
Local Plant-Based Councils campaigners holding a banner outside Bournemouth Civic Centre with campaigners from the Plant-Based Treaty, We The Free and Dorset Animal Save.
On 23/07/24, three Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole residents and supporters of the Plant-Based Councils campaign attended the full council meeting at Bournemouth Civic Centre to ask BCP Council to ensure that all food and drink provided at council meetings and events is 100% plant-based alongside other plant-based initiatives, as the logical and necessary next step after declaring a climate emergency [1] [2].
The group held a giant banner and spoke with councillors as they arrived at the meeting.
A total of 8 local residents from different groups asked questions surrounding the need for plant-based solutions to tackle the climate and ecological crises at the meeting.
Several other UK councils have already made the commitment to 100% plant-based catering, including Oxfordshire, Cambridge and Exeter [3].
On 23/07/24, BCP residents and campaigners of the Plant-Based Councils campaign, Helen Winter, Daniel Glennon and Sarah Ward, attended a full council meeting at Bournemouth Civic Centre to urge the council to lead by example and ensure any catering provided at internal council events is 100% plant-based. They also asked that the council take measures to promote plant-based eating to local residents and consider banning meat and dairy advertising where the council has influence [4]. Several other residents joined the meeting in support and held a banner together before the meeting commenced.
Winter, 49, a business owner from Bournemouth, asked:
“In light of the climate crisis and BCP Council’s announcement of the climate emergency, would the Council consider passing a motion to supply and serve 100% plant-based food at all internal meetings and events? BCP could join other councils - such as Oxfordshire, Cambridge, Exeter and Norwich - who have led the way on this initiative and signal their commitment to taking action on the climate crisis. In addition to the environmental benefits, plant-based food is the most inclusive option. It’s not about taking away personal choice – plant-based food is delicious, healthy and for everyone.”
Glennon, 52, a customer service trainer from Bournemouth asked:
"In his response to a question from a resident at the April full council meeting, Councillor Hadley acknowledged that we ‘need to act with urgency across a wide range of measures’ to tackle the climate crisis and this should include individuals ‘considering a low meat diet’. With this in mind, will the council consider banning all advertising for meat and dairy products on assets they have control over, for example lamppost banners and roundabouts?”
Ward, a Children’s Rights Manager from Poole and recent parliamentary election candidate for the Green Party, also spoke at the meeting, bringing the focus of the discussion on to the environmental impact of animal agriculture. She asked:
“Agricultural pollution is the biggest perpetrator of freshwater pollution [5]. Only 14% of England’s rivers are classified as being in good ecological health and we have seen how passionate local people are about the pollution of our precious rivers [6]. We can greatly reduce the harm to our environment from agricultural pollution by switching to a plant-based food system [7]. Will BCP council lead by example and also help to normalise plant-based eating by implementing an action plan to promote and prioritise plant-based eating wherever the council has influence?”
The Plant-Based Councils campaigners weren’t the only residents to ask questions surrounding plant-based solutions to the climate and ecological crises. Five other locals spoke on the matter, including members of the Plant-Based Treaty, We The Free and Dorset Animal Save.

Campaigners from Plant-Based Councils, Plant-Based Treaty, We The Free and Dorset Animal Save standing together for a photo after the meeting.
Newly elected Leader of the Council, Councillor Millie Earl, answered the questions on behalf of Councillor Hadley, Cabinet Member for Climate Response, Environment and Energy. She said the council would look into the implications of prioritising climate-friendly advertising and utilising the council’s communication channels to promote the benefits of a plant-based diet. She also welcomed a councillor to bring forward a motion and encouraged a debate on serving 100% plant-based food at internal meetings and events.
After the meeting, Ward said:
“Adopting a plant-based diet is one of the easiest ways we can all reduce our environmental impact. It makes sense for BCP Council to help to normalise and promote a plant-based diet to local residents as a way to achieve their climate goals.”
Similar questions have been asked of other councils across the UK and motions have been carried by progressive councils such as Exeter City Council which, in December 2022, voted to serve only plant-based foods at council meetings and events [8]. Last month, the Cabinet in Calderdale Council voted unanimously to recommend a plant-based policy committing to 100% plant-based food in internal catering that is set to be debated by the full council on 24/07/24 [9].
Ward, Winter and Glennon are local campaigners with Animal Rising’s Plant-Based Councils campaign - a national initiative of local residents who are pushing for their councils to adopt 100% plant-based catering. The campaign is active in 32 councils, with the group encouraging interested residents to sign up to run a local campaign on their website - www.plantbasedcouncils.org/join.
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For more information or further comments, please contact press@plantbasedcouncils.org.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] The Plant-Based Councils campaign aims to address the climate emergency starting with the food on our plates, believing that local authorities have an opportunity and a duty to lead the way in normalising and legitimising plant-based eating. The campaign works with councils across the UK to encourage them to lead the way in the switch from emission heavy foods to plant-based ones that are better for health, our planet and reducing the impact from the cost of living crisis. www.plantbasedcouncils.org
[2] BCP Council Declares Climate and Ecological Emergency - https://live-bcpcouncil-bournemouth.cloud.contensis.com/News/News-Features/Climate-and-ecological-emergency/Climate-and-Ecological-Emergency-Declaration.aspx
[3] Councils Go Vegan - In The UK And Worldwide: https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/vegan-councils/?utm_source=PETA%20UK::Google&utm_medium=Ad&utm_campaign=1120::gen::PETA%20UK::Google::s-grant-awa-dsa::::searchad&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhb60BhClARIsABGGtw-DV6-girOIl_9hvbnpSV4DEopCzN02Q2_4qGA00TViOoD8SYnZqpcaAoD-EALw_wcB
[4] BCP Council, meeting of full council, 23rd July 2024: agenda, recording of Helen Winter's question, recording of Daniel Glennon's question and recording of Sarah Ward's question & council's response.
[5] British Ecological Society “Delivering Biodiversity: Priority Action for Freshwater”, pub. March 2024: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BES_Delivering-biodiversity_priority-actions-for-fresh-water.pdf
[6] DEFRA 25 Year Environment Plan Annual Progress Report 2020: https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/09/18/latest-water-classifications-results-published/
[7] “How plant-based diets not only reduce our carbon footprint, but also increase carbon capture” - Leiden University January 2022: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2022/01/how-plant-based-diets-not-only-reduce-our-carbon-footprint-but-also-increase-carbon-capture
[8] Exeter City Council votes to serve 100% plant-based food at catered meetings: https://news.exeter.gov.uk/council-pledges-to-raise-awareness-of-the-benefits-of-plant-based-food/
[9] Calderdale Council plant-based policy: https://veganfta.com/2024/06/10/cabinet-recommends-plant-based-catering-policy-to-calderdale-council-england/
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