Item 8 (i)
Lance Spencer (Goldsworth East and Horsell Village) to move under standing order 11 as follows:
This Council notes that:
4. declares a ‘Climate Emergency’, and commits actions to support businesses and all local authorities in their work to tackle climate change by providing a strong unified voice for councils in lobbying for support to address this emergency, and sharing best practice across all councils.
- Food production has a high impact on climate and the environment. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change and land estimates that 21-27% of total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are attributable to the food system (Special Report on Climate Change and Land, IPCC, 2019). Local, organic and animal friendly food production systems reduce these emissions.
- What we eat has a significant impact on our climate impact in the UK. This is explored by the Centre for Alternative Technology (Zero Carbon: Rethinking the Future - Centre for Alternative Technology)
- What we eat has a strong role to play in our public health, including through Surrey’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
- Surrey County Council has a significant role to play in leadership in this area - including through our procurement of food, addressing food waste and through our farm ownership.
- Implementing Surrey’s Climate Change Strategy will have a positive impact on our land-use in Surrey.
- Surrey County Councillors can play an active role in advocating for what is needed in this area.
This Council further notes that:
This Council calls on the Cabinet to:
Item 8 (ii)
Catherine Baart (Earlswood and Reigate South) to move under standing order 11 as follows:
This Council notes that:
The Council resolves to:
I. Declare a Biodiversity Emergency, and reflect this in forthcoming strategies, including Surrey’s Local Nature Recovery, Food and Land-use Strategies.
Request the Leader and Cabinet to:
II. Within six months to set out how Surrey County Council will contribute to the UK meeting its 30% by 2030 biodiversity target, both for its own estate and for all of Surrey.
III. Proactively work with Surrey’s boroughs and districts to develop and agree deliverable and robust strategies and plans to increase biodiversity, including restoration of degraded habitats, restricting invasive species, allocating defined areas across Surrey that have high potential for increased biodiversity that should be protected from housing development and reducing pollution.
Item 8 (iii)
Catherine Powell (Farnham North) to move under standing order 11 as follows:
This Council notes that:
This Council further notes:
Therefore, this Council calls upon the Cabinet to:
II. Develop and fund a proactive maintenance approach to vegetation impacting on walking and cycling routes. This approach should prioritise areas of high employment (including town centres), schools, hospitals, and leisure facilities to ensure that these routes are consistently safe, enjoyable, easy, and convenient to use to promote them as an alternative to private vehicle use, whilst continuing to promote biodiversity.
III. Ensure that the approach to highway inspection is extended from surveying highway defects to inspections of issues that impact on all road users (not just vehicles), for example encroaching vegetation, left-behind signs, debris on pavements and cycleways and blocked drains.
IV. Use the knowledge of Members, local organisations and cycling and walking groups to enable the relevant officer team to create local walking and cycling maps for schools, businesses, health, and leisure facilities etc. to use within their own plans and strategies. These maps should proactively encourage sustainable travel across the county using tools such as Surrey Interactive Map.
Minutes:
Item 8 (i)
Under Standing Order 12.3 the Cabinet Member for Environment, Marisa Heath, moved a proposal. The proposal was as follows:
That the motion below by Lance Spencer be referred to the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee for the purpose of consideration and making recommendations to the Cabinet or the Council for decision.
This Council notes that:
4. declares a ‘Climate Emergency’, and commits actions to support businesses and all local authorities in their work to tackle climate change by providing a strong unified voice for councils in lobbying for support to address this emergency, and sharing best practice across all councils.
- Food production has a high impact on climate and the environment. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change and land estimates that 21-27% of total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are attributable to the food system (Special Report on Climate Change and Land, IPCC, 2019). Local, organic and animal friendly food production systems reduce these emissions.
- What we eat has a significant impact on our climate impact in the UK. This is explored by the Centre for Alternative Technology (Zero Carbon: Rethinking the Future - Centre for Alternative Technology)
- What we eat has a strong role to play in our public health, including through Surrey’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
- Surrey County Council has a significant role to play in leadership in this area - including through our procurement of food, addressing food waste and through our farm ownership.
- Implementing Surrey’s Climate Change Strategy will have a positive impact on our land-use in Surrey.
- Surrey County Councillors can play an active role in advocating for what is needed in this area.
This Council further notes that:
This Council calls on the Cabinet to:
Lance Spencer made the following points:
· Noted that he was against the referral of the motion.
· Noted that in July 2019 the Council passed a motion recognising the climate crisis and that it had a key role to work with local communities to find a way forward to reduce the amount of carbon emitted in Surrey: 6 million tonnes annually.
· Noted that June 2023 was the hottest June ever recorded and was 1.46 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, close to the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold for irreversible damage to the planet.
· Noted that between October 2021 and the current Council meeting, there had been six motions on various subjects related to climate change and those sought to engage with communities to highlight the need to act; minimal action had been taken.
· Noted that debating the motion at the current Council meeting would encourage more people to talk about climate change.
· Noted that there was no technological solution that would fix the problem, until the Government and the Council makes the environment a priority, then it could be assumed that the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold for irreversible damage to the planet would be passed soon.
In speaking to her proposal, the Cabinet Member for Environment:
· Noted that a lot of the work the motion called for was already being done, the contractor Twelve15 provided Meat-free Mondays and the take up of vegetarian meals was up to 30%, work was underway with the Eco-Schools project around food sustainability and nutritious diets.
· Noted that Twelve15 was working with the Council to figure out how locally sourced food could be supplied and reviewing how the Council could ensure that it would meet its net zero guidelines regarding food.
· Noted that the motion at the March 2023 Council meeting was referred to the Greener Futures Reference Group for consideration, the topic of locally sourced food was broad and as the Surrey Food Strategy work remained underway, it was vital to refer this motion to the relevant select committee to scrutinise all the work underway in-depth.
· Noted that it was a complicated matter, involving land management, nature recovery, working with Surrey’s schools and many other elements that could not be addressed at a Council meeting.
Lance Spencer confirmed that he was against the referral of the motion to the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee.
The proposal to refer the motion was put to the vote and was carried.
Therefore, it was RESOLVED that:
The motion be referred to the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee for the purpose of consideration and making recommendations to the Cabinet or the Council for decision.
Item 8 (ii)
Under Standing Order 12.3 the Council agreed to debate this motion.
Under Standing Order 12.1 Catherine Baart moved:
This Council notes that:
The Council resolves to:
I. Declare a Biodiversity Emergency, and reflect this in forthcoming strategies, including Surrey’s Local Nature Recovery, Food and Land-use Strategies.
Request the Leader and Cabinet to:
II. Within six months to set out how Surrey County Council will contribute to the UK meeting its 30% by 2030 biodiversity target, both for its own estate and for all of Surrey.
III. Proactively work with Surrey’s boroughs and districts to develop and agree deliverable and robust strategies and plans to increase biodiversity, including restoration of degraded habitats, restricting invasive species, allocating defined areas across Surrey that have high potential for increased biodiversity that should be protected from housing development and reducing pollution.
Catherine Baart made the following points:
· Noted that yesterday the Council issued a press release which announced Government funding received to develop the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Surrey.
· The press release explained that the Strategy was vital to tackle the ‘nature crisis’, noted that if her wording of ‘biodiversity emergency’ could be replaced with nature crisis then perhaps Members could agree the original motion.
· Noted that the continuing decline in nature was on the trajectory to catastrophe, many species in Surrey had become rare or extinct; a small removal could cause the whole system to collapse.
· Noted that a nature crisis was dangerous as humans relied on natural systems which carried out essential jobs for free: pollination of food crops, providing flood and drought resilience and heat mitigation.
· Noted that the above services required an abundance of creatures to work, lower biodiversity makes natural systems less resilient to climate change; making it harder and more expensive for the Council to meet its net zero targets.
· Recommended Members read the People's Plan for Nature, an initiative in response to the recent BBC Wild Isles series narrated by Sir David Attenborough; the response from one of its producers about biodiversity was that the UK could not escape a nature collapse.
· Noted that there was a vital difference between noting a decline in biodiversity as in the proposed amendment, compared to declaring a biodiversity emergency and target; which would be a call to action.
· Noted that the motion referred to the national and local State of Nature scientific reports, voting against the motion suggested that Members overall did not understand or care to acknowledge that data.
· Noted that the above was the same pattern for climate change, time had been lost and so the costs and dangers were higher; quoted a well-known naturalist who did not ‘think enough of those people who are in the decision-making process are feeling it quite enough yet.’
· Noted that the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Surrey was due in twelve to eighteen months, in all that time the Council would not have any target for limiting biodiversity loss; suggested the target of protecting 30% of Surrey’s nature by 2030, calling on partners and stakeholders immediately to consider their own actions.
· Noted that other Conservative-led councils had declared a biodiversity emergency: Dorset Council, Devon and Cambridgeshire County Councils.
· Noted vision statements provided in the People's Plan for Nature whereby: nature is valued and cared for, species are abundant and all look after and are a voice for nature, there is a collaborative long-term approach to prioritising nature in all decision-making, creating an empowered and healthier world; the motion could move towards that.
The motion was formally seconded by Catherine Powell, who reserved the right to speak.
Marisa Heath moved an amendment which had been published in the supplementary agenda (items 6 and 8) on 10 July 2023, which was formally seconded by Denise Turner-Stewart.
The amendment was as follows (with additional words in bold/underlined and deletions crossed through):
This Council notes that:
The Council resolves to:
I.
Note that this Council has recognised that there
has been biodiversity decline in SurreyDeclare a Biodiversity Emergency, and
will be reflecting this in forthcoming strategies,
including Surrey’s emerging Local Nature Recovery,
Food and Land-use Strategies.
Request the Leader and Cabinet to:
II.
Within six months to set out how
Note that this Council is proactively working
with Surrey’s districts and boroughs, as well as other
partners and landowners through the development of the emerging
Local Nature Recovery Strategy to reverse the decline in
biodiversity and restore degraded habitats as well as consideration
of how Surrey County Council will
contribute to the UK
meeting its 30% by 2030 biodiversity target, both for its own
estate and for all of Surrey., though this will be
in the timeframe of the development and agreement of the Local
Nature Recovery Strategy.
III.
Proactively work
with Surrey’s boroughs and districts to develop and agree
deliverable and robust strategies and plans to
increase biodiversity, including
restoration of degraded habitats, restricting invasive species,
allocating defined areas across Surrey that have high potential for
increased biodiversity that should be protected from housing
development and reducing pollution.Commit to its role as Lead
Authority for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy to proactively
engage with the WWF People’s Plan for Nature and ensure
Surrey residents are fully involved in the development of the Local
Nature Recovery Strategy.
Marisa Heath spoke to her amendment, making the following points:
· Noted that she had amended the motion for three reasons: firstly, to acknowledge the existing vehicles that the Council was working in and the work underway, secondly, to reflect the People's Plan for Nature as Members were the custodians looking after the countryside in Surrey for their residents, and thirdly, to remove the word emergency as the Council was beginning to develop its Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Surrey and the use of the word could be damaging to people’s mental health, particularly young people.
· Noted that she did not underestimate the challenge set out in the 2017 State of Surrey’s Nature report, the amendment noted that the Council accepted that nature recovery was important moving forward and would be integrated into business-as-usual work, using the mechanism provided by the Government.
· Agreed with many of the principles in the motion, it was evident that there was a problem with nature and that needed to be addressed.
· Noted that outline work was underway on the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Surrey; there had been workshops with Surrey Hills nature groups and it would be vital to include the experts and baseline data, ensuring that the outcomes could be measured and delivered.
· Recognised that the People’s Plan for Nature was crucial ensuring that all residents are engaged with and that had been added in the amendment, she thanked Jonathan Essex for raising that with her.
· Noted that she welcomed Members’ involvement and that they would be kept regularly updated on the progress of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Surrey through her Cabinet Member Briefings.
The amendment was formally seconded by Denise Turner-Stewart, who made the following comments:
· Noted that the amendment helped to shine a light on Spelthorne, one of Surrey's most nature depleted boroughs, the greatest opportunity for nature recovery was in Surrey’s nature depleted boroughs, and urban and suburban areas.
· Noted that compared to twenty years ago when the rural restoration programme was established including tree planting, hedgerow restoration and green corridors which saw the return of nature; biodiversity had become a mainstream priority and commitment.
· Noted that the Council’s commitment to reversing the decline in biodiversity was evident through: the River Thames Scheme and numerous environmental projects, supporting the BLUE Campaign, working with borough and district councils to rewild open spaces, the Eco-Schools programme, Your Fund Surrey Small Green Projects about to launch, the tree planting programme and supporting the Surrey Tree Warden Network, the imminent stump removal and tree replacement programme, and protecting nature conservation areas.
· Noted that the amendment supported the endeavour to collectively work together to reverse the decline in biodiversity, restore degraded habitats and meet the 30% by 2030 biodiversity target.
Catherine Baart did not accept the amendment and therefore the amendment was open for debate.
Two Members spoke on the amendment and made the following comments:
· Noted that June 2023 was the hottest June on record in the UK, seas around the UK’s coast in some places were 4.6 degrees Celsius hotter than average June temperatures, the weather caused the unprecedented deaths of fish in rivers and affected insects and plants.
· Noted that Thames Water had aerators running in the River Bourne for ten days to try and recover the water after a massive sewage spill from Chobham Sewage Treatment Works.
· Hoped that Members accepted that the climate emergency was having a bigger impact on the flora and fauna in Surrey than it was on people.
· Noted that the 2017 State of Surrey’s Nature report stated that Surrey was an impressively diverse county biologically, in Surrey there was over 4,242 species and in 2017 it was estimated that 11.5% of those species were locally extinct, compared to the 2% figure nationally.
· Noted that the priority species for national conservation accounted for about 400 of those species, in 2017 31% were already extinct in Surrey, 37% were threatened or remain in worrying decline, leaving only 31% that were considered stable or recovering.
· Stressed that Members needed to reflect on whether the motion once amended would have any impact, or would it fall into the category of the previous six motions that related to climate change over the last two years, where the impact had been negligible; whilst the motion called for action, with dates and commitments.
· Welcomed the addition in the amendment to proactively engage with the People’s Plan for Nature, however sought clarity on whether that engagement would include the backers of the plan: the National Trust, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; as well as the Surrey Wildlife Trust, and the Woodland Trust who had all declared a biodiversity emergency.
· Hoped that once proactive engagement had been undertaken, the administration might submit its own version of the motion calling on the Council to declare a biodiversity emergency as part of the production and delivery of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Surrey.
The Chair asked Marisa Heath, as proposer of the amendment to conclude the debate:
· Noted that the best way forward was to do the work, that was already underway.
· Noted that regarding the declaration of a biodiversity emergency, the best people to decide in due course were the experts involved in the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Surrey work.
The amendment was put to the vote and was carried and became the substantive motion.
No comments were made by Members on the substantive motion.
The substantive motion was put to the vote and was carried.
Therefore, it was RESOLVED that:
This Council notes that:
The Council resolves to:
I. Note that this Council has recognised that there has been biodiversity decline in Surrey and will be reflecting this in forthcoming strategies, including Surrey’s emergingLocal Nature Recovery, Food and Land-use Strategies.
II. Note that this Council is proactively working with Surrey’s districts and boroughs, as well as other partners and landowners through the development of the emerging Local Nature Recovery Strategy to reverse the decline in biodiversity and restore degraded habitats as well as consideration of how Surrey County Council will contribute to the UK meeting its 30% by 2030 biodiversity target, both for its own estate and for all of Surrey, though this will be in the timeframe of the development and agreement of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
III. Commit to its role as Lead Authority for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy to proactively engage with the WWF People’s Plan for Nature and ensure Surrey residents are fully involved in the development of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Item 8 (iii)
Under Standing Order 12.3 the Council agreed to debate this motion.
Under Standing Order 12.1 Catherine Powell moved:
This Council notes that:
This Council further notes:
Therefore, this Council calls upon the Cabinet to:
II. Develop and fund a proactive maintenance approach to vegetation impacting on walking and cycling routes. This approach should prioritise areas of high employment (including town centres), schools, hospitals, and leisure facilities to ensure that these routes are consistently safe, enjoyable, easy, and convenient to use to promote them as an alternative to private vehicle use, whilst continuing to promote biodiversity.
III. Ensure that the approach to highway inspection is extended from surveying highway defects to inspections of issues that impact on all road users (not just vehicles), for example encroaching vegetation, left-behind signs, debris on pavements and cycleways and blocked drains.
IV. Use the knowledge of Members, local organisations and cycling and walking groups to enable the relevant officer team to create local walking and cycling maps for schools, businesses, health, and leisure facilities etc. to use within their own plans and strategies. These maps should proactively encourage sustainable travel across the county using tools such as Surrey Interactive Map.
Catherine Powell made the following points:
· Noted that climate change was already impacting on the weather, communities and ecosystems.
· Noted that people’s travel choices were driven by how convenient, safe, easy, and enjoyable the options were; such choices impacted on the individual's carbon footprint and their health and wellbeing.
· Noted her dependence as a young person on walking, cycling or the bus - services were reliable and well-used - and not the car.
· Noted that in recent decades, the increasing prevalence of the car with its door-to-door convenience had made it the easiest option for many.
· Noted that the challenge was how to increase walking, scooting, cycling and use of public transport; involving and learning from residents had the highest chance of success to increase uptake.
· Noted that firstly, the Council needed to show residents that it was serious about the issue by making the most of the infrastructure it had invested in by proactively maintaining surfaces, managing vegetation and prioritising the routes that people valued and uses most.
· Noted that secondly, the Council needed to involve residents in identifying the routes on and off road that they valued most that linked to schools, offices, hospitals and the local public transport system; involving them in creating maps that would allow them to share their knowledge and to identify opportunities for future improvements.
· Urged Members to support the motion to ensure that residents were not put off walking, cycling or scooting because of overgrown paths, poorly repaired surfaces or the absence of a map showing the cut throughs; key routes should be signposted and should be convenient, safe, easy and enjoyable options so that residents would choose to use those instead of their car.
The motion was formally seconded by Jonathan Essex, who made the following comments:
· Noted that the motion called for a shared commitment by all Members, including to progress the links between highway maintenance and the Local Transport Plan (LTP4).
· Noted that the first recommendation called for bus and cycle lanes, and pavements to be inspected more frequently, leading to better journeys, and less trip hazards and buses diverted due to potholes.
· Noted that the motion called for the Council to be proactive, not reactive. Undertaking basic verge maintenance so that people can walk or cycle on pavements without overgrown vegetation and for safety inspections to look beyond simply spotting road defects, removing signs at the end of a utility job for example.
· Noted a meeting where he would be guided with simulation spectacles by the Royal National Institute of Blind People, to experience what it was like to walk on Surrey’s pavements as a blind person; cars parked on pavements and overspilling vegetation were hazards, the motion sought to address that.
· Noted that the motion called for simple and inexpensive changes to be better promoted, so that more residents could choose to get on a bus, walk and cycle as attractive alternatives; that was aligned to the Government's National Active Travel Commissioner who said that people need to drive 25 to 30% less for massive health benefits.
Tim Oliver (on behalf of Kevin Deanus) moved an amendment which had been published in the supplementary agenda (items 6 and 8) on 10 July 2023, which was formally seconded by Jordan Beech.
The amendment was as follows (with additional words in bold/underlined and deletions crossed through):
This Council notes that:
This Council further notes:
Therefore, this Council calls upon the Cabinet, following the review of the work of the task and finish groups by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee, to:
II. Develop and fund a proactive maintenance approach to vegetation impacting on walking and cycling routes. This approach should prioritise areas of high employment (including town centres), schools, hospitals, and leisure facilities to ensure that these routes are consistently safe, enjoyable, easy, and convenient to use to promote them as an alternative to private vehicle use, whilst continuing to promote biodiversity.
III. Ensure that the approach to highway inspection is extended from surveying highway defects to inspections of issues that impact on all road users (not just vehicles), for example encroaching vegetation, left-behind signs, debris on pavements and cycleways and blocked drains.
IV. Use the knowledge of Members, local organisations and cycling and walking groups to enable the relevant officer team to create local walking and cycling maps for schools, businesses, health, and leisure facilities etc. to use within their own plans and strategies. These maps should proactively encourage sustainable travel across the county using tools such as Surrey Interactive Map.
Tim Oliver spoke to Kevin Deanus’ amendment, making the following points:
· Agreed with what the proposer and seconder said regarding the Council’s ambition and desire to further promote walking, cycling and the use of public transport.
· Agreed that residents should be actively involved in helping to identify appropriate walking and cycling routes, for example via the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs).
· Noted that the amendment called on the Cabinet to act following thereview of the work of the task and finish groups by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee because the motion had budgetary and operational impacts.
· Highlighted to opposition party Members his commitment as Leader that any policy changes within the Council would first be scrutinised by the select committees and their task and finish groups, which could then make recommendations to the Cabinet.
The amendment was formally seconded by Jordan Beech, who confirmed his support for the Leader’s comments.
Catherine Powell accepted the amendment and therefore it became the substantive motion.
No comments were made by Members on the substantive motion.
The substantive motion was put to the vote and received unanimous support.
Therefore, it was RESOLVED that:
This Council notes that:
This Council further notes:
Therefore, this Council calls upon the Cabinet, following the review of the work of the task and finish groups by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee, to:
II. Develop and fund a proactive maintenance approach to vegetation impacting on walking and cycling routes. This approach should prioritise areas of high employment (including town centres), schools, hospitals, and leisure facilities to ensure that these routes are consistently safe, enjoyable, easy, and convenient to use to promote them as an alternative to private vehicle use, whilst continuing to promote biodiversity.
III. Ensure that the approach to highway inspection is extended from surveying highway defects to inspections of issues that impact on all road users (not just vehicles), for example encroaching vegetation, left-behind signs, debris on pavements and cycleways and blocked drains.
IV. Use the knowledge of Members, local organisations and cycling and walking groups to enable the relevant officer team to create local walking and cycling maps for schools, businesses, health, and leisure facilities etc. to use within their own plans and strategies. These maps should proactively encourage sustainable travel across the county using tools such as Surrey Interactive Map.