Subject to the required notice being given, Members of the Council can ask questions of the Chairman of the Council, the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders or Chairmen of Committees.

The time allocated for receiving and disposing of questions shall be a maximum of 30 minutes. Any question not disposed of at the end of this time shall be the subject of a written response, copied to all Members the following working day unless withdrawn by the questioner.

Subject to the required notice being given, Members of the Council could ask questions of the Chairman of the Council, the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders or Chairmen of Committees.

One question on notice had been submitted by a Member on this occasion as set out below:-

Question

Councillor Zoe Fairley asked Councillor Ivan Henderson, the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism:-

“Could the Portfolio Holder please clarify how the carbon footprint of the Clacton air show is measured and balanced against its reported £12 million economic benefit, and state whether a comprehensive and transparent carbon audit has been carried out to ensure this flagship event meets the regional environmental standards advocated by this Council at its previous meeting in approving a motion on climate change?”

Councillor Henderson, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism replied as follows:-

“The Council recognises the importance of balancing the significant economic, social and tourism benefits of the Clacton Airshow with the need to minimise environmental impacts.

The Airshow generates an estimated economic benefit of approximately £12 million for the local economy through visitor spending, support for local businesses, tourism promotion and overnight stays.

At present, the Council has not commissioned a standalone, comprehensive carbon audit of the Clacton Airshow. However, environmental considerations form part of the event's planning and review processes

We recognise that the environmental impact of an airshow extends beyond aircraft activity alone and includes visitor travel, trader activity, waste generation, energy use and event infrastructure. Industry guidance from the British Air Display Association (BADA) notes that visitor travel is often the largest contributor to an airshow's overall carbon footprint and that emissions from display aircraft can account for less than 20% of an event's total footprint.

The Council actively encourages more sustainable travel choices through information provided on the Clacton Airshow website, including promotion of rail travel, public transport, walking and cycling options where practical.

Sustainability guidance is provided to traders attending the event, including recommendations to:

• Reduce waste and increase recycling.
• Minimise single-use plastics.
• Use sustainable and biodegradable materials.
• Source food and supplies locally where possible.
• Reduce transport-related emissions through local supply chains, public transport and car sharing.
• Reduce energy consumption, including the use of LED lighting.

Visitors are encouraged to recycle where possible, reduce waste and make use of water refill facilities during the event.

The organisers work closely with display teams and industry partners who are themselves pursuing ambitious sustainability targets. For example, the Royal Air Force has committed to becoming climate-change resilient and achieving net zero by 2040, with work underway on sustainable aviation fuel and other carbon reduction initiatives.

The Council is also supportive of the development of lower-carbon aviation technologies locally. We have worked with - and provided a letter of support to - Firefly, a Harwich-based company developing technology to convert sewage sludge into sustainable aviation fuel. While this may sound improbable, the company has secured agreements with aviation partners such as Wizz Air and plans to bring the technology into operation.

Further, the Council has undertaken significant tree planting activity across the district, with approximately 1,667 tree saplings planted through externally funded government grant programmes, contributing to carbon capture and wider biodiversity objectives.

The Council remains committed to reducing environmental impacts wherever reasonably practicable while recognising the considerable economic, social, educational and community benefits delivered by the Clacton Airshow.”

Councillor Fairley then asked a question of clarification to which Councillor Henderson responded.