(time limit 30 minutes)
Motion 1 – Making Oldham a ‘Single Use Plastic-Free’ Local Authority
Councillor Murphy to MOVE and Councillor Harkness to SECOND:
Council notes that:
· The introduction of the 5p bag charge has already seen use of single-use plastic bags drop by 85%.
· However, most families still throw away about 40kg of plastic per year, which could otherwise be recycled.
· The amount of plastic waste generated annually in the UK is estimated to be nearly 5 million tonnes, which has a catastrophic effect on our environment, particularly our marine environment
Council welcomes the commitment of some major businesses to reduce their use of plastic packaging and encourages all local businesses to respond positively to the Government’s recent call for evidence on reducing plastic waste.
However, Council recognises that it is only in eliminating single-use plastic materials that we can achieve a significant reduction in plastic waste.
Council therefore resolves to ask the Cabinet to:
· Develop a robust strategy to make Oldham a ‘single-use plastic-free’ authority by the end of 2018 and encourage the Borough’s institutions, businesses and citizens to adopt similar measures:
· End the sale and provision of single use plastic products such as bottles, cups, cutlery and drinking straws in council buildings, or council supported venues, wherever possible; promoting the use of non-plastic recyclable alternatives e.g. paper straws to ensure our venues remain accessible to those with additional needs.
· Encourage traders across the Borough to sell re-usable containers and invite customers to bring their own.
· Consider the merits and practicalities of introducing a ‘window sticker’ scheme to accredit local businesses that are committed to reducing plastic waste through, for example, offering free water bottle refills.
· Investigate the possibility of requiring pop-up food and drink vendors at council supported events to avoid single use plastics as a condition of their contract; with a view to phasing out all single use plastics at markets and events in the Borough by the end of 2018.
· Work with tenants in commercial properties owned by Oldham Council to encourage them to phase out single use plastic cups, bottles, cutlery and straws.
Motion 2 – Land Value Taxation
Councillor McCann to MOVE and Councillor Gloster to SECOND:
This Council believes that Land Value Taxation (LVT) offers a credible means for local authorities to raise public revenue to fund local public services by making an annual charge upon landowners, based on the rental value of their land. This is typically levied against the unimproved value of that land, not taking into account any buildings, services or on-site infrastructure.
Council notes that:
· LVT could be revenue-neutral; that is the revenue raised could replace taxation levied through Council Tax and Business Rates. This would lift some of the burden of meeting the cost of Council services from our Borough’s low-income households and small businesses;
· LVT would encourage owners of vacant sites, particularly brown-field sites, to develop them for businesses or residential use more quickly, where planning permission has been granted, so as to generate an income rather than pay an annual charge on the unused land;
· This would discourage developers from land-banking and lead to more house building and the creation of more businesses and jobs, meaning a more vibrant Borough and less pressure to build new homes on our irreplaceable green belt;
· LVT is cheap to collect and very difficult to evade.
Council further notes that:
· Some form of LVT is already successfully in operation in over 30 countries (including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and several US states);
· The International Monetary Fund, the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development have all come out in favour of the tax;
· A Private Members Bill was introduced in Parliament by Caroline Lucas MP supporting LVT, and the proposal has cross-party support in principle;
· The Scottish and Welsh Governments are currently investigating the options for implementing such a tax;
· The Parliamentary Communities and Local Government Committee have just conducted an enquiry into the efficacy of various taxation methods to ‘capture’ increases in land value;
· The Government has appointed a panel of experts, chaired by Sir Oliver Letwin, charged with carrying out a review to ‘explain the gap between the number of planning permissions being granted (for houses) against those built in areas of high demand’
This Council, recognising the merits of introducing Land Value Taxation, resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to:
· Sir Oliver Letwin as Chair of the Review outlining the Council’s position and asking the panel to give serious consideration to recommending to Government that LVT be introduced as a means to discouraging land-banking and accelerating housing development.
· Our three local Members of Parliament asking for their support for this position.
Motion 3 – Restricting New Hot Food Takeaways near Schools
Councillor Williamson to MOVE and Councillor Turner to SECOND:
This Council notes that:
· Childhood obesity has risen to epic proportions. In October 2017, the medical journal, The Lancet, reported one in every ten young people, aged 5 to 19, in the UK are classed as obese;
· In Oldham, sadly the situation is even worse. The Public Health England profile for the Borough, published July 2017, reported that 21.9% of children at Year 6 (660 in total) were classed as obese;
· Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, putting them at risk of developing serious health conditions (such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer);
· Takeaway food, where it is unhealthy, so called junk food, is undoubtedly a contributing factor in the increase;
· Although the Oldham School Meals Service is a Gold standard provider, regrettably some pupils chose to eat at or from takeaways;
· In June 2016, the Royal Society for Public Health called for a ban on the delivery of takeaway meals to school gates. A survey conducted by the RSPH amongst young people found half had ordered takeaways on their smart phones and a quarter had paid for fast food to be delivered to the school gates;
· At least 22 local authorities have adopted Supplementary Planning Documents and Local Plans that include a prohibition on new fast food takeaways within 400 metres of local schools (a buffer zone);
· In July 2012, Oldham Council adopted a Supplementary Planning Document which placed restrictions on the density of hot food takeaways, but which did not include any restriction on new takeaways within a specified buffer zone.
Council resolves to ask the Planning Committee to investigate the desirability and practicality of:
· Introducing a prohibition on new takeaways within a 400 metre buffer zone as part of the Local Plan;
Council shall also contact all schools within the Borough to seek reassurances they:
· Enforce a ‘stay-on-site’ policy at lunchtimes;
· Ban the delivery of takeaways to the school gates for collection by pupils;
And to ask them to do so; if they do not.
Minutes:
Motion 1 – Making Oldham a ‘Single Use Plastic-Free’ Local Authority
Councillor Murphy MOVED and Councillor Harkness SECONDED the following motion:
“Council notes that:
· The introduction of the 5p bag charge has already seen use of single-use plastic bags drop by 85%.
· However, most families still throw away about 40kg of plastic per year, which could otherwise be recycled.
· The amount of plastic waste generated annually in the UK is estimated to be nearly 5 million tonnes, which has a catastrophic effect on our environment, particularly our marine environment
Council welcomes the commitment of some major businesses to reduce their use of plastic packaging and encourages all local businesses to respond positively to the Government’s recent call for evidence on reducing plastic waste.
However, Council recognises that is only in eliminating single-use plastic materials that we can achieve a significant reduction in plastic waste.
Council therefore resolves to ask the Cabinet to:
· Develop a robust strategy to make Oldham a ‘single-use plastic-free’ authority by the end of 2018 and encourage the Borough’s institutions, businesses and citizens to adopt similar measures
· End the sale and provision of single use plastic products such as bottles, cups, cutlery and drinking straws in Council buildings, or council supported venues, wherever possible; promoting the use of non-plastic recyclable alternatives e.g. paper straws to ensure our venues remain accessible to those with additional needs.
· Encourage traders across the Borough to sell re-usable containers and invite customers to bring their own.
· Consider the merits and practicalities of introducing a ‘window sticker’ scheme to accredit local businesses that are committed to reducing plastic waste through, for example, offering free water bottle refills.
· Investigate the possibility of requiring pop-up food and drink vendors at council supported events to avoid single-use plastics as a condition of their contract; with a view to phasing out all single use plastics at markets and events in the Borough by the end of 2018.
· Work with tenants in commercial properties owned by Oldham Council to encourage them to phase out single use plastic cups, bottles, cutlery and straws.
Councillor Bates spoke in support of the MOTION.
Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Fielding SECONDED that under Council Procedure Rule 8.4(d) the motion be referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Board.
On being put to the vote, that the MOTION be REFERRED to Overview and Scrutiny was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that under Council Procedure 8.4(d) the motion be referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Board.
Motion 2 – Land Value Taxation
Councillor McCann MOVED and Councillor Gloster SECONDED the following Motion:
“This Council believes that Land Value Taxation (LVT) offers a credible means for local authorities to raise public revenue to fund local public services by making an annual charge upon landowners, based on the rental value of their land. This is typically levied against the unimproved value of that land, not taking into account any buildings, services or on-site infrastructure.
Council notes that:
· LVT could be revenue-neutral; that is the revenue raised could replace taxation levied through Council Tax and Business Rates. This would lift some of the burden of meeting the cost of Council services from our Borough’s low-income households and small businesses;
· LVT would encourage owners of vacant sites, particularly brown-field sites, to develop them for businesses or residential use more quickly, where planning permission has been granted, so as to generate an income rather than pay an annual charge on the unused land;
· This would discourage developers from land-banking and lead to more house building and the creation of more businesses and jobs, meaning a more vibrant Borough and less pressure to build new homes on our irreplaceable green belt;
· LVT is cheap to collect and very difficult to evade.
Council further notes that:
· Some form of LVT is already successfully in operation in over 30 countries (including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and several US states);
· The International Monetary Fund, the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development have all come out in favour of the tax;
· A Private Members Bill was introduced in Parliament by Caroline Lucas MP supporting LVT, and the proposal has cross-party support in principle;
· The Scottish and Welsh Governments are currently investigating the options for implementing such a tax;
· The Parliamentary Communities and Local Government Committee have just conducted an enquiry into the efficacy of various taxation methods to ‘capture’ increases in land value;
· The Government has appointed a panel of experts, chaired by Sir Oliver Letwin, charged with carrying out a review to ‘explain the gap between the number of planning permissions being granted (for houses) against those built in areas of high demand’
This Council recognising the merits of introducing Land Value Taxation, resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to:
· Sir Oliver Letwin as Chair of the Review outlining the Council’s position and asking the panel to give serious consideration to recommending to Government that LVT be introduced as a means to discouraging land-banking and accelerated housing development.
· Our three local Members of Parliament asking for their support for this position.”
Councillor Brownridge spoke against the Motion.
Councillor McCann exercised his right of reply.
Councillor Sykes MOVED and Councillor Harkness SECONDED that under Council Procedure Rule 8.4(d) the motion be referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Board.
On being put to the vote, that the MOTION be REFERRED to Overview and Scrutiny was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that under Council Procedure 8.4(d) the motion be referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Board.
Motion 3 – Restricting New Hot Food Takeaways near Schools
Councillor Haque declared a pecuniary interest in this item by virtue of his ownership of a takeway. Councillor Haque left the Chamber and took no part in the discussion or vote thereon.
Councillor Williamson MOVED and Councillor Turner SECONDED the following motion:
“This Council notes that:
· Childhood obesity has risen to epic proportions. In October 2017, the medical journal, The Lancet, reported one in every ten young people, aged 5 to 19, in the UK are classed as obese:
· In Oldham, sadly the situation is even worse. The Public Health England profile for the Borough, published July 2017, reported that 21.9% of children at Year 6 (660 in total) were classed as obese;
· Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, putting them at risk of developing serious health conditions (such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer);
· Takeaway food, where it is unhealthy, so called junk food, is undoubtedly a contributing factor in the increase;
· Although the Oldham School Meals Service is a Gold standard provider, regrettably some pupils chose to eat at or from takeaways;
· In June 2016, the Royal Society for Public Health called for a ban on the delivery of takeaway meals to school gates. A survey conducted by the RSPH amongst young people found half had ordered takeaways on their smart phones and a quarter had paid for fast food to be delivered to the school gates;
· At least 22 local authorities have adopted Supplementary Planning Document and Local Plans that include a prohibition on new fast food takeaways within 400 meters of local schools (a buffer zone);
· In July 2012, Oldham Council adopted a Supplementary Planning Document which placed restrictions on the density of hot food takeaways, but which did not include any restriction on new takeaways within a specified buffer zone.
Council resolves to ask the Planning Committee to investigate the desirability and practicality of:
· Introducing a prohibition on new takeaways within a 400 metre buffer zone as part of the Local Plan;
Council shall also contact all schools within the Borough to seek reassurances they:
· Enforce a ‘stay-on-site’ policy at lunchtimes;
· Ban the delivery of takeaways to the school gates for collection by pupils;
And ask them to do so; if they do not.”
Councillor Moores MOVED and Councillor Jabbar SECONDED that under Council Procedure Rule 8.4(d) the motion be referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Board.
On being put to the vote, that the MOTION be REFERRED to Overview and Scrutiny was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED that under Council Procedure 8.4(d) the motion be referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Board.
NOTE: Councillor Chauhan left the meeting during this item.