Minutes:
It was moved by Councillor Edward Hawkins and seconded by Councillor Vivienne Chapman that
“this Council supports the actions being taken by Surrey County Council in tackling the environmental impact on our daily lives and supports the Government’s aim of eradicating the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050. The Borough Council will
(i) ask the Executive to establish a Working Group to deliver a strategy in 2019/20 which will be charged with outlining how the Council plans to deliver the target, including actions that will be taken. In doing so, it will liaise with Surrey County Council in urging government to confirm what support will be made available to local authorities;
(ii) declare a ‘Climate Emergency’, and develops actions to support businesses and all relevant bodies in their work to tackle climate change; and
(iii) develop a policy for the use of renewable materials and energy across the Council’s estate.
It was confirmed that the membership of an Executive Working Group was usually made in line with the Council’s political proportionality and was not restricted to members of the Executive
Members discussed the Government’s 2050 deadline and suggested that it was not ambitious enough and the length of this deadline did not reflect the declaration of an emergency.
It was moved by Councillor Rodney Bates and seconded by Councillor Adrian Page that the motion be amended to remove the words “by 2050”. The amendment was put to the vote and carried. As a consequence, it became the substantive motion, which was then put to the vote and carried.
RESOLVED to
(i) support the actions being taken by Surrey County Council in tackling the environmental impact on our daily lives and support the Government’s aim of eradicating the UK’s contribution to climate change;
(ii) ask the Executive to establish a Working Group to deliver a strategy in 2019/20 which will be charged with outlining how the Council plans to deliver the target, including actions that will be taken, and liaising with Surrey County Council in urging government to confirm what support will be made available to local authorities;
(iii) declare a ‘Climate Emergency’, and develop actions to support businesses and all relevant bodies in their work to tackle climate change; and
(iv) develop a policy for the use of renewable materials and energy across the Council’s estate.