Agenda item

Ruth Dixon (Waste Strategy and Commissioning Manager, Warwickshire County Council) presented the report which concerned the recent declarations of a climate emergency in Warwickshire and the national commitment to address climate change.

The Chair reported that Warwickshire County Council had established a climate change emergency task and finish group and that terms of reference had been agreed.

Dan Green (Head of Environment and Public Realm, Rugby Borough Council) notified that Rugby Borough Council had declared a climate emergency and that an initial meeting had been scheduled to determine the scope and terms of reference of a working group.

Councillor Norris stated that Warwick District Council had set a target of carbon neutrality by 2025. This represented a significant commitment and he reported that the Authority was working hard to achieve its objective. In response to the Chair, he advised that this was a cross-party endeavour and that financial implications were likely to be significant.

Councillor Shenton advised that Stratford District Council had established a cross-party working group and that consideration would be given to its terms of reference. He commented that financial implications were anticipated to be substantial and advocated collaborative working across authorities to secure a co-ordinated response.

Councillor Norris supported this suggestion and encouraged the authorities to share information on a regular basis. He added that caution should be exercised to limit the publication of information outside of the formal process.

Councillor Shenton suggested that the recommendations resulting from the working groups were likely to be radical in scope and could herald significant changes to habits and behaviours.

Gary Charlton (Contract Services Manager, Warwick District Council) recommended that a common definition of ‘carbon neutrality’ and a shared standard of measuring carbon be established across the six authorities to ensure congruity.

Councillor Sheppard reported that a response to the issue of climate change was under consideration at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

Richard Dobbs (Assistant Director (Streetscape), North Warwickshire Borough Council) advised that North Warwickshire Borough Council was also considering a response and agreed that shared standards across organisations was an important consideration.

Councillor Fradgley highlighted the importance of ‘managing the message’ to ensure that findings and recommendations be communicated to the wider public responsibly to limit the potential for unrest or distress. She added that six months was a challenging timescale for the task and finish group to reach a conclusion.

The Chair indicated her support for collaborative working and requested that information sharing be enabled across the six authorities by the addition of a standard agenda item for upcoming meetings of the partnership.

Councillor Kondakor commented that the response to the climate emergency was likely to bring about significant changes. He stressed the importance of responsible procurement to ensure that long-term planning is embedded in organisational decision making.

Councillor Fradgley suggested that tree planting could present an area for collaboration amongst authorities. The Chair indicated that resources for tree planting and flood management initiatives were likely to be made available.

Resolved

That the Waste Partnership notes the report and that a standard agenda item be added to forthcoming meetings to enable action on climate change information sharing.