To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-
The deadline for the submission of:
Public questions is Tuesday 10 December 2019.
A statement is midday, 16 December 2019.
A petition is midday, 16 December 2019.
Minutes:
The Chairman advised that 3 public questions and 2 statements have been submitted for the meeting.
Public Question from Philip Stanley-Watts
At the time of this year's air festival trees were promised but nothing has happened yet. So when is the BCP area going to get these trees - they should be planted in particular areas to enhance the environment, and also to address the problem of flooding. In relation to natural defences, introducing beavers and water voles with soakaways along river banks in the BCP area?
Response by Councillor Lewis Allison (Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Leisure and Communities)
Work has been going on continuously since the Air Festival to identify the most suitable sites for the 240 trees which will offset the emissions from the air displays. Working with the Arboreal team, Tourism has been liaising with schools across the BCP area and are in the process of finalising agreements with those that will be receiving trees. The balance of the trees will be accommodated by the Countryside team, either at Hicks Farm or other nature reserve sites across the area and planted by the end of March 2020.
Public Question from Dr Martin Price on behalf of East Dorset Friends of the Earth
According to the UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, "we now must deliver deep cuts to emissions - over 7% each year”, (26/11/19). This means Zero Net Carbon (ZNC) by 2034 at the latest. "If we don't do this, the 1.5C goal will be out of reach before 2030," she added.
Therefore, the BCP target of ZNC by 2050 is not a sufficient response to the Climate Emergency. Will the Council now set specific policy targets – such as those already proposed to it by Friends of the Earth - to enable all businesses and households to achieve ZNC by 2030?
Response by Councillor Felicity Rice (Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change)
Thank you Dr Price. We are very grateful to Friends of the Earth for attending the Council’s recent Climate Emergency Senior Managers’ Network meeting to present their recommendations, and also for the comments submitted. The Friends of the Earth publication ‘Your Climate Action Plan’ has been used as the reference for many of the options for action in the draft document being considered today. This Council is aware of the urgency for action and is committed in the Climate & Ecological Emergency Declaration to work with partners, businesses and the wider community to set a target date for making the region carbon neutral. Following approval by Council today, a Place Leadership Board will be established which will then set a target date and make recommendations to achieve the target.
Public Question from Dr Ruth Arnold (the question was read out by Dr Rebecca Smith)
I am a GP living in Poole and am representing Medact Dorset. BCP council is investing £141 million in the fossil fuel industry, via the Dorset County Pension Fund. I am aware that you are not able to speak on behalf of Dorset Council but want to ask if BCP Council will support fossil fuel divestment?
You have declared a climate emergency and we want to see serious
commitment to this. Many councils have passed motions calling on
their relevant pension funds to divest fossil fuels. Will BCP
Council formally call on the Dorset County Pension Fund to divest
fossil fuels?
Response by Councillor Felicity Rice (Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change)
Thank you Dr Arnold.
The Paris Climate Agreement aims to limit warming to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) SR15 report emphasised the need to limit warming to the more ambitious 1.5°C target; we now know that 2°C of warming comes with unacceptable dangers to humanity (5). However, the fossil fuel industry has about 5 times more fossil fuels in its proven reserves than can be used if global warming is to be limited to even just 2?C (6). Despite this, it continues to explore for even more fossil fuels, and this is currently facilitated by investment from pension funds throughout the world.
“Lack of action on climate change threatens to make the world our children inherit a completely different world than we are living in today. Climate change is one of the single biggest challenges facing development, and we need to assume the moral responsibility to take action on behalf of future generations, especially the poorest”
Jim Yong Kim
World Bank President, back in 2012
With this in mind, it is worth noting that The Dorset Pension Scheme is currently worth around £3 billion and our 4000 officers that work for BCP, along with all the existing pensioners, will be interested to hear that a significant proportion, around 5%, of their pension fund is invested in fossil fuels. It is also helpful to note, that in surveys of pension funds, around 70% of members feel that their pension fund should not be investing in fossil fuels.
Since the membership of the Dorset Pension Fund changed in June 2019, divestment and climate change has been pushed up the agenda significantly by myself and Cllr David Brown from BCP.
Going out to consult with members of the pension scheme, and looking at the responsibilities of the Dorset Pension Fund with regards to our climate action steps going forwards is also part of the draft climate action plan that is on the agenda this evening.
The Dorset Pension Fund will be publishing an Investment Strategy Statement in 2020 which will clearly be an opportunity to guide investment so that the Dorset Pension Fund is protecting our planet and the future wellbeing of the people within the scheme, at the same time as creating investment.
Public Statement from Melissa Carrington on behalf of Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole on the response to the Climate and Ecological Emergency referred to at item 9 on the agenda.
Councillors, in July we asked you to give the Climate and Ecological Emergency your highest priority and allocate budgets and resources accordingly. I’m afraid that this action plan shows that our words were ignored. Pro-rata, based on other councils responses, this emergency needs a team of at least 8 dedicated council officers and a revenue budget of at least £750,000 a year in addition to very considerable capital spending. You cannot manage this on a shoe string, getting well qualified staff in place to deliver this must be your utmost priority. You’ve expressed an ambition now show some true leadership.
Public Statement from Michael Hancock on the response to the Climate and Ecological Emergency referred to at item 9 on the agenda (Mr Hancock was not in attendance and the Chief Executive read out the statement)
I very much applaud the draft action plan for Climate & Ecological Emergency that is shared with members today and opening for public consultation.
In particular the heading “Doing Things Differently” with the introduction of a Citizens Assembly and the launch of a Decision Impact Assessment Tool to embed sustainability.
I would hope that the future Engagement Strategy will find a way to embrace community-led innovation and that commissioning, and procurement practice adapted to support the collaborative approach needed to deliver true local community wealth building through the lens of climate change and the UN sustainability goals more generally.
There were no petitions submitted for this meeting.