Issue - meetings

That the Officer responses to the recommendations contained in the Climate Emergency Task and Finish Group report be approved.

The Executive considered a report setting out the Officer response to the recommendations contained in the Climate Emergency Task and Finish review report which had been established by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.

The Executive Member for Resident Services, Communications and Emissions reiterated the objective of the Task and Finish Group which was to scrutinise the emerging targets and key performance indicators within the Climate Emergency Action Plan and make recommendations for any improvements that could further enhance the delivery of the Plan.

Councillor Murray highlighted that the Task and Finish Group’s had found the Climate Emergency Action Plan to be a bold, ambitious document which was aligned to national best practice and underpinned by a significant, dedicated budget and clear governance structures.  This governance structure included oversight from external expertise as part of the established Advisory Board, which was chaired by Transport Decarbonisation Director at the National Grid.  The review also commended Officers for the significant progress made since the initial Action Plan was published in January 2020, particularly in light of the impact of Covid-19 on the Council’s day to day activities.

Members were advised that the Task and Finish Group had carried out a thorough review which had included external insight from Professor Paul Chatterton, a leading expert in climate change, at the University of Leeds and also written evidence from the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.  Following the review the Task and Finish Group had made 14 recommendations.   Councillor Murray went through the recommendations and the Officer responses in detail and it was noted that most of the recommendations had been accepted by Officers, subject to a few cases where additional reasoning had been added.

Councillor Murray further advised that once plans for the Green Bank were fully developed a report would be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee for review and input.  He would also welcome Overview and Scrutiny scrutinising the impact of the Local Plan Update on climate emergency. Although this could only be once the impact of proposed Government policies had been finalised and worked through.  In addition Councillor Murray confirmed that it was intended to publish details of land available for sequestration projects once town and parish council opportunities had been established. 

On behalf of Officers and himself Councillor Murray thanked the members on the Task and Finish Group for their diligence and dedication in carrying out the review, their open mindedness to the information presented and for the quality and calibre of the recommendations.  He also thanked those Officers who had been involved in drafting the review report and the covering report whom he felt deserved a huge amount of credit for their work.

RESOLVED: That the Officer responses to the recommendations contained in the Climate Emergency Task and Finish Group report be approved.