Agenda item

To consider motions from councillors in accordance with Council procedure rule 39. 

(1)       Motion to be proposed by Councillor Khan, seconded by Councillor Macdonald:

Council supports in principal that the community of Great Western Park should reside in one parish within one district council area.

Council notes:

1. that the community of Great Western Park is currently split between those living in Didcot parish within South Oxfordshire District Council and those living in Harwell parish within Vale of White Horse District Council;
2. that a request to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England for a review of the boundaries of principal council areas, by means of Principal Area Boundary Review (PABR), must be made by all the principal councils concerned, in this case South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils;
3. that any final decision on such a request would require consideration of a report from the chief executive covering the benefits of the proposal, the financial implications and evidence of support from the local community.

Council resolves to request the chief executive to ask the Leader of Vale of White Horse if an item can be included on the next Council agenda for Vale of White Horse District Council to seek views on whether it would support, in principal, a request to the LGBCE for a PABR of the boundary between South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils to address the current geographical division of the community within Great Western Park. 

(2)       Motion to be proposed by Councillor Robin Bennett, seconded by Councillor Leigh Rawlins:

This council considers that the UK government’s so-called ‘investment zones’, proposed by the Chancellor in his recent ‘mini-budget’, are a disaster in the making, for the environment, local communities, democracy and public finances.

Council notes that the similar ‘enterprise zones’ introduced in 2011 only generated about one quarter of the forecast jobs and that a significant part of those were from existing companies moving into the zones.

Under the proposals, local consultations and environmental regulations have been presented as ‘burdensome requirements’. Development which ‘responds to the market’ in these zones is required to be additional to the sites already set out in Local Plans, which are carefully planned to respond to local needs and to respect the local environment. Investment zones will be able to ‘relax’ well-evidenced policy requirements that have been consulted on and approved by local councillors. Those policies are there for a reason.

It appears that EU-based environmental regulations such as Habitat Regulation Assessments will be scrapped in these zones, with no clarity as to how they will be replaced.

Instead of treating nature protection as something that is in the way of growth, the environment should be at the heart of decision-making, given that it is the foundation of all economic prosperity.

Oxfordshire’s 6 councils have already agreed a Strategic Vision for long-term sustainable development; adopting a get rich quick scheme devised by Right-wing think tanks is not in keeping with that vision.

Council asks the Leader to write to DLUHC and Oxfordshire County Council to say that South Oxfordshire is already a key contributor to the wider UK economy and that democratic local plans remain the best vehicle to continue to deliver that contribution. Responding to the market alone is not enough: South Oxfordshire’s residents need to be heard, not sidelined, and our environment respected.

1.          Motion proposed by Councillor Khan and seconded by Councillor Macdonald:

RESOLVED:

That Council supports in principle that the community of Great Western Park should reside in one parish within one district council area.

Council notes:

1.     that the community of Great Western Park is currently split between those living in Didcot parish within South Oxfordshire District Council and those living in Harwell parish within Vale of White Horse District Council;

2.     that a request to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England for a review of the boundaries of principal council areas, by means of Principal Area Boundary Review (PABR), must be made by all the principal councils concerned, in this case South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils;

3.     that any final decision on such a request would require consideration of a report from the chief executive covering the benefits of the proposal, the financial implications and evidence of support from the local community.

Council resolves to request the chief executive to ask the Leader of Vale of White Horse if an item can be included on the next Council agenda for Vale of White Horse District Council to seek views on whether it would support, in principle, a request to the LGBCE for a PABR of the boundary between South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils to address the current geographical division of the community within Great Western Park.

2.      Motion proposed by Councillor Robin Bennett and seconded by Councillor Leigh Rawlins:

RESOLVED:

That council considers that the UK government’s so-called ‘investment zones’, proposed by the Chancellor in his recent ‘mini-budget’, are a disaster in the making, for the environment, local communities, democracy and public finances.

Council notes that the similar ‘enterprise zones’ introduced in 2011 only generated about one quarter of the forecast jobs and that a significant part of those were from existing companies moving into the zones.

Under the proposals, local consultations and environmental regulations have been presented as ‘burdensome requirements’. Development which ‘responds to the market’ in these zones is required to be additional to the sites already set out in Local Plans, which are carefully planned to respond to local needs and to respect the local environment. Investment zones will be able to ‘relax’ well-evidenced policy requirements that have been consulted on and approved by local councillors. Those policies are there for a reason. 

It appears that EU-based environmental regulations such as Habitat Regulation Assessments will be scrapped in these zones, with no clarity as to how they will be replaced. 

Instead of treating nature protection as something that is in the way of growth, the environment should be at the heart of decision-making, given that it is the foundation of all economic prosperity. 

Oxfordshire’s 6 councils have already agreed a Strategic Vision for long-term sustainable development; adopting a get rich quick scheme devised by Right-wing think tanks is not in keeping with that vision. 

Council asks the Leader to write to DLUHC and Oxfordshire County Council to say that South Oxfordshire is already a key contributor to the wider UK economy and that democratic local plans remain the best vehicle to continue to deliver that contribution. Responding to the market alone is not enough: South Oxfordshire’s residents need to be heard, not sidelined, and our environment respected. 

1.          Councillor Mocky Khan moved, and Councillor Axel Macdonald seconded, the motion as set out in the agenda at agenda item 14

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

RESOLVED:

That Council supports in principle that the community of Great Western Park should reside in one parish within one district council area.

Council notes:

1.     that the community of Great Western Park is currently split between those living in Didcot parish within South Oxfordshire District Council and those living in Harwell parish within Vale of White Horse District Council;

2.     that a request to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England for a review of the boundaries of principal council areas, by means of Principal Area Boundary Review (PABR), must be made by all the principal councils concerned, in this case South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils;

3.     that any final decision on such a request would require consideration of a report from the chief executive covering the benefits of the proposal, the financial implications and evidence of support from the local community.

Council resolves to request the chief executive to ask the Leader of Vale of White Horse if an item can be included on the next Council agenda for Vale of White Horse District Council to seek views on whether it would support, in principle, a request to the LGBCE for a PABR of the boundary between South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils to address the current geographical division of the community within Great Western Park.

2.      Councillor Robin Bennett moved, and Councillor Leigh Rawlins seconded, the motion as set out in the agenda at agenda item 14

Councillor David Bartholomew moved, and Councillor Jane Murphy seconded, a motion without notice to withdraw the motion. In doing so they expressed the view that consideration of the motion was not necessary because Oxfordshire County Council had already written to government ministers to state it would not bid to be involved in the investment zone initiative. The majority of councillors expressed the view that, irrespective of the response from Oxfordshire County Council, it was important that Council expressed its view on the matter.

On being put the motion without notice was declared lost. 

After debate and on being put to the vote the motion as set out in the agenda was agreed.

RESOLVED:

That council considers that the UK government’s so-called ‘investment zones’, proposed by the Chancellor in his recent ‘mini-budget’, are a disaster in the making, for the environment, local communities, democracy and public finances.

Council notes that the similar ‘enterprise zones’ introduced in 2011 only generated about one quarter of the forecast jobs and that a significant part of those were from existing companies moving into the zones.

Under the proposals, local consultations and environmental regulations have been presented as ‘burdensome requirements’. Development which ‘responds to the market’ in these zones is required to be additional to the sites already set out in Local Plans, which are carefully planned to respond to local needs and to respect the local environment. Investment zones will be able to ‘relax’ well-evidenced policy requirements that have been consulted on and approved by local councillors. Those policies are there for a reason. 

It appears that EU-based environmental regulations such as Habitat Regulation Assessments will be scrapped in these zones, with no clarity as to how they will be replaced. 

Instead of treating nature protection as something that is in the way of growth, the environment should be at the heart of decision-making, given that it is the foundation of all economic prosperity. 

Oxfordshire’s 6 councils have already agreed a Strategic Vision for long-term sustainable development; adopting a get rich quick scheme devised by Right-wing think tanks is not in keeping with that vision. 

Council asks the Leader to write to DLUHC and Oxfordshire County Council to say that South Oxfordshire is already a key contributor to the wider UK economy and that democratic local plans remain the best vehicle to continue to deliver that contribution. Responding to the market alone is not enough: South Oxfordshire’s residents need to be heard, not sidelined, and our environment respected.