Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
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Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

43.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS BY COUNCILLORS

Minutes:

 

None declared.

 

44.

MOTIONS ON NOTICE

44a

TO CONSIDER THE MOTION ON NOTICE RECEIVED FROM COUNCILLOR PRATT

Introduction:

Mid Suffolk recognises that street-lighting is a significant aspect of our climate change and biodiversity action plans, and that lighting can be adapted and controlled to reduce energy use and impacts on human health and wildlife – particularly bats and nocturnal insect populations which are declining[1], [2]. Council also notes that many communities and campaign groups are calling on local councils to protect dark skies. 

 

Motion:

The Council recognises that light pollution is increasing and that it causes harm to wildlife and insects and can increase health risks in people.  The Council therefore will seek to reduce the intensity and extent of outdoor lighting within its own public realm and housing assets and other lighting schemes where it has influence, to the extent practical.  The Council will also include guidance in its Biodiversity Supplementary Planning Document to protect and enhance dark skies for the benefit of wildlife and human health and wellbeing. 

 

Proposer: Cllr Pratt

Seconder: Cllr Fleming

 

Objectives:

To achieve these objectives the Council will include lighting control within the Biodiversity Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which it has committed to preparing, and work with the planning team and partner organisations such as Suffolk County Council and its suppliers to reduce light pollution to the extent practical.  The Council recognises the sometimes conflicting roles that artificial lighting plays both positively in making people feel safer and signage, but also negatively in terms of harm to biodiversity, health and wellbeing, and visual resources.  In line with current standards and evidence the Council will ensure that new or replacement artificial lighting whether in the form of street lighting, commercial and residential lighting or advertising signage is installed to meet the lowest possible level of intensity and visual intrusion.

 

Notes:

  • Streetlighting using LED lamps emit a brighter, whiter light with higher levels in the blue region of visible light (400-480 nm) than their traditional counterparts. This shift in the emitted spectral composition towards blue light has well-known impacts on the biological rhythms and functions in both humans and animals, particularly in nocturnal insect species and bats.

 

  • Some estimates predict that 1 million species, or 40% of all insects, will become extinct over the next few decades. Artificial lighting at night is recognised as an important contributing factor to the decline in insect populations.

 

  • Illumination, particularly in short wavelength (ultraviolet and blue light) can cause disorientation in insects and affect their patterns of movement, foraging and reproduction with catastrophic implications for insect populations. By contrast, long-wavelength light (e.g. amber, and red) tends to have a lower impact on nocturnal insects.

 

  • LEDs can be engineered to emit light of any desired spectral range, their brightness can be controlled, and their usage can be limited to appropriate timeframes. Lighting can be triggered to come for shorter periods using motion sensor technology, be progressively dimmed. Lighting can be fixed at full cut-off to reduce skyglow and shielding (e.g. back baffles) installed to reduce light intrusion through windows.

 

Minutes:

 

Councillor Pratt introduced his Motion and informed Council that starry skies inspired awe and wonder, they were a magical sight that brought stargazers and astronomers into the dark locations in our countryside to seek their connection with the cosmos. 

 

Light pollution prevented us from observing the night sky. It is the result of artificial lighting at night, particularly the lighting that shines or scatters upwards into the sky producing what is known as ‘skyglow’ over our towns. Skyglow reduces our ability to view celestial objects that would otherwise easily be seen in the contrasting backdrop of darkness.

 

In some places, artificial lighting essentially turns night into day. Streetlighting is no longer only a feature of urban landscapes. With new development and changes in the way we use the countryside, our villages and open country are becoming more brightly lit.

 

Climate change, alongside other environmental and economic concerns, have led to the replacement of conventional lighting such as high-pressure sodium lamps with LEDs that are more energy efficient. In addition to producing an intensely bright light, nearly all LEDs emit higher levels of light within the blue region of light spectrum than their traditional counterparts. Increased light intensity and the shift in spectral composition towards blue light has impacted wildlife, particularly bats and nocturnal insect populations, and can cause harm to human health and wellbeing.

 

Councillor Pratt added that lighting can improve the feeling of safety for drivers and pedestrians, but there were also negative human impacts to consider. Studies suggest that direct exposure to light at night can have serious health implications. It can particularly affect our body’s hormones that are responsible for maintaining sleep patterns. There is also evidence which presents a direct link to the development of known cancers, including thyroid cancer. Light entering private households can also be seen as public nuisance.

 

Councillor Pratt said we understand that biodiversity is in peril. Some estimates predict that 1 million species, or 40% of all insects, will become extinct over the next few decades. Peer reviewed studies demonstrate how artificial lighting at night has contributed significantly to this insect apocalypse. This is because illumination not only causes disorientation in insects but affects their natural biological rhythms that control foraging, migration and reproduction that are normally synchronised with daily, monthly or yearly light cycles. This has catastrophic implications for insect populations. Studies have also shown that artificial lighting at night is extremely disturbing to bats, because bats avoid light, change their foraging paths and delay their emergence from their roosts and miss the time of peak insect abundances. Taken together, we must acknowledge the impact that lighting is having on human health and the environment.

 

Councillor Pratt went on to say that at the July 2019 Council meeting, Mid Suffolk District Council acknowledged the accelerating rate of species extinction by declaring a biodiversity emergency. We had pledged to bring forward proposals and take actions to protect and enhance wildlife in the District. To achieve this goal, we cannot ignore  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44a

Recorded Vote
TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
To agree the motion proposed by Councillor Pratt as detailed in the agenda Resolution Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 44b

    TO CONSIDER THE MOTION ON NOTICE RECEIVED FROM COUNCILLOR MELLEN

    This Council notes:

     

    Councils are responsible for organising all elections in England.

    The government is currently proposing an Elections Bill to require people to show identification including a photograph in order to vote in a General Election.

    Allegations of electoral registration or voter fraud are very rare in Mid Suffolk.

    This Council believes:

    Voting at elections is the cornerstone of democracy at both local and national level.

    Participation in elections should be encouraged in all those who are qualified regardless of age, ethnicity or income.

    Unnecessary barriers to voting are likely to reduce voter participation in elections, proper representation of all parts of the community and so legitimacy of those elected to office.

    Voter ID is a solution without a problem and as such insinuates barriers to voting which should be of great concern to anyone who supports an open and effective democratic system of government.

    This Council Resolves:

    To oppose the introduction of photo ID as a requirement to vote at polling stations.

    To request the Leader to write to the relevant minister indicating this opposition and the reasons why and requesting this measure should be excluded from the Elections Bill.

    That should mandatory photo ID be passed into law, this council will investigate low-cost and no-cost options for residents, bearing in mind the barriers outlined and focus efforts to promote the ID to those who are most likely to need it.

     

    Proposer: Cllr Mellen

    Seconder: Cllr Scarff

    Minutes:

     

    Councillor Mellen introduced his Motion and informed Councillors that the Government’s Election Bill was passing through the parliamentary stages and was currently at the Committee stage. This Bill introduced a requirement to produce photo ID at a polling station in order to vote.

     

    He continued by saying at first glance this may be seen to be a good thing as of course nobody wants to encourage voter fraud. However, when you start to look at the proposal in detail then the difficulties come to light.

     

    Councillor Mellen added that this country has a long and noble tradition of resisting the compulsion to carrying an identity card around with us. Various governments have tried to bring them in for the general population and have failed. If there was a mandatory requirement for photo voter ID at an election what would we use?

     

    The two main documents that have photo ID are passports and driving licences, the government has also indicated that other documents such as blue badges would also be accepted.

     

    Councillor Mellon asked what about the rest of the population that don’t carry such things. Current thinking is that the local authority would issue some kind of legitimate voting pass or similar. Would this be for everyone or just the people who applied for it?

     

    Councillor Mellen said that straight away this would become problematic. A cost would be involved, he questioned whether this would  be borne by the voter or the Council. There would also be an enormous bureaucratic administrative burden that this authority would have to bear, and this Council is the authority that organises all of the elections.

     

    Councillor Mellen stated that the people who don’t have a passport or a driving licence and don’t travel around could potentially be some of our most poorest residents and this would put another hurdle in the way of them exercising their democratic vote at a time when voting numbers were already low.

     

    Councillor Mellen questioned what the scale of the issue was and had sought clarification on how much voter ID fraud there was. He had spoken with the Monitoring Officer who had confirmed that there had not been any cases of voter ID fraud in this district.

     

    Councillor Mellen felt that this Council should express our opinion by writing to the Secretary of State and to this end he had made a small amendment that the letter should come from the Chairman of the Council rather than the Leader.

     

    In summary Councillor Mellen said that voter ID was an answer in search of a question and was a very expensive and bureaucratic sledgehammer to crack a non- existent nut.

     

    Councillor Mellen MOVED the Motion and urged all Councillors to support it and that this was communicated to the Secretary of State so that hopefully he would rethink the issue.

     

    Councillor Scarff SECONDED the Motion including the amendment and informed Council that according to the House of Commons library, the most controversial measure in the Elections Bill 2021-2022 was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44b

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    To agree the Motion proposed by Councillor Mellen as detailed in the agenda Resolution Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item