Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Cabinet detailing the outcome of their deliberation of a Motion referred by the County Council on 17 May 2019.

The Council considered the report of the Cabinet (Item 11 in the Minute Book) detailing the outcome of their deliberation of a Motion referred by the County Council on 17 May 2019.

Councillor Martin Tod, seconded by Councillor Adrian Collett proposed the following Amendment:

To add the words:

“In addition, the County Council calls upon the Cabinet, as part of its action planning process and reflecting the urgency of the need to address the Climate Emergency, to set an ambitious schedule of specific dates by which it will pledge to achieve carbon neutrality for the County Council itself and work in partnership with others to seek carbon neutrality for the County as a whole.”

During the course of the debate many Members spoke, indicating their support for the report’s recommendation and the proposed Amendment.  Given the challenges highlighted during the debate, focussing on practical steps and an effective set of measures in seeking to achieve carbon neutrality would be important.

In light of the support indicated, the Leader proposed that the remainder of Members who had indicated they wished to speak be deferred to the Extraordinary Meeting on 23 September and therefore proposed that the recommendation be now put.  The Proposal was put to the vote and carried.

The proposed Amendment, as detailed above in italics, was put to the vote and carried.  The Amendment and the report’s recommendation was put to the vote as the Substantive Recommendations and carried.  It was therefore

RESOLVED:

a)        That the County Council endorses the decision of Cabinet to declare a ‘Climate Emergency’ in line with the action taken by many other Councils and organisations in the UK and globally, and commits to develop an action plan to provide a meaningful and effective set of measures to ensure that Hampshire moves towards carbon neutrality and greater resilience to the effects of climate change.

b)        That the County Council calls upon the Cabinet, as part of its action planning process and reflecting the urgency of the need to address the Climate Emergency, to set an ambitious schedule of specific dates by which it will pledge to achieve carbon neutrality for the County Council itself and work in partnership with others to seek carbon neutrality for the County as a whole.