Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of Full Council 22 April 2021 and Extraordinary Council 4 May 2021.

The minutes of the previous meetings were approved as a correct record and signed by the chair.

None.

Announcements only from the Chair of Council, Leader, Members of the Executive or the Managing Director.

The Chair announced that this Sunday 30 May 2021 marked the 175th anniversary of the Teignmouth Railway Station, a date when it also became the headquarters of the South Devon Railway.

The Retiring Chair will seek nominations. 

It was proposed by Cllr G Hook and seconded by the Leader that Cllr Parker be elected Chair of the Council 2021/22.

RESOLVED that Cllr Parker be elected Chair of the Council 2021/22.

The new Chair will seek nominations.

It was proposed by the Executive Member for Corporate Resources and seconded by the Executive Member for Economy and Jobs that Cllr Evans be elected Vice-Chair of the Council 2021/22.

RESOLVED that Cllr Evans be elected Vice-Chair of the Council 2021/22.

In accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, the Political Composition of the groups is as below:-

The 2021/2022 nominations received by Democratic Services will be reported to or otherwise made at the AGM.

Not politically balanced:-

Cllr G Hook left the meeting at this point.

It was proposed by the Leader and seconded by the Executive Member for Environmental Health, Waste and Recycling that the committee appointments are agreed as set out in the report.

RESOLVED that the nominations to allocate committee seats for 2021/22 as circulated be approved. 

The Executive Member for Homes and Communities will present the recommendation from the  Executive on 13 May, 2021.

RECOMMENDED to Full Council that the Teignbridge Housing Strategy 2021-2026 (in Appendix A) be adopted.

The Executive Member for Homes and Communities proposed the recommendation from the Executive on 13 May 2021 to adopt the Teignbridge Housing Strategy 2021-2026, this was seconded by the Executive Member for Planning.

RESOLVED that the Teignbridge Housing Strategy 2021-2026 (in Appendix A) be adopted.

Members of the Council may ask questions of the Council subject to procedural rules.

The deadline for questions is no later than three clear working days before the meeting.

Member’s questions and responses are attached to minutes.

The relevant Executive Member responded to the supplementary questions arising therefrom. See the live stream.

Notice of Motion’s shall be referred to the appropriate Committee meeting. The mover of the motion can outline the proposal and then it will stand adjourned. The motion may be debated to assist debate later if agreed by two-thirds of Council Members.

The following motion on the Environment has been presented by Cllr MacGregor and supported by Cllrs H Cox, Daws, G Hook and Parker

Background

Council Notes that –

-        This Council has declared its commitment to address the Climate and Ecological Emergencies via Declarations made in April 2019 and Sept 2020 respectively. We are also signatories to the Devon Carbon Declaration and being recognised as a leader in District Council responses to the twin emergencies.

-        The Council has fulfilled the initial commitments we made at Full Council in Sept 2019 including employing a Climate Change Officer. We have completed our 2018/19 Carbon Footprint and have identified and funded projects to address the Council’s top 15 emissions sites.

-        The Council has made substantial progress in other areas including through our Local Plan, installing EV charging, promoting district heating schemes, energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofitting of the District’s housing stock, created SANGS at Dawlish and Matford, planted more than 3000 trees and assisted with many other projects to reduce our District’s carbon footprint, as well as protect and improve biodiversity and habitats.

-        Central Government, however, has failed to provide the legislative framework to match Teignbridge District’s Council ambition.

-        The Government has delayed for the 3^rd time the progress of the Environment Bill through Parliament. The Bill; created to enshrine in law environmental principles which will embed environmental values at the heart of government policy making and replacing EU regulations covering areas such as pollution, wildlife protection, air quality, biodiversity and waste reduction. However, the Bill will now not be in place until Autumn 2021, at the earliest.

-        Despite these positive plans, the Government has already taken a backwards direction by reversing the EU ban on the use of neonicotinoids, undermining previous commitments in 2018 that the UK would keep the ban in place post Brexit. Research shows that neonicotinoids are highly toxic chemicals that can persist in the wider ecosystem for some time, potentially to be absorbed by wildflowers that pollinators then visit. In 2018 the government agreed with this research, and there is no new research to dispute this finding.

-        Last year the Committee on Climate Change, the Government’s own independent advisory body stated that steps taken so far by Government “do not deliver adequate progress in addressing even the unavoidable impacts of climate change, let alone the risks of expected levels of global warming of around 3°C above pre-industrial levels”, and that “the delivery of effective new policies must accelerate dramatically if we’re to seize this chance. Progress is generally off-track in most sectors, with only four out of 21 of the indicators on track in 2019.”

-        The United Nations has just produced the results of the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 46.

The Chair proposed that as Cllr Macgregor was not present his Notice of Motion be deferred to the next meeting of Full Council, this was seconded by Cllr Bullivant.

RESOLVED that the Notice of Motion be deferred to the next meeting of Full Council.

The Chair proposed that as Cllr Eden was not present her Notice of Motion be deferred to the next meeting of Full Council, this was seconded by Cllr Bullivant.

RESOLVED that the Notice of Motion be deferred to the next meeting of Full Council.