Minutes:
The Council had before it a Notice of Motion set out in the agenda papers standing in the names of Cllr Matt Jenkins, Cllr Beverley Nielsen, Cllr Natalie McVey, Cllr Martin Allen, Cllr Tom Wells, and Cllr Richard Udall.
The motion was moved by Cllr Matt Jenkins and seconded by Cllr Beverley Nielsen who both spoke in favour of it, and Council agreed to deal with it on the day.
The following amendment was moved by Cllr Marc Bayliss and seconded by Cllr Mike Rouse:
“Maintaining good air quality is important for Worcestershire and as the Highways Authority the County Council has an important part to play in delivering good air quality for residents. This is why strategic infrastructure schemes such as the dualling of the Southern Link Road, building Worcestershire Parkway station and the new Hoobrook Island were all important in reducing congestion and improving the air quality of the County.
With this in mind, Council calls upon the Cabinet to:
1. Continue to work collaboratively with district councils, Worcestershire Regulatory Services and other partners to look at further ways in which air quality can be improved.
2. Continue to support the lead work of district councils in addressing air quality issue hotspots where they exist.”
Those in favour of the amendment made the following comments:
· The Cabinet Member for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills commented that the amendment provided a more balanced picture of the situation in Worcestershire setting out the importance of and progress made addressing the issue of air quality. The responsibility for air quality primarily rested with district and unitary councils who were required to regularly review air quality in their area. This Council recognised its roles and responsibilities to assist district councils as the county highways authority
· The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport recognised that transport was a large contributor to emissions which was why the Government would be banning the production of diesel and petrol vehicles from 2030. More work was required to address poor air quality hotspots in the county for example, through the introduction of Lowesmoor bus enforcement cameras. He was happy to review this measure as long as any relaxation of these measures did not impact on air quality in Lowesmoor. It was important to retain the flexibility to take action whilst recognising and respecting the responsibilities of the district councils
· Different areas of the county had benefited from the sensible planned actions of this Council to resolve air quality issues caused by high traffic volumes for example, improvements to the sequencing of traffic lights, and improvements to road and rail facilities
· The 2020 Parliamentary Guidance made it clear that the responsibility for air quality rested with district councils. District councils would consulted county councils on their action plans and taking account of any recommendations. This Council should not interfere with the work of district councils because they had a better understanding of the local issues.
Those against the amendment made the following comments:
· The mover and seconder of the motion did not accept the amendment because it drastically changed the original motion, taking out key actions
· It was queried whether the amendment represented a direct negation of the original motion. The Democratic Governance and Scrutiny Manager advised that although there were different actions included in the amendment, it was not considered to be a negation of the original motion
· The factual evidence to support the assertion in the amendment that “strategic infrastructure schemes such as the dualling of the Southern Link Road, building Worcestershire Parkway station and the new Hoobrook Island were all important in reducing congestion and improving the air quality of the County” was queried
· This Council had a leadership role in respect of air quality and should not be afraid of exercising it. The amendment lacked any proposals to take action to tackle air quality
· Although the district councils had responsibility for monitoring and reviewing air quality, it was impossible for them to meet the targets in the action plan without this council addressing highways issues. The Environment Act meant that this Council was required by law to deliver improvements to air quality and if the Council failed then district councils could enforce those targets. There was no mention in the amendment of when the next action plan would be delivered.
On being put to the vote, the amendment was agreed.
On being put to the vote, the substantive motion was agreed.
RESOLVED “Maintaining good air quality is important for Worcestershire and as the Highways Authority the County Council has an important part to play in delivering good air quality for residents. This is why strategic infrastructure schemes such as the dualling of the Southern Link Road, building Worcestershire Parkway station and the new Hoobrook Island were all important in reducing congestion and improving the air quality of the County.
With this in mind, Council calls upon the Cabinet to:
1. Continue to work collaboratively with district councils, Worcestershire Regulatory Services and other partners to look at further ways in which air quality can be improved.
2. Continue to support the lead work of district councils in addressing air quality issue hotspots where they exist.”