8 November 2021
At a full council meeting at KCC the Green and Independent Group proposed and then withdrew a motion to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill currently before Parliament.
The motion called for KCC to promote its support of the CEE Bill, and to write to Kent MP's asking them to show support for the bill. The Green Group expected some opposition to the bill but were hoping to at least be able to debate the motion in good faith, especially as some KCC members of the Conservative group have supported similar motions at their district councils and a number of Conservative led councils across the country have also passed the motion.
Sadly there was no chance of a debate as Cllr Susan Carey, Cabinet Member for the Environment, immediately proposed an amendment that had not been circulated beforehand. The amendment ripped out all mention of the CEE Bill and replaced it with a declaration to promote the work that the council is already doing, rendering the motion pointless.
Suggested Amended Motion:
Green Cllr Steve Campkin said: “The amendment effectively negated the point of the original motion and amounted to nothing more than the Kent Conservative administration patting themselves on the back and saying 'jolly good job'. I get the impression that they still just don’t understand what is going on.
“The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill acknowledges the close link between the eco system and climate change and the need to repair one to restore the other, as well as the inherent value of the natural world irrespective of its value to us.”