 

At the conclusion of the debate, a recorded vote was taken on the amended motion put forward by Councillor Offland which was CARRIED, the voting being as follows:

 

For:     37       

Councillors K T Blundell, M Boylan, A J Burford, E Callear, L D Carter, C Cassar, E A Clare, G H Cook, S Davies, A England, R C Evans, C Healey, V Holt, T Janke, A Jhawar, J Jones, J Lavery, A D McClements, R Mehta, K Middleton, L A Murray, G Offland, R A Overton, G C W Reynolds, S A W Reynolds, S J Reynolds, H Rhodes, K S Sahota, P J Scott, C Smith, M Smith, J Thomspson, K Tomlinson, W L Tomlinson, C R Turley, D White, D Wright.

 

Against:          0

 

Abstentions: 11

Councillors S Bentley, S P Burrell, E J Carter, I Fletcher, V Fletcher, E J Greenaway, M B Hosken, R T Kiernan, A Lawrence, T J Nelson, J M Seymour

 

RESOLVED - that the amended motion be approved.