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Agenda item

Climate and Ecological Emergency

Purpose

For the Committee to receive an update on actions under the Climate Programme.

 

Recommendation

That the Committee notes the actions to-date and the ongoing activity to further embed climate action across all the Council’s activities and agrees any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet.

 

Invited

Councillor Mike McKeown, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability

Olivia McGregor, Climate Change and Carbon Reduction Lead

Minutes:

The report provided the Overview and Scrutiny Committee with an update on actions undertaken as part of the Council’s Climate Programme.

 

Councillor Mike McKeown, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability, introduced the report and highlighted the importance of the issue of climate change and the need for action. The Cabinet Member drew the Committee’s attention to the key points as follows:

  • The Council was aiming to reduce its carbon footprint by 80% by 2045.
  • Solar panels had been installed at the Council’s Trinity Road offices, saving costs and emissions.
  • Ubico had been tasked with creating a decarbonisation programme for its fleet, which was a significant contributor to the Council’s carbon footprint.
  • The local plan provided an opportunity to instigate measures to improve climate emergency standards.
  • Local households who have already installed solar panels would benefit from £450,000 of lifetime energy savings.
  • The South West Net Zero Hub had provided funding for a retrofit home energy efficiency programme.
  • Local electricity suppliers were working on a programme of grid upgrades to deal with additional demands on the grid.
  • There were plans for a community energy solar farm.
  • There was action taking place to reduce emissions across various sectors including farming, business and transport.

 

The Committee asked about the role of the retrofit officer and commented that there was a lack of understanding about the best approaches to retrofitting buildings, so education was important. The Cabinet Member explained that the aim was to retrofit c. 300 homes and that the officer had experience of delivering training and could give independent advice. The officer would have some level of engagement with social housing providers but their core focus would be on the public.

 

A Member commented that the jury remained out on electric vehicles and they arguably weren’t the best solution in rural areas. The Cabinet Member responded that there were some concerns about orchestrated misinformation campaigns against electric vehicles and the Council was helping to myth-bust these. For the 35% of homes did not have off-street parking in the District the Council was installing EV chargers in car parks it owns.

 

In response to a question about government plans to subsidise solar panels, the Cabinet Member stated that solar was a good option for those who could afford it due to the reducing costs of installing solar. The warm homes plan provided funding for low-income households. There was a private members bill in parliament about making solar mandatory on new build properties.

 

In discussion the Committee also noted that:

  • The Council would need to conduct energy audits prior to applying for grants from government, which could include support for solar.
  • The Council was still awaiting a response from Brewery Arts about proposals to install solar on their premises.
  • A primary focus of the Sustainable Transport Officer would be to add their input into the local plan.
  • The Council was speaking to services about embedding climate implications in everything they do. The Council was limited in terms of its resources and needed to prioritise effectively in order to make the greatest possible impact.
  • Funding for new charging points was coming from the government and the Council, split evenly. The user charges would cover the revenue costs and make a contribution to capital costs over time.
  • External funding for retrofit was from the South West Net Zero Hub.
  • A new online tool would help people navigate the decision process as to whether retrofit would benefit them. Low income households could access support through Warm and Well.
  • At this stage the new National Planning Policy Framework did not do much to improve climate energy efficiency standards. The Future Homes Standard remained out to consultation and progress on this had been slow.
  • There was a need to balance heritage considerations and the ability for people to afford to upgrade their homes.
  • There was no data on how many EV charge point users were local and how many were visitors.
  • There were longer term plans to spread EV infrastructure far and wide but the Council had started with the easiest sites, which where those it owned.
  • There would be a lag between new EV infrastructure being installed and people making decisions to purchase electric vehicles.
  • A cut to VAT on EV charging would be welcome.
  • Any help the Council could provide to assist town and parish councils to install EV chargers would be welcome.

 

The Committee commended the work of the Cabinet Member and officers and thanked them for the report.

 

The Committee resolved to submit the following recommendation to Cabinet:

  1. That the Council ensures that it has processes in place for testing and developing the value of the work it is undertaking on the climate and ecological emergency with a view to providing positive ongoing investment in this field.

 

 

Supporting documents:

 

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