Issue - meetings

Councillor Cutler introduced the report.

Paul Williams spoke during public participation in support of the Council joining Mayors for Peace - an international organisation established by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to impress on  governments, through the structure of the United Nations Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treat, to bring about a nuclear weapon free world.  Activities were planned to commemorate the atomic bombings between 6 and 9 August.

At the invitation of the Deputy Leader, Councillors Bell, Pearson and Horrill addressed Cabinet as summarised below:

Councillor Bell

·         Contacted by Mr Williams in 2018 regarding the proposal and suggested that he organise a petition.  The petition had been made available on the Council’s website for a relatively limited amount of time and had failed to reach the threshold for debate at Council;

·         The UK Chapter of Mayors for Peace recognised the largely ceremonial nature of many UK Mayors and therefore clarified the role of the Leader in this regard;

·         The movement included over 7,000 towns and cities worldwide, including 81 in the UK;

·         In August 2019, it was proposed to organise a memorial event including a photographic exhibition in Abbey House including a minutes silence on 6 August and an evening talk or lecture. In future years, it was hoped to expand this to involve schools and colleges.

Councillor Pearson

·         Whilst supporting the sentiment of achieving world peace, he spoke against the proposal as he believed it was inappropriate for a civic Mayor (as in Winchester) to become involved in politics;

·         Inappropriate to commit future Mayors to continue to support due to political nature.

Councillor Horrill

·         Thanked Mr Williams for organising the petition and it was important that the Council took account of public views;

·         However, it was not appropriate for the Mayor to be aligned with a political stance.  Of the 81 Councils in the UK, how many had civic mayors as opposed to elected mayors?

·         She suggested that the Council find alternative means to support the aims of Mayors for Peace.

During debate, Cabinet Members disagreed that supporting Mayors for Peace was a political act and suggested it could instead be compared with other acts of remembrance which were recognised by the Council.  The vast majority of the 81 other Councils supporting the proposal had civic mayoralties, rather than elected.  Members believed that showing support, which is a commitment made through the Leader of the Council, would offer an opportunity to commemorate and also work alongside other organisations within Winchester, such as the University.

Cabinet agreed to the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the Report.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet endorses that Winchester City Council, as represented by Mayor, joins the UK and Ireland Chapter of ‘Mayors for Peace’.