Issue - meetings

BCP Council declared a Climate and Ecological Emergency on 16 July 2019 and followed this by considering and approving for consultation a draft Action Plan at its meeting on 16 December 2019. This report sets out the work the Council has carried out in the first year towards achieving our targets to:

·       Make BCP Council and its operations carbon neutral by 2030

·       Work with the wider community to make the region carbon neutral before the UK target of 2050

This period has seen the Covid-19 pandemic trigger a national lockdown, which has impacted on some of our planned activity and had a direct effect on environmental quality. During this time, the Council has been working to establish the full extent of the challenge by calculating the amount of carbon emissions from Council operations that will need to be avoided or offset – over 40,000 tCO2e. These efforts have led to BCP Council being named one of five UK towns and cities praised as global climate leaders by carbon disclosure charity CDP on their ‘Cities A-List’. Actions in 2019/20 have included:

·       Incorporating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – including no.13: ‘Climate Action’ into our Corporate Strategy

·       Improving the safety of cyclists and walkers at key transport locations using the £312k Government Emergency Active Travel grant

·       Purchasing green electricity from renewable sources for all our buildings and a proportion of streetlights

·       Incorporating Sustainable Procurement in the Council’s new Financial Regulations

·       Allowing key workers free use of sustainable transport during the pandemic, with 1000 essential journeys made on Beryl Bikes

·       Helping the 691 households referred into the Local Energy Advice Partnership (LEAP) save £770,000 in energy bill reductions and financial benefits, whilst generating carbon savings

·       Undertaking works at bus facilities in response to COVID-19 measures ensuring that buses can be used safely

·       Launching a Decision Impact Assessment tool enabling all projects, decisions and policies to be assessed against sustainability criteria (including climate change)

·       Installing Electric Vehicle charging points at council depots and an Electric Refuse Collection Vehicle and road sweepers are to be trialled

Forming a Coastal Engineering Partnership with Dorset Council to help protect communities from coastal flooding and erosion.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)           Cabinet approves launch of the 2050 Climate Action Plan public consultation survey subject to minor amendments agreed by the Portfolio Holder;

(b)           Cabinet supports the creation of a Climate Action Leadership Board;

(c)           Cabinet endorses this report as an update on activities taken to address the Climate and Ecological Emergency during 2019/20;

(d)           Cabinet endorses and acknowledges that the total measurable GHG emissions from BCP Council activities for 2019/20 is 41,809 tonnes CO₂e; and endorses the use of this figure as a baseline against which to measure emissions reductions up to 2030;

(e)           Cabinet supports the development of:

(i)             2030 BCP Council Climate Action Plan

(ii)           Delivery plan and funding proposal to undertake activities identified in the 2030 BCP Council Climate Action Plan

(f)            Cabinet endorses and acknowledges that the total measurable GHG emissions from BCP Area activities for 2017 (reported in 2019/20) is 1,841,600 tonnes CO₂e; and endorses the use of this figure as a baseline against which to measure emissions reductions up to 2050;

(g)           Cabinet supports the development of:

(i)             2050 BCP Area Climate Action Plan, following completion of public engagement during 2020/21

(ii)         Delivery plan and funding proposal to undertake activities identified in the 2050 BCP Area Climate Action Plan, including consideration of a Community Climate Bond scheme

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Transport and Sustainability

Reason

To allow the Council to meet its commitments under the Climate and Ecological Emergency Declaration and help global efforts to keep climate warming below 1.5oc to avoid further environmental damage, population displacement, biodiversity loss and risk to life.

The Portfolio Holder for Transport and Sustainability presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'H' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was reminded that BCP Council had declared a Climate and Ecological Emergency on 16 July 2019 and followed this by considering and approving for consultation a draft Action Plan at its meeting on 16 December 2019, and that this report sets out the work the Council has carried out in the first year towards achieving our targets to:

·         Make BCP Council and its operations carbon neutral by 2030

·         Work with the wider community to make the region carbon neutral before the UK target of 2050

In relation to this Cabinet was informed that this period has seen the Covid-19 pandemic trigger a national lockdown, which has impacted on some of our planned activity and had a direct effect on environmental quality. During this time, the Council has been working to establish the full extent of the challenge by calculating the amount of carbon emissions from Council operations that will need to be avoided or offset – over 40,000 tCO2e. And that these efforts have led to BCP Council being named one of five UK towns and cities praised as global climate leaders by carbon disclosure charity CDP on their ‘Cities A-List’. Cabinet was informed that actions in 2019/20 have included:

·         Incorporating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – including no.13: ‘Climate Action’ into our Corporate Strategy

·         Improving the safety of cyclists and walkers at key transport locations using the £312k Government Emergency Active Travel grant

·         Purchasing green electricity from renewable sources for all our buildings and a proportion of streetlights

·         Incorporating Sustainable Procurement in the Council’s new Financial Regulations

·         Allowing key workers free use of sustainable transport during the pandemic, with 1000 essential journeys made on Beryl Bikes

·         Helping the 691 households referred into the Local Energy Advice Partnership (LEAP) save £770,000 in energy bill reductions and financial benefits, whilst generating carbon savings

·         Undertaking works at bus facilities in response to COVID-19 measures ensuring that buses can be used safely

·         Launching a Decision Impact Assessment tool enabling all projects, decisions and policies to be assessed against sustainability criteria (including climate change)

·         Installing Electric Vehicle charging points at council depots and an Electric Refuse Collection Vehicle and road sweepers are to be trialled

·         Forming a Coastal Engineering Partnership with Dorset Council to help protect communities from coastal flooding and erosion.

Councillor Felicity Rice addressed the Cabinet stressing the urgency of the climate agenda, and that the Council may need to look ways of incorporating alternative events which complimented the climate agenda in future.

Councillor Andy Hadley addressed Cabinet expressing the importance of multi parties working together to retain the urgency.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)          Cabinet approves launch of the 2050 Climate Action Plan public consultation survey subject to minor amendments agreed by the Portfolio Holder;

(b)          Cabinet supports the creation of a Climate Action Leadership  ...  view the full minutes text for item 270

To consider issues within the Transport and Sustainability Portfolio area, including the following report scheduled for Cabinet consideration on 16 December 2020:

• Climate Action Annual Report 2019/20

The O&S Board is asked to scrutinise the report and make recommendations to Cabinet as appropriate.

Cabinet member invited to attend for this item: Councillor Mike Greene, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Sustainability.

The Cabinet report is attached for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

Climate Action Annual Report - The Portfolio Holder for Transport and Sustainability introduced the report, a copy of which had been circulated and which appears as Appendix ‘H’ to the Cabinet minutes of 16 December in the Minute Book. A number of issues were raised by the Board in the subsequent discussion, including:

·     In response to a question the Portfolio Holder advised that the 153 point action plan, was approved for consultation in 2019, the consultation had since been delayed. The action plan consisted of 100 actions for the Council to reduce emissions in Council targets and a further 53 actions to work with partners. Some of the internal Council actions had already been completed. Others were being considered as to how the Council would be able to deliver them over the next 10 years. Some were condensed into others and others were not considered suitable for moving forwards. The 53 external actions were the ones being consulted on starting on 17 December 2020. Nothing out of the 153 had been lost.

·     That it would be useful to show which actions had been achieved or condensed in order to demonstrate the work that the Council had undertaken. The Portfolio Holder advised that whilst the report included some details on next steps there was no direct mapping and the Portfolio Holder undertook to take the suggestion for this on board.

·     A Councillor commented on the global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions due to the global pandemic and the issue that was outlined in the report that greater reductions in greenhouse gasses were needed year on year. How this was going to be done was not outlined in the report.

·     A Councillor asked about how the achievements would be measured in terms of reductions in tonnes of CO2 and where this couldn’t be equated for some actions, alternative measures of progress, including reductions of plastic and waste and details on how this was being done and how it was encouraged.  The Portfolio Holder confirmed that this was an important point, and this was included as part of the greening of the energy tariff.  The Portfolio Holder advised that he felt there would be considerable advances over the next year.

·     It was noted that words used in the report included encourage, continue work started or strategize, and it was suggested that this did not show a lot of commitment to definite targets moving forward. The Portfolio Holder advised that this was the annual report on what has happened over the last 12 months rather than looking forward. However, there was an element in the report on next steps, but this was a report on what has happened rather than an action plan. It was hoped that the action plan would be available in the next few months.

·     The report included a point about investigating opportunities for local waste treatment facilities and a Board member suggested that just because something was local did not mean it was the best environmentally and that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 113