Agenda item
Climate Change update
Officers will give a comprehensive update on the Climate Change work taking place across the Council, and seek Committee’s agreement to the establishment of a Climate Change working group.
Terms of Reference for the working group are currently being drafted, and will be circulated shortly.
Recommendations
The meeting is recommended:
1.1 To approve the establishment of a Climate Change Working Group
1.2 To delegate authority to the Assistant Director Law, Governance and Democratic Services (interim), in consultation with the working group Chairman, to finalise the scoping document.
Decision:
Resolved
(1) That the establishment of a Climate Change Working Group be approved.
(2) That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director Law, Governance and Democratic Services (Interim), in consultation with the Working Group Chairman and Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman, to finalise the scoping document.
Minutes:
The Assistant Director Environmental Services had submitted a report which set out the Carbon Management Plans for the period 2022-2025 to guide the Council towards its net zero target. Draft terms of reference for the Climate Activity Scrutiny Working Group had been published as a supplement to the agenda.
In introducing the report, the Assistant Director Environmental Services explained that there were four main sources of carbon emissions across the council: corporate buildings, leisure centres, vehicle fleet and staff travel. Staff travel contributed less than 2% of the total emissions, with the largest contributor being leisure centres. From 2008-09 financial year to 2020-21 financial year, Council emissions had reduced by 51%.
The council had received £6m funding from the public sector decarbonisation scheme, which had been used for the installation of air source heat pumps, a solar array at Woodgreen Leisure Centre that was used to heat the swimming pool and photovoltaic arrays had been installed at Bicester Leisure centre. Emissions at council owned leisure centres had subsequently reduced.
Smaller elements had also been implemented, such as LED lighting and a battery storage facility at Thorpe Lane depot that meant energy generated by solar panels could be stored for later use.
The project had been delivered on time at a cost of £5.2 million, therefore under budget.
In response to Members’ questions, the Assistant Director of Environmental Services explained that a reduction of emissions across the vehicle fleet would be difficult to achieve rapidly. Whilst 10% of the fleet had already been converted to electric vehicles, the larger refuse vehicles were the biggest emission contributor at 35 to 40 tonnes per vehicle. However, the majority had Euro 6 engines which meant the existing fleet was clean by diesel standards. The cost for electric refuse vehicles was currently approximately £250,000, a significant increase on a diesel equivalent, and most were currently speed limited to 40mph and therefore not suitable to drive on the motorway which was necessary to reach the waste facilities at Ardley
In addition to cost, the charging infrastructure currently in place at Thorpe Lane Depot would mean that the larger batteries on the refuse vehicles would take two days to fully charge. The Assistant Director Environmental Services explained that the electricity supply at the depot would be improved in the coming months.
Regarding public use charging points, the Assistant Director Environmental Services advised the Committee that a number of charging points were being installed in council owned car parks, that would be available for the public to use to charge their vehicles. Car parks close to terraced houses and flats had been targeted for an initial installation, and further charging points would be installed over the coming months.
In response to questions from the Committee regarding estimated projections about when the council’s net zero target would be achieved, the Assistant Director – Environmental Services explained that an initial emissions trajectory graph had been included in the report, covering the period to 2025. Once the recruitment process had been completed for the Climate Action Manager, additional projections could be compiled which would enable the committee to have a better gauge of the progress towards the net zero target.
In response to questions from the Committee and the involvement of Planning Officers in the Climate Change working group, the Corporate Director Communities advised that officer level working groups on both the local plan and climate change reported to him, and he would ensure the two worked in conjunction with the Overview & Scrutiny working group as climate work interlinked with all areas of the Council.
With regards the draft Climate Change Working Group terms of reference, the Democratic and Elections Officer advised that Councillor Middleton had also expressed an interest in sitting on the Working Group. The Chairman advised that he would circulate the terms of reference to councillors seeking further Working Group members and ensuring all political parties were represented.
Resolved
(1) That the establishment of a Climate Change Working Group be approved.
(2) That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director Law, Governance and Democratic Services (Interim), in consultation with the Working Group Chairman and Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman, to finalise the scoping document.
(3) That the significant progress in the Council moving towards net zero by 2030 be noted.
(4) That the proposed carbon management plans in making further steps to reach net zero by 2023 be noted.
Supporting documents:
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