Protest after council blocks bid to declare climate emergency
ACTIVISTS DEMONSTRATED OUTSIDE COUNCIL HOUSE AHEAD OF MEETING
GREEN activists have protested after Coventry City Council rejected a motion to declare a climate emergency. Members of the Coventry Green Party held its demonstration outside the Council House on Tuesday (June 21), an hour before the Full Council meeting took place.
They were be joined by Stephen Gray, the city’s first Green councillor, after his bid to put in the motion was denied by officers at the 11th hour. Cllr Gray told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he and other Green Party members were “hugely disappointed and somewhat angry” by the development.
The U-turn came after the council’s legal team confirmed in writing to both Cllr Gray and the Coventry Conservatives that the motion was allowed. Both parties said it raised questions about the neutrality of officers.
Cllr Gray said: “Soon after I was elected, I was told by senior council staff that I would be able to submit motions to council meetings. So I submitted a motion asking the council to declare a climate emergency - recognising the importance and urgency of acting on climate change and pledging to act - because Coventry is lagging behind almost every other council in the country on this issue.
“I was told at the last possible minute that the motion would not be allowed on the agenda, even though
council staff had repeatedly confirmed their earlier advice and I had followed all the procedures they gave me. I am hugely disappointed, and somewhat angry, at this last-minute change of mind. As are other Green Party members and environmental activists from other groups.
“We are protesting both at the council’s refusal to discuss the most important issue of our lifetime and that the last-minute change of mind gives the impression that council staff are not as politically neutral as they are supposed to be.”
Leader of the Coventry Conservatives, Cllr Gary Ridley, told the LDRS: “Coventry Conservatives have been calling on the council to declare a climate emergency for some time so we are in full support of Stephen’s motion. In fact, Cllr Ryan Simpson from our group had agreed to second it so it would have been a cross-party motion.
“Before agreeing to this, we sought advice from the council’s legal team who confirmed in writing that this was acceptable if a major party seconded the motion. After it had been submitted, we were then told we couldn’t do it.
“Bearing in mind we were acting on advice it seems incredible that they’ve chosen to gag us in this way. This situation can only have been caused ether by sheer incompetence or political interference, I’m sure the public will make up their own mind which is more likely.
“Nothing changes the fact that we’ve raised this issue in the past as well and been voted down. The real question is why is this failing Labour administration determined not to declare a climate emergency?”
Cllr Gray’s motion would have asked Coventry to declare a Climate Emergency and work to become a carbon neutral city by 2041. It would have required the council to engage more with grassroots green activists and help Coventry people and businesses get funding to cut emissions.
Cllr Gray’s motion also urged the council to note “that the impacts of climate breakdown are already causing serious damage around the world”.
“Around 80 per cent of UK councils now have a climate change action plan,” it added.
In a post on Facebook announcing the protest, Coventry Green Party wrote: “Coventry City Council have blocked a motion to declare a climate emergency and create a climate change action plan with active engagement with grassroots community activists. Please join Green Party Councillor Stephen Gray in a demonstration outside the Council House before the full council meeting at 2pm.
“Please bring placards regarding the need for action on climate change.”
A Coventry City Council spokesman said: “The council’s constitution sets out how motions on notice for debate will be handled and includes measures to prevent a proliferation of motions by limiting the number of motions to one per political group.
“In reviewing motions proposed for consideration at tomorrow’s meeting, it became apparent that the wording in the constitution does need clarifying to ensure that the position in relation to motions received by councillors who are not in a political group is made clear and arrangements to progress this through the Constitutional Advisory Panel and Council have been put in place ahead of the next meeting. However, until this has been resolved, the decision was made to accept one motion from each of the political groups.”