To receive notification of any matters which the chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent.
Minutes:
In advance of the meeting the chair had circulated ‘The People’s Plan for Nature’ report for the committee to read. The chair highlighted that the report was produced by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the National Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and had come out of a people’s assembly where people were asked about how they see nature in 2050. Various calls for action were published in the report which the chair felt were very useful due to their specific nature. She wanted to see if there were any actions which could be brought out for the councils in light of the next corporate plan which needed to be prepared soon and a direction needed to be chosen. The chair asked that the present cabinet members considered the recommendations which the committee made.
The committee reflected that they had enjoyed reading the report and agreed that it would be of use when the next corporate plan was formulated. It had been difficult to formulate actions when the corporate plan had last been developed. They highlighted that the report contained specific actions for local government to take. Members were keen to ensure that special protection was given to the River Thames.
The chair highlighted that partnership was a very key part of the report and that the committee had been proactive in ensuring this through work with the Local Nature Partnership which she identified as an important place for these actions to be able to happen. A need for large scale biodiversity mapping was identified to allow for a more joined up view to be taken. One member did note that the Local Nature Partnership (LNP) did not have statutory weight as it was not a statutory consultee. The chair reflected that this was a national government power but that as a local authority it was possible for feedback to be driven upwards on this matter. It was highlighted that through Oxfordshire County Council which was the accountable body for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) the Local Nature Partnership will be a key partner feeding into the LNRS. A member stressed the importance of actions formulated from the report being measurable. They were also keen to ensure that a regional nature park was created to build on areas where nature already had a strong hold.
Another member identified that the main cause of stress to nature was climate change and therefore this should be a key part at the beginning of the report.
There was discussion of the broad nature of the membership of the Local Nature Partnership. The committee had previously discussed if the Local Nature Partnership should respond to all planning applications and whilst this was not possible in resource terms the committee felt that responses should be submitted to large strategic sites such as the Botley solar farm application.
The committee agreed it would be beneficial for the report to be sent to the Local Nature Partnership as an agenda item for them to consider. It was suggested that the report was built into their future planning.
A member noted that there was emphasis in the report on what individuals and communities can do and that there were already a number of communities and individuals who were active and that this should be encouraged as there was a responsibility on everyone to take actions against climate change. They posed the question “what could the committee do to help individuals and communities convene, be informed and to take more action?”. The Climate Action Oxfordshire website was referenced as a good framework for giving people information to allow them to take actions themselves.
One member made comment that they felt the local authority had a huge part to play. Many communities do not know where to start with this kind of work but more fundamentally the local authority was the planning authority and where houses and roads were built nature cannot be restored so this must be mitigated.
The chair highlighted that the report stated there should be an access to nature as a right and this will then feed through into all legislative and statutory duties.
Recommendation:
That the “People’s Plan for Nature” report forms part of the evidence base for the next corporate plan to establish measurable targets
Consideration should be given to a local nature park.