Agenda item

To receive a presentation on the Y&NY LEP’s Routemap to Carbon Negative, which sets out the region's ambitious plans to be net zero carbon by 2034 and carbon negative by 2040.

Members received a detailed presentation on York and North Yorkshire’s Routemap to Carbon Negative document from the Local Authorities Climate Action Coordinator from the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The Committee were informed that the Routemap was a clear and co-owned plan with the aim to accelerate the transformation to a carbon negative York and North Yorkshire, and although other authorities in the region had produced their own decarbonisation documentation, the Routemap was specific to the York and North Yorkshire area.

Members heard that the Routemap had specific objectives to provide, amongst others, strategic direction and a coordinated approach, to harness the economic opportunities presented, to catalyse collaborative action at pace and scale; and to build confidence that it was feasible to reach net zero and beyond to carbon negative in York and North Yorkshire.

The Committee were taken through a timeline for the Routemap which had started in 2020 with key experts and stakeholder engagement to look at the modelling and assumptions, followed by stakeholder consultations and workshops on the initial carbon abatement pathways (CAP) study findings; with the final CAP study being finalised and published onto the LEP website in 2021. This work had then been followed by the co-development of sector priorities and sector action plans and aligning with other organisations strategies to avoid duplication and also to highlight any omissions which may have been made.

The Officer explained the three key pillars behind the strategic framework that the Routemap had been based upon, along with the five business sectors which the Routemap focused on in terms of greenhouse gas emissions: namely power, heat and buildings, transport, business and industry and land use. 

The Officer highlighted some of the actions currently being undertaken within the five business sectors, along with examples of other actions needed to be driven forward, and how they would be delivered, to decarbonise these business sectors.

Finally, the Committee noted that the York and North Yorkshire Routemap to Carbon Negative had been adopted by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and endorsed by the North York Moors National Park Authority, with plans in place for local authorities in the region to adopt or endorse the Routemap.

Members asked a number of questions in relation to the view of the LEP in terms of solar farms within the North Yorkshire area, tree planting data for the region, actions in terms of bus routes and encouraging people to walk and cycle, infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles, and the use of water as a source of power generator.

The Committee raised concerns regarding the timescales to achieve carbon neutrality and carbon negativity and asked what actions had actually been started and completed to date.  It was confirmed that the Routemap detailed which actions were happening currently, which had been completed, and that all the actions had deadlines to be adhered to.  It was further confirmed that all the actions within the Routemap were expected to have been started by the year 2027, however some of the actions depended on the improvement in technology and government policy.

Members thanked the Officer for attending the meeting.