Agenda and minutes

To consider the motion submitted by Councillor Serjeant in accordance with Standing Order No. 21 (to be considered at this point on the agenda at the Mayor’s discretion):

“This Council notes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ‘Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C’, published in October 2018, which confirmed the catastrophic consequences of manmade climate change and the urgent need to act to address the marked increases that we are already seeing with regards higher sea levels, flooding, other extreme weather events, crop failures and destruction of land and marine eco-systems.

This Council therefore:

(a)     declares unequivocally that our town and borough, country and planet are facing a CLIMATE EMERGENCY;

(b)     agrees to establish a Chesterfield Climate Change working group to respond to this challenge, with representation from key borough stakeholders including our schools, college and university, the private sector and community and voluntary organisations, including Transition Chesterfield, Chesterfield Climate Alliance and young people’s representative groups, with the shared purpose of enabling Chesterfield to become a low carbon, resilient and sustainable borough;

(c)      invites the working group to report back and make recommendations to Full Council on a realistic date for Chesterfield to be carbon neutral, and to develop a costed action plan, by March 2020, setting out the required work to achieve this outcome;

(d)     resolves to work with other local authorities and public, private and voluntary sector partners on carbon reduction projects;

(e)     calls on the Government to provide the necessary resources and powers for Chesterfield Borough Council to achieve its ambition of becoming a carbon neutral town and borough.”

To receive questions from members of the public in accordance with Standing Order No. 12.

Question submitted by Lisa Hopkinson, Transition Town Chesterfield:

“Given that road transport is the biggest single source of carbon emissions as well as deadly roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution, and given that the majority of cars on the road over the next 10 years will still be petrol or diesel, what is the borough council doing to encourage less car-based development and reduce car use in the borough generally, for the benefits of all residents particularly children and the elderly?”

Question submitted by Alastair Meikle, Secretary, Chesterfield Cycle Campaign :

“Cycling is an effective way to cut carbon emissions and increase the amount of physical activity, benefitting the environment and public health. Will Chesterfield Borough Council fully commit to supporting and insisting upon cycling infrastructure both within new developments and connections outside developments to the wider Chesterfield Cycle network to allow citizens an opportunity to have a choice to not use private cars for local journeys?”

Question submitted by Darryl Cowley:

“Tree planting is one of the most cost effective ways to capture carbon from the atmosphere. Has the council done an assessment of the potential for tree planting on its land and would it be willing to facilitate opportunities for volunteers and the community to undertake large scale tree planting on council land?”

Question submitted by Roger Green:

“The installation over the past few weeks of electric vehicle charging points in the Soresby Street, Durrant Road and St Mary's Gate car parks in Chesterfield is very welcome and has at last overcome the reputation the town has had of being a desert when it came to refuelling an electric vehicle. However, in the cases of Durrant Road and St Mary's Gate, allowing non-electric vehicles to park in the spaces with chargers, in a 'mixed use' arrangement, and having only one space reserved specifically for an electric vehicle, is already leading to the majority of the spaces being taken up by diesel or petrol vehicles. This means that most of the chargers will scarcely be used, thus wasting the public money presumably spent on installing them. As they are slow chargers, drivers plugging in will want to stay there for several hours to get a decent amount of charge, further restricting the availability for other electric vehicles, if the mixed use spaces are occupied by conventional vehicles. My question is: Will the council therefore consider reserving most, if not all, of these spaces with chargers, for electric vehicles, therefore allowing them to be used for the purpose intended, and not merely as parking for non-electric vehicles?”

To receive for information the Minutes of the following meetings:

·        Appeals and Regulatory Committee

·        Planning Committee

·        Standards and Audit Committee