Agenda item

Council considered the following motions from councillors in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 38. 

1.    Councillor Robin Bennett moved, and Councillor Andrea Powell seconded the motion as set out in the agenda at agenda item 12.

After debate and on being put to the vote the motion was agreed.

RESOLVED: That

Council notes that the Government is currently running its public consultation on the Vision for “the Oxford to Cambridge Arc”.

It appears that Government has made economic growth its priority for the Arc, without asking residents whether that is the right priority, considering natural limits and resource constraints, or even whether the Arc project is necessary.

The Dasgupta review, published earlier this year¹, found that the UK’s traditional approach to growth is unsustainable.

Local authority leaders, including from this council, have tried to prioritise nature and climate action by proposing Arc Environmental Principles, but the Government’s current consultation ignores them, as noted by BBOWT², RSPB³ and others.

Council notes these concerns and asks the Leader to write to the new Minister for Levelling up, Housing and Communities, asking him to:

·       Pause the Arc project to reflect on whether the creation of an arbitrary geographic construct driving excessive growth in the South East will make a positive contribution to the government’s stated aim of ‘levelling up’ the UK.

·       If the project is to continue, set out clearly what the Government’s aims for it are, including expected costs, projected housing and growth expectations, and how it will fit into a wider regional structure within the UK.

·       Give local authorities within the Arc area the powers and funding needed to enable landscape-scale nature restoration and world-leading environmental standards.

·       Ensure proper local democratic control, with constituent local planning authorities able to set their own housing requirements based on local need.

¹ https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-economics-of-biodiversity-the-dasgupta-review

²https://www.bbowt.org.uk/blog/estelle-bailey/government-must-rethink-arc-avoid-environmental-catastrophe

³https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/rspb-england/posts/time-to-rethink-the-arc

2.    With the consent of Council, Councillor Anne-Marie Simpson moved and, Councillor Pieter-Paul Barker seconded the following motion to reflect comments received from councillors prior to the meeting – omitted words shown by a strikethrough and additional words shown in bold

Council acknowledges the appointment of a new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It hopes that he will reconsider welcomes the fact that he is reconsidering HM Government’s proposed planning reforms and hopes he makes use of this opportunity to prioritise ambitions to address the climate emergency, protect and enhance the natural environment and increase biodiversity – all of which will help to improve the health and well-being of the nation. It is only by putting sustainability at the heart of these matters that the UK will be able to deliver on its environmental ambitions.

The Council notes:

·       the appointment of Michael Gove as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

·       the upcoming United Nations COP26 climate summit gives government at all levels the opportunity to galvanise action on reducing emissions.

·       HM Government’s stated ambitions to Build Back Better, achieve Net Zero and to leave the natural environment in a better state than it found it.

Council calls for HM Government to:

·       scrap the current proposals for planning reform and maintain the right of local residents to engage and comment on individual planning applications

·       transform the local planning process into one that assesses the climate fitness of a district and plans for growth within the environmental capacity of the area, looking at carbon emissions, water availability and the pressing need for nature recovery at scale

·       maintain the right of local people, through robust Neighbourhood and Local Plan processes, to decide how their communities develop sustainably

·       reverse the recently introduced permitted development rights which bypass local decision-making

·       support councils in adopting strong local and strategic planning policies (including through plans like the Oxfordshire Plan 2050) to maximise protection for the environment, decarbonise, recycle urban land, revitalise existing places and plan for new  development within the limits of climate and environmental capacity, to create strong, healthy, sustainable communities where people want, and can afford, to live

·       in the process of decarbonising and protecting the environment, perform a thorough review of both Building Regulations and NPPF, require property developments to be built to net carbon zero standards in manufacture and in use, or justify any shortfall.

and asks the Leader to write to the Secretary of State and our local Members of Parliament to this effect and to reiterate this Council’s belief that the 5 Year Housing Land Supply measure is flawed and inappropriate, as Councils should not be held to account for the actions – or indeed lack of action - of developers, with regard to the delivery of housing on allocated or approved development sites.

RESOLVED: That

Council acknowledges the appointment of a new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It welcomes the fact that he is reconsidering HM Government’s proposed planning reforms and hopes he makes use of this opportunity to prioritise ambitions to address the climate emergency, protect and enhance the natural environment and increase biodiversity – all of which will help to improve the health and well-being of the nation. It is only by putting sustainability at the heart of these matters that the UK will be able to deliver on its environmental ambitions.

The Council notes:

·    the appointment of Michael Gove as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

·    the upcoming United Nations COP26 climate summit gives government at all levels the opportunity to galvanise action on reducing emissions.

·    HM Government’s stated ambitions to Build Back Better, achieve Net Zero and to leave the natural environment in a better state than it found it.

Council calls for HM Government to:

·       scrap the current proposals for planning reform and maintain the right of local residents to engage and comment on individual planning applications

·       transform the local planning process into one that assesses the climate fitness of a district and plans for growth within the environmental capacity of the area, looking at carbon emissions, water availability and the pressing need for nature recovery at scale

·       maintain the right of local people, through robust Neighbourhood and Local Plan processes, to decide how their communities develop sustainably

·       reverse the recently introduced permitted development rights which bypass local decision-making

·       support councils in adopting strong local and strategic planning policies (including through plans like the Oxfordshire Plan 2050) to maximise protection for the environment, decarbonise, recycle urban land, revitalise existing places and plan for new development within the limits of climate and environmental capacity, to create strong, healthy, sustainable communities where people want, and can afford, to live

·       in the process of decarbonising and protecting the environment, perform a thorough review of both Building Regulations and NPPF, require property developments to be built to net carbon zero standards in manufacture and in use, or justify any shortfall

·       in the process of decarbonising and protecting the environment, perform a thorough review of both Building Regulations and NPPF, require property developments to be built to net carbon zero standards in manufacture and in use, or justify any shortfall.

and asks the Leader to write to the Secretary of State and our local Members of Parliament to this effect and to reiterate this Council’s belief that the 5 Year Housing Land Supply measure is flawed and inappropriate, as Councils should not be held to account for the actions – or indeed lack of action - of developers, with regard to the delivery of housing on allocated or approved development sites.

3.    Councillor David Rouane moved, and Councillor Sue Cooper seconded the motion as set out in the agenda at agenda item 12.

Councillor Snowdon had left the meeting prior to the recorded vote on this item.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 67, which provides for a recorded vote if three members request one, the Chair called for a recorded vote on the motion which was declared carried with the voting as follows:

RESOLVED: That

In March 2020, as we were faced with the economic fallout from the pandemic, the Government did the right thing and increased Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit by £20 a week.

Council notes that this £20 a week is now to be cut, coming into effect for families on Universal Credit from 6 October. This cut will mean the biggest overnight cut to the basic rate of social security since the modern welfare state began, more than 70 years ago.

According to analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 21% of all working-age families will experience a £1,040-a-year cut to their incomes from this week.

Many of the same families will be seeing an increase in National Insurance costs. Lower income households spend more of their income on basic essentials such as food and utilities, and the cost of these is currently rising fast.

The Government says it wants to support people back into work as we emerge from the crisis. But working families make up around 60% of families who will be affected.

Council reiterates our corporate plan commitment to support vulnerable members of our community through improved economic and community wellbeing.

Council acknowledges the concerns raised by local and national charities (including as Elmore, Citizens Advice Bureau and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation) about the significantly negative impact this cut will have on the financial security and well being of those effected in our district.

Council deplores the decision of the Government to remove the ‘temporary’ uplift in Universal Credit which will directly impact at least 5,024* families in the South Oxfordshire district.

Council therefore resolves to ask the Leader to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (copied to our local MPs) expressing our grave concern about the impact on families within the district and to request that the decision to cut the Universal Credit uplift reversed, and that the uplift be incorporated permanently into Universal Credit. 

*The total number of households on Universal Credit as of May 2021 is 6,060; of which 5,024 are in payment. (Gov.uk)

4.    Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers moved, and Councillor Sam Casey-Rerhaye seconded, the motion as set out in the agenda at agenda item 12.

After debate and on being put to the vote the motion was agreed.

RESOLVED: That

Council notes:

• The recent report by Swim England which warns that almost 2,000 pools could be lost in England by the end of the decade.
• The Council’s annual greenhouse gas emission report (https://www.southoxon.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Greenhouse-gas-emissions-report-South-2019-20.docx)  in respect to our aging leisure centres, coupled with the need to decarbonise wet side facilities to achieve the council’s carbon reduction targets, rightly requires a focus on heat decarbonisation and whole building approach.
• That phase one and two of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund were oversubscribed within weeks of opening, highlighting the need to move away from stop-start initiatives of ringfenced pots of money with competitive bidding processes – and, instead, resource local areas to deliver their own decarbonisation strategies.
• That competitive bidding for funds can put significant resource pressure on lean councils without guarantee of award. 
• That the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund’s eligibility criteria make the fund particularly inaccessible to councils whose leisure centres are operated by third party providers.
• Long-term funding, delivered through local authorities would deliver positive outcomes in terms of enhancing the future of public swimming pools, potentially decrease the long-term cost of operating pools, and contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions.
• Long-term funding, invested through local authorities and other public sector organisations, will also provide local suppliers with the confidence to invest in staff, skills and the technology.

Council resolves to:

• Continue work on evaluation of the best ways to decarbonise our leisure centres at a pace, so that applications for phase 3 or any subsequent rounds of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund can be utilised, noting the constraints above and that the criteria for these funding routes are set nationally.
• Agree that the leader writes to BEIS highlighting both the barriers in the existing schemes, as well as the urgent need for the Government to set out a long-term funding for safeguarding and decarbonising leisure centres and move away from competitive bidding in order to support local authorities to lead the way in the delivery of a net zero future for leisure.

5.    Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak moved, and Councillor Kellie Hinton seconded, the motion as set out in the agenda at agenda item 12.

After debate and on being put to the vote the motion was agreed.

RESOLVED: That

Council notes that:  

·       Two years ago, Sue Ryder at Nettlebed closed. Therefore, in South Oxfordshire there is no End of Life palliative hospice care provision. South Oxfordshire has a population of 140,000 and from Thame to Didcot and Caversham, from Oxford to Henley on Thames there are no end of life residential care facilities.

·       The Duchess of Kent (Tilehurst) and Sobell House (Oxford) are not admitting any new patients. Thames Hospice in Maidenhead has 26 Beds, and all are full.

Council questions why does Berkshire have great End of Life Palliative hospice care and yet the Clinical Commissioning Groups covering South Oxfordshire provide absolutely none within its boundaries?

Council resolves that South Oxfordshire residents deserve better and asks the Leader of the council to write to the Clinical Commissioning Groups covering South Oxfordshire calling on them to properly analyse the need and provide suitable residential hospice care with appropriate specialist care from nurses, doctors and consultants.

6.    Councillor Sam Casey-Rerhaye moved, and Councillor George Levy seconded, the motion as set out in the agenda at agenda item 12.

After debate and on being put to the vote the motion was agreed.

RESOLVED: That

Council notes that:

Joint Scrutiny have approved their Task and Finish group’s report on Retrofitting Homes in the Districts and this report will go for consideration to the Climate & Ecological Emergencies Advisory Committee and Cabinet.

Retrofitting homes for energy efficiency is essential to achieve our carbon emission reduction target.

Energy efficient measures in homes also addresses health inequalities and fuel poverty.

Local Authorities are well placed to be a leading partner in co-ordinating this complex but urgent issue, alongside LEPs.

The government’s Green Homes Grant was a failure on its own terms and could have set back retrofitting in this country.

The National Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has already developed a national Retrofit Strategy and says a ‘retrofit army’ is needed.

The UK is hosting the UN COP26 conference in November and our government should have evidence-based concrete strategies in place to achieve massive carbon savings, essential if we are to work with the global community to limit catastrophic climate breakdown.

Council resolves to:

·       Write to the Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, the Minister of State for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP and the president of COP26, Rt Hon Alok Sharma, enclosing the Joint Scrutiny Report, urging them to:

·       address this issue as a priority, recognising its importance in achieving our national and international carbon emission targets;

·       suggest that Ministers use the Construction Leadership Council’s Retrofit Strategy as a basis for a government policy and plan;

·       include adequate funding for all Local Authorities in any retrofit strategy as they are perfectly placed to lead local Retrofit partnerships and strategies alongside LEPs;

·       develop long term support for householders including changes in relevant laws, guidance and tax regulations and to encourage businesses and skills development in this area;

·       recognise the benefits to society in better health and wellbeing from energy efficient homes;

·       recognise the industrial and employment opportunities that a countrywide retrofit plan could present to the British economy

·       Work collaboratively with local and national government partners, the Oxfordshire LEP, the FOP Environment Advisory Board, businesses and NGOs to seek to develop the capacity for such a ‘retrofit army’, identify external funding sources and to offer advice and support to individuals, households and businesses wishing to retrofit their buildings where possible.