This article has been amended*

THE city council voted in favour of setting a target that the authority is carbon neutral before 2030.

The authority’s councillors voted to ‘call on the Government to provide the powers and resources to fully decarbonise the [council] in the shortest timeframe working towards the vision of zero carbon by 2030 at the latest’.

Opposition councillors said they worried Labour changes to a Green Party motion could ‘delay action’ being taken and stifle debate.

A proposal by the Greens’ Dick Wolff urged the authority to be carbon neutral within 11 years.

But Labour’s executive board member for safer, greener, environment, Tom Hayes, changed the wording of the proposed motion – and the move was backed by most of the council.

Mr Hayes said while ‘everyone should be alive to the speed’ that things need to change to prevent further climate change, the Government is ‘not committed’ to reducing emissions from the electricity grid.

Despite that, he said the council would work towards the 2030 target - but look to close in on it as soon as possible.  

Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Harris accused Labour of using their amendment as a ‘distraction’.

Last week, the council announced it will set up a Citizens Assembly, where a selected group of people in Oxford will debate climate change from September.

The city and county councils have said they will launch a Zero Emissions Zone for six city centre streets from next year, with other moves to enhance that set to follow later.

Green campaigners had filled the city council chamber's public gallery on Monday evening.

They cheered two Oxford schoolgirls, Izzy Lewis and Kamila Chamcham.

Along with two classmates, Lucy Gibbons and Rasha Alsouleman, they have prepared an online petition that has been signed by nearly 70,000 people.

It demands climate change is made a ‘core part’ of the national curriculum.

Izzy and Kamila told the council: “Oxford is an amazing city that has all sorts of opportunities and is a hub of culture and history.

“By cutting down emissions caused by school runs we can hopefully keep our city as beautiful as it is now. It will not only reduce pollution but also create an environment that is not dominated by traffic.”

Alex Hollingsworth, the city council’s executive board member for planning and transport, said important work has been done with the county council – despite some members being ‘dragged kicking and screaming’ to back it.

He said he has received a ‘torrent of communications, some of them not entirely friendly’ from Oxford residents opposed to any change.

Some of those, he said, have been supportive of building more car parks across the city rather than discouraging car use.

*There were two versions of amendments to Mr Wolff's motion - one before the meeting, and included in council documents, and then a second, also ahead of the meeting. The second set of changes were included in a separate addendum.

The first change did not include any reference to a 2030 target but the second included it. 

The original article mistakenly referred to the first change and not the second. We apologise for any confusion and the error.