RA Party finally declares support for Fair Trade
July 27, 2005 10:09 PM
There are many other fairly traded products available locally, not just tea and coffee
In an attempt to get "Fair Trade Town" status for Epsom & Ewell, Cllr Jonathan Lees originally presented a motion to the Borough Council in February 2004. At that stage, the ruling Residents Association group limited the council's response to asking the Business Partnership to draw the attention of the business community to the Fair Trade initiative. As a result Cllr Lees helped to set up the Fairtrade Forum which has worked to increase public awareness of Fair Trade issues independently of the Council.
In April 2005 Jonathan Lees presented a second motion to the Council drawing attention to the success of the Fair Trade Forum and proposing that the Council should support it in various ways. Then when the Business Partnership meeting considered Fair Trade in May 2005 there was general support for the idea and a willingness to learn more.
Eventually at the Council meeting on Tuesday, after over 12 months, the ruling Residents Association Party finally declared its support for Fair Trade and agreed to appoint an RA councillor to the Fairtrade Forum. Cllr Jonathan Lees was very positive about the steps taken. He said "At last they have moved in the right direction, it was just a shame it has taken so long".
Cllr Colin Taylor, who seconded both Fair Trade motions, particularly welcomed the agreement of the RA group to nominate a councillor to the Fairtrade Forum, but also tried to persuade the ruling group to go further by agreeing to work towards achieving Fair Trade Town status and to investigate the possibility of offering the option of Fair Trade coffee and tea at meetings in council offices, as well as to staff. This was rejected, but in doing so leading RA councillor Eber Kington said that the steps that his group had endorsed should be seen as including these possibilities.
The next stage is for the Fair Trade Forum to continue to work towards achieving the five goals that are needed for Fair Trade status. Three of these have already been met. One that remains is to get additional shops to sell Fair Trade products. These are will be listed in a directory, which will be published. The other is for the Council to provide Fair Trade products as an option at meetings and in its offices.