Agenda and minutes

To receive details of any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

There were no apologies.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 17 August 2020.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 August 2020 were presented, and it was,

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes as a true and correct record.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

The Chairman drew attention to Agenda Item 8, Forward Work Programme, and that a decision would be made on the operation of the Select Committees.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Guidance on public accessing the meeting

Statements

If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please submit a copy of the statement by 5pm on 22 September 2020. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named on the front of the agenda for any further clarification.

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution.

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on 22 September 2020 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pmon 24 September 2020. Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

Questions from Members of the Public together with responses were included with the agenda supplement.

Mr Bill Jarvis provided a statement in relation to Agenda Item 7 - Report of the Global Warming and Climate Emergency Task Group – thanking the Task Group for its work, and also asking for additional clarity on policy, and highlighting the level of work that was needed to delivery on the recommendations. In particular he also focused on the need for an integrated travel and transport plan.

To receive updates on recent activity of Overview and Scrutiny Task Groups.

A written update was provided on the Wiltshire Covid-19 Response Task Group. An update was also made regarding the membership of the Financial Planning Task Group.

It was,

Resolved:

1)    To note the update on Task Group activity provided.

2)    To remove Councillor Tony Trotman from the Financial Planning Task Group membership, following his request to stand down.

3)    To add Councillor Ruth Hopkinson and Stewart Dobson to the Financial Planning Task Group membership.

To receive a report from the Task Group.

Following approval of a motion at Full Council in February 2019 to seek to make the council area carbon neutral by 2030 and acknowledgement of a climate emergency, and following a period of preparatory work by a Task Group since April 2019, the Environment Select Committee endorsed terms of reference for the Global Warming and Climate Emergency Task Group on 3 September 2019.

Among other details, the terms of reference had identified six core areas for investigation, being Renewable energy generation, energy use and efficiency; Planning; Transport and Air Quality; Waste; Land Use; Business and Industry. The first report of the Task Group, presented to the Committee by Councillor Graham Wright, Chairman of the Task Group, was focused upon the Energy and Transport and Air Quality workstreams, with the others to be addressed in further reports.

The Chairman of the Task Group presented the report, setting out the background and focus of the work, which had been extremely detailed and technically complex. He noted that the recommendations made presented difficult choices to be made around priorities and implementation.

In relation to energy, reducing energy demand, making new housing net carbon zero, updating existing council properties, providing support to homeowners, and investment in renewable energy were among the topics raised. In relation to transport and air quality it was raised that electric vehicles and investing in charging infrastructure would be key, along with encouraging the use of public transport, cycling and walking, and influencing public transport service providers to switch to low emission vehicles, and switching to investing in active travel infrastructure were among the topics raised.

Prior to statements and debate, the Chairman thanked all the witnesses listed in the report, including the many groups who had engaged with the Task Group across dozens of meetings. He thanked Simon Bennett, Senior Scrutiny Officer, for his work coordinating the work of the Task Group. He noted that there were lots of recommendations, and they could not all be delivered simultaneously, but were considered an ambitious target.

During debate, there was discussion with which groups had been engaged with by the Task Group. Several members praised the Task Group for engaging with such a wide variety of groups, which demonstrated the council’s willingness to take action of interest to those groups, but a comment was made criticising in particular engagement with Extinction Rebellion as a result of their civil disobedience campaign. However, other members noted positive change could take place where groups considered that they were genuinely engaged with by decision makers.

The emphasis on cycle transport in the report was debated, with several members raising that as a large rural county with limited public transport networks, whilst cycling was an important activity to focus upon, there needed to be continued acknowledgement of the continued personal transport via car that would inevitably take place, and there would need to be infrastructure for non-pollutant vehicle options. Some comments were made regarding cycle friendly roads involved repairing edges of roads, which would also aid  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

To receive an update on the Forward Work Programme.

The Committee received the Forward Work Programmes for Overview and Scrutiny and considered whether it was appropriate to resume operation of the Select Committees, which had not met formally since April 2020 as a result of Covid-19. It was stated each Select Committee would need to review any historical plan items in light of the changed council situation, and the availability of partner bodies.

Resolved:

1)    The select committees to resume formal meetings in November, focusing on the COVID-19 response and recovery.

2)    The select committee chairmen, Executive and Corporate Leadership Team to discuss the operation of these meetings in order to make them as efficient and effective as possible.

3)    The COVID-19 Response Task Group to be stood down and the Financial Planning Task Group to resume formal meetings and lead finance scrutiny.

To confirm the date of the next meeting as 18 November 2020.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 18 November 2020.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items.