Agenda item

To receive a Climate Change Action Plan update.

The Chair noted that 80% of current emissions were from the fleet`s refuse trucks. She explained that the Climate Change Commission supported end of life replacement which delayed positive action.

Councillor Pavitt said that the Climate Change Action Plan had not been embedded in the Council`s strategy and elsewhere in the organisation nobody seemed to take notice. He said that the Climate Change Action Plan needed highlighting at every level to state what the Council is working towards and was incumbent on senior management embracing the plan.

The Assistant Director of Environmental Services agreed that climate change had not received sufficient attention throughout the Council to date, in part as a result of Covid. He said that the opportunity needed to be grabbed as the Council returns to the offices to ensure that each service had a number of individuals paying attention to the climate change aims.

The Chair confirmed that they were looking to employ two Climate Change Officers to deliver their plan.

Councillor Caton said that there had not been a corporate approach to climate change to date and noted his disappointment regarding the lack of documentation to measure success, progress or the forward plan.

The Assistant Director of Environmental Services noted that the Green House Gas Emissions Annual Report was published today on the website and demonstrated good progress. He confirmed that regular briefings and meetings took place with Senior Management and the Chief Executive to help move the agenda forward.

Councillor Caton acknowledged that the Chief Executive had taken charge of the Action Plan and made it more corporate. He said that the Energy and Climate Change Working Group (ECCWG) should drive the action plan and needed to be more pro-active to ensure delivery.

Councillor Pavitt left the meeting.

The Chair acknowledged the need to measure progress and said that the ECCWG should be proud that despite the lack of resources, the plan remained on target.

Councillor Light concurred with Councillors Pavitt and Caton and said that the environmental policies needed to be incorporated into all council policies and functions to ensure the carbon footprint is reduced. She said that more action and decisions were required to increase the impact of the ECCWG.

In response to a question from Councillor Light the Assistant Director of Environmental Services confirmed that the biomass of food waste is recycled and that the plant produced energy from the decomposition process, which the Council did not receive direct benefit from due to the site location.

The Chair highlighted the need to encourage residents to access the recycling information that was available on the Council website, to increase awareness, knowledge and understanding of individual portfolios and related responsibilities.

The Assistant Director of Environmental Services confirmed that the process of embedding the climate change requirements within each service was underway, to ensure Officers were up to speed and delivering, and that regular review would highlight areas of slippage. He confirmed that the outgoing Climate Change Officer had reviewed the corporate report process and had suggested a process that required further consideration.

Councillor Caton noted their concern relating to energy efficiency within the Council`s housing stock and requested a review of the NORSE partnership to understand their environmental impact.

The Chair acknowledged that this was a topic priority six months ago, before the energy price increases and reiterated the availability of funding available for low income households.

The Environmental Health Manager for Protection reiterated the importance of making the housing stock as energy efficient as possible. He noted the need to provide more renewable energy and adequate insulation for homes to negate the need for the expensive installation of heat pumps and offered to discuss grant schemes and their limitations at the next meeting.

The Chair confirmed that the Council had been awarded £1.2million for energy and £500,000 for DEFRA funding to improve air quality, as part of a pilot scheme for sustainable transport hubs.

The Environmental Health Manager for Protection provided a report detailing the Green House Gas Review which was circulated to Members.

Councillor Driscoll noted that Transport For London had recently published year on year figures which highlighted a 151% increase in serious injury and death as a result of electric scooter usage. He did not support the provision of electric scooters.

The Environmental Health Manager for Protection confirmed that:

·        The installation of solar panels on five of the fleet vehicles would be completed this year

·        Ten of the frontline vehicles would come to their end of life within four years. Replacement options were under investigation

·        Several areas could be served by electric vehicles, poor range, cost and availability remain determining considerations with electric replacements costing twice the diesel equivalent

RESOLVED: Members noted the progress on the implementation of the Climate Change Action Plan set out in paragraphs 15 to 16 and contained within appendix one.