Issue - meetings

Report of Councillor C Smith, Chair of the Environment Scrutiny Committee

RESOLVED - That Cabinet approved the review of the Environment Scrutiny Committee’s into becoming a 100% plant-based Council in the procurement and provision of food.

REASONS FOR DECISION – The Review will enable the Council to develop further its Plan Objective as being A Great Place that cares for the Environment. It highlights what the Council is already doing to provide food/drink options to customers and recognises the changing demand for vegan food.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED - The option of not approving the review was considered but rejected. The review represents a clear commitment to becoming a 100% Plant Based Council in the Procurement and Provision of Food as part of the organisation’s future.

Please note that this was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

The report to Cabinet explained that the Environment Scrutiny Committee had carried out a review into becoming a 100% plant-based Council in the procurement and provision of Food. Members were reminded that the Committee had been asked to look at this issue by Council at its meeting on 29 January 2024. The Committee complied with this request by carrying out review on the subject. A summary of the issues covered by the review and the Environment Scrutiny Committee’s findings were appended to the report.

The Chair of the Environment Scrutiny Committee, Councillor C Smith, explained the Committee’s main findings. In particular, that the Annual Leisure Service Survey should now measure the demand for specific foodstuffs, and in particular the demand for plant-based vegan food.  The Committee also asked that these findings be assessed to determine whether there was a growing demand for such food and whether as a consequence the Council should develop a new approach to the procurement and provision of vegan food.

Cabinet discussed the review and the Committee’s findings. The Environment Scrutiny Committee was congratulated for carrying out the review in a fair and reasonable way. It had made practical suggestions that would ultimately allow more people to eat vegan food at Council facilities, if they chose to, while not preventing those who wished to eat meat or animal products from doing so. Cabinet agreed that the Annual Leisure Service survey be used to monitor the demand for vegan food and that the findings from Survey on this be shared with the Environment Scrutiny Committee. Cabinet also agreed that the Committee be informed of, and consulted on, any changes that were subsequently proposed on how the Council procures and provides plant-based vegan food.

RESOLVED - That Cabinet approved the review of the Environment Scrutiny Committee’s into becoming a 100% plant-based Council in the procurement and provision of food.

REASONS FOR DECISION – The Review will enable the Council to develop further its Plan Objective as being A Great Place that cares for the Environment. It highlights what the Council is already doing to provide food/drink options to customers and recognises the changing demand for vegan food.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED - The option of not approving the review was considered but rejected. The review represents a clear commitment to becoming a 100% Plant Based Council in the Procurement and Provision of Food as part of the organisation’s future.