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26 April 2007
Council agrees fairtrade resolution
Burnley Borough Council has given the green light to Burnley’s bid to become a Fairtrade Town. At a meeting of the executive councillors agreed to pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade.
The council agreed to:
- Widely offer Fairtrade Marked food and drink options internally and make them available for internal meetings.
- Promote the Fairtrade Mark using Fairtrade Foundation materials in refreshment areas and promoting the Fairtrade Towns initiative in internal communications and external newsletters.
- Use influence to urge local retailers to provide Fairtrade options for residents.
- Use influence to urge local business to offer Fairtrade options to their staff and promote the Fairtrade Mark internally.
- Engage in a media campaign to publicise the Fairtrade Towns initiative.
The council also agreed to allocate responsibility for progression of the Fairtrade Town Initiative to an officer and to nominate an elected member as "champion" of the cause for the Borough Council.
This is fantastic news for Burnley’s Fairtrade campaign, headed by Kitty Ussher MP, as one of the criteria for Burnley to become a Fairtrade Town is that the council must pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade.
Kitty Ussher and Burnley’s dedicated Fairtrade group will now work in conjunction with Burnley Borough Council to meet the remaining criteria needed for Burnley to achieve the highly coveted Fairtrade Town status and the council will start to look at implementing the agreed resolution by ensuring that Fairtrade products are available in it’s offices and canteens, and in venues such as Burnley Mechanics Theatre and St Peter’s Centre.
Kitty Ussher said
“I am delighted that the Council has agreed to support Burnley’s bid to become a Fairtrade Town. By passing this resolution the council is sending an important message that, it supports, in a tangible way, justice and fairness for struggling farming communities around the world”
A spokesperson for Burnley Borough Council stated
“Burnley Borough Council, as an important consumer and opinion leader, should research, develop, and support a strategy to facilitate the promotion and purchase of foods with the Fairtrade mark as part of it’s commitment to and in pursuit of sustainable development and to give marginalised producers a fair deal”
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