Agenda item

Notice of Motion Proposed by Councillor DBF White

Meeting of Council, Wednesday, 6th September, 2017 15:00 (Item 62.)

This Council, requests that the Leader write to the Secretaries of State and the relevant Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary outlining our concerns over the decision made by the UK Government not to proceed with full electrification of the South West Wales line between Cardiff and Swansea; and to call on the UK Secretary of State for Transport, to immediately reverse this decision.

This Council unequivocally condemns the announcement on the day that the UK Parliament went into summer recess without consultation not to proceed with electrification of the rail line to Swansea. This decision will have a significant long term economic and environmental consequences for Bridgend. It is a betrayal of the people of Bridgend. This Council restates that it believes that Bridgend requires modern regional transport infrastructure investment to ensure the future prosperity of the region.

We note with dismay that since the announcement not to proceed with electrification to Swansea, that the UK Government has stated its support for a £30bn Cross rail 2 project. This demonstrates the London centric thinking of the UK Government.

We also note the UK Government has announced that it is to ban petrol and diesel vehicles in the UK from 2040. We believe this ban should extend to locomotives and that diesel trains should also be banned, and renewable energy schemes should be progressed as a matter of urgency, so that the electric vehicles of the future are powered by clean renewable energy.

Minutes:

Councillor DBF White made the following Notice of Motion to which he give an introductory speech, as to why he had proposed this. This Notice of Motion was duly seconded. He also asked that a Recorded Vote be taken on the Notice of Motion:-

“This Council, requests that the Leader write to the Secretaries of State and the relevant

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary outlining our concerns over the decision made by the

UK Government not to proceed with full electrification of the South West Wales line between

Cardiff and Swansea; and to call on the UK Secretary of State for Transport, to immediately

reverse this decision.

This Council unequivocally condemns the announcement on the day that the UK Parliament

went into summer recess without consultation not to proceed with electrification of the rail

line to Swansea. This decision will have a significant long term economic and

environmental consequences for Bridgend. It is a betrayal of the people of Bridgend. This

Council restates that it believes that Bridgend requires modern regional transport

infrastructure investment to ensure the future prosperity of the region.

We note with dismay that since the announcement not to proceed with electrification to

Swansea, that the UK Government has stated its support for a £30bn Cross rail 2 project.

This demonstrates the London centric thinking of the UK Government.

We also note the UK Government has announced that it is to ban petrol and diesel vehicles

in the UK from 2040. We believe this ban should extend to locomotives and that diesel

trains should also be banned, and renewable energy schemes should be progressed as a

matter of urgency, so that the electric vehicles of the future are powered by clean renewable energy.”

Councillor Watts whilst agreeing with the sentiment of this Notice of Motion, felt that it should be reworded as follows, and therefore moved an amendment to the original Motion which was also duly seconded:-

“This Council requests that the Leader write to the Secretary of State for Wales and the Secretary of State for Transport along with the relevant Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary outlining our concerns over the decision made by the UK Government not to proceed with the full electrification of the South Wales West line between Cardiff and Swansea and to call on both Secretaries of State to reverse their decision immediately.

This Council believes that Bridgend requires modern regional transport infrastructure investment to ensure the future prosperity of the region and condemns the announcement, without consultation, not to proceed with the electrification of the rail link to Swansea, as this decision will have significant long term economical and environmental consequences for the people of Bridgend for whom it is seen as a betrayal.”

Following comments made by a number of Members on both Notice of Motions, and after some due consideration, Councillor Watts advised that he wished to withdraw his amendment as detailed above in favour of Councillor White’s Notice of Motion. However, this was not supported by the seconder, and therefore the motion to amend remained to be determined.

Following advice from the Legal Officer, an electronic vote was conducted on whether or not a Recorded Vote should be taken on the amended Notice of Motion, the result of which was as follows:-

For Against Abstentions

40 0 1

Therefore, Council agreed that a recorded vote be taken on the amended Notice of Motion, the result of which was as follows:-

For Against Abstentions Did Note Vote

Cllr T Giffard Cllr G Thomas Cllr T Beedle Cllr A Pucella

Cllr L Walters Cllr J Tildesley Cllr K Edwards Cllr CE Smith

Cllr C Webster Cllr DBF White Cllr R Penhale-Thomas Cllr PA Davies

Cllr S Vidal Cllr N Burnett Cllr K Watts Cllr K Rowlands

Cllr R Collins

4 Cllr P Davies 4 4

Cllr J Gebbie

Cllr R Granville

Cllr S Baldwin

Cllr J Radcliffe

Cllr RM James

Cllr J Williams

Cllr R Shaw

Cllr G Howells

Cllr B Sedgebeer

Cllr JP Blundell

Cllr M Jones

Cllr R Stirman

Cllr AJ Williams

Cllr D Owen

Cllr J McCarthy

Cllr M Kearn

Cllr D Lewis

Cllr JE Lewis

Cllr JC Spanswick

Cllr CA Green

Cllr D Patel

Cllr HJ David

Cllr HM Williams

Cllr R Young

The amendment to the original Notice of Motion therefore did not carry.

Council then had an electronic vote in order to decide whether a Recorded Vote should be taken on Cllr White’s original Notice of Motion, the result of which was as follows:-

For Against Abstentions

36 0 0

A Recorded Vote was then taken on the Notice of Motion, the result of which was as follows:-

Against For Abstentions

Cllr T Giffard Cllr G Thomas Cllr C Walters

Cllr A Pucella Cllr J Tildesley Cllr K Watts

Cllr C Webster Cllr DBF White

Cllr S Vidal Cllr N Burnett