“This Council is concerned at the level of bee colony collapse in the UK and Oxfordshire with a 60% decline over the last 10 Years and the threat to our food supply as bees provide over 80% of crop pollination. With this in view and taking into account the Council’s responsibilities for conserving biodiversity, this Council calls on the Secretary of State for the Environment to extend his recent moratorium on the use of neonicotinoids to an outright ban.
.
The Council therefore asks Cabinet to:
(i) launch a programme that would seek to support and protect bees focused on establishing bee colonies in its green spaces and wild areas with bee friendly plants;
(ii) establish and fund a ‘Bee Friendly Wildlife Group ‘of officers charged with promoting bee keeping in Oxfordshire.
(iii) encourage the use of bee hives on municipal land and in the gardens of volunteers and encourage forms of gardening and land use that support pollinating insects. The team should also visit schools to educate children about the relationship between bees and biodiversity and the problems surrounding bee mortality;
(iv) ask the Bee Friendly Wildlife Group to commit resources to mapping Bee-lines (1) and to act in an advisory agent to local farmers on their crop planting operations. The County could also join with Berkshire and Buckinghamshire and Oxon Wildlife Trust in their Friendly Gardening Awards scheme which includes the category of a ‘nectar bar’ (2).”
Minutes:
Councillor Williams moved and Councillor Coates seconded the following motion as amended with Council’s agreement by Councillor Mark Grey in bold italics/strikethrough:
“This Council is concerned at the level of bee colony collapse in the UK and Oxfordshire with a 60% decline over the last 10 Years and the threat to our food supply as bees provide over 80% of crop pollination. With this in view and taking into account the Council’s responsibilities for conserving biodiversity, this Council calls on the Secretary of State for the Environment to extend his recent moratorium on the use of neonicotinoids to an outright ban.
.
The Council therefore asks Cabinet to:
(i)
launch a programme that
would Seek to
support and protect bees focused on establishing
bee colonies in its green spaces and
wild areas with bee friendly plants;
(ii) establish and fund a ‘Bee Friendly
Wildlife Group ‘of officers charged with promoting bee
keeping in Oxfordshire. Empower
officers to co-ordinate interest groups and other third parties to
seek external funding
to develop bee related projects and to establish
a unified response to this issue;
(iii) encourage the use of bee hives on municipal land and
in the gardens of volunteers and encourage forms of gardening and
land use that support pollinating insects. The team should also
visit Encourage
schools to educate children about the relationship between bees and
biodiversity and the problems surrounding bee mortality;
(iv) ask the Bee Friendly Wildlife Group to
commit resources to mapping Bee-lines (1) Request officers to
consider ways in which they can advise local farmers on their crop
planting operations and
to act in an advisory agent to local farmers on their crop
planting operations. The County could also join with
commend
Berkshire and Buckinghamshire and Oxon
Wildlife Trust in their Friendly Gardening Awards scheme which
includes the category of a ‘nectar bar’
(2).”
Councillor Lygo moved and Councillor Hoare seconded “that the question be now put”.
The procedural motion was put to the vote and was carried nem con.
The substantive motion as amended was the put to the vote and was carried nem con.
RESOLVED: (nem con)
“This Council is concerned at the level of bee colony collapse in the UK and Oxfordshire with a 60% decline over the last 10 Years and the threat to our food supply as bees provide over 80% of crop pollination. With this in view and taking into account the Council’s responsibilities for conserving biodiversity, this Council calls on the Secretary of State for the Environment to extend his recent moratorium on the use of neonicotinoids to an outright ban.
.
The Council therefore asks Cabinet to:
(i)
seek tosupport and protect bees focused on establishing bee colonies in its green spaces and wild areas
with bee friendly plants;
(ii) empower officers to co-ordinate interest groups and other third parties to seek external funding to develop bee related projects and to establish a unified response to this issue;
(iii) encourage the use of bee hives on municipal land and in the gardens of volunteers and encourage forms of gardening and land use that support pollinating insects. Encourage schools to educate children about the relationship between bees and biodiversity and the problems surrounding bee mortality;
(iv) request officers to consider ways in which they can advise local farmers on their crop planting operations and commend Berkshire and Buckinghamshire and Oxon Wildlife Trust in their Friendly Gardening Awards scheme which includes the category of a ‘nectar bar’ (2).”