Agenda item

To present to Members a two-year progress report on the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan.

The Committee considered a report of the Corporate Director (Place & Economy) which presented to it a two-year progress report on the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan, as had been required as part of the Audit Programme.

Members were reminded that the Full Council had declared a climate emergency at its meeting held on 6 August 2019, when Councillors from all parties had approved a motion on notice, submitted by former Councillor Neil Stock. The approved motion had committed this Council to preparing an action plan for consideration by Councillors with the aim of making its activities net zero carbon by 2030.

In November 2020, the Council had set out its plan to achieve this goal, initially covering the period to 2023. Action plan.

The Committee was informed that the Council had committed to become net zero by 2030 in its direct emissions (the so-called ‘scope one’ emissions) and the production of its electricity (‘scope two’ emissions). The Council was also committed to working towards reducing emissions in its supply chain (‘scope three’), which included the services it delivered via business contracts rather than directly employed staff, such as waste collection. This aspect of the plan did not have a defined target for emissions reduction.

It was reported that a final element of the action plan encouraged businesses and residents in the District to play their part in reducing carbon emissions.

The Committee was made aware that the current Action Plan ended in December 2023. A new plan was under development, building on the work of the first plan.

Current position

The Council had emitted 2,797 tonnes of carbon for scope one (internal) and scope two (electricity) emissions in the baseline year, 2018/19. In 2021/22 this had fallen to 2,245 tonnes of carbon emitted. As a result, the Council had saved 552 tonnes of carbon since the baseline year in direct emissions, which was made up from 144 tonnes of scope one (internal) emissions, and 376 tonnes from scope two, electricity.

Members were advised that Officers were currently converting the energy records into Carbon emission equivalent to provide data for 2022/23.

In addition, the Council had recorded 2,317 tonnes of carbon emissions in the baseline year of 2018/19 through its supply chain, i.e. scope three emissions. This had fallen to 2,052 tonnes by 2021/22. The majority of those emissions came from the Veolia fleet of waste vehicles, although that element had slightly increased their contribution to emissions in the period (1,404 to 1,435 tonnes).

The Corporate Director (Economy & Place) (Lee Heley) and the Environment Portfolio Holder (Councillor Bush) both attended the meeting and spoke to this item. They also answered Members’ questions in relation to:-

·      the achievability of the 2030 ‘Net Zero’ target in the light of the current level of the Council’s financial resources;

·      the Council’s progress against the ‘soft trajectory’ targets in the Action Plan and how it will meet them going forward;

·      can LUF money be used to help meet the requirements of the Action Plan; and

·      are all TDC owned buildings covered by the requirements of the Action Plan?

Having considered the update to the Committee on progress with the Climate Action Plan, noting the opportunities and challenges associated with its implementation and that the current Climate Action Plan ended in December 2023 and so required updating for future years:-

It was moved by Councillor Fairley, seconded by Councillor Sudraand:-

RESOLVED that –

(a)    the progress against the Climate Action Plan, as set out in Appendix A to the Report of the Corporate Director (Economy & Place), be noted; and

(b)    the Portfolio Holder for the Environment be requested to oversee the development of a Climate Action plan from 2024 with its ambitions and actions set in the context of current national policy.