Issue - meetings

Report of Climate Action Manager and Corporate Director – Communities

Purpose of report

To set out the background and content of a newly produced 12-month Action Plan for climate change, which is based on our 2020 Climate Change Framework.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1           To accept the ambitions of this Action Plan.

1.2     To recognise the implementation of this Action Plan will have on-going resource implications for council budgets and that additional requests will be forthcoming, as and when business cases are developed, e.g. for the provision of additional Solar PV to reduce energy bills. Each business case will be assessed and brought forward if affordable.

Resolved

(1)        That having given due consideration, the Council’s 12-month Climate Action Plan 2023-24 be noted and no recommendations be submitted for Executive consideration. 

(2)        That having given due consideration, the potential resource implications relating to the implementation of the Council’s 12-month Climate Action Plan be noted and no recommendations be submitted to Executive for consideration.

The Climate Action Manager and Corporate Director Communities submitted a report which set out the background and content of the newly produced 12-month Action Plan for climate change, which was based on the council’s 2020 Climate Change Framework.

In introducing the report, the Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities commended the Climate Action Manager for his hard work progressing the Action Plan and thanked the Climate Action Working Group for their ongoing valuable contribution. The Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities reminded the Committee that the Action Plan was a baseline and would be an iterative process. It therefore distinguished between actions which were already planned and those which were aspirational. 

The Assistant Director for Environmental Services explained that the specialist external consultants BioRegional, had carried out a detailed review, including a gap analysis and an assessment of the actions in terms of those which were most impactful and those over which the council had the most influence.

In response to a question regarding an increase in emissions in 2021/2022 the Assistant Director Environmental Services, explained that figures for 2020/2021 had been lower than usual due to Covid related closures of leisure centres and reduced vehicle usage. The increase coincided with the re-opening of leisure centres and people returning to work. Councillor Middleton referred to a list of questions he had submitted in advance of the meeting and confirmed he was happy to receive responses after the meeting.

The Committee echoed the comments of the Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities and thanked the Climate Action Manager for his work in producing the Action Plan.

Resolved

(1)        That having given due consideration, the Council’s 12-month Climate Action Plan 2023-24 be noted and no recommendations be submitted for Executive consideration. 

(2)        That having given due consideration, the potential resource implications relating to the implementation of the Council’s 12-month Climate Action Plan be noted and no recommendations be submitted to Executive for consideration.