Green member motion

This Council notes that

1. Wood-burning takes place in just 8% of UK homes, and yet is the second highest cause of particle pollution in the UK. It has grown by 35% in the last 10 years as more people install wood-burning stoves.
2. The chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, wrote his last report on air pollution.^[1] He states that we need to focus on areas where people live – i.e. cities such as Oxford. The report highlights wood burning is dangerous at any level: DEFRA approved stoves produce more than 300 times as much PM 2.5 as gas fires; open fires ten times as much again. Particles accrue in the top of the home, often where people sleep and are exposed for a long time. This is especially an issue for children, who are more sensitive to wood burning.
3. National figures from a DEFRA survey^[2] of 46,000 people show over 70% of people who use wood burners do so for purely aesthetic reasons. We also know people who use wood burners are twice as likely to be AB social grade as those who do not, and much more likely to own their own homes. The 8% of people who rely entirely or primarily on burning as a fuel source overwhelmingly live in rural areas.
4. Oxford has led the way on reducing air pollution resulting from traffic through restricting and electrifying motor traffic, with an 8.3% reduction across the city, or 24% reduction vs pre-pandemic levels.
5. The 2021-2025 AQAP mentions a focus on ‘reducing emissions from domestic heating’ and ‘reviewing smoke control zones’. This has focused on awareness raising campaigns such as last year’s ‘do you fuel good’. Pilot projects such as the ability for canal boats to charge on solar are useful, but the vast majority of burning is not linked to people who live on canal boats.
6. Current Smoke Control Areas (SCAs) or Smoke Control Zones (SCZs) cover some of the city, but miss out key areas such as North Oxford, which have higher home ownership rates and more ABC1 residents – the demographics more likely to be burners. 

Council believes:

1. We should continue to take steps to improve air quality, given the devastating and unevenly distributed effects of pollution.
2. The Council has played a significant role in recent years by electrifying and restricting polluting motor traffic. Reducing emissions from domestic heating should continue to be a core area of focus.

This Council asks the Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice:

1. To looks at expanding our SCAs across the entire of Oxford City, giving us a standardised city-wide approach which does not exclude the most affluent parts of the city.
2. To builds on last year’s awareness campaign and deliver a best-in-class example which leverages new data from the CMO’s report and shares an honest picture of the dangers of wood burning, including the implications for indoor air quality. 

Cllr Kerr, seconded by Cllr Pegg, proposed the submitted motion as set out in the agenda and briefing note.

Cllr Railton, seconded by Cllr Upton, proposed the amendment as set out in the briefing note.

Cllr Aziz left the meeting and did not return.

Council debated the motion and amendment.  Following debate, and on being put to the vote, the amendment was agreed.

On being put to the vote the amended motion was then agreed.

Council resolved to adopt the following motion:

This Council notes that

1. Wood-burning takes place in just 8% of UK homes, and yet is the second highest cause of particle pollution in the UK. It has grown by 35% in the last 10 years as more people install wood-burning stoves.
2. The chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, wrote his last report on air pollution.^[1] He states that we need to focus on areas where people live – i.e. cities such as Oxford. The report highlights wood burning is dangerous at any level: DEFRA approved stoves produce more than 300 times as much PM 2.5 as gas fires; open fires ten times as much again. Particles accrue in the top of the home, often where people sleep and are exposed for a long time. This is especially an issue for children, who are more sensitive to wood burning.
3. National figures from a DEFRA survey^[2] of 46,000 people show over 70% of people who use wood burners do so for purely aesthetic reasons. We also know people who use wood burners are twice as likely to be AB social grade than those who do not, and much more likely to own their own homes. The 8% of people who rely entirely or primarily on burning as a fuel source overwhelmingly live in rural areas.
4. Oxford has led the way on reducing air pollution resulting from traffic through restricting and electrifying motor traffic, with an 8.3% reduction across the city, or 24% reduction vs pre-pandemic levels.
5. The 2021-2025 AQAP mentions a focus on ‘reducing emissions from domestic heating’ and ‘reviewing smoke control zones’. This has focused on awareness raising campaigns such as last year’s ‘do you fuel good’. Pilot projects such as the ability for canal boats to charge on solar are useful, but the vast majority of burning is not linked to people who live on canal boats.
6. Current Smoke Control Areas (SCAs) or Smoke Control Zones (SCZs) cover some of the city, but miss out key areas such as North Oxford, which have higher home ownership rates and more ABC1 residents – the demographics more likely to be burners. 

Council believes:

1. We should continue to take steps to improve air quality, given the devastating and unevenly distributed effects of pollution.
2. The Council has played a significant role in recent years by electrifying and restricting polluting motor traffic. Reducing emissions from domestic heating should continue to be a core area of focus.

This Council asks the Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice:

1. We welcome the 13th July announcement to expand the existing SCA across the entire city of Oxford.
2. To builds on last year’s awareness campaign and deliver a best-in-class example which leverages new data from the CMO’s report and shares an honest picture of the dangers of wood burning, including the implications for indoor air quality.