Tree planting policy getting blown about say Green Party

A motion calling for a tree planting policy for Westmeath has been floating from meeting room to meeting room, but failing to make it to the main forum, much to the annoyance of its proposer, Cllr Louise Heavin.

Speaking at the November meeting of the county council, Cllr Heavin outlined the circuitous route her motion has taken. It came before the Corporate Policy Group, a Planning Strategic Policy meeting and a full council meeting, where it was referred to an Environment Strategic Policy Committee, and Cllr Heavin assumed it would come back before the full council, but it did not.

Cllr Heavin said she had assumed it would go on the agenda for the council meeting “because there is an urgent need for discussion and we had plenty of time today to discuss it”.

Cllr Hazel Smyth supported Cllr Heavin, saying that it is something she too has been trying to push through, but she is not seeing any progress “on this really important countywide issue”.

“As a councillor, as an elected representative, it should be something Cllr Heavin can bring before the council as a motion,” she said.

“This tree planting policy is extremely important given the times we live in and I can’t see why we are kicking the can down the road – this needs to be dealt with and should be dealt with as soon as possible, and if not at this meeting, at the next meeting,” Cllr Smyth said.

When Cllr Heavin attempted to continue the discussion, the chairman Cllr Frankie Keena told her “we are leaving it!”.

“It was referred by the CPG to the SPC and you can table a motion for the next meeting here,” he told her.

Cllr Heavin persisted, however, and questioned the effectiveness of SPCs in policy formation. “I put a motion forward at a planning SPC, but it falls between two stools, between planning and environment. I brought it to a full county council meeting and it got referred back to the environment SPC. I would like, at some point, a clear outline of how motions go to Westmeath County Council and how I can ensure they get discussed,” she said because “otherwise I am at nothing.”

The chairman referred Cllr Heavin to standing orders, where the process for submitting motions is “clearly outlined”.