This item has a time limit of 60 minutes.

The full text of motions received by the Acting Head of Law and Governance in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.17 by the deadline of 1.00pm on Monday 19 September is below. Motions will be taken in turn from the Liberal Democrat, Green, and Labour groups in that order.

Substantive amendments to these motions must be sent by councillors to the Acting Head of Law and Governance by no later than 10.00am on Wednesday 28 September so that they may be circulated with the briefing note.

Minor technical or limited wording amendments may be submitted during the meeting but must be written down and circulated.

Council is asked to consider the following motions:

1.    Local Government reorganisation(proposed by Councillor Gant, seconded by Councillor Fooks)

Liberal Democrat member motion

Council notes that government is still open to practical suggestions for local government reorganisation. Council notes that the benefits are far more likely to be achieved if council leaders in Oxfordshire are serious about reaching a consensus.

Council also notes that both of the recently-commissioned reports identified strengths and weaknesses in each proposal, and made recommendations for addressing them.

Council believes these recommendations are capable of forming the basis for further discussion.

Council therefore:

Calls on all council leaders in the county to resume talks about a workable model of local government reorganisation, with the express intention of reaching a workable consensus, and with the primary objective of achieving the best outcomes for the people of Oxford in terms of service delivery and efficiencies, while ensuring local accountability is retained or enhanced.

Calls on the leader of Oxford City Council to play a full and constructive part in such talks.

2.    Banning Glyphosate(proposed by Councillor Brandt, seconded by Councillor Thomas)

Green member motion

This Council notes that there is growing evidence that glyphosate is a higher health risk than previously assumed, and that the World Health Organisation has recently upgraded glyphosate to ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’*.

It further notes that other local councils in Britain - Hammersmith & Fulham being the most recent - have already decided to ban the use of glyphosate and other chemicals from all their own operations. This is in the wake of large cities all over the world - such as Barcelona, Hamburg and Paris - who have already decided on a ban, and the Netherlands and Denmark, which have banned the use of glyphosate in urban areas.

In light of the known risk to human health, this Council resolves to ask the City Executive Board to follow the precautionary principle and:

1.            Pledge to cut out the use of glyphosate completely from all its in-house operations (including in Parks, and Streetscene) within one year.

2.            Consider the one year period until the ban takes effect as a testing period, during which the council will test non-chemical and mechanical alternatives to glyphosate. Banning glyphosate will not result in increased use of other chemical weed-killers.

3.            Use  ...  view the full agenda text for item 47

Council had before it six motions on notice and amendments submitted in accordance with Council procedure rules and reached decisions as set out below.

Motions adopted

1.    Local Government reorganisation

3.    Housing Benefit

4.    Refugees and Immigration

Motions rejected

2.     Banning Glyphosate

Motions not taken

Two motions were not taken because the time allowed in the Council’s procedure rules had elapsed.

5.     EUchoose: Oxford's future within the EU

6.     Re-introduction of Grammar Schools

The full minute and text for each adopted motion is below.