Agenda item

To consider a progress report following the Council’s decision to declare a Climate Emergency.

The Committee considered a report, set out at Agenda pages 15 to 20, which gave details of progress following the Council’s decision to declare a Climate Emergency.

 

Councillor Gregor Murray, Executive Member for Climate Emergency, attended the meeting to present the report and answer Member questions.

 

The report stated that the Climate Emergency Motion was approved by the full Council at its meeting on 18 July 2019. The Motion stated that the Council would play as full a role as possible – leading by example as well as by exhortation – in achieving a carbon neutral Wokingham by 2030 with a report back within six months on the actions required.

 

In order to develop the Council’s approach work was underway to produce a Climate Emergency Action Plan. This involved working with Council departments, residents, community groups, schools and the business community. The Action Plan would explore all potential methods to reduce carbon emissions, including ways to generate renewable energy, carbon offsetting through tree planting and the application of new and emerging technologies.

 

The Action Plan would seek to achieve some quick wins with a phased approach to initiatives which required longer term planning and implementation. The Council would be leading by example through the prioritisation of work on its own facilities and estate.

 

A cross-party Member steering group had also been established in order to monitor progress and support the development of the Action Plan, which would be submitted to the Council at its meeting in January 2020.

 

The report gave details of the work already being undertaken by the Council to reduce its carbon emissions, viz:

 

·                A 25% target for the procurement of green energy from renewable sources;

 

·                Installing solar panels on Council buildings (31 sites to date);

 

·                Investing in energy-efficient plant and equipment in Council buildings;

 

·                Enabling more sustainable travel through enhancements to pedestrian, cycle and bus routes;

 

·                Promotion of increased recycling and reduced levels of waste (including food waste) sent to landfill.

 

Councillor Murray stated that the Climate Emergency Action Plan would focus on four key areas:

 

Structure and Governance – establishment of a cross-party Climate Emergency Working Group which would meet for the first time on 14 October 2019. The working group would also include representatives from Town and Parish Councils and the Borough’s Youth MP. The Council was also seeking to recruit a Climate Emergency Strategy and Commissioning Officer to support the development of the Climate Emergency Action Plan.

 

Establishing the Borough’s carbon footprint – the most recent Government figures on emissions in the Borough (2017) indicated carbon dioxide emissions of 771 thousand tonnes (kt). Discussions were ongoing with scientists at Reading University and other local authorities to establish an up-to-date assessment of the Borough’s total carbon footprint. Similar calculations would be carried out for the Borough’s Town and Parish areas.

 

Climate Emergency Action Plan – work on the action plan was underway with over 200 potential points already under consideration. It was hoped that a wide range of residents, community groups, schools, Town and Parish Councils and local businesses would submit ideas for inclusion in the action plan. The next Wokingham Borough News would include information about the steps that residents can take to help on the journey to carbon neutrality.

 

Communications – a Communications Plan was being developed which would be turned into a 12 month rolling plan. The aim was to be clear and transparent with residents about the science, the steps being taken to tackle climate change and the associated costs.

 

In the ensuing discussion, Members raised the following points:

 

What steps was the Council taking to identify and identify and remove IT and electrical equipment made using greenhouse gases with much greater climate impact than CO2? It was confirmed that this would assessed as part of the development of the action plan.

 

Was the Council seeking to achieve zero carbon or carbon neutrality by 2030? It was confirmed that the Motion approved by the Council referred to a carbon neutral Wokingham Borough by 2030.

 

The report referred to a £15k saving in energy bills over the past two years. Was it possible to identify the carbon reduction as well as the financial saving from each initiative? It was confirmed that the aim was to identify the carbon and financial savings for all initiatives in the action plan. This reporting would improve as the Council gained more knowledge and experience.

 

It was useful to identify low hanging fruit and quick wins. However, would the action plan initiatives be weighted to focus on measures with the biggest impact? It was confirmed that indicators would be identified to assess the overall impact of measures within the action plan. Progress would be published on a regular basis to enable residents to hold the Council to account. It was important to publish the draft action plan as quickly as possible to ensure that momentum and maximum engagement were achieved.

 

Analysis of the Government data on carbon dioxide emissions for the Borough (771 kt) indicated that there a small number of major issues, e.g. road transport and energy for homes and industry. Plans to tackle these big issues, e.g. reducing the number of cars on local roads, would require some very hard decisions. Would the action plan set out the top 5 big ticket items to be addressed as well as the large number of smaller initiatives? It was confirmed that the action plan would be a mixture of small and large items. It would be published to enable full public scrutiny.

 

What were the financial implications of the action plan? Would the Government be providing additional funding? It was confirmed that initiatives in the action plan would be costed. There was an expectation the Government would provide more funding for Councils to tackle climate emergency.

 

What mitigation measures were being delivered by Highways England, e.g. in relation to the loss of trees linked to the M4 Smart Motorways project? It was confirmed that information on Highway England’s mitigation measures would be circulated to the Committee.

 

What was the timeframe for the Climate Emergency consultation exercise? It was confirmed that the consultation would run, initially, until 31 December 2019. However, it would then continue as an open consultation to enable further ideas to be submitted for consideration.

 

What benefits did the Council achieve from sending waste to the Energy from Waste Facility at Colnbrook, near Slough? It was confirmed that the Executive Member for Environment and Leisure would be asked to provide an update on this issue.

 

As the most recent Government emissions data was from 2017, it was important to factor in significant house building (with loss of trees/green space) which had taken place over the past two years, e.g. in Shinfield. It was confirmed that evidence relating to recent housing development would be factored into the carbon footprint calculations.

 

What role would the Member Steering Group play in developing the action plan? It was confirmed that the steering group would meet every two months and would review the action plan as it developed.

 

How would the Council engage with the climate change experts at Reading University? It was confirmed that the Member Steering Group would consider the most effective way to work with the University. This could include inviting the University to send a representative to join the steering group.

 

In relation to engagement with young people, what plans were being considered in addition to working with the Borough’s Youth MP? It was confirmed that there were plans to develop a programme of work with local schools. This would encourage young people to submit ideas via the Council’s website. It could also include a process for bringing young people together to share ideas and learn from each other.

 

An Individual Executive Member Decision on, 17 September 2019, gave conditional support to the development of a third runway at Heathrow. Wouldn’t the lack of (currently identified) sustainable public transport measures result in a significant environmental impact on the Borough, e.g. from additional vehicles travelling through the Borough to Heathrow, on the M4? It was confirmed that the decision to support the third runway was contingent on the implementation of mitigating measures to ensure a carbon neutral outcome.

 

Were Council Pension Fund investments being monitored to ensure that they followed ethical, environmentally friendly principles? It was confirmed that this suggestion would be considered by Council Officers.

 

The report stated that the Council’s target for the procurement of green energy was currently 25%. Should this be higher? It was confirmed that the target should be higher and that the process for achieving this would be investigated.

 

In relation to the new Climate Emergency Strategy and Commissioning Officer, what targets would the postholder have? It was confirmed that specific targets would be considered as part of the ongoing development of the action plan.

 

In relation to furniture and other products made from illegally felled trees, what measures could be taken to ensure that supplies of wood were sourced responsibly? It was confirmed that investigations would be carried out and measures would be instigated to raise awareness of this issue with local businesses and residents.

 

RESOLVED That:

 

1)     Gregor Murray be thanked for attending the meeting to answer Member questions on Climate Emergency;

 

2)     the Committee endorse the work being undertaken by the Council to achieve a carbon neutral Borough by 2030, as set out in the report;

 

3)     Councillor Murray be invited to attend the Committee’s meeting on 22 January 2020 to provide a further update following the publication of the Climate Emergency Action Plan;

 

4)     the additional information requested by Members, set out above, be circulated to the Committee.

 

Note: Andy Croy did not support the decision in 2) above.