Agenda item

To receive an update on the Climate Change Action Plan.

The Environmental Health Manager – Protection introduced the new Climate Change Lead Officer who presented the Climate Change Action Plan Highlight Report.

She recommended that Members note:

·       The progress on the implementation of the Climate Change Action Plan set out below and contained within Appendix 1

·       The highlights, arising issues, follow-on actions, and forward plan proposed by the Climate Change, Lead Officer

She said that:

·       A more formal overview of achievements would be provided in quarter 4 to revise and update the plan

·       Often complete actions generated additional action requirements

·       Further consideration needed to be given to community engagement

·       Additional work was necessary to access funding through the business development team

·       Positive highlights included moving towards delivering the various e-schemes, useful conversations with the County Council about infrastructure, influencing development and utilising S106 to positively influence. The transport studies were also underway and were an opportunity to align recommendations with the right people

·       There was a delay to the housing stock condition survey, which would be completed by Uttlesford NORSE, who had a new contract manager in post. Issues had been taken up by the Chief Executive and an update would be provided once the issues had been addressed

·       Work had continued with the planners on the number of actions which inter-relate to the Local Plan, and county wide milestones relating to the nature network strategy and mapping would be consulted on in 2023

The Environmental Health Manager – Protection said that:

• Domestic energy progress in Uttlesford was quite low
• The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) would provide energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon heating to households that were low income, off the gas grid, and had an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) between D and G and would run from April 2023 until March 2025.
• Uttlesford had been allocated £576,000 from central government, based on the deprivation index, assuming measures in place of £18,000 for 32 homes, whereas Braintree, Castle Point and Harlow had all been allocated £3.6million from the scheme
• The air quality DEFRA funded work had been delayed for 6 months. The money had been received and had not yet been spent

Following questions from Members, the Assistant Director of Environmental Services said that:

·       There was not yet clear evidence supporting the productivity of the solar panels fitted to the vehicles, due to the poor weather. They would however be closely monitored

·       There had been several demonstrations of electric vehicles during recent weeks, including a heavy goods vehicle and a dustcart, which unfortunately ran out of charge halfway through the round.

The Chair asked the Assistant Director of Environmental Services for a rundown of the future of the Council’s fleet. She said that Essex County Council want to achieve zero landfill by 2030, which could impact what type and number of vehicles the District Council would need.

The Assistant Director of Environmental Services said that:

·     A detailed review was underway and suggested that an additional meeting was held in January 2023 to work through waste in detail. This would include the implications on how collections were executed and the results of a formal consultation from DEFRA which should inform future decisions

·     The County Council had a legal requirement to dispose of non-recyclable waste and wanted to avoid landfill

·     There had been a long legal dispute between the County Council and the contractor that previously treated our non-recyclable waste

·     It was essential that the system worked

·     The caveat to the introduction of an incinerator could be investment in recycling to ensure only the bare minimum was incinerated

Members discussed:

·       The value in also considering hydrogen fuelled vehicles alongside the electric vehicles recently considered, if only for comparison

·       The benefits of the flexi arrangements now in place for staff

·       The additional electric vehicles proposed for NORSE by 2025

·       The additional buses being run by the County Council

·       Continued tree planting opportunities at Stansted Airport

Councillor Driscoll left the meeting at 8.08pm.

RESOLVED:

·       The progress on the implementation of the Climate Change Action Plan was noted

·       The highlights, arising issues, follow-on actions, and forward plan were noted