Agenda item

M Gaynor introduced the Climate Change report and asked Committee if there were any questions.

Cllr England thanked Officers for the report and stated that APSE were credible so it makes sense to work with them.  He asked how we can encourage community buy in and that perhaps Scope three isn’t wide enough.  M Gaynor said that Scope 3 was largely from assets  out of our direct control and included our 10,000+ Council homes and other leased properties and the target was now aligned to the national target of 2050 though we will make efforts to achieve this earlier.  The 2050 aim for the Borough as a whole t will take a combination of ways to reach our goals but it is something that local people can get involved in.  There will also need to be some stimulation from Government.  We will be dramatically improving the website to the degree which will facilitate engagement from interested groups and everyday people.

Cllr England commented that the changes to the website are good, but in the last year he was unable to recall any messages preparing people for this.  Cllr England asked what else is planned that will change perceptions and habits.  M Gaynor replied that the report is headline terms only and there had been consistent coverage of the Council’s work on sustainability.  We’ve also recently appointed a Climate Change Officer, who will be looking at the website and explore direct communication, involvement and improvement as a priority.

Cllr England urged Officers and Portfolio Holders that our response needs to be far more than just the web, the Council needs to have authoritative leadership messages.  M Gaynor advised that we could do this now that we have got a baseline, a trusted source of information which we aim to use.

Cllr Bassadone mentioned heating sources and asked if we were still putting in boilers.  M Gaynor advised the government has already stipulated that you can’t put gas services into new properties from 2025.  There is roughly 9,000 council properties that are gas heated and there isn’t another credible source that can be used at the moment.  Air/ground source heat pump companies only have capacity for 27,000 homes per year, electric systems are 30% dearer to install and are not as efficient, we will be looking at alternatives as they become available, but it’s unlikely we’ll be able to shift away from gas for some time.  F Williamson added that mixed/hydrogen boilers are in production which are capable of being replaced with full hydrogen, we can only work with what’s available on the market.  Boiler replacements all meet A or A+ ratings so we are improving our position. There is also a shift towards district heating systems but primarily on new sites as issues with ownership and infrastructure make retrofitting more difficult. 

Cllr Freedman asked if the Climate Change Officer will be introduced to Members.  M Gaynor confirmed that would be okay, many Members will know her as it’s  Melanie Parr and she will start work in July, she will be working very closely with the Corporate Working Group and himself, Mark Brookes and Ben Hosier.

Cllr Freedman mentioned that it’s vitally important that we create a means by which we can have 2 way communication, we need to think about the most effective way to communicate with interested groups.  M Gaynor advised this will be developed.

Cllr Mahmood said that he had visited Frankfurt in the past and they have district energy systems which save 50% on energy, if the infrastructure was in place we can only influence 15% of the housing market but we can educate the rest. Cllr Mahmood also mentioned that he would like to include as far as reasonably practical on some items as we need to be more realistic.  M Gaynor confirmed that scope 1 and 2 was within our influence and was achievable by 2030 by investment and offsetting, we do have some authority on private but that’s through planning on new housing.  M Gaynor added that we will need government intervention with a new green deal.

Cllr Pringle did not feel that it would be a good idea to include as far as reasonably practical, this implies that we are only paying lip service.  All Members had agreed that this was a climate emergency and we need all community engagement options to be fully explored, including incentives like giving trees away, which will get people talking.  M Gaynor said this would be absolutely essential and it will be a key part as it is vital, this will be fed back to Cabinet.

Cllr England asked the date APSE were appointed.  M Gaynor advised it was probably about 2 ½ to 3 months ago.

Cllr England enquired how many months after we declared an emergency.  M Gaynor said around 9 months.

Cllr England mentioned that we can’t do 1,000 home improvements per year because of the bottleneck, so have we contacted MP’s or the Secretary of State.  M Gaynor confirmed that the costs would be £20-30k per property and we would need the logistics of how this would be managed.  F Williamson added that we have to try to balance investment as we would have to reduce expenditure elsewhere.  M Gaynor said that we need to be realistic but that it could be quicker if new alternative heating is developed and manufactured in sufficient quantities.

Cllr England said the report says that the costs of not acting will be greater than not acting and this needs to be at the forefront.  The LGA recommends any no regrets measures should be done as soon as possible and asked what the Council are able to do straight away.  M Gaynor agreed with the statement but we have to take account of technological availability, he added that there are some quick wins like tree planting and encouraging public ownership.

Cllr Hollinghurst advised that he would like to see more ambition to get the Government motivated to increase electricity supply by engaging with them more robustly, switching from fossil fuels to more energy efficient supplies particularly wind power, urging for a quick fix on transport and long term beefing up of the fabric of housing.  M Gaynor advised that there needs to be some reality about what the country generates, it’s not that it can’t be done but it remains a constraint, it would need a change in approach, which is not currently on the agenda.

Cllr Freedman suggested that we work with the County Council to develop and promote cycling routes throughout the Borough.  M Gaynor confirmed that is included in the Strategy and that we are already working with the County Council on walking and cycling routes, plus it’s a prerequisite in new developments.

Cllr England stated that we haven’t got time to do this perfectly and we can’t make optimal financial decisions, if we are to keep residents safe from climate change we need to make some urgent changes, he added that he would urge Officers and Portfolio Holders to use reserves and put a serious amount, £100,000, of the budget into this so that the Council can act and recommend this to Cabinet in order to make some progress. 

Cllr Griffiths said that the reserves are not just sitting there and that every penny has been set aside for something, it’s because we have been prudent that we are able to help now in the current situation.

Cllr England agreed about the reserves but confirmed that his point was that we have already lost a year and that we need to be in a state of readiness and this Committee should put the idea of using the reserves to Cabinet.

Cllr Mahmood said that the report needs to address the wider issue of the climate emergency, which is important but so is delivering all the other services and it will take time to make changes, also to keep other priorities in focus.  Cllr Mahmood added that he would like to see more financial implications included.

The Chairman echoed Cllr Mahmood’s concern around other priorities and said that services can’t be put to one side.