(1) Receipt of Petitions (if any) from Local Government Electors for the District
(2) Statements (if any) from the Public
Minutes:
The Chairman advised of 6 requests to address the meeting.
Dave Pearson, on behalf of Clean Air Northamptonshire, addressed Council in relation to Motion 3. He stated that the Government’s tree planting targets had been repeatedly missed, and that the Council’s failure to appoint a tree officer and the removal of mention of a tree officer from the motion was indicative of the low priority given to the issue. He highlighted the importance of a local transport plan that would reduce traffic and a tree planting programme to sequester air pollution. Mr Pearson expressed disappointment with the quality of debate on air pollution at the last Council meeting, commenting that it “descended into party politics”.
Jake Blackburn addressed Council in relation to item 10. He stated that in relation to the ongoing trial of former MP David Mackintosh and Howard Grossman, if the jury decided that the evidence provided by a WNC councillor under oath was to be disbelieved, this would raise concerns regarding probity and could be a breach of the WNC Code of Conduct. Given the scope of the circumstances, Mr Blackburn believed an enquiry should be held into the conduct of the councillor in question and that they should be suspended from their council duties until such enquiries had taken place.
Tina Matthews, on behalf of the Umbrella Fair Organisation’s “1000 Voices” campaign, addressed Council in relation to Motion 3. She stated that WNC was not doing enough in terms of the level of action required to have a significant impact on air quality and believed that the Council should consider the recommendations of Mobilising Primary Care in Islington on Air Pollution; 1 key recommendation was that in the absence of a public awareness campaign about the health harms of air pollution, future rollouts should be supplemented by local communications campaigns to help solidify messages about air pollution. Ms Matthews further stated that the Council was not equipping residents with the knowledge required to take appropriate action to prevent harm to themselves. The Council should keep talking about levels of pollution, put pressure on the Government and local authorities to act, stop burning fossil fuels, and aim for more sustainable transport systems.
Ryan Michlig addressed Council in relation to Motion1. He commented that vapes were intended to be used as smoking cessation devices and were dangerous in the wrong hands. There had been a change in the market since the Covid pandemic with more single use vapes being made available. He stated that underage use was a big problem, but specialist sellers in town did not sell to underage users. More education was needed, and Mr Michlig suggested that the Council should be speaking to children in schools to alert them to the harms of vaping.
Gordon Kerr addressed Council in relation to Motion 3. He commented that there was no balanced scientific view on the veracity on the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and questioned where funding for a new tree officer would come from.
Toby Birch, on behalf of Community Spaces Northampton, addressed Council in relation to Item 7 - Report of the Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement & Regulatory Services. He commented that there had been ongoing discussions with residents and councillors about developing Southfields Community Centre to accommodate the needs of the entire community. A local pre-school used the only hall during termtime which prevented access for other groups during the day. He advised that no progress had been made since a meeting with several Cabinet Members in October 2021, but the needs of the local community were growing, especially among the elderly and isolated. He asked that the Council take urgent action into the possibilities of developing the site.