Agenda item

Councillor Natasha Chapman moved the following motion:

“This Council notes:

• The poor state of many of the bus shelters in our city, with badly damaged shelters being removed rather than repaired.

• That bus shelters provide many benefits, including protecting people from bad weather, making them feel safer while waiting for the bus and allowing those less confident on their feet to access bus travel more easily.

• Converting bus stop roofs into plant-covered habitats would help combat air pollution and provide food and shelter to pollinators who are at risk due to habitat loss, as well as being visually appealing and improving the appearance of our city.

• The Council has committed to address the climate crisis by aiming for carbon Net Zero by 2030.

• Hull Council have achieved this quite recently, using a grant from the UK shared prosperity fund and supported by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, demonstrating the feasibility of this proposal.

This Council believes:

• That maintaining the existence and good repair of our bus shelters would promote the use of public transport in Lincoln, which will play a vital role in our strategy to reach Net Zero by 2030.

• That making our bus shelters bee-friendly would bring benefits to biodiversity, public health, and the character of our city itself.

This Council resolves to:

• Investigate the feasibility and implementation of bee-friendly bus shelters in Lincoln.

• Explore partnership opportunities with local businesses, gardening groups, and environmental charities (such as the Wildlife Trusts) to obtain funding through grants and sponsorship for bee-friendly bus shelter installation and maintenance and leverage expertise and community engagement in the design, planting, and upkeep of the bee-friendly shelters.”

The above motion was seconded by Councillor Martin Christopher, who reserved his right to speak.

During discussion of the motion, the following points were noted:

·       The current state of bus shelters across the City was a concern and improvements were required, of which some were branded with the City of Lincoln Council’s logo and therefore reflected badly on the Council. The motion sought to improve the visual nature of the bus shelters; remedy any defects; introduce wild flowers for insects; and would overall improve the City’s open spaces. Maintenance visits for the shelters would consist of 1 – 2 times per year. 

·       The seconder of the motion, having reserved his right to speak was invited to speak by the Mayor, who reiterated that the motion sought to improve the visual appearance of the bus shelters and make them a more welcoming and comfortable environment while waiting for a bus service. The proposal would bring both environmental and visual positive impacts; and the motion sought to explore funding options to make it possible. The shelters could also be used to display community information or news.

The Leader of the Council was invited to speak. She advised that the motion was premature, as the Council was in discussions with the County Council on the responsibility of bus shelters. However, the Leader advised that she appreciated the spirit of the motion and this could perhaps be explored once discussions with the County Council had reached a conclusion.

Councillor Chapman, who moved the original motion, was invited to give her right of reply. She advised it was pleasing that this topic could be discussed again in future once the discussions with the County Council had received a conclusion.

Upon being put to the vote, the motion was lost.