Decisions

Councillor Budden left the Council Chamber, having previously declared a prejudicial interest in the following motion.

The required notice of the following motion had been given to the Chief Executive in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15 by Councillors Hartley, Lewis, Parr, Reynolds and Wood:-

" Fireworks can be frightening for domestic, farm and wild animals. Each year the firework ‘season’ can last for several weeks around Bonfire Night and again at Christmas/New Year time with the year interspersed with fireworks to mark birthdays/weddings and other events. Added together and there don’t seem to be many months when fireworks are not heard!

“This Council resolves:

• to require all public firework displays within the local authority boundaries to be advertised in advance of the event, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals and vulnerable people
• to actively promote a public awareness campaign about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare and vulnerable people – including the precautions that can be taken to mitigate risks
• to write to the UK Government urging them to introduce legislation to limit the maximum noise level of fireworks to 90dB for those sold to the public for private displays
• to encourage local suppliers of fireworks to stock ‘quieter’ fireworks for public display.”

A briefing note had been provided by officers.

Councillor Hartley proposed the motion with the following amendments:-

·         to specify that the Chief Executive write to the Government (bullet point 3)

·         to request that the Chief Executive/Director for Communities and the Environment write to trading standards at County Council asking their inspectors to request that quieter fireworks be stocked when they undertake their inspections (bullet point 4.)

Councillor Parr seconded the revised motion.

By way of a friendly amendment, which was accepted as a friendly amendment by the proposer and seconder, Councillor Austen-Baker requested that bullet point 2 be amended from ‘actively promote’ to ‘promote actively.’

There was no debate and when put to the vote the motion as amended was clearly carried.

Resolved:-

1)            To require all public firework displays within the local authority boundaries to be advertised in advance of the event, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals and vulnerable people

2)            To promote actively a public awareness campaign about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare and vulnerable people – including the precautions that can be taken to mitigate risks

3)            That the Chief Executive write to the UK Government urging them to introduce legislation to limit the maximum noise level of fireworks to 90dB for those sold to the public for private displays

4)            That the Chief Executive or Director for Communities and the Environment write to trading standards at Lancashire County Council asking their inspectors to encourage local suppliers of fireworks to stock ‘quieter’ fireworks for public display.