[That Council consider the motions received by Councillor Jonathan Yardley and Councillor John Reynolds.]

1.    That the motion on Civic Halls Refurbishment Project was lost.

2.    That the substantive motion on Declaring a Climate Change Emergency be agreed.

 

Councillor Jonathan Yardley moved the following motion:

 

“The collapse of Shaylor Group, and the sad loss of 200 jobs, throws the entire Civic Halls refurbishment project into question. The £38 million budget will undoubtedly rise, and the opening date will be pushed back, as the Council is forced to find another contractor to finish the job. Despite other businesses expressing concerns about Shaylor’s financial situation months ago, we note that as recently as May, the previous Cabinet Member for City Economy decided to approve a variation order with Shaylor’s instead of re-tendering the contract for Phase Two of the works. This Council therefore calls for an independent review into the whole project, further to the internal ‘lessons learned’ report in 2018.”

 

Councillor Jonathan Yardley outlined the rationale for the motion. Councillor Wendy Thompson seconded the motion.

 

The motion was debated by Council.

 

Resolved:

 

1. That the motion on Civic Halls Refurbishment Project was lost.

 

Councillors Wendy Thompson, Chris Haynes, Jonathan Yardley, Udey Singh, Simon Bennett and Jonathan Crofts left the Council Chamber at 18:53.

 

The Mayor proposed that in accordance with the Constitution,  Full Council Meetings Procedure Rules, Council Procedure Rule 20.1 the usual procedure rules of debate be suspended to allow the Youth Council to speak. Councillor John Reynolds seconded the motion.

 

Resolved:

 

That in accordance with Full Council Meetings Procedure Rules of the Constitution and Council Procedure Rule 20.1 the procedure rules be suspended.

 

The Youth Council introduced a presentation on ‘Our Views Matter’.

 

Following the presentation from the Youth Council the Mayor re-instated standing orders.

 

Councillor John Reynolds  moved the following motion:

 

“That the Council notes:

 

·         That the impacts of climate change are already causing serious damage around the world.

 

·         That the ‘Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C’, published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in October 2018,

a.    describes the enormous harm that a 2°C average rise in global temperatures is likely to cause compared with a 1.5°C rise, and

b.    confirms that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society and the private sector.

 

·         That all governments (national, regional and local) have a duty to act, and local governments that recognise this should not wait for their national governments to change their policies;

 

·         That strong policies to cut emissions also have associated health, wellbeing and economic benefits.

 

Therefore, in order to address this emergency, the Council commits to:

 

·         Declare a ‘Climate Emergency’ that requires urgent action;

 

·         Make the Council’s activities net-zero carbon by 2028;

 

·         Ensure that all strategic decisions, budgets and approaches to planning and regulatory decisions are in line with a shift to zero carbon by 2028;

 

·         Support and work with all partners in the City towards making the city zero carbon within the same timescale;

 

·         Ensure that all Council leadership teams embed this work in all areas and take responsibility for reducing, as rapidly as possible, the carbon emissions resulting from the Council’s activities;

 

·         The Council’s Scrutiny Panels considering the impact of climate change and the environment when reviewing Council policies and strategies;

 

·         Work with, influence and inspire partners across the city, Black Country, Combined Authority and wider region, to help deliver this goal through all relevant strategies and plans;

 

·         Develop “Future Generations: Climate Change and Energy Strategy” and present this for agreement at Full Council in January 2020;

 

·         Proactively include young people in the process, ensuring that they are involved in the co-production and co-design of the Future Generations Strategy and have a voice in shaping the future of the City;

 

·         Welcome the appointment of a Councillor Champion for Climate Change, and request the Sustainability Advisory Group to develop its role to provide oversight of the Future Generations Strategy;

 

·         Report on the level of investment in the fossil fuel industry that the West Midlands pension fund has, and request a review of the investment strategy to give due consideration to climate change impacts in the investment portfolio;

 

·         Ensure that all reports in preparation for forthcoming budget cycles take into account the actions the Council will take to address this emergency;

 

·         Call on the UK Government to provide the powers, resources and help with funding to make this possible, and ask local MPs to do likewise.”

 

   Councillor John Reynolds outlined the rationale for the motion. Councillor Steve Evans seconded the motion.

 

Councillor Jane Stevenson moved the following amended motion:

 

“That this Council:

 

·         Recognises that climate change is a reality and a worldwide effort is essential to cut greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 2 degrees Celsius.

 

·         Acknowledges that local authorities, as well as national and regional governments, have a duty to act on helping to reduce carbon emissions, build low carbon communities and meet national climate commitments.

 

·         Welcomes the Government’s strengthening of the Climate Change Act with a new national goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

 

·         Declares a ‘climate emergency’ with an aim to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from council activities by 2028.

 

That this Council therefore agrees to:

 

·         Develop “Future Generations: Climate Change and Energy Strategy” and present this to Full Council in January 2020.

 

·         As part of this new strategy, request that officers undertake the necessary reviews to achieve this aspiration, together with an assessment of the cost and technology implications, so that Cabinet and Council can make informed decisions.

 

·         Set out a timetable of interim targets so that progress on the Climate Change and Energy Strategy can be clearly monitored.

 

·         Support and work with all partners in the City towards making the city net-zero carbon.

 

·         Work with businesses and public sector bodies across the region and country to deliver this ambitious goal through all relevant strategies and plans.

 

·         Continue the important cross-party work undertaken by the Sustainability Advisory Group and the Vibrant and Sustainable City Scrutiny Panel on this issue, particularly in scrutinising the Future Generations strategy.

 

·         Ensure that all Council leadership teams embed this work in all areas and take responsibility for reducing carbon emissions resulting from their activities.

 

·         Call on the Government to support councils in their work in meeting national climate change commitments through additional powers and resources. “

 

Councillor Jane Stevenson outlined the rationale for the amended motion. Councillor Paul Appleby seconded the motion.

 

The amended motion was debated by Council. The amended motion was lost.

 

Resolved:

 

That the substantive motion on Declaring a Climate Change Emergency be agreed.