Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Cllrs Howard Marshall, Stephen Oldrieve, Leo Randall and Tom James.

Cllr Oldrieve was substituted by Cllr Trevor Carbin.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 01 March 2012.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 01 March 2012 were presented. It was,

Resolved:

Subject to substituting ‘Cabinet Member’ for ‘Portfolio Holder’ in Minute 18 (Real Time Passenger Information), and correcting ‘Carbon admissions’ to ‘Carbon emissions’ twice in paragraph 6, Minute 19 (Update on and Review of ECO Strategy Action Plan Structure),

To APPROVE the minutes as a correct record.

There were no declarations.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

The Chairman informed the Committee of changes to the agenda, as detailed further in Minute 31.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Statements

If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item.  Please contact the officer named above 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 above no later than 5pm on 26 April 2012.  Please contact the officer named on the first page 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.

There were no questions.

A report to consider options for reducing the energy consumption and carbon footprint of the Council’s street lighting is presented.

The Committee is invited to consider the report (to follow) and make their recommendations and comments ahead of submission to Cabinet on 24 May.

A report to consider options for reducing the energy consumption and carbon footprint of the Council’s street lighting was scheduled to be presented to the Committee ahead of consideration at Cabinet on 22 May 2012.

The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport was in attendance, and informed the Committee that the report had been delayed at a late stage as the financial assessment had not been completed. In response to queries, it was confirmed the report would also not be readied for the scheduled Cabinet meeting.

The possibility was raised of discussing the item at the proposed special meeting of the Committee for the Wiltshire Core Strategy, subject to further discussions between the Chair and Cabinet Member.

At the March 2012 Environment Select Committee, the Wiltshire Council Adaptation Plan was presented for comment to the Committee.  The Committee requested that the Adaptation Plan be amended to include some case studies illustrating the types of climate changes impacts on the council’s services. 

The Committee will be presented with case studies and recommends their inclusion in the soon to be published Wiltshire Council Adaptation Plan. 

At the 01 March 2012 Environment Select Committee, the Wiltshire Council Adaptation Plan was presented for comment to the Committee. The Committee requested that the Adaptation Plan be amended to include some case studies illustrating the types of climate changes impacts on the council’s services. 

The Head of Climate Change and the Senior Climate Change Officer were in attendance as requested by the Committee, along with the Cabinet Member for Waste, Property, Environment and Development Control Services, and the officers led a presentation on the details behind the Climate Change Risk Assessments discussed at the meeting on 01 March 2012, including the following:

·         By 2050, Wiltshire will be experiencing warmer, wetter winters, and hotter dryer summers as the norm; in 2003, 20,000 additional deaths in France were attributed to a heat wave that would be regular for 2050.

·         Rainfall patterns would change, with more extreme weather.

·         Other variables contributing to risk factors included flooding, droughts, snow and ice, heat waves and excessive wind speeds

·         All Council services assessed their capacity to accommodate and manage the risks associated with these factors.

·         63 risks were identified, 29 determined to be high risk.

·         The themes of those risks ranged from the Social (incl. Impacts on working conditions, overheating buildings and health), Environmental (incl. Changes to biodiversity, opportunity for green spaces), Emergency Planning and Business Continuity and more cross cutting risks.

As requested by the Committee, 4 case studies were then presented to illustrate the types of climate changes impacts on the council’s services that formed the basis of the adaptation action plans.

The case studies examined looked at Biodiversity, Drainage and Flooding, Schools Buildings and Water Shortages, as detailed within the agenda reports pack.

A debate followed, during which the source of the climate change projections was queried. It was clarified that the estimates used were nationally recognized predictions (document reference UKCP09) from the Met Office, and were the medium projection of likely climate change.

The possibility of projecting costs to meeting specific risks was raised, but it was explained that the multitude of potential factors made this an unlikely goal. In response to queries regarding many risks involving factors and organisations not under the control of the Council, it was stated that there was an intention and on-going work to reach out to Industrial and other partner organisations, for example within the Wiltshire Environmental Alliance.

The Committee also discussed the adaptation action plans being based on risks up to 2050, but the Wiltshire Core Strategy on planning designed for only up to 2026, and the need to carry through appropriate climate change actions to and beyond that date.

The Committee further questioned who within various council services would have responsibility for focusing on the risks identified, particularly in light of future strain on council resources. It was stated that each service had a ‘risk owner’ identified, who went on workshops and were interviewed to ensure the goals were seen as important alongside normal work, and progress would be monitored.

The Committee then  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

The Forward Work Programme was noted, and amendments decided not to be made until the future of the Overview and Scrutiny structure was finalized at Council on 15 May 2012.

To confirm the date of the next meeting. This is a special meeting of the Committee to scrutinize the Wiltshire Core Strategy ahead of Council on 26 June 2012.

To confirm the date of the next Ordinary meeting as 21 June 2012 at Monkton Park, Chippenham.

The date of the next meeting was proposed as a special meeting to consider the Wiltshire Core Strategy ahead of Cabinet on 19 June 2012 and approval at Council on 26 June 2012. The date of 11 June 2012 was proposed as the provisional date, and it was agreed it would be clarified if 12 June would also be possible.

The date of the next ordinary meeting of the Committee was scheduled for 21 June 2012.

It was noted that due to a proposed new structure for Overview and Scrutiny going before Council on 15 May 2012, all dates agreed were subject to change as a result.

There were no urgent items.

To consider passing the following resolution:

To agree that in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the public from the meeting for the business specified in Item Number 12 because it is likely that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 3 respectively of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act and the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information to the public.

Resolved:

To agree that in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the public from the meeting for the business specified in Minute 37 because it is likely that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act and the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information to the public.

To confirm and sign the confidential minute in respect of Highways and Amenities Update, of the meeting held on 01 March 2012.

The confidential minute in respect of Highways and Amenities Update, of the meeting held on 01 March 2012, was presented, and it was,

Resolved:

To Approve the minute as a correct record.