Agenda item

A report from the Chief Executive Officer, Terence Herbert

Councillor Nick Botterill, Cabinet Member for Development Management, Strategic Planning and Climate Change introduced and moved the recommendation as detailed in the report This was seconded by Councillor Richard Clewer.

Councillor Botterill paid tribute to his predecessor for By Brook Division, former Councillor Baroness Scott of Bybrook OBE for her role in forming and shaping a newly formed authority from 2009 and to the previous Cabinet Member former Councillor Toby Sturgis, for his keen mind and steady hand in his role on the portfolio.

The authority resolved in 2019 to seek to make Wiltshire Council carbon neutral by 2030 and made a commitment in providing 6 monthly updates. Significant progress had been made over the past 6 months despite the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost £92m of revenue and capital expenditure had been approved to be spent on reducing carbon emissions.

Wiltshire was a large rural county which presented many additional challenges in carbon reduction; however, the council had set out ambitious plans in producing deliverable reductions in carbon output and from biggest sources of emissions.

Adapting society to a low carbon future over the coming years would not be an easy task and would likely not happen at all if there were a weak faltering economy and a broken society. That was why it was imperative to ensure that the economy grows, and communities thrive.

The Chairman then invited Group Leaders to comment on the report and
presentations received.

Councillor Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council, thanked Councillor Botterill and the Carbon Reduction team, noting that this was a critical year for the country in terms of getting strategies and plans in place for reduced carbon. The government’s Decarbonising Transport Plan had recently been published, which started to set out what would need to take place, on working towards decarbonisation of transport.

The council’s Climate strategy was up for consultation and intended to be considered for approval later in 2021. He noted that the approach was impressive, and that the council had already achieved an 80% reduction on figures for 2016. Government policy would need to change to enable further movement, which the council was ready to act upon.

The Leader had also taken over as chairman for the Countryside Climate Network, a group of mostly rural authorities coordinating work to help achieve net zero and improve resilience of communities. He had recently visited Europe’s largest battery storage centre in Minety, noting that it was good to be playing a part, particularly as a rural authority, in solar and other technologies. 

Councillor Ian Thorn, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, also conveyed his thanks to officers and those Members who were present when the council voted for the Climate Emergency motion which set the council on its path to achieve its objectives.

He went on to note that a challenge of the initiative was how to engage, involve and work with communities across the county. The first step would need to ensure joined up working to achieve the objectives.

One of the greatest impacts on the environment could be the council’s emerging Local Plan, in recognising legislation and national guidance and reflecting the climate objectives.

With regards to the council’s Business Plan, he felt it was important to set clear unambiguous targets to be able to measure achievement and show leadership.

Councillor Graham Wright, representing the Independent Group, welcomed the report and endorsed the comments of Councillor Thorn, adding that the council should not underestimate the task in hand and to recognise that there was still a long way to go.

Councillor Ricky Rogers, Leader of the Labour Group, welcome the report, noting that the council had made a great step forward so far. He highlighted the importance of meeting objectives and to be transparent with residents. He noted that there would be substantial costs involved in implementing the plans, and that the provision of a timeline setting out the plan would be well received.  He also noted that the council would need to make sure that all of the contractors across the service provision were working in line with the plan.

The item was then opened for general debate where it was noted that the report regularly made reference to the word carbon as opposed to carbon dioxide and the difference between the two.

Other issues raised included carbon emissions from residual household waste, and the approval of an incineration plant by the Strategic Planning Committee. The issue of outdated or inadequate levels of public electrical vehicle charging points across the county was raised, and the impact of solar farms on rural farming with a request to look at more natural approaches within the countryside and whether it would be possible for Wiltshire to have a food recycling programme. It was also noted that any plans or programmes should be considered for the whole of Wiltshire rather than individual areas.

Whether it may be practicable to host an event with Wiltshire Climate Alliance,  town and parish councils, and local organisations to engage together was also raised.

Councillor Botterill thanked Members for their comments and stated that the council would use its democratic mandate to maximum effect to be an agent of change. The Local Plan would include many areas of consideration in terms of Climate Change and that the target of 2030 was a hard objective. 

He stated that the council currently rated quite high in terms of electric vehicle (EV) charging provision; national guidance on the standards on this was awaited, it was accepted that there had been a lag on rolling out EV charging points.

At the conclusion of debate, it was:

Resolved:

That Council note the actions taken in response to the climate emergency following the last update in February 2021.