News RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


bux2

Your Area News by you News by email Contact Twitter facebook Blogs Topics Video


Councillor: Fairtrade for meetings "too expensive"

9:39pm Monday 6th October 2008 in


A TORY council leader tonight questioned a Liberal Democrat call to serve “ethical” Fairtrade foods at its meetings as too expensive.

Councillor Lesley Clarke, leader of Wycombe District Council, said rate payers might not approve of the extra cost for Fairtrade items like tea and coffee.

A Liberal Democrat motion called for the products to be used within the council “as a sign of the Council’s commitment” – and for it to back a move to make High Wycombe a “Fairtrade town”.

Cllr Clarke said: “We need to look at what cost it would be because there probably would be a cost.

“Would council tax payers want us to use money for that when there are so many other things the council tax has to be put towards?”

Campaigners hoping to get Fairtrade status for the town tonight gave the Conservative-dominated authority a frosty reception after members refused to back the motion and allow a debate on the issue.

It has been sent to a council committee for scrutiny.

According to the Fairtrade Foundation products with the logo guarantee “prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world”.

Michael King, spokesman for newly formed campaign group Wycombe for Fairtrade, slammed the move as council backing is needed for the town to get Fairtrade status.

He said: “The Tories have turned it into a political baseball in sticking their head in the sand.

“We have evidence to suggest that more than enough retail outlets qualify to sell Fairtrade goods. All we wanted was a seal and stamp of approval.”

Yet he said the campaign was “not a lost cause”.

Mr King said: “We have lost a battle but we haven’t lost the war.”

Councillor Brian Pollock, Liberal Democrat leader on the authority, put forward a motion asking the council to “research, develop, and support a strategy to facilitate the promotion and purchase of foods with the Fairtrade Mark”.

Also the group wanted the council “to aim to achieve the status of a Fairtrade Town …as soon as possible”.

Cllr Pollock said he was “very disappointed” by the council’s decision not to debate the topic but send it to the Improvement and Review Commission for scrutiny.

And Liberal Democrat councillor Trevor Snaith said: “I am deplored that it wasn’t debated this evening. I see it as a stalling tactic by the council.”

But Cllr Clarke said: “It is not something I am against at all. We need to look at the pros and cons.”

Comments(14)

smiley cat says...
10:15pm Mon 6 Oct 08

Fair trade goods are reasonably priced.
Do your homework Ms Clarke.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

reads2uch says...
11:39pm Mon 6 Oct 08

Yes but with the money already wasted by the council this does not seem a high priority - i bet most of the them have blue strip at home so why should a paid for lunch be any different its free to them as it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PC gone mad !

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Wycombe is still high on... says...
12:26am Tue 7 Oct 08

I bought three items from the Co-Op in Naphill today.

1) A Tuna and Sweetcorn sandwich
2) A Fairtrade chocolate bar
3) A 500ml bottle of Coca Cola

Disappointed really that after reading many messages on the sides od the packaging; I realised that Tuna only occupied 25% of my sandwich, the sweetcorn was grown in Thailand (nice carbon footprint seeing as I have grown it in my tiny back yard in High Wycombe and has tasted just the same).

Chocolate bar is a semi percentage of fair trade ingredients like sugar and cocoa (carbon footprint says that we could most likely save more emissions here too then)

Coca Cola bottle. Simple one really. They follow no other rules but their own. My stomach was a bit tender today and it is widely known that flat Coca-Cola is a great cure for stomach bugs (used widely in developing countries too)

On a completely different note I learned today that Starbucks' company policy is to leave a cold water tap on at all times in order to ensure a supply of unspoilt clean water to clean utensils with - with the 700 branches they run in the UK that would be 23 million litres of water running down the drain everyday.

If you thought that it was was your fairtrade coffee beans making an honest cup of coffee £3 - please bear in mind that you are probably hrlping them cover what must be an extortionate but fair water bill....

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Plus ça change... says...
10:04am Tue 7 Oct 08

Next time, how about saying 'Cheese!'...

Any sort that makes you smile!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Steve Guy says...
10:26am Tue 7 Oct 08

Last night was a disgrace. How can Cllr Clarke claim she is 'not against it at all'? She stifled the debate without anyone allowing to speak. When so many members of the public had turned up to hear the debate, which Cllr Clarke had clearly decided should not be heard. I cannot believe the mean spirited Tories have blocked this debate when 377 councils have passed similar resolutions (many of them Tory controlled). Cllr Clarke should know that Wycombe For Fairtrade are a very determined bunch - and I'm quite sure she has not heard the last of them!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Red Fred says...
2:08pm Tue 7 Oct 08

I'm with you Plus, what a cheery old bunch eh?.

Mind you, the bloke top left, does look like he is trying to stifle a laugh!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Plus ça change... says...
2:35pm Tue 7 Oct 08

To be honest, Red, they should all be debating more important things.

They should take their own sandwiches & a warm flask.


Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Red Fred says...
2:46pm Tue 7 Oct 08

Absolutely! While we are all trying to get by, the people we vote for (and pay for), shouldn't really be arguing about the tea/coffee and colour of the toilet rolls.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Observer of says...
4:09pm Tue 7 Oct 08

The Wycombe Tories do not like change and they only adopt change when Central Government forces them to do so.

The Tories have been against Fair Trade for the past few years and they have rejected it at every opportunity.

If want a change for the better DON'T VOTE TORY!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Con/Lab Fibwatch says...
7:55pm Tue 7 Oct 08

It is time for Conservative Councillors to get rid of Lesley Clarke. She is dragging the reputation of Wycombe District Council into the gutter.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Observer of says...
9:31am Wed 8 Oct 08

Cllr Lesley Clarke says it will cost more but I'll bet that she hasn't even done a cost/benefit analysis of making the change.

It is just like a parent saying to a child "No - that costs too much"!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Blueberry says...
11:38am Wed 8 Oct 08

"I'll bet that she hasn't even done a cost/benefit analysis".

Maybe not. But what would be the cost of her time to do such an analysis?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

towncryer says...
1:17pm Wed 8 Oct 08

Con/Lab Fibwatch wrote:
It is time for Conservative Councillors to get rid of Lesley Clarke. She is dragging the reputation of Wycombe District Council into the gutter.
Not Only Lesley Clarke -- seems yet again Tory sheep on council have been wipped to stay in line

Bring on a Town Council that would allow Wycombe to become a Fairtrade town

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Coffeemate says...
10:18pm Sun 16 Nov 08

I see (above) that the supporters of councillor Lesley Clarke are in the main doing so by looking at the non impact of Fairtrade on global warming and carbon footprint. A totally irrelevant exercise.

Fairtrade is aligned and supports the Stop the Traffik and Make Poverty History movements: Try make fun of those or jusifying not supporting their aims.

I am the one top left in the Bucks Free Press picture - and I can assure you that I don't find the council's current attitude in any way humorous. It makes me ashamed to be one of their council tax payers.

Tony Thornby

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

More News stories


Mr King and members of the campaign group Mr King and members of the campaign group

Most popular



Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »

Local Businesses