Issue - meetings

To receive and consider the recommendations of the Cabinet relating to Councillor Hook’s Notice of Motion. 

The text of the original Notice of Motion, the Cabinet’s recommendation and any reasons therefor may be seen in full in Minute 53 of the Cabinet held on 13 July 2016 (Page 4, Green Pages).

(Councillors Dempster, Dewhirst, Morse, Sellis and Wright each declared a personal interest in this matter by virtue of being Members of the Devon Wildlife Trust).

Pursuant to County Council Minute 160(d) of 10 December 2015 relating to the Notice of Motion set out below as previously submitted and formally moved by Councillor Hook, and duly seconded, that:

‘Bees play an essential role in food production. The Bee population has been in alarming decline in recent years, due to various external influences. One such harmful influence is the use of neonicotinoids, an aggressive pesticide. Devon is heavily reliant on agriculture and this council will therefore prohibit the use of this pesticide on all land that it owns or manages in a proactive effort to reverse the destruction of the Bee community here in Devon. The Council will also explore other ways which, in addition to banning this particular pesticide, will help the survival of the Bee population. A report on other potential actions will be brought to Place Scrutiny’.

and having had regard to the advice of the Cabinet set out in Minute 53 of 13 July 2016 and to further representations received direct by Members and acknowledging the view of the Cabinet Member for Community and Environmental Services that the proposed Plan reflected the general principle that the Council would endeavour to stop using bee harmful pesticides on its land and would encourage others to do likewise:

Councillor Hart MOVED and Councillor Croad seconded that the Cabinet’s recommended advice (submitted as a formal amendment) set out at Minute 53 be accepted which substantially gives effect to the Notice of Motion and the Devon County Council Pollinators’ Action Plan appended to Report PTE/16/36 be approved.

Councillor Hart then indicated his willingness, with the consent of the Council, to accept a further amendment of which advance notice had been given by Councillor Wright and the revised, composite, amendment as set out below was then put to the vote and declared CARRIED.

‘(a) that the advice of the Cabinet set out at Minute 53 be accepted which substantially gives effect to the Notice of Motion through proposed actions;

(b) that the Devon County Council Pollinators’ Action Plan appended to Report PTE/16/36 be approved;

(c) that the County Council acknowledges the essential role of pollinators and proactively engages with communities, Devon Wildlife Trust and Town and Parish Councils to promote a significant boost in the number of roadside wildflower verges’

Councillor Wright then MOVED and Councillor Biederman SECONDED that Minute 53(b) be amended by the addition of the words:

‘provided that this Council acknowledges the limitations of the contract with the Farms Estates, recognises the role of neonicotinoids in the significant decline of bees and therefore opposes the use of such pesticides on it’s land’.

The amendment was put to the vote and declared LOST.

The composite amendment in the name of Councillor Hart above was then put to the vote as the substantive Motion and declared  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36

Joint Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment and Head of Business Strategy & Support (PTE/16/36) incorporating the final draft of the proposed Pollinators Plan, relating to the Notice of Motion on ‘Protection of the Bee Population’previously submitted by Councillor Hook referred to Cabinet by County Council on 10 December 2015, attached.

The Cabinet will also wish to have regard to the views of the Farms Estate Committee (Farms Estate Committee Minute 15/28 June 2016 and the Head of Business Strategy & Support’s Report BSS/16/11), also attached.

(Councillors Brazil, Connett, Owen and Westlake attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Joint Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment and the Head of Business Strategy & Support (PTE/16/36)incorporating a  proposed Pollinators Action Plan which was commended to the Cabinet and County Council. This was in response to the Notice of Motion (set out below) submitted by Councillor Hook having regard, in particular, to the views of the Farms Estate Committee (Farms Estate Committee Minute 15/28 June 2016 and  Report BSS/16/11 refer).

The wording of the original Notice of Motion were:

‘‘Bees play an essential role in food production. The Bee population has been in alarming decline in recent years, due to various external influences. One such harmful influence is the use of neonicotinoids, an aggressive pesticide. Devon is heavily reliant on agriculture and this council will therefore prohibit the use of this pesticide on all land that it owns or manages in a proactive effort to reverse the destruction of the Bee community here in Devon. The Council will also explore other ways which, in addition to banning this particular pesticide, will help the survival of the Bee population. A report on other potential actions will be brought to Place Scrutiny’.

The Heads of Service Report summarised representations received on this matter and the earlier considerations and views of the Cabinet on 13 January and 13 April 2016, of the Place Scrutiny on 7 March 2016 (when that Committee heard from the Devon Wildlife Trust) and of the County Farms Estates Committee on 28 April and again 28 June 2016 (when that Committee also heard from a NFU Representative), culminating in the preparation and submission of the Plan now before the Cabinet.  

The Cabinet had previously asked the Farms Estate Committee for its views on potentially prohibiting “the use of neonicotinoids on land under the control or ownership of the County Council including existing and new tenants of the County Farms Estate”  - as part of a wider Pollinators Action Plan - and acknowledged the considered views of that Committee now reported, following a survey of existing tenants. 

The production of a Pollinators Action Plan had, in principle, previously been agreed and had been supported by the Place Scrutiny Committee recognising, at that time, that the final content of the Plan would be considered by the Cabinet in light of the Farms Estates Committee’s views.

The Action Plan now proposed recognised that prohibiting the use of neonicotinoids on land under the control or ownership of the County Council generally would be unnecessary and irrelevant given there was no routine use of such insecticides.  Furthermore, and in relation specifically to the Farms Estate, and again given the limited current usage of such products and the legal constraints outlined in Section 8 of the Report, the Plan instead outlined a series of positive actions to further reduce the use of neonicotinoids by tenants together with a range  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53