GBC Acknowledges the Importance of Climate Change and Sets Up Task-group

Published on: 6 Dec, 2018
Updated on: 6 Dec, 2018

By Amina Sahbegovic

Climate change fuelled impassioned debate during the full meeting of Guildford Borough Council on Tuesday (December 4, 2018).

Cllr Caroline Reeves

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Caroline Reeves (Friary & St Nicolas), put forward a motion to have an officer-led group working with people across the borough to take environmental counter-measures.

An amendment was proposed by the lead councillor for skills, arts and tourism, Nikki Nelson-Smith (Con, Christchurch) who noted that the board was already taking account of climate change, and that having another group would be inefficient. So instead of a working group, a “task-group” will be created to provide policy input and practical suggestions under the existing Innovation Strategy Board.

Cllr Nikki Nelson-Smith

Cllr Reeves’ motion stated that there is, “…overwhelming evidence indicating that human activity has resulted in global climate change that threatens our future and those of generations to come”. She believed the council has a crucial role to play in leading the way and influencing the way residents of Guildford live and work.

An officer-led working group, Cllr Reeves explained, would lead from the front and engage with residents, rather than having the council telling them what to do.

She quoted Sir David Attenborough’s speech at the climate change conference in Poland: “Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years – climate change.

“If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon The world’s people have spoken. Their message is clear. Time is running out. They want you, the decision-makers, to act now.”

Cllr Reeves noted that GBC does not have the powerful “decision-makers” Sir David was referring to but she believed members of the council can lead the way by engaging with people across the borough, starting with schools. In her view, the council should not be “talking down” to people on this matter but needs to explain the issues and ways to tackle them.

The motion was warmly welcomed by some councillors, and Susan Parker, leader of the Guildford Greenbelt Group (GGG), said this is was not a party political matter but that “anyone who cares about their children should vote for this motion”.

Cllr Paul Spooner

But the motion was not approved without amendment. Council Leader Paul Spooner (Con, South Ash and Tongham) referred to a recent visit to Guildford’s twin town, Freiburg, where the recent call to environmental action by the United Nations was discussed, and said: “I have already asked council officers to start work in relation to a framework around the UN agenda 2030… I think we should embrace it as a council.

“Echoing what other councillors have said, this is a significantly important issue in its own right and I welcome the motion. We can argue about the form of process within the council but the substance behind the motion, I think, is very important.”

Cllr David Reeve

Cllr David Reeve (GGG, Horsly and Clandon), seconding the motion, said he believed this was the most important intervention he has made in the council.

He reminded the council that 2018 was the second hottest year ever seen and that progress on climate change was extremely slow, and asked: “Is this council … prepared to commit themselves to being part of the solution, or are we going to take the view that this issue is someone else’s problem?”

An officer-led working group, both councillors explained, would help in establishing principles of the future approach in tackling climate change by first, increasing education on the subject to young children. Cllr Reeve added that the council could also directly influence the energy inefficiency of social housing and the new housing anticipated in the local plan, two categories that amount to more than a third of the borough’s total housing.

Cllr Nelson-Smith’s amendment, she explained was, “to minimise duplication of work”, and a task group that would be a sub-group of the Innovation Strategy Board would be better. She said this would not be a delaying tactic, but would help focus the scope of the Innovation Strategy which is being drafted.

After the meeting, Cllr Reeves told The Guildford Dragon NEWS: “We Lib Dems firmly believe such a team is urgently needed to energise Guildford residents into awareness of what needs to be done to save our environment, and this needs to be done by going out to meet the people in the borough, working with them, not talking at them. We should be explaining what needs to be done, why and how we can really make a difference.