Agenda item - The Report of the Climate Change Mitigation Task and Finish Group

This report presents the findings of the Climate Change Mitigation Task and Finish Group.

Resolved:

That Cabinet agrees to:

1) Provide clear direction through the Council Plan 2020-2025 to work alongside our partners to reduce the Council’s carbon impact and that appropriate resources are dedicated to this work.

2) Make climate change considerations a requirement for all council decisions, including capital investments, projects and commissioning exercises.

3) Develop improved baseline data and metrics so that we can make decisions and prioritise based on a continually improving understanding of our own carbon emissions and the wider impacts of Warwickshire.

4) Establish a cross party group chaired by the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Heritage & Culture, to steer work on both climate change mitigation and adaptation.

5) Work with all partners including Parish and Town Councils, District and Borough Councils, Government, other authorities and the resident and business communities of Warwickshire to achieve real progress on climate change.

6) In principle, adopt the targets and actions set out in the report and in particular Appendix 5, and develop detailed and costed action plans for these, to be agreed and managed as part of the Council’s business management processes.

In introducing this report Councillor Heather Timms thanked officers and members for their contributions to the review.

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse informed the meeting that he had recently attended a presentation by UK100 at a CCN event. He suggested that UK100 be invited to the County Council to share their knowledge. One of the challenges for shire counties, he added, is the lack of infrastructure to mitigate against climate change.

Regarding recommendation six, Councillor Richard Chattaway questioned the use of the term, “in principle” adding that this can be open to interpretation. Councillor Chattaway proposed Councillor Helen Adkins to be the Labour representative on the member working group (Recommendation four). Regarding transport strategies he observed that there remains much work to do. The target date should be absolute, and the working group should receive regular updates. Councillor Chattaway concluded by adding that air quality requires urgent attention as people’s health is being adversely affected.

Councillor John Holland reminded Cabinet that in July 2019 Council had unanimously supported the declaration of a climate change emergency. He added that Warwickshire should not contribute to making matters worse and that transport strategies should serve to make cycling and walking safer. Finally, Councillor Holland emphasised the need to work with health providers in managing future hot summers.

Councillor Jonathan Chilvers (Leader of the Green Group) thanked officers for their input but considered that overall the County Council was not addressing the issue robustly enough. He noted that other local authorities are more advanced in their thinking and called for a clear action plan to be developed soon.

Councillor Sarah Boad welcomed the reference to town and parish councils in recommendation five and asked that the County Council promote its objectives through the Warwickshire and West Midlands Association of Local Councils (WALC).

Councillor Timms agreed that there is an urgent requirement to tackle the climate change baseline. The report, she added, focusses primarily on that which has already been done but there remains a need to embed climate change mitigation in everything the Council does. Evidence is required when considering where and when to invest. Meetings have been held with district and borough council leads and town and parish councils will be engaged with also. Councillor Timms concluded by stating that the working group will have to set its own terms of reference and agree when it will report its progress.