Agenda item

Consultation questions attached.

To access the public consultation please click here.

The Chair of the Climate Emergency Task Group (Councillor Keith Martin) and the Director of Communities (Jennifer Mullin) and the Environmental Health Officer (Neil Martin) gave a presentation on the public consultation on the Climate Change Action Plan and responded to members’ comments and queries.

Members were reminded that the Council had declared a climate emergency in May 2019 and that a member task group had been established to identify ways to reduce carbon emissions and the effects of climate change in South Ribble.

As a result of the work of the task group, a Climate Change Action Plan was being developed and a public consultation undertaken to identify priorities for the action plan in addition to measures already being taken up by residents and what climate change initiatives they would like to see the Council implement or promote.

In the interest of contributing to the development of the Climate Change Action Plan, members of the Scrutiny Committee queried the approach taken to the public consultation. In response, it was advised that the task group identified five key themes (transport, energy and the built environment, waste and water, consumption and offsetting) to base the consultation on.

This was also similar to consultations undertaken by other local authorities.

Members had also been encouraged to complete and promote the consultation to residents and the Scrutiny Committee supported this.

Members were pleased to note that there had been approximately 50 responses to the consultation, following an extension to the deadline due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The consultation had been promoted to schools, community groups and the Council’s partnership network and had been publicised on the website and social media channels.

It was acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown had impacted responses to the consultation particularly around engagement with schools, which had been affected due to closures and home learning guidelines.

In response to a question around the evidence sources used to develop the Action Plan, officers advised that information such as the carbon footprint and emissions of the Council and wider borough had been assessed in addition to cost-benefit analysis of suggested measures, published studies and officer and member research.

Members were also interested in how the Action Plan would link with the Council’s wider Corporate Strategy and were informed that the Action Plan would contribute to the work of the Green Agenda project. Smaller-scale work such as encouraging tree-planting and banning single-use plastics would also link the Action Plan to the Corporate Strategy projects.

The progress of the project would be reported in the quarterly performance monitoring reports and members expressed their anticipation for the Scrutiny Budget and Performance Panel to receive these updates.

The influence of the Council on climate change was queried and it was acknowledged that although the Council has a regulatory impact, this is limited and that the educational influence is of greater significance.

However, it was acknowledged that the Council could influence greater climate change action through its own activity such as ensuring estates are carbon-neutral and the vehicle fleet is as environmentally-friendly as possible.

Engagement with partners on climate change work was also discussed and members welcomed the commitment to improve engagement with external organisations.

Members were particularly interested in how the Climate Change Action Plan would inform the Local Plan review, which was ongoing. In response to queries, it was advised that officers had already made representations to the review. It was hoped that the requirements for carbon reduction considerations within the planning process would be strengthened in a new Local Plan, particularly around Supplementary Planning Documents, and members expressed support for this.

The significance of fuel poverty and the challenge this presents to reducing carbon emissions was also discussed.

Work was ongoing to assess energy efficiency levels of properties. Government grants, such as the Green Homes Grant, to install energy efficient improvements would be promoted through the Council’s communication channels and an officer would be recruited to enforce energy efficiency improvements to privately-rented properties.

Members were also pleased to note that the Climate Change Action Plan would encourage local procurement by assessing the distance travelled by contractors to provide services, thereby benefitting local businesses.

It was anticipated to be taken to Full Council in June 2021 and a Member Briefing on the Action Plan was requested to be held prior to discussion at Full Council to ensure that all members are fully informed.

Members also asked that the Action Plan be brought back to the committee for further review prior to Full Council.  

The committee commended the Action Plan and the wider work of the Climate Emergency Task Group.

RESOLVED: (Unanimously)

That the Scrutiny Committee

1.    thanks the Chair of the Climate Emergency Task Group and the officers for attending the meeting;

2.    encourages Members individually and any of their contacts to respond to the climate emergency action plan consultation;

3.    looks forward to the Scrutiny Budget and Performance Panel receiving quarterly progress updates on the green agenda as part of corporate strategy monitoring;

4.    supports the commitment to engage partners further in the climate emergency action plan development and ideas to enthuse and involve our local communities;

5.    asks that the South Ribble Local Plan review reflects carbon reduction principles and links with the climate emergency action plan, including the consideration of incentives for new housing being built to higher energy efficiency standards;

6.    wishes the Member Task Group well with the action plan; and

7.    looks forward to considering the draft climate emergency action plan.