Issue - meetings

CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Meeting: 03/07/2019 - Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee (Item 11)

11 CLIMATE EMERGENCY pdf icon PDF 673 KB

This report outlines the Council’s progress to date in tackling climate change, work in progress and sets outs the proposed approach to responding to the climate emergency declaration made by the Council on the 26th February 2019.

Minutes:

The Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report which outlined the Council’s progress to date in tackling climate change, work in progress and set out the proposed approach to responding to the climate emergency declaration made by the Council on 26 February 2019 (Minute 48 refers).  The matters raised in the report and recommendations would form the basis of a report to Policy Committee on 15 July 2019.

The following documents were appended to the report:

Appendix 1:   Modelling a Zero Carbon Pathway;

Appendix 2:   Existing Projects;

Appendix 3:   Item 11 Full Council, 26 February 2019, Council Climate Emergency Declaration;

Appendix 4:   Reading Climate Change Strategy 2013-20 Action Plans;

Appendix 5:   Draft Clean Air Safer Transport Forum Terms of Reference.

The report stated that the Terms of Reference of the Committee had been amended to include: ‘Climate Change Strategy - To contribute to and adopt the relevant parts of the Climate Change action plan.’  A new Cleaner Air and Safer Transport Forum had also been set up. The draft terms of reference were shown in Appendix 5.

The report stated that the Housing and Neighbourhoods and Leisure (HNL) Committee would oversee all projects involved in the retrofitting of the Borough’s housing stock and household level renewable energy.  The housing strategy would set out a range of projects which aimed to improve the Council’s own stock energy efficiency and inform the work with private landlords and homeowners to reduce energy consumption in private stock.  In addition the Committee would oversee the leisure contracts and operations of the Council and their use and generation of energy and corresponding carbon emissions.

The report added that the Committee would need to consider a wide range of factors relating to these, including, but not limited to:

·         The carbon footprint of operational facilities;

·         The opportunity for renewable energy infrastructure;

·         Travel and transport plans including cycling electric vehicle charging facilities etc;

·         The sustainable design and construction of new facilities/buildings;

·         The supply chains and procurement arrangements for services commissioned;

·         Communication of environmentally positive behaviours to staff and users;

·         The maintaining and enhancing of natural environments;

·         The consideration of risks to vulnerable groups (for example fuel poverty);

·         The use of natural resources;

·         Encouragement and support for educational campaigns;

·         Involvement of service users in the Reading Climate Action Network;

·         Educational programmes relating to the national curriculum;

·         The development of key skills relating to a low carbon, clean growth future.

Resolved:

(1)      That the progress made to date by the  Council’s proactive approach to addressing climate change issues and impacts in Reading be welcomed, while the scale of the on-going challenge be noted;

(2)      That the climate emergency declaration be embedded across all Council services, activities, plans and other relevant work to ensure a fully integrated and systematic approach to the Council’s own response to this challenge and the change to the Terms of Reference to include “Climate Change Strategy - To contribute to and adopt the relevant parts of the Climate Change action plan.” be noted;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11