(a)  To receive the following notice of motion from Councillor Patrinos

“First Past the Post (FPTP) elections originated when large land-owners dominated parliament and voting was restricted to property-owning men.

In Europe, only the UK and authoritarian Belarus still use archaic single-round FPTP for general elections. Meanwhile, internationally, Proportional Representation (PR) is used to elect parliaments in more than 80 countries. Those countries tend to be more equal, freer and greener.

PR ensures all votes count, have equal value, and those seats won match votes cast. Under PR, MPs and Parliaments better reflect the age, gender, and protected characteristics of the nation and of local communities such as North Devon. It brings wider participation and increased levels of ownership of decisions taken.

PR would also end minority rule. In 2019, 43.6% of the vote produced a government with 56.2% of the seats and 100% of the power. This means that many votes are wasted. That isn’t democratic. Outside of General Elections, most ways of electing parliaments and assemblies in the UK don’t involve wasting so many votes – fairer proportional systems are used, where every vote makes a difference and parties can no longer dominate for decades without real challenge. The number of seats can actually reflect how people vote and people are more likely to feel that their voice is heard, and can still keep the link between the constituent and their representative.

PR is already used to elect the parliaments and assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. So why not Westminster?

Council therefore resolves to write to HM Government calling for a change in our outdated electoral laws to enable Proportional Representation to be used for general elections.”

(b)  To received the following notice of motion from Councillor Lofthouse

“Community energy motion

Council notes:

• There needs to be a fundamental change in how we generate and consume energy in all aspects of our lives. Both electricity generation and distribution are undergoing rapid evolution, in both shape and scale.
• The distribution grid, must now cope with power flows in both directions, in scale.  Electrification of;  heat, cooling and transport will require a quadrupling of electricity capacity. Local, community-based energy schemes can make a significant contribution to addressing both issues and encourage a sense of local empowerment to tackle climate change.
• Community schemes encourage local generation and storage to match local demand thus relieving pressure on the grid. Local schemes would be given new impetus and be able to contribute more renewable energy if local people could buy their electricity directly from local suppliers. But the disproportionate cost of meeting regulatory approvals makes it impossible to be a local energy supplier at a local scale and so, under the current system, this local energy gets sold back to the central grid.
• The Local Electricity Bill is a private members’ bill with cross-party support that was introduced unopposed in June 2020. If this Bill was passed in Parliament it would give the energy regulator, OFGEM, a duty to create a Right to Local Supply. This would enable local community energy groups to achieve their vision of supplying generated energy back to the local area, help us as a council to meet our carbon reduction aspirations for the District, and also bring multiple benefits to the local community. It is supported by many stakeholders, local authorities, and town councils and currently has the backing of 208 MPs.

Council agrees to:

a)    Ask our M.P. to support the passage into law of this Bill.

b)    Write to the Minister of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, supporting the aims of the Bill and asking for these aims to be taken into account in the forthcoming Energy White Paper.”

(a)  To receive the following notice of motion from Councillor Patrinos

Councillor Patrinos presented his notice of motion to Council.

It was moved by Councillor Patrinos and seconded by Councillor Biederman “that the notice of motion be adopted subject to the inclusion of “National Leaders for the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Parties””.

RESOLVED that the Council write to HM Government, Leaders for the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Parties calling for a change in our outdated electoral laws to enable Proportional Representation to be used for general elections.

(b)  To receive the following notice of motion from Councillor Lofthouse

It was moved by Councillor Walker and seconded by Councillor Wilkinson “that the notice of motion be adopted.”

RESOLVED that Council:

(a)       Ask our M.P. to support the passage into law of this Bill;

(b)       Write to the Minister of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, supporting the aims of the Bill and asking for these aims to be taken into account in the forthcoming Energy White Paper.”