Agenda item

Blood Sports

It was moved by Councillor Steve Wilson seconded by Councillor Ian Saunders, that this Council:-

(a)       congratulates the League against Cruel Sports for its excellent “Manifesto to end Snaring in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”, and

(i)         notes the report details that in some instances trapped animals can take up to 16 hours to die even when a legal snare is used;

(ii)        further notes that many of these animals die a horrible painful death and that often it is domestic animals such as cats that get caught in snares; and

(iii)       further asks that this Council offers its support to the League against Cruel Sports campaign to get the use of all types of snares banned in Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

(b)       congratulates erstwhile colleagues from the 1980s who banned the use of snares and all blood sports on Council property, including fox hunting and hare coursing, and condemns the present Government’s promise to hold a free vote on repealing the Hunting Act 2004;

(c)        re-affirms its ban on blood sports and the use of all types of snares on Council land and property;

(d)       asks the Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council to ensure all Sheffield City Council land leaseholders are reminded of their duties of care to animals on Council land;

(e)       further instructs that a copy of this motion be sent to all Sheffield’s Members of Parliament asking that they raise this Council’s opposition to blood sports and the use of any type of snare with the Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs, and that they encourage the Secretary of State to ban the use of all snares, and encourages all Sheffield MPs to vote against any vote that would repeal or weaken the Hunting Act 2004; 

(f)        further asks the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs informing him of this Council’s opposition to blood sports and the ban placed on them on Sheffield City Council land; and

(g)       also asks the Chief Executive to inform the Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs of this Council’s opposition to any repeal or weakening of the Hunting Act 2004. 

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Penny Baker, seconded by Councillor Katie Condliffe, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended in paragraph (b) by the deletion of all the words in that paragraph after the word “coursing”.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.

The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried, as follows:-

(a)       congratulates the League against Cruel Sports for its excellent “Manifesto to end Snaring in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”, and

(i)         notes the report details that in some instances trapped animals can take up to 16 hours to die even when a legal snare is used;

(ii)        further notes that many of these animals die a horrible painful death and that often it is domestic animals such as cats that get caught in snares; and

(iii)       further asks that this Council offers its support to the League against Cruel Sports campaign to get the use of all types of snares banned in Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

(b)       congratulates erstwhile colleagues from the 1980s who banned the use of snares and all blood sports on Council property, including fox hunting and hare coursing, and condemns the present Government’s promise to hold a free vote on repealing the Hunting Act 2004;

(c)        re-affirms its ban on blood sports and the use of all types of snares on Council land and property;

(d)       asks the Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council to ensure all Sheffield City Council land leaseholders are reminded of their duties of care to animals on Council land;

(e)       further instructs that a copy of this motion be sent to all Sheffield’s Members of Parliament asking that they raise this Council’s opposition to blood sports and the use of any type of snare with the Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs, and that they encourage the Secretary of State to ban the use of all snares, and encourages all Sheffield MPs to vote against any vote that would repeal or weaken the Hunting Act 2004; 

(f)        further asks the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs informing him of this Council’s opposition to blood sports and the ban placed on them on Sheffield City Council land; and

(g)       also asks the Chief Executive to inform the Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs of this Council’s opposition to any repeal or weakening of the Hunting Act 2004. 

(Note: Councillors Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Anders Hanson, Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Alison Brelsford and Trevor Bagshaw voted for paragraphs (a) and (c) to (g) and against paragraph (b) of the Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)