(time limit 15 minutes).
Motion 1
Councillor Dearden to MOVE and Councillor Ur-Rehman to SECOND:
The U.K has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe, with one third of children overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school.
Local councils now have responsibility for health and wellbeing, health promotion and prevention of ill health, so it is incumbent upon us to debate this and make our views known.
We note with great disappointment this government's long-awaited Obesity Strategy, published in August 2016 , during parliamentary recess and in the midst of the Rio Olympics, and the lost opportunity to improve our health and wellbeing.
Medical experts and campaigners have criticised the strategy as 'weak and embarrassing' and accused policy makers of throwing away the chance to tackle our culture of unhealthy eating that is crippling the NHS.
The government proposals, centred on the sugar tax announced by George Osborne in May 2016, rely on voluntary action by the food and drink industry and contain no restrictions on junk food marketing and advertising. The sugar tax will not be introduced for another two years.
This Council recognises that local campaigning and awareness raising programmes are most successful when backed by legislative changes, as with the ban on smoking in public places.
This Council therefore resolves that the following measures be taken:
In addition, we request that the Chief Executive writes to the borough’s three MPs to inform them of our actions and to ask them to campaign for stronger legislation.
Motion 2
Councillor Roberts to MOVE and Councillor J Larkin to SECOND:
Speed kills: speed is one of the main factors in fatal road accidents. A pedestrian is four times more likely to die if hit at 40mph than at 30mph. In 2014, 282 people were killed in crashes in the UK involving someone exceeding the speed limit and a further 126 people died when someone was travelling too fast for the conditions.
Residents, including those who attend the Community Forums, regularly express their concern about speeding traffic both on main roads and also in residential areas. Councillors have responded by supporting speed measurement measures, changes to road and junction layout to improve safety, improvements to pedestrian crossings and most recently by funding Vehicle Activated Signs.
However, motorists continue to speed and drive too fast for road conditions and local circumstances.
This Council resolves to
· mount a campaign of driver education to explain the impact of speeding and encourage motorists to obey the law
· take every opportunity available to secure funding to make Oldham’s Roads safer
· work with Greater Manchester Police to improve enforcement action against motorists breaking the speed limits
· influence the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040 to include a sub-regional approach to tackling speeding and making our roads safer.
Minutes:
The Mayor informed the meeting that there were two items of outstanding business form the previous meeting.
Motion 1
Councillor Dearden MOVED and Councillor Ur-Rehman SECONDED the following motion:
“The U.K. has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe, with one third of children overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school.
Local councils now have responsibility for health and wellbeing, health promotion and prevention of ill health, so it is incumbent upon us to debate this and make our views known.
We note with great disappointment this government’s long awaited Obesity Strategy, published in August 2016, during parliamentary recess and in the midst of the Rio Olympics, and the lost opportunity to improve our health and wellbeing.
Medical experts and campaigners have criticised the strategy as ‘weak and embarrassing’ and accused policy makers of throwing away the chance to tackle our culture of unhealthy eating that is crippling the NHS.
The government proposals, centred on the sugar tax announced by George Osborne in May 2016, rely on voluntary action by the food and drink industry and contain no restrictions on junk food marketing and advertising. The sugar tax will not be introduced for another two years.
This Council recognises that local campaigning and awareness raising programmes are most successful when backed by legislative changes, as with the ban on smoking in public places.”
Councillors Mushtaq spoke in support of the motion.
Councillor Bates spoke in support of the motion.
Councillor Dearden did not exercise her right of reply.
A vote was taken on the MOTION.
On being put to the vote, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that:
1. Oldham Council, led by our Public Health officers, and the Health and Wellbeing Board (which included partners such as Housing, Doctors, Hospitals, Oldham Community Leisure, Voluntary Groups), would campaign to ban all high sugar foods and drinks available in our buildings and would encourage schools, community organisations and local employers to do the same.
2. Oldham Council would continue to promote healthy lifestyles and healthy eating through our local campaigns such as “Get Oldham Working, Feeding Ambition”, “Go for a Walk”, Oral Health, Breastfeeding and other initiatives.
3. The Chief Executive be requested to write to the borough’s three MPs to inform them of our actions and to ask them to campaign for stronger legislation.
At this point in the meeting, the Mayor advised that the time limit for this item had expired.
Motion 2
Councillor Roberts MOVED and Councillor J. Larkin SECONDED the following motion:
“Speed kills: speed is one of the main factors in fatal road accidents. A pedestrian is four times more likely to die if hit at 40mph than at 30mph. In 2014, 282 people were killed in crashes in the UK involving someone exceeding the speed limit and a further 126 people died when someone was travelling too fast for the conditions.
Residents, including those who attend Community Forums, regularly express their concern about speeding traffic both on main roads and also in residential areas.
Councillors have responded by supporting speed measurement measures, changes to road and junction layout to improve safety, improvements to pedestrian crossings and most recently by funding Vehicle Activated Signs.
However, motorists continue to speed and drive too fast for road conditions and local circumstances.”
RESOLVED that the further item of the outstanding business from the last meeting fall.