A.   Proposed by Councillor Tim Valentine and seconded by Councillor Eddie Thomas  (further information attached).

That the Council resolves:

1. To declare a ‘Climate and Ecological Emergency’.
2. To draw up an action plan with improvement in energy efficiency and making space for nature as key priorities in all strategies and plans.
3. Pursue the Swale Strategic Air Quality Action Plan 2018-22 and to actively lobby all responsible authorities to improve air quality within Swale.
4. To provide leadership by taking all measures within our control to make Swale Borough Council’s own operations carbon neutral by 2025, taking into account both production and consumption emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3).^[1]
5. To engage with businesses, organisations and residents to facilitate the action required to make the Borough of Swale carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3).
6. To undertake actions including, but not be limited to, spatial and transport planning to make fewer journeys necessary, improvement to the energy efficiency of new and existing housing and buildings, improved public transport especially in rural areas; encouraging active transport, developing the infrastructure for EVs; deploying renewable energy at every opportunity, while continuing to safeguard our wild places, ancient woodlands and hedgerows.
7. To call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2030 target possible.
8. To call upon the MPs for Sittingbourne & Sheppey and for Faversham & Mid Kent to support this motion.
9. To work with other governments (both within the UK and internationally) to determine and implement best practice methods to limit global warming to less than 1.5°C.
10. To work with partners across the Borough to deliver these new goals through all relevant strategies and plans.
11. To become a ‘Plastic-Free Council’ by eliminating single-use plastics from the Council’s operations, whenever possible, by 2021.
12. To request the Cabinet, working through the Policy Development and Review Committee, to report the actions the Council will take to address this emergency to Full Council by the end of the 2019/20 municipal year.

B.   Proposed by Councillor Monique Bonney and seconded by Councillor Sarah Stephen.

This Council notes the demonstrable lack of public support for a Southern link road dependent on house building and/or commercial development for funding. This motion supersedes the previous motion passed by Council on 26th July 2017 and confirms that a southern link road dependant on housebuilding and/or commercial development for funding delivery is not a strategic objective of Council.

Motion A – Climate and Ecological Emergency

Councillor Tim Valentine proposed and spoke in support of the following motion, emphasising the need to take action:

“That the Council resolves: 

1. To declare a ‘Climate and Ecological Emergency’.
2. To draw up an action plan with improvement in energy efficiency and making space for nature as key priorities in all strategies and plans.
3. Pursue the Swale Strategic Air Quality Action Plan 2018-22 and to actively lobby all responsible authorities to improve air quality within Swale.
4. To provide leadership by taking all measures within our control to make Swale Borough Council’s own operations carbon neutral by 2025, taking into account both production and consumption emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3).
5. To engage with businesses, organisations and residents to facilitate the action required to make the Borough of Swale carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3).
6. To undertake actions including, but not be limited to, spatial and transport planning to make fewer journeys necessary, improvement to the energy efficiency of new and existing housing and buildings, improved public transport especially in rural areas; encouraging active transport, developing the infrastructure for EVs; deploying renewable energy at every opportunity, while continuing to safeguard our wild places, ancient woodlands and hedgerows.
7. To call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2030 target possible.
8. To call upon the MPs for Sittingbourne & Sheppey and for Faversham & Mid Kent to support this motion.
9. To work with other governments (both within the UK and internationally) to determine and implement best practice methods to limit global warming to less than 1.5°C.
10. To work with partners across the Borough to deliver these new goals through all relevant strategies and plans.
11. To become a ‘Plastic-Free Council’ by eliminating single-use plastics from the Council’s operations, whenever possible, by 2021.
12. To request the Cabinet, working through the Policy Development and Review Committee, to report the actions the Council will take to address this emergency to Full Council by the end of the 2019/20 municipal year.”

In proposing the Motion, Councillor Tim Valentine summarised the notes to the motion as set out on the agenda, referring to the impacts of climate change which were being felt around the world; the vulnerability of Swale to the effects of climate breakdown; the impact of air pollution; the unprecedented and accelerated rate of species extinction, including the impact on butterflies in Kent; the effect of changes in land use on wildlife; the need to reduce carbon emissions and for the Council to show leadership and take action by declaring a climate emergency and committing resources to address it.

This was seconded by Councillor Eddie Thomas who reserved his right to speak.

The Leader congratulated Councillor Tim Valentine on his speech and Motion, and urged Members to support it.

The Leader of the Conservative Group also congratulated Councillor Tim Valentine, and said that whilst he supported the motion, he considered there were lots of loop holes in the wording, and asked what the costs would be?

A debate ensued during which Councillor Nicholas Hampshire proposed an amendment to add two additional resolutions, which was seconded by Councillor Mike Whiting, who reserved his right to speak. 

“In meeting this pledge, the Council will take steps to avoid any adverse impacts on our most vulnerable residents.

This Council pledges to produce in January of each year, between now and 2030, an annual report detailing the council’s progress against Swale’s carbon neutral action plan, enabling members, residents and other stakeholders to hold the council to account for the delivery of this pledge.”

The amendment was accepted by the proposer and seconder of the original motion, and so became part of the substantive motion.

Members spoke in support of the motion, referring to:

·         the record breaking temperatures in Europe and the need for urgent action;

·         the need for the council to ‘consume its own smoke’;

·         whether the ambitious target to make the Borough of Swale carbon neutral by 2030 was achievable;

·         environmental changes and the effect of climate change on farming and wildlife;

·         the Swale Strategic Air Quality Action Plan 2018 – 2022;

·         the fact that Faversham Town Council had become plastic free in terms of single use plastics;

·         the potential to work with other parish councils on this area, in particular air quality;

·         the need to contact South Eastern trains to reinstate high speed services in rural areas which would reduce travel to mainline stations;

·         the opportunity to encourage taxis to use hybrid or electric cars (it was later confirmed that measures were already in place);

·         the need for air quality assessments and traffic assessments as part of large planning applications, and to consider measures that could be used in new buildings such as insulation, solar panels, rain water harvesting, and ground source heat pumps;

·         whether there was a need to re-establish an environment committee.

In seconding the motion, Councillor Eddie Thomas spoke of the need for urgent action to cut carbon emissions and to mitigate climate change, and urged members to support the motion.

Councillor Tim Valentine responded to comments made during the debate, emphasising the need for urgent action and the need to set ambitious targets, whilst recognising that some areas were not within the Council’s control.  He advised that there would be a comprehensive action plan which would be taken forward and he encouraged the parish council mentioned to contact him direct.

The motion was put to the vote and agreed.

Resolved:

That the Council resolves:

1. To declare a ‘Climate and Ecological Emergency’.
2. To draw up an action plan with improvement in energy efficiency and making space for nature as key priorities in all strategies and plans. 
3. Pursue the Swale Strategic Air Quality Action Plan 2018-22 and to actively lobby all responsible authorities to improve air quality within Swale.
4. To provide leadership by taking all measures within our control to make Swale Borough Council’s own operations carbon neutral by 2025, taking into account both production and consumption emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3).
5. To engage with businesses, organisations and residents to facilitate the action required to make the Borough of Swale carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3).
6. To undertake actions including, but not be limited to, spatial and transport planning to make fewer journeys necessary, improvement to the energy efficiency of new and existing housing and buildings, improved public transport especially in rural areas; encouraging active transport, developing the infrastructure for EVs; deploying renewable energy at every opportunity, while continuing to safeguard our wild places, ancient woodlands and hedgerows.
7. To call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2030 target possible.
8. To call upon the MPs for Sittingbourne & Sheppey and for Faversham & Mid Kent to support this motion.
9. To work with other governments (both within the UK and internationally) to determine and implement best practice methods to limit global warming to less than 1.5°C.
10. To work with partners across the Borough to deliver these new goals through all relevant strategies and plans.
11. To become a ‘Plastic-Free Council’ by eliminating single-use plastics from the Council’s operations, whenever possible, by 2021.
12. To request the Cabinet, working through the Policy Development and Review Committee, to report the actions the Council will take to address this emergency to Full Council by the end of the 2019/20 municipal year.
13. In meeting this pledge, the Council will take steps to avoid any adverse impacts on our most vulnerable residents.
14. This Council pledges to produce in January of each year, between now and 2030, an annual report detailing the council’s progress against Swale’s carbon neutral action plan, enabling members, residents and other stakeholders to hold the council to account for the delivery of this pledge.

Motion B – Southern Relief Road

Councillor Monique Bonney proposed and spoke in support of the following Motion:

“This Council notes the demonstrable lack of public support for a Southern link road dependent on house building and/or commercial development for funding.  This motion supersedes the previous motion passed by Council on 26^th July 2017, and confirms that a southern link road dependent on housebuilding and/or commercial development for funding delivery is not a strategic objective of Council.”

In proposing the Motion, Councillor Monique Bonney referred to the motion passed on 26 July 2017, suggesting that the motion had been used at meetings with government departments and developers to say that there was public support when that was not the case, and prior to the Local Plan being agreed. 

In seconding the motion, Councillor Sarah Stephen advised that massive development was not supported by local people, and that there had been very little investment in infrastructure, including soft infrastructure such as health, education and affordable housing.  The situation was at breaking point and there were no plans for government to make up this deficit.  Massive development was not the way forward to be able to pay for it, when it was already at breaking point.  She urged Members to vote in support of the motion.

The Leader of the Conservative Group advised that it had never been a strategic objective of the council, and read out the original motion that had been agreed in 2017.  He did not agree that there was a demonstrable lack of support and considered that the motion was about housing development and not the road.  He also expressed concern that the 2017 motion also referred to other important road improvements, e.g. the A249 and J5 of the M2, which this motion did not address.  Neither did it mention air quality or traffic flow.  He considered that the motion agreed in 2017 should not be superseded.  He suggested an amendment to the motion:

“That this Council recognises the importance of a southern link road to the residents and businesses of Swale and continues to pursue funding for its construction other than through housebuilding and/or commercial development.”

This was seconded by Councillor Cameron Beart who reserved his right to speak.

Debate then ensued on the amendment, on the following themes:

·         disagreement that the motion would remove the Council’s position on other elements in the original motion agreed in 2017;

·         the assertion that the original motion agreed in 2017 had been ‘misused’ as it had been used to show support for a road funded by housing;

·         the motion proposed would make the Council’s position strategically clear;

·         there was support for a southern relief road from residents but there was a conflict between a new road and additional development;

·         there were traffic and air quality issues to consider, the impact of traffic would get worse if there was not a Southern relief road;

·         other ways to fund the Southern relief road should be looked at;

The amendment was put to the vote but was lost.

Debate then returned to the original motion, which centred on the following themes:

·         There was a need for a Southern relief road;

·         What were the implications on funding bids for other roads mentioned in the motion agreed in 2017, referring in particular to the funding bid for Grovehurst junction;

·         That there was a desperate need for a northern relief road but not a southern relief road if it was based on housing; and the impact that this would have on residents on the A2;

·         That there was a need for another link to the M2 between junctions 5 and 6;

·         Whether the coalition supported a southern relief road or not;

·         That traffic and congestion was increasing regardless of additional development, and better infrastructure was required;

·         Opportunities for employment in construction and investment in the area, if a southern relief road was built;

·         Unable to support the motion as it did not refer to other roads mentioned in the motion agreed in 2017;

·         Clarification that the motion was not saying it did not support a southern relief road, but that it did not support it on the basis of 12,000 houses;

·         The impact of additional development on air quality, traffic and congestion;

·         Concern that if the 2017 motion was not superseded, that it would be used to show support for 11,500 new houses.

In summing up, Councillor Monique Bonney acknowledged the deficit in investment in the existing road structure and considered that improvements to junction 5, junction 7 and the A249 were crucial; there was a need for a northern relief road and focus should be on that, rather than mass housing to support a southern relief road.  She asked Members to support the motion.

In accordance with procedure rule 19, five members requested that a recorded vote be taken.  Voting was as follows:

For:

Councillors Mike Baldock, Monique Bonney, Derek Carnell, Simon Clark, Richard Darby, Steve Davey, Mark Ellen, Tim Gibson, Alastair Gould, James Hall, Angela Harrison, Elliott Jayes, Denise Knights, Benjamin Martin, Ben J Martin, Lee McCall, Richard Palmer, Hannah Perkin, Ken Rowles, Julian Saunders, Paul Stephen, Sarah Stephen, Eddie Thomas, Roger Truelove, Tim Valentine, Tony WInckless and Corrie Woodford.  Total = 27.

Against:

Councillors Lloyd Bowen, Roger Clark, Simon Fowle, Peter Marchington, Mini Nissanga, Ken Pugh and David Simmons.  Total = 7

Abstain:

Councillors Cameron Beart, Mike Dendor, Ann Hampshire, Nicholas Hampshire, Alan Horton, James Hunt, Peter MacDonald and Mike Whiting.  Total = 8.

Resolved:

(1) That this Council notes the demonstrable lack of public support for a Southern link road dependent on house building and/or commercial development for funding.  This motion supersedes the previous motion passed by Council on 26^th July 2017, and confirms that a southern link road dependent on housebuilding and/or commercial development for funding delivery is not a strategic objective of Council.