Documents
Agenda
Standard Items
1
Lord Mayor's announcements
2
Declarations of interest
(Please note that it is the responsibility of individual members to declare an interest prior to the item if they arrive late for the meeting)
3
Questions from the public
Purpose - to agree the accuracy of the minutes of the council meeting held on 19 July 2016
6
Questions to cabinet members / committee chairs
(A printed copy of the questions and replies will be available at the meeting)
Purpose - This report sets out the Treasury Management performance for the year to 31 March 2016
Purpose - To propose for approval the draft four year financial sustainability plan to meet the requirements of the four year efficiency plan and flexible use of capital receipts strategy
Purpose - To seek approval for the adoption of a single consolidated byelaw to replace the existing three byelaws, adopted in 1986 that regulate acupuncture, tattooing, ear piercing and electrolysis
10
Motion - Reducing single-use plastic (SUP) use in Norwich
According to recent research, eight million metric tons of plastic waste ends up in the world’s oceans each year, endangering marine life. There is also a growing understanding of the risks posed to human health by toxic chemicals present in plastics.
Six months after the introduction of the 5p bag charge, use of single-use plastic bags had already dropped by 85%, while the TV programme Hugh’s War on Waste has raised public awareness of the problems of our throwaway culture. It is time for Norwich to take a lead on this issue.
Council RESOLVES to ask cabinet to:
1. develop a robust strategy to make Norwich City Council a ‘single-use-plastic-free’ authority by the end of 2017 and encourage the city’s institutions, businesses and citizens to adopt similar measures;
2. end the sale and provision of SUP products such as bottles, cups, cutlery and drinking straws in council buildings;
3. encourage traders on Norwich Market to sell re-usable containers and invite customers to bring their own, with the aim of phasing out single-use plastic containers and cutlery on market stalls by the end of 2017;
4. investigate the possibility of requiring pop-up food and drink vendors at large council events to avoid SUPs as a condition of their contract; and,
5. work with tenants in commercial properties owned by Norwich City Council to encourage the phasing out of SUP cups, bottles, cutlery and straws.
11
Motion – Business rates and clean energy
Norwich City Council has worked closely with residents and businesses to expand the use of solar panels across the city.
Current government plans to update tax rates for business properties could leave companies installing solar panels on their rooftops with a tax bill that is six to eight times higher than they are currently paying to generate clean energy on their property.
This change risks making it uneconomic for many more businesses to generate their own clean energy and further damages the clean energy sector.
Council RESOLVES to ask the government to:
1. pause and bring forward its plans for proper scrutiny before the Valuation Office Agency’s review of business rates is concluded on 30 September 2016;
2. cease further undermining of the clean energy sector which has suffered 12,000 job losses and a crisis in investor confidence since 2015; and,
3. support the low-carbon and clean energy economy, which was worth £46.2bn in 2014, supporting nearly a quarter of a million jobs.
Attendance
Declarations of Interests
Visitors
Visitor Information is not yet available for this meeting