This Council formally declares an ecological emergency and will:
1. Address ecological issues alongside climate emergency actions and ensure that opportunities to gain co-benefits from addressing both the climate and ecological emergencies are maximised.
2. Add ecological implications alongside those for climate in committee and Council reports.
3. Ensure the delivery of biodiversity and environmental enhancements through our planning policy and development control functions by providing guidance through a biodiversity supplementary planning document.
4. Strive to enable the development of a 20% mandatory biodiversity net gain policy for Wokingham through the new local plan.
5. Create a Developing Nature Toolkit and direct developers to use the toolkit to assist them in demonstrating a net gain in biodiversity, to be used from the very outset of planning new developments, and ideally at the time of selecting sites to acquire for development.
6. Re-establish the Wokingham Biodiversity Forum to allow the Council to collaborate effectively with partners and the wider community.
7. Where possible, embed ecological initiatives within all Council work areas, including Covid-19 recovery projects and programmes.
8. Promote woodland planting and rewilding in the right places and with the right species, peatland restoration, natural flood management, wild flower meadows, and habitat creation and restoration.
9. Work with local, county, regional and national partners to increase wildlife habitats, green infrastructure and natural capital in Wokingham Borough ensuring robust connectivity between them.
10.Manage Council services, buildings and land in a biodiversity-friendly manner, including by reviewing the use of harmful chemicals, such as pesticides and taking opportunities to create new wildlife habitats and corridors.
11.Provide advice for local communities and businesses on how to incorporate biodiversity, green infrastructure and natural capital into Neighbourhood Plans and other initiatives.
12.Encourage residents to take biodiversity measures in their own homes by, for example, wildlife gardening and home composting.
13.Working collaboratively with the Berkshire Local Nature Partnership, Wokingham Biodiversity Forum, a cross party working group and other stakeholders, produce a local nature recovery strategy and associated action plan with an annual progress report to full Council.
Minutes:
The Council considered the following Notice of Motion, submitted by Ian Shenton, and seconded by Sarah Kerr.
‘This Council formally declares an ecological emergency and will:
1. Address ecological issues alongside climate emergency actions and ensure that opportunities to gain co-benefits from addressing both the climate and ecological emergencies are maximised.
2. Add ecological implications alongside those for climate in committee and Council reports.
3. Ensure the delivery of biodiversity and environmental enhancements through our planning policy and development control functions by providing guidance through a biodiversity supplementary planning document.
4. Strive to enable the development of a 20% mandatory biodiversity net gain policy for Wokingham through the new local plan.
5. Create a Developing Nature Toolkit and direct developers to use the toolkit to assist them in demonstrating a net gain in biodiversity, to be used from the very outset of planning new developments, and ideally at the time of selecting sites to acquire for development.
6. Re-establish the Wokingham Biodiversity Forum to allow the Council to collaborate effectively with partners and the wider community.
7. Where possible, embed ecological initiatives within all Council work areas, including Covid-19 recovery projects and programmes.
8. Promote woodland planting and rewilding in the right places and with the right species, peatland restoration, natural flood management, wild flower meadows, and habitat creation and restoration.
9. Work with local, county, regional and national partners to increase wildlife habitats, green infrastructure and natural capital in Wokingham Borough ensuring robust connectivity between them.
10.Manage Council services, buildings and land in a biodiversity-friendly manner, including by reviewing the use of harmful chemicals, such as pesticides and taking opportunities to create new wildlife habitats and corridors.
11.Provide advice for local communities and businesses on how to incorporate biodiversity, green infrastructure and natural capital into Neighbourhood Plans and other initiatives.
12.Encourage residents to take biodiversity measures in their own homes by, for example, wildlife gardening and home composting.
13.Working collaboratively with the Berkshire Local Nature Partnership, Wokingham Biodiversity Forum, a cross party working group and other stakeholders, produce a local nature recovery strategy and associated action plan with an annual progress report to full Council.’
Ian Shenton indicated that it was estimated that in normal times approximately one species per million was lost per annum, around eight in total per annum. However, it was estimated that the loss rate was currently a thousand times greater and equated to the loss of approximately one species an hour. He asked that the Council went beyond the ecological considerations currently incorporated in some of its activities, and declared an ecological emergency. The climate emergency and ecological emergency should equally be at the heart of future actions.
In accordance with 4.2.13.7 b iii) of the Constitution it was proposed by Gregor Murray and seconded by Parry Batth that the Motion be amended as follows:
‘This Council resolves to refer to the Tree Protection and Biodiversity Task and Finish Group to examine the benefits of formally declaring an ecological emergency and the actions below. This will be reported back to a future Full Council Meeting.
1. Address ecological issues alongside climate emergency actions and ensure that opportunities to gain co-benefits from addressing both the climate and ecological emergencies are maximised.
2. Add ecological implications alongside those for climate in committee and Council reports.
3. Ensure the delivery of biodiversity and environmental enhancements through our planning policy and development control functions by providing guidance through a biodiversity supplementary planning document.
4. Strive to enable the development of a 20% mandatory biodiversity net gain policy for Wokingham through the new local plan.
5. Create a Developing Nature Toolkit and direct developers to use the toolkit to assist them in demonstrating a net gain in biodiversity, to be used from the very outset of planning new developments, and ideally at the time of selecting sites to acquire for development.
6. Re-establish the Wokingham Biodiversity Forum to allow the Council to collaborate effectively with partners and the wider community.
7. Where possible, embed ecological initiatives within all Council work areas, including Covid-19 recovery projects and programmes.
8. Promote woodland planting and rewilding in the right places and with the right species, peatland restoration, natural flood management, wild flower meadows, and habitat creation and restoration.
9. Work with local, county, regional and national partners to increase wildlife habitats, green infrastructure and natural capital in Wokingham Borough ensuring robust connectivity between them.
10.Manage Council services, buildings and land in a biodiversity-friendly manner, including by reviewing the use of harmful chemicals, such as pesticides and taking opportunities to create new wildlife habitats and corridors.
11.Provide advice for local communities and businesses on how to incorporate biodiversity, green infrastructure and natural capital into Neighbourhood Plans and other initiatives.’
12.Encourage residents to take biodiversity measures in their own homes by, for example, wildlife gardening and home composting.
13.Working collaboratively with the Berkshire Local Nature Partnership, Wokingham Biodiversity Forum, a cross party working group and other stakeholders, produce a local nature recovery strategy and associated action plan with an annual progress report to full Council.’
Sarah Kerr proposed a 10-minute adjournment to allow consideration of the proposed amendment. This was seconded by Stephen Conway. This was agreed.
Upon reconvening, the amendment was not accepted by the proposer of the original Motion.
Gregor Murray stated that he felt that the Motion was premature and that residents would be better served if the Motion was referred to the Biodiversity Task and Finish Group to consider in the context of their recommendations. In addition, he felt that further work needed to be carried out on existing projects, and referred to targets 18-20 of the Climate Emergency Action Plan.
Parry Batth felt that the timing of the Motion was premature and that referring it to the Biodiversity Task and Finish Group would avoid a duplication of effort and resources.
Sarah Kerr emphasised that it was an ecological emergency and the time to act was now. She highlighted that the UK had failed against seventeen of twenty Aichi Biodiversity targets and had gone backwards in six areas. The UK had lost more biodiversity than any other G7 country and was in the worst 10% globally for loss of biodiversity. Sarah Kerr felt that there was not time for the Motion to be considered by another Committee. Whilst there were some actions ongoing around protecting nature, they were not enough. She felt that biodiversity required its own action plan, and that climate and biodiversity emergencies were a dual threat.
Angus Ross commented that the actions needed careful consideration as to how they could be taken forwards in the best way.
Rachel Burgess stated that she supported the original Motion and that Wokingham needed to do its bit to protect biodiversity. She emphasised the need for concrete actions and a clear commitment.
Stephen Conway felt that the amendment was procrastination.
The amended Motion was put to the vote and voting was as follows:
|
For |
Against |
Abstain |
|
Sam Akhtar |
Rachel Bishop-Firth |
Keith Baker |
|
Parry Batth |
Shirley Boyt |
|
|
Laura Blumenthal |
Rachel Burgess |
|
|
Chris Bowring |
Stephen Conway |
|
|
Jenny Cheng |
Peter Dennis |
|
|
Phil Cunnington |
Lindsay Ferris |
|
|
Michael Firmager |
Paul Fishwick |
|
|
John Halsall |
Jim Frewin |
|
|
Pauline Helliar-Symons |
David Hare |
|
|
Graham Howe |
Clive Jones |
|
|
Norman Jorgensen |
Sarah Kerr |
|
|
John Kaiser |
Tahir Maher |
|
|
Abdul Loyes |
Morag Malvern |
|
|
Charles Margetts |
Adrian Mather |
|
|
Rebecca Margetts |
Andrew Mickleburgh |
|
|
Stuart Munro |
Ian Shenton |
|
|
Gregor Murray |
Imogen Shepherd-Dubey |
|
|
Barrie Patman |
Rachelle Shepherd-Dubey |
|
|
Jackie Rance |
Caroline Smith |
|
|
Angus Ross |
|
|
|
Daniel Sargeant |
|
|
|
Chris Smith |
|
|
|
Wayne Smith |
|
|
|
Bill Soane |
|
|
|
Alison Swaddle |
|
|
The amended Motion was declared by the Mayor to be carried.
The Mayor indicated that he had been advised that because there was no time available to debate the substantive Motion a further vote was not required. He indicated that Members could have a vote if requested.
Clive Jones indicated that had there been a further vote the Liberal Democrat Group would have abstained. Rachel Burgess indicated that the Labour Group would also have abstained. Jim Frewin indicated as an independent he would have voted ‘for.’ John Halsall indicated that the Conservatives would also have voted ‘for.’
RESOLVED: That this Council resolves to refer to the Tree Protection and Biodiversity Task and Finish Group to examine the benefits of formally declaring an ecological emergency and the actions below. This will be reported back to a future Full Council Meeting.
1. Address ecological issues alongside climate emergency actions and ensure that opportunities to gain co-benefits from addressing both the climate and ecological emergencies are maximised.
2. Add ecological implications alongside those for climate in committee and Council reports.
3. Ensure the delivery of biodiversity and environmental enhancements through our planning policy and development control functions by providing guidance through a biodiversity supplementary planning document.
4. Strive to enable the development of a 20% mandatory biodiversity net gain policy for Wokingham through the new local plan.
5. Create a Developing Nature Toolkit and direct developers to use the toolkit to assist them in demonstrating a net gain in biodiversity, to be used from the very outset of planning new developments, and ideally at the time of selecting sites to acquire for development.
6. Re-establish the Wokingham Biodiversity Forum to allow the Council to collaborate effectively with partners and the wider community.
7. Where possible, embed ecological initiatives within all Council work areas, including Covid-19 recovery projects and programmes.
8. Promote woodland planting and rewilding in the right places and with the right species, peatland restoration, natural flood management, wild flower meadows, and habitat creation and restoration.
9. Work with local, county, regional and national partners to increase wildlife habitats, green infrastructure and natural capital in Wokingham Borough ensuring robust connectivity between them.
10.Manage Council services, buildings and land in a biodiversity-friendly manner, including by reviewing the use of harmful chemicals, such as pesticides and taking opportunities to create new wildlife habitats and corridors.
11.Provide advice for local communities and businesses on how to incorporate biodiversity, green infrastructure and natural capital into Neighbourhood Plans and other initiatives.
12.Encourage residents to take biodiversity measures in their own homes by, for example, wildlife gardening and home composting.
13.Working collaboratively with the Berkshire Local Nature Partnership, Wokingham Biodiversity Forum, a cross party working group and other stakeholders, produce a local nature recovery strategy and associated action plan with an annual progress report to full Council.