Agenda item

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 car transport. Seeking to prioritise school and work transport where possible to include cycling was raised.

The impact of housing development for carbon reduction was noted, and the extent to which the council could seek to influence developers was discussed.

The importance of plans for delivery of targets and recommendations was discussed

Councillor Philip Whitehead, Leader of the Council, also contributed to the debate, noting the large amount of work that had been undertaken. He noted the council’s motion, which was to seek to make the council area carbon neutral by 2030, and in some areas felt that the council was already taking action or even exceeding recommendations, though in other areas was not yet taking the recommended action. The importance of prioritisation, particularly as the report covered only two of the six workstreams, was very important. Cost effectiveness and extent of carbon reduction achieved would be carefully assessed. He noted upgrading of council housing, and the need to work with existing housing infrastructure specialists on electrification and hydrogen use.

Councillor Richard Clewer, Deputy Leader of the Council, also contributed by providing responses to questions submitted by the public, including not currently considering workplace parking levies might not be appropriate for Wiltshire, that emitting vehicles were a larger issue than road building itself. How the council could assist the take up of the green home initiative was being assessed, and it was noted the council had joined with other councils in a Countryside Climate Network for a focus on climate change and carbon reduction from a rural perspective. He also discussed options for monitoring of air quality, upgrading council housing to significantly their net carbon.

A full executive response would be provided on all the recommendations of the Task Group, but there would be discussion on responding between meetings as well. It was also noted that projects such as retrofitting council buildings were taking place to achieve carbon reduction targets without simply waiting for proposals from the Task Group, where this was possible.

During debate the Committee also heard from Bill Jarvis, Brig Oubridge and Shelley McCarthy, and received a presentation from Ariane Crampton, Head of Carbon Reduction, which is attached to the minutes.

At the conclusion of debate, it was,

Resolved:

1)    To endorse the first report of the Global Warming and Climate Change Task Group and refer it to the Cabinet Member for Housing, Climate Change, Corporate Services, Asset Transfer, Arts, Heritage and Tourism, and the Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Waste for response at the next meeting of the Environment Select Committee or Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee as appropriate.

2)    And for the Task Group to take consideration of the comments made by the Committee during its debate.