The Head of Law and Governance has submitted a report which advises on the procedure that Council needs to follow under the Council’s Petitions Scheme in respect of large petitions, and to provide information specifically on the petition entitled “Labour Must Listen to Oxford”.

Council is being recommended to follow the procedure for large petitions by hearing the head petitioner and to then debate the petition and decide how to advise the Executive.

The Head of Law and Governance submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which advised on the procedure that Council needed to follow under the Council’s Petitions Scheme in respect of large petitions and provided information specifically on the petition concerning “Labour must listen to Oxford”.

Nigel Gibson the head petitioner presented the petition and spoke on its contents.

Councillor Coulter in response to the presentation of the petition said that the new pool would be more convenient to a wider population and that the carbon emissions would be greatly lower than that of the Temple Cowley Pools and that that the new pool was only 1.6 miles from the existing Temple Cowley Pool.  He added that the priority was to provide facilities where people needed them.

Councillor Williams said that he had attended a public meeting and almost all those present had denounced the proposed closure of Temple Cowley Pool.  He said that the largest petition presented to the Council had been ignored.  The Green Group had put forward four Motions, all had been voted down.  He said that this was not about the needs of Oxford or Blackbird Leys, but for Fusion and their profits.  He said that all the way trough there had been mis-leading information.  Costs had been quoted at the start as being £6m, but where now £13m.  He said that the truth should be told.

Councillor Price said that all opinions were listened to, but you needed to look at the evidence.  What was lacking in the arguments against the closure was the attention that should be given to the vast amounts of data on the need to replace the pool.

Councillor Tanner said that Councillors had been democratically elected by the people of Oxford and he deplored the un-necessary use of the law to delay the democratic process.

Councillor Rowley said that everyone had the right to their opinion.  However a decision had to be come to.  He congratulated the Save Temple Cowley Pool Campaign for their efforts, but the results were unequivocal, the people have spoken the case is closed.

Councillor Malik said that what matters is what comes across of the ballot paper and twice the people of Oxford have felt that Oxford is safe in Labour’s hands.

Councillor Rundle said that the Council Chamber was not the best venue for a serious debate and discussion and would have preferred it held somewhere where the public could be involved.  He urged the Administration to sit down and talk with the public.  The last local elections were not a referendum on the Temple Cowley Pool issue as there were other matters which concerned the voters, and he believed that the petition was wrong on this.  The idea of a new pool in Blackbird Leys was exciting, but the Temple Cowley Pool was still a well loved facility and he did not see that this facility necessarily needed to be closed.  He added that the Ice Rink was coming to the end of its natural life and this should be looked at.  He concluded by stating that it was never too late to thing again.

Following the debate, Council voted and agreed to note the discussion of Council and that the Temple Cowley Pool would be closed at the appropriate time when the new pool at Blackbird Leys was fully open.