Agenda item

1.  It was moved by County Councillor Andrew Snowden and seconded by County Councillor Kim Snape that:

Making Lancashire a Leader in Supporting People with Crohns and Colitis

 

The numbers of people suffering with Crohns and Colitis and other severe bowel and urinary diseases and conditions, such as recovering from cancer surgery, is rising. There are also increasing numbers of young people with the condition, brought to the world’s attention by the recent news of a ten year old boy from Kentucky who took his own life after being bullied for having a colostomy bag.

 

These conditions in themselves are incredibly painful, exhausting and stressful - for many they also pose life threatening and life changing situations and decisions. Yet, on the whole, awareness in the general public about the severity and reality of life for those with these conditions is low, leading to embarrassment and stress for those with the condition and meaning that things such as access to toilets are not seen as a public health priority.

 

Campaigns such as ‘Not every disability is visible’ and the ‘Can’t Wait' card have made headway in raising awareness that not everyone needing access to a disabled toilet has a readily visible disability. But much more needs to be done.

 

It is proposed that Lancashire becomes a national beacon of best practice in supporting people with Crohns and Colitis and other related conditions by:

·  Recognising toilet access, both public and private, as an important public health issue.

·  Raising awareness of groups for whom toilet access is a crucial issue and creating a better understanding of the conditions, symptoms and support needed

·  Ensuring the county council leads by example as an organisation in its employment practices, awareness raising and support.

·  Working with partners to improve toilet access and to identify means to do this through information sharing and digital platforms.

·  Developing a pledge with district councils, businesses and the public sector to increase recognition of the ‘Can’t Wait' card programme and sharing their toilet facilities information on relevant digital platforms.

 

On being put to the vote, the motion was CARRIED and it was:

 

Resolved: - That:

Making Lancashire a Leader in Supporting People with Crohns and Colitis

 

The numbers of people suffering with Crohns and Colitis and other severe bowel and urinary diseases and conditions, such as recovering from cancer surgery, is rising. There are also increasing numbers of young people with the condition, brought to the world’s attention by the recent news of a ten year old boy from Kentucky who took his own life after being bullied for having a colostomy bag.

 

These conditions in themselves are incredibly painful, exhausting and stressful - for many they also pose life threatening and life changing situations and decisions. Yet, on the whole, awareness in the general public about the severity and reality of life for those with these conditions is low, leading to embarrassment and stress for those with the condition and meaning that things such as access to toilets are not seen as a public health priority.

 

Campaigns such as ‘Not every disability is visible’ and the ‘Can’t Wait' card have made headway in raising awareness that not everyone needing access to a disabled toilet has a readily visible disability. But much more needs to be done.

 

It is proposed that Lancashire becomes a national beacon of best practice in supporting people with Crohns and Colitis and other related conditions by:

·  Recognising toilet access, both public and private, as an important public health issue.

·  Raising awareness of groups for whom toilet access is a crucial issue and creating a better understanding of the conditions, symptoms and support needed

·  Ensuring the county council leads by example as an organisation in its employment practices, awareness raising and support.

·  Working with partners to improve toilet access and to identify means to do this through information sharing and digital platforms.

·  Developing a pledge with district councils, businesses and the public sector to increase recognition of the ‘Can’t Wait' card programme and sharing their toilet facilities information on relevant digital platforms.

 

2.  It was moved by County Councillor Azhar Ali and seconded by County Councillor Tony Martin that:

 

This Council fully adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of Anti-Semitism and the definition of Islamophobia by the All Party Parliamentary Group.

 

On being put to the vote, the motion was LOST.

 

In accordance with the requirements of procedural Standing Order B45(4), a recorded vote was taken. The names of the county councillors who voted for or against the Motion and those who abstained are set out below:

 

For (29)

 

T Aldridge	L Cox	J Fillis	S Malik	M Parkinson
A Ali	C Crompton	J Gibson	T Martin	J Parr
L Beavers	M Dad	N Hennessy	J Mein	M Pattison
J Berry	B Dawson	S Holgate	J Molineux	K Snape
T Burns	F De Molfetta	M Iqbal	Y Motala	M Tomlinson
L Collinge	K Ellard	H Khan	G Oliver

 

Against (41)

 

T Ashton	S Clarke	A Hosker	J Rear	P Steen
A Atkinson	A Clempson	K Iddon	P Rigby	C Towneley
M Barron	G Driver	A Kay	A Riggott	A Vincent
P Britcliffe	J Eaton	J Marsh	M Salter	G Wilkins
I Brown	C Edwards	S Morris	A Schofield	P Williamson
P Buckley	D Foxcroft	E Nash	J Shedwick
J Burrows	A Gardiner	D O'Toole	D Smith
S Charles	G Gooch	E Pope	A Snowden
A Cheetham	M Green	J Purcell	D Stansfield

 

Abstain (7)

 

G Dowding	P Hayhurst	L Oades	D Whipp
P Greenall	D Howarth	J Sumner

 

The Chairman declared a pecuniary interest in the following Notice of Motion and vacated the Chair. County Councillor Susie Charles, Vice-Chairman, assumed the Chair for consideration of the Notice of Motion.

 

Prior to the next Notice of Motion being moved, the Vice-Chairman invited the Monitoring Officer to advise Full Council on potential implications of the motion.

 

3.  It was moved by County Councillor Gina Dowding that:

Retain the Current Safety Thresholds for Seismic Activity for Shale Gas Operations

Lancashire County Council notes:

(i)  The first high volume high pressure hydraulic fracturing to take place in the UK at Preese Hall in 2011 caused many earthquakes, the largest being magnitude 1.5 and 2.3 which resulted in a deformed well casing. The British Geological Society reported that 58 earthquakes were detected in the time period between 31 March and 30 August 2011 which led to the fracking process being stopped.

(ii)  The risks of seismic activity induced by fracking are of additional concern to the people of Lancashire as earth tremors greatly exacerbate the health and environmental risks associated with shale gas exploration, testing and extraction. Seismic activity deep underground threatens the ‘integrity’ of the well, and thus could increase the risk of leakage of gas into the subsurface and potentially into the water supply.

(iii)  Lancashire's geology is far more complex to those areas in the US where fracking industry has established itself, and the UK is far more densely populated.

(iv)  That the fracking industry willingly agreed to seismic thresholds known as  the Traffic Light System in 2012 to reassure government and communities, following the moratorium, that the fracking  process would be  safe,  and did not once query it in all that time. The threshold of seismic activity at which fracking must be paused of 0.5ML was set to ensure safety of the local population.

(v)  That fracking at Preston New Road induced 57 seismic events in the two months from October 2018, starting almost immediately after the first frack. In line with the government’s Traffic Light System, Cuadrilla stopped work five times between mid-October and mid-December. The most powerful tremors measured 1.1ML and 1.5ML and were felt near the site.

(vi)  The shale gas industry, and in particular Cuadrilla, who operate in Lancashire, are now calling for the Traffic Light System to be weakened in their favour at the expense of public health and safety. There is no evidence to support a relaxation of the seismic limit. Cuadrilla previously wanted the red light threshold raised to 2M_L – but when they proposed a limit of 1.7M_L in 2012, this was dismissed as “undesirably high”. Based on Cuadrilla's operations since October it is abundantly evident that the science based limits which the industry helped put in place in 2012 have done their job effectively to protect local communities.

(vii)  That in a public opinion survey in February 2019, 54% of people opposed any change to fracking earthquake regulations, and only 24% supported a change.

 

Lancashire County Council welcomes the fact that to date the Government has confirmed it has no plans to change the Traffic Light System of seismic thresholds for the fracking industry.

 

Lancashire County Council resolves to write to the Energy Minister and the Prime Minister welcoming the Government's resolve not to change the thresholds to date and asking them not to bow to pressure from the fracking industry at any stage in the future, and to continue to prioritise public health and safety; and to write to Lancashire's MPs about the Council's position.

 

In moving the motion, County Councillor Dowding advised that she wished to delete the wording in the final paragraph shown in italics.

 

County Councillor Geoff Driver moved, and County Councillor Keith Iddon seconded, that, in accordance with procedural Standing Order 44(1)(c), the debate be adjourned.

 

The Vice-Chairman considered that the item had not been sufficiently discussed and could not reasonably be so discussed on that occasion, and therefore, in accordance with Standing Order 44(4), put the procedural motion to the vote.

 

On being put to the vote, the motion was CARRIED and it was:

 

 

Resolved: - That:

 

The debate be adjourned.