Agenda and minutes

Councillor Pepper.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. Her introduction is appended to the minutes.

All attendees introduced themselves.

To receive any apologies for absence and declarations of Interest.

Apologies were received from J Cornwall-Jones, P Gadd, Councillor R Pavitt and J Richards. It was noted that T Roberts had stood down from the group.

To consider the Draft Climate Action Plan.

The Climate Change Project Officer introduced the draft Climate Action Plan and invited comments. She highlighted the difficulties of working out strict timelines for the most innovative projects that are national pilots and for which there are currently no established delivery models.She summarised each proposed action and comments have been recorded against each category of the Plan.

Initial general comments:

·         The Action Plan language needed to be consistent with the Climate Change Strategy.

·         The need for a route map towards carbon zero delivery by 2030.

·         Concern about use of words “deliverable” and “able to be resourced” as these were largely unknowns.

·         The need to explain acronyms e.g. LULUCF.

·         The need for stronger ambition, milestones, target dates and some ideas of costs to be shown.

Initiatives in the category ‘Control’

Domestic energy:

·         The possibility of engagement in reverse energy auctions

·         Involvement through the Citizens Advice Bureau.

·         Look to move towards green tariffs.

·         The need for consistent messages on the website.

·         The idea of new builds in Uttlesford being demonstrators and exemplar.

·         Housing Revenue Account implications in terms of the development budget.

·         The need for connectivity with the Local Plan

·         The need to calculate full carbon footprint around building materials.

·         Green finance modelling together with the prospects of grant funding.

·         Council will apply for monies from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund early next year. No certainty re future funding rounds. Housing Associations can apply through a local authority. Probably best to be part of a consortium.

Governance:

·         The need for carbon accounting.

·         Concerns that the Plan should be for the District Council, rather than looking to hold others to account.

·         Work with Procurement Officers to specify carbon footprints.

Land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF)

·         Cllr Smith to approach MP as to possible dates for the Environment Bill.

·         Concerns as to how biodiversity is measured- needs to go to the bottom of the food chain.

·         Guidelines from Natural England highlighted.

·         Mapping opportunities- Essex CC to roll out UDC’s project. Water River East to link in.

Public Sector:

·         Possible use of churches as cooling centres but would require cool air to be pushed through.

·         Possible use of electric vehicles car pools, electric minibuses, zero carbon vehicles allied to cost of insurance concerns.

Surface transport:

·         Possibility of DEFRA grant funding for improved air quality monitoring.

·         Carry out an independent study of traffic hotspots. This would cost around £500 and was supported.

·         EV charging points- future payments through debit and credit cards and the need to engage with Parish Councils re demand at village halls.

·         Mapping of EV charging points on-going. Essex CC currently looking for a new recruit to lead on Electric Vehicles.

·         Good publicity to be gained for UDC through achievements to date on EV charging points.

·         Possible transition to having an electric UDC fleet, possibility of solar panels on refuse vehicles.

·         Possible refurbishment of refuse vehicles.

·         Very high costs of replacement of refuse vehicles.

N Davies left the meeting at 8.30 pm

E Gildea left the meeting at 8.45  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.