Petitions and Public Address
This is a postponed meeting and no further requests to present petitions or speak at this meeting will be accepted
The Council will hear the members of the public who had requested to speak at the September meeting
Decision:
Public Address
Firas Modad regarding the invitation to a drag artist to participate at a children’s story time event in a county library
Kate Robinson regarding divestment from Fossil Fuels & the Local Government Pension Scheme
David Brown in support of the motion by Cllr Simpson regarding the Sandy Lane Rail Crossing
Students from Cherwell School regarding the impact of climate change
Minutes:
Public Address
Firas Modad addressed the Council regarding the invitation to a drag artist to participate at a children’s story time event in the County Library at a cost of £12,000. He suggested that the purpose of the event appeared to promote homosexual and transgender behaviour and questioned the suitability of the individual concerned in view of the material published on his website and interviews given to the broadcast media. He expressed concern about the safeguarding measures in place at such events and suggested that, should the Council wish to use the story-time events to encourage diversity and inclusivity, there should be a more thorough vetting procedure for participants
Kate Robinson presented a petition of some 500 signatures in support of divesting the Local Government Pension Scheme from fossil fuels. She referred to the Council’s policies which signposted residents to the Climate Action Oxfordshire website. The website encouraged various actions to mitigate the effects of climate change including moving money to ethical financial institutions. She suggested the investment portfolio of the Local Government Pension Scheme was in contradiction of these policies.
David Brown, a member of Yarnton Parish Council, spoke in support of the motion by Cllr Simpson regarding the Sandy Lane Rail Crossing. He referred of the importance of the road link with Kidlington and that the alternative route would involve longer distances by car with a negative environmental impact. He presented a survey of residents indicating concern about these proposals and suggested that improved consultation was needed to take account of the concerns about their impact.
Students from Cherwell School addressed the Council about the impact of climate change on the lives and future prosperity of young people. They referred, in particular, to the significant changes to the natural environment in their lifetimes including the extreme temperatures experienced in the UK this year. They encouraged the Council to take more rapid action to encourage the sourcing of locally locally-produced goods and services and introduce further measures to reduce carbon emissions from vehicle use.
Petitions and Public Address
Members of the public who wish to speak at this meeting can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.
Requests to speak must be submitted by no later than 9am four working days before the meeting i.e. 9 am on Wednesday 7 September 2022. Requests to speak should be sent to committees.democraticservices@oxfordshire.gov.uk .
If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that if the technology fails, then your views can still be taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9 am 2 working days before the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.