Agenda item

To discuss the work of the Low Carbon Working Group.

Appended to the agenda are the minutes of the Working Group meeting held on 16 January 2020.

The minutes of the Working Group meeting held on 27 February 2020 are being drafted and will follow.

Members noted that there had been two meetings of the Low Carbon Working Group, at which presentations and benchmarking data on the Council’s carbon footprint had been provided; however, there was still some outstanding data to be supplied.

Officers were looking for a steer from Members as to the priorities for the actions and projects resulting from their research.

Members acknowledged that the initial six-month time period was a tight timescale to work to and present recommendations to the Executive. A suggested way forward would be to provide an initial report to the Executive setting out ‘quick wins’ and actions that could be taken as soon as possible. Members would also request that the Executive allow the Working Group to continue its work throughout the rest of the year in order to examine longer term projects and ideas.

The Committee discussed the Northern Forest initiative and emphasised the importance of potential areas for planting in the district being identified as quickly as possible. Members felt very strongly that this should be moved forward at pace. It was noted that some parish councils had started to undertake similar work, and that some groups on the Council had a number of ideas that could be fed into policies such as the Local Plan.

Members asked that the following points be fed back to the Director for Economic Regeneration and Place:

·           That tree planting in the district to be taken forward as soon as possible.

·           That the Council begin to engage with parish councils, local landowners, estates and other stakeholders as soon as possible.

·           That potential sites for tree planting be identified in time for recommendations to be made to the Executive.

·           That if possible, some planting take place during the current planting season/this year.

·           That any outstanding benchmarking data be gathered by the next meeting of the Low Carbon Working Group.

·           To contact the County Council for schools to be involved in any tree planting initiatives.

·           That at the next meeting of the Low Carbon Working Group Officers present suggestions for ‘quick wins’ that they have identified.

·           That the Taxi Licensing Policy be amended to include a rule that taxis turn off their engines whilst waiting at ranks, and that a campaign against idling vehicles outside schools also be considered by Officers.

The Committee agreed at its next meeting in April they would want to be able to distil ideas into short and long term actions, working in conjunction with the ‘Ideas Lab’ that was agreed as part of the Council’s budget in February 2020.

Lastly, Members asked Officers to check the resources available (estimated to be £300k) for the low carbon work agreed at Council in February 2020 as part of new project bids within the Programme for Growth (P4G).

RESOLVED:

i.      That the report to the Executive on the work of the Low Carbon Working Group include identified ‘quick wins’ and actions that could be taken forward as soon as possible.

ii.     To ask the Executive to endorse the continuation of the work of the Low Carbon Working Group throughout the rest of the year, in order for longer term projects and ideas to be explored in full.

iii.   That the points set out in the minutes above be fed back to the Director for Economic Regeneration and Place.

iv.   To ask Officers to check the resources available for the low carbon project work as agreed at full Council in February 2020, as part of new project bids in the Programme for Growth (P4G).