Agenda item

5:00pm to 5:45pm

The Deputy Leader, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing and Assistant Director – Health and Wellbeing attended to present a report updating the Committee about the progress of the Chesterfield Borough Council (CBC) Climate Change Action Plan.

CBC declared a Climate Emergency on 17 July, 2019 and resolved to establish a Chesterfield Climate Change Working Group to produce an Action Plan.

The action plan was approved by Full Council on 26 February, 2020. The plan was developed with eight themes, each theme had a series of actions which in total amounted to thirty-nine specific actions to support CBC carbon reduction activities.

The Assistant Director advised that since the plan had been approved there had been several actions within the plan which had been progressed, including:

·      In April 2020 the Council switched its electricity supply to renewable sources.

·      The Council’s housing capital programme had commenced and CBC was committed to ensuring that the existing housing stock was as energy efficient as possible. Properties on the Grangewood estate had benefited from upgrades to windows and insulation to communal areas which would improve the thermal efficiency of the homes.

·      The Private Sector Housing service had submitted a funding application into phase one of the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme. The application sought access to £500,000 to enable targeted support for owner occupied or privately rented properties with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E or without an EPC. In addition to the carbon reduction advantages of this scheme those most at risk of fuel poverty would benefit.

·      The Council was working with neighbouring authorities through the Local Authority Energy Partnership to develop an application for phase two Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme funding when this is released.

·      The funding applications complemented the wider Green Homes Grant scheme applications that households would be able to apply for directly from late September 2020. The council would support the awareness raising of this scheme to ensure that as many residents as possible would be able to take advantage of the funding given the carbon impact of the built environment in Chesterfield.

·      The Council was currently working with Low Carbon Homes, Derbyshire County Council (DCC), University of Derby -Sustainable Business and Clean Growth and other local district and borough councils to support a network of six national events designed to target retrofitting for housing to improve thermal efficiencies.

·      In July 2020 the Council adopted the Chesterfield Economic Recovery Plan to support and rebuild Chesterfield’s economy in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The economic plan makes specific reference to sustainability in relation to economic recovery.

·      The Council was also working with DCC and partners to develop an Integrated Transport Plan, the provision of cycle infrastructure and signposting businesses to low carbon support activities being delivered by partners. In addition, DCC’s Active Travel funding would be accessed to help fund a range of schemes.

These activities within the plan demonstrated how the climate change action plan was being embedded across the council.

The ambitions of the council in relation to active and sustainable travel had been supported by the adoption of the new Local Plan in July 2020. The new Local Plan prioritised walking and cycling; requiring new developments to show that residents could walk and cycle to key facilities and provide for alternative forms of transport with new cycleways and better footpaths.

One thousand trees had been purchased and `heeled in` at Eastwood Park ready for planting this season. It was anticipated that during the 2020/21 financial year three to four thousand trees  would be planted. Staff in the Parks and Open Spaces team would be meeting with The Tree Council with the ambition of setting up a Tree Warden scheme. This would be a voluntary role but it would be vital in developing tree planting resources as well as keeping the Council up to date with current thinking.

In July and August 2020, the Council embarked on the recruitment process for the Climate Change Officer. This process had been completed and it was anticipated that the successful candidate would be in post from early October 2020. The successful appointment of the Climate Change Officer would significantly increase the capacity of the Council to drive forward carbon reduction and sustainability ambitions. An operational budget for the Climate Change Officer in support of the action plan was in place.

A working draft of a new format for Cabinet Reports was currently in the final stages of development which would ensure that climate change implications would be considered as part of the Council’s formal decision-making process.

Despite the restrictions and challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic there had been developments across key actions within the climate change action plan.

On the 19 August, 2020, the government set out how it would use legally binding targets under the Environment Bill to combat environmental and climate challenges. The government announced it would introduce at least one long term target in four priority areas: cleaner air, cleaner water, less waste and more biodiversity, to drive significant and lasting environmental improvements. The Council would monitor the progress and implications of this Bill.

Members asked how measures relating to utility poverty would be enforced and the Assistant Director advised that it would be through regulatory work and the Green Homes Grant, which was focused on engagement with landlords.

The Assistant Director was asked whether the working group had been set aside and the committee was advised that there was an ambition to utilise the working group moving forward to build momentum and this would be a priority for the newly appointed Climate Change Officer.

Concerns were raised that the milestones which were not being achieved had been missed from the report and it was agreed that the detail of these would be included in the next update to the Committee.

Members asked whether the tree planting information contained in the officer’s report reflected the trees which had been removed and the Assistant Director agreed that the net position was important and they would have discussions with the Planning Department.

The Assistant Director was asked for more detail in relation to each action and it was agreed that this would be provided. 

Members asked how the active travel fund would be used and were advised that CBC was working with the Chesterfield Cycle Campaign and DCC to better understand the long term sustainable travel needs across the borough. There was a grant available for on street charging points to increase the capacity for electric vehicle charging points.

The Assistant Director was asked about the new Local Plan and whether the reference to a levy on housing to pay for cycle routes was referring to the Community Infrastructure Levy or something else. The Assistant Director advised that he was not best placed to provide an answer to this question but would seek a suitable response from colleagues in planning and forward this accordingly.

A question was asked about the overall timing of the action plan and the Assistant Director advised that he would provide additional information at the next update regarding the timings of each action within the three year action plan.

Members asked for more detail about the Climate Change Officer and how the success of the role would be measured and the Assistant Director offered to share the job description for the role with the committee.

RESOLVED –

1.    That the Climate Change Action Plan progress report be noted.

2.    That a further update, which would include more information in relation to each action, be brought to the Overview and Performance Scrutiny Forum meeting on 21 January, 2021.