Action to move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy supported by Hastings councillors

On Wednesday (July 13), Hastings Borough Council passed a motion endorsing calls for an international Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, which would see nations agree to work together to move towards 100 per cent renewable energy.

The motion, tabled by Labour’s Sabina Arthur, had originally been due for debate around the time of the COP26 summit in winter last year, but the discussion had been repeatedly delayed due to Covid restrictions.

Cllr Arthur said: “This treaty is calling for an end to the expansion of oil, gas and coal production, phasing out new production and investment in global access to renewable energy, supporting developing countries and a just global transition.”

The motion was eventually agreed on a majority vote, with all but four Conservative councillors eventually voting in its favour. Part of the reason for this was disagreement around another part of the motion, which called on the East Sussex Pension Fund to divest from fossil fuel.

Peter Pragnell (Con) said it had already divested ‘huge amounts’ and pointed out the fund’s primary purpose is to provide pensions to its thousands of members.

The council had previously backed calls on the Pension Fund to divest its fossil fuel investments as part of another motion in April 2016. While minutes for that meeting do not include a detailed breakdown of the vote, several councillors said it had been unanimously supported at that time.

In light of this, Conservative group leader Andy Patmore confirmed his group had been given a free vote on the motion. The majority of the group voted in favour of the motion, with two (Cllrs Pragnell and Edwards) abstaining and two (Cllrs Marlow-Eastwood and Beaney) voting against.

The council’s support for the motion was welcomed by Divest East Sussex — one of several groups campaigning for the East Sussex Pension Fund to withdraw its investments in oil, gas and coal.

Campaigners from the group had attended the first meeting the council had been due to discuss the motion in December 2021.