A Caerphilly councillor’s calls for rationing-style planning has failed to win the support of his colleagues.

Cllr Sean Morgan said a “protracted” war in the Middle East would impact on local communities by limiting access to “essential resources” such as food and energy.

He warned the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – at the centre of the USA and Israel’s conflict with Iran – had “already caused petrol prices to spike” and would lead to “a huge reduction in the availability of produce in the very near future”.

But the former council leader, who joined the Greens after quitting Labour and the top job last year, was unable to garner support for his motion, which called on the council to pressure the UK Government into planning for the worst.

His motion, had it been successful, would have asked the current council leader to write to the UK Government and “consider the outcomes for already struggling families should market forces be the only mechanism by which food and fuel is allocated”.

The government should “prepare for a fair way to allocate scarce resources should the conflict continue into many months”, including the possibility of a “fair allocation policy, such as the rationing system adopted in the Second World War”, his motion read.