Agenda item

Purpose: To review progress in implementing the Council's Environment Strategy Delivery Plan.

Councillor Stuart Gourley (Executive Portfolio Holder: Climate Action, Recycling and Biodiversity), Jenny Graham (Environment Delivery Manager) and Kofi Adu-Gyamfi (Service Lead – Climate Change) presented the Environment Strategy Operational Review (Agenda Item 6).

The following points were raised in the debate:

·       It was noted that the Environment Advisory Group (EAG) Open Forum was improving transparency of decision making and the group was hearing from innovators and technology companies. This was helping to inspire local residents and businesses.

·       Members asked about the reprioritisation process for the next version of the Delivery Plan. It was explained that significant changes were proposed to the way it would be laid out to make it easier to navigate, with actions organised around the following themes:

o   Energy efficiency and renewables

o   The natural environment

o   Sustainable travel

o   Waste and recycling

Cross-cutting themes would be:

o   Focus on net zero

o   Health and wellbeing benefits

o   Communications

o   Partnership working

o   Education and community engagement

Business as usual activities were being stripped out.

Officers would seek to ensure that actions were of a similar scale.

·       Members suggested that the Council’s recently appointed Ecologists could work with town/parish councils who were looking to respond to the ecological emergency. Officers suggested that the Ecologists could attend a future Town and Parish Climate Forum and highlight areas that town/parish councils might wish to consider. It was confirmed that contact details had recently been updated for all town/parish, so this should help to improve attendance.

Action: Jenny Graham to arrange a Town and Parish Climate Forum focused on biodiversity.

·       It was noted that there were over 60 town/parish councils, who may lack knowledge, skills and experience, and who had land/buildings/assets that needed improvement.

·       It was suggested that a similar forum could be established for local environmental groups/stakeholders. Officers indicated that this was a key driver for the EAG Open Forum sessions. There were plans to tweak the Open Forum to provide more opportunities for collective brainstorming around key issues to inform policies and guide progress towards net zero and beyond.

·       Members asked about participation at EAG. It was confirmed that there was a full programme of talks. Although online attendance was good, attendance in person was limited. Attendees were there to hear what was going on and ask questions and learn about new initiatives. A recent presentation on plastic-free living had highlighted synergies between the work of the Council and Veolia and a waste company that was trying out new technology.

·       Officers were asked about flood defence schemes planned for the Rivers Lambourn and Kennet. It was confirmed that the Section 19 investigation and the Environment Agency’s Section 18 report would inform decisions around business cases and funding bids for schemes to mitigate flood risk. £6.3 million had been secured on the basis of previous Section 19 reports for Thatcham flood alleviation measures and studies in Newbury around the Northcroft ditch and surface water in Clay Hill, as well as property level protection.

·       There was discussion around the Big Community Energy Switching scheme. While previous rounds had offered significant savings for residents, the latest round in 2023 had not, due to unpredictability in the energy market. The scheme had been suspended for 2024, but it would be kept under review.

·       Members noted the ambitious plans to achieve carbon neutral status by 2030 and asked how this would be achieved, and whether carbon offsetting could be avoided. It was explained that the Council aimed to tap into local natural resources (e.g., solar and water). Investigations had been carried out around decarbonisation of local assets. It was thought that the Council could achieve carbon neutral status without offsetting, but more work was needed to understand the pathway and develop a pipeline of projects.

·       Officers were asked for further detail about the Green-Blue Infrastructure Framework. It was confirmed that work had started on scoping the framework, which had benefited from input from a large number of teams. Work had been paused due to resourcing and a vacancy in the team, but this would restart once the resource was in place.

·       Members proposed communications with riparian landowners to encourage them not to mow their grass up to the river in order to maintain habitat for wildlife. It was confirmed that a communications campaign was planned for ‘No mow May’. Also, it was suggested that the Town and Parish Climate Forum would be a good mechanism for disseminating messages and encouraging people to take action within their communities. Furthermore, it was planned to provide a toolkit of practical things that residents could do.

·       There was discussion about what was being done in relation to the circular economy. The soil conditioner giveaway was highlighted, but it was acknowledged that there were still significant opportunities around reducing food waste. Education was key to changing behaviour. Also, it was suggested that large businesses could have a significant influence. Local organisations could share information on work they were doing in relation to Biodiversity Net Gain, achievement of the highest BREEAM ratings on new buildings, and local purchasing. Within the Council, a sustainability tool was being developed to guide projects, and staff were encouraged to use Thatcham Refillables. In addition, the Council was doing lots of work on educating residents around waste avoidance with a particular focus on children, including outreach work at local schools and the Eco Schools programme. Work was ongoing with the Community Reuse Project in Newbury to repair and refurbish items for resale, and the concept of a reuse shop was being explored.

·       It was noted that the Living Rainforest had raised concerns about the absence of sustainability, biodiversity and climate change in the school curriculum. However, Members welcomed the school outreach work. Reaching young people and maintaining their interest was seen as important.

·       Members asked about benchmarking of performance, networking opportunities and the support available from the Local Government Association (LGA). The LGA was seen as a key focus for knowledge sharing. There was a lot of space for innovation and there were lots of different forums for networking and sharing of best practice. This included a Berkshire group, which also helped to identify opportunities for joint working (e.g., Solar Together). Officers had also met with colleagues from other local authorities to share ideas (e.g., Sustainability Assessment Tool created by Cheltenham Borough Council). The Association for Public Service Excellence was also cited as being useful for sharing best practice.

·       Officers were asked if they were confident that the Council would meet its target to be carbon neutral by 2030. Officers confirmed that they were confident that this would be achieved.

·       Members asked if the report was shared with residents. It was confirmed that all three annual progress reports were on the Council’s website. A refreshed strategy and delivery plan, and a further progress report would be presented to the Executive in the autumn. These would be promoted through the EAG Open Forum.

Resolved to note the report.