Agenda item

To gain agreement and commitment to the Climate Change Strategy.

(a)          That progress made in delivering carbon reduction measures to date is acknowledged;

(b)          That the Climate Change Strategy for 2022 – 2030 and its aims therein be endorsed;

(c)          That a briefing for new Members following the election be arranged to highlight the work undertaken to date and the commitments of the Council moving forward, and that the Climate Change Strategy forms part of the Member Induction Programme; and

(d)          That the Council’s website be updated to include the Climate Change Strategy.

The Chief Officer (Planning Environment & Economy) presented the report together with the Climate Change and Carbon Reduction Programme Manager

In presenting the Climate Change Strategy it was explained that the Welsh Government (WG) declared a climate emergency in 2019 and called for the Public Sector to become carbon neutral by 2030.   The Cabinet resolved in December 2019 to resource the appointment of the Programme Manager to develop the Climate Change Strategy which would set key aims and actions for creating a carbon neutral Council by 2030.

The presentation included detailed information on the following: -

• Context
• Achievements so far
• Development of the Strategy – baseline
• Impacts from the Covid-19 Pandemic
• Development of the Strategy – Engagement
• The Strategy set out to achieve net zero carbon by 2030
• Climate Change Strategy
• Action Plan to Net Zero Carbon- behaviour
• Timeline to 2030

The Chief Officer (Planning Economy and Environment) paid tribute to the Programme Manager who, having joined the Council in June 2021, had undertaken an enormous amount of work with the Member working group to enable the Strategy to be presented today.  The work already undertaken to reduce the Council’s carbon footprint over the last 8 years was included in the Strategy.

The Leader of the Council thanked the Programme Manager for her contribution so far to the Council’s Strategy and the Chief Officer (Planning Environment & Economy).  He also paid tribute to Councillor Carolyn Thomas who had been instrumental in developing much of the initiatives.  He thanked Flintshire residents whose small changes in behaviour such as using public transport and recycling as much as possible were making a difference.  Most residents had risen to the challenge, and he thanked them for their support.  Referring to the WG call for Public Sectors to become carbon neutral he explained that Cabinet had taken a variety of decisions to enable the Council to reach the 2030 deadline.  Children were very interested in carbon neutrality and carbon reduction issues, and he felt that following the commencement of the new Council, consideration should be given to creating a Children and Students Consultative Panel to discuss these issues.  He moved the recommendation.

Councillor Sean Bibby spoke as Chair of the Climate Change Programme Board and paid tribute to the work undertaken by the Programme Manager and Chief Officer to formulate the Strategy.  In seconding the recommendation, he thanked his fellow Members of the Climate Change Programme Board for their challenges and contributions.

In response to questions from Councillor Richard Jones on the cost implications, the Programme Manager confirmed it was difficult to provide financial information as the projects had to be scoped further.  Business cases would be developed for each of the areas where investment was required with a clear understanding of the financial implications involved.    The Chief Officer (Planning Environment & Economy) added that it was too early to predict at present but reassured Councillor Jones that the investment business cases would be presented to Council.   The costs of new technologies which were required to achieve carbon neutrality were unknown at present.

The Chief Executive provided information on a number of WG initiatives which were being discussed, such as the decarbonisation of housing components and the development of carbon neutral schools.  There were also several decarbonisation pilots taking place.   Some of the new technologies required were still in the developmental stage which was an issue for WG and the Council.  He understood the concerns raised by Councillor Jones but provided reassurance that the business cases would be brought back to Council for consideration once the information was available.   Councillor Jones re-iterated his concerns in agreeing to the Strategy without any indication of the costs involved. 

            Councillor Ian Smith welcomed the report saying the impacts of climate change were being felt everywhere and he referred to initiatives at Wepre Park.

As Cabinet Member for Planning and Public Protection, Councillor Chris Bithell welcomed the report which celebrated the Council’s range of achievements to date and set out the Strategy going forward to meet the net zero goal set by WG by 2030.  He said that this was a joint effort requiring every person to play their role in reducing carbon emissions and that the County should be proud of how its residents had contributed, especially regarding recycling. The Programme Manager was visiting town councils spreading the message and encouraging them to support the fight against climate change.  He thanked the Chief Officer, the Programme Manager, and the team for their work on this.

Councillor Paul Shotton welcomed the positive report and asked for an update on the work that National Resource Wales (NRW) were undertaking on the prevention of flooding.   In response the Chief Officer (Planning Environment and Economy) confirmed that there were ongoing discussions with NRW regarding responsibility for the maintenance of these assets.  He referred to the impacts of Storm Kristof last year when there were five outbreaks and confirmed flood plans were developed for each of those areas.  He reported on the work in Sandycroft to help prevent future flooding.

Councillor Dave Healey commended everyone who had enabled the Council to reach this point and said if the Council achieved net zero by 2030 it would only be responsible for 3% of carbon emissions.  He said the theme behaviour brought everything together and strategies had to be developed to reach out to the whole of the county.  He supported the Leader’s suggestion of a “Children and Students Consultative Panel” and congratulated the residents of Flintshire for the way they had embraced the recycling policy.

Councillor Tudor Jones asked questions on emissions, tree planting, loss of trees and insulation of buildings.   In response the Chief Officer (Planning Environment & Economy) provided clarification on the funding and long-term maintenance of trees at Wepre Park and data collected on trees lost to Ash Dieback

The Programme Manager provided an explanation of the different landscapes where carbon absorption could be identified.  It was important to pin-point and map the different landscapes and habitat types that existed across the county to properly determine the carbon absorption figures.  As this information was not available for all areas of Flintshire land, it had been included as an action within land use to map those areas to provide a better understanding.   She went on to provide clarification on the reporting mechanism for emission factors to WG and the approach to future tree planting.  Councillor Tudor Jones commented that this was a difficult task which needed to be addressed now to understand how successful this scheme had been.

Councillor Carolyn Thomas reported on the positive outcomes from a discussion with a resident on the recent solar panel installation at her property.  She referred to works carried out in previous years across portfolios and to the funding obtained from WG for schools, HRA funding for low carbon housing, solar parks, installation of solar panels on properties together with the increased recycling rates and LED lights.  She felt this should be publicised more so that residents understood what the Council had achieved over the last 12 years and highlighted when more grant funding was been sought from WG.

Councillor Paul Johnson referred to the role of procurement in the Climate Change Strategy which was included as objective 3 and in the action sheet.  It was vital that all aspects of the supply chain were identified and included and that procurement in the Social Value Strategy was developed.  Procurement was one of the key areas in the Climate Change Strategy and he fully supported this moving forward.

Councillor Mike Peers supported the Climate Change Strategy moving forward but agreed with the comments made by Councillor Richard Jones that this would be funding dependant.  He asked questions on the Green Energy Tariff, land set aside for tree planting, car charging points and public transport.

In response, the Chief Officer (Planning Environment & Environment) stated that this was a very complex issue with some of the technologies not available yet.  Referring to tree planting, consideration was given to biodiversity, and he confirmed that community consultation would be carried out to ensure it was the right thing to do for that area.  This ensured that the public were consulted, on board and supporting what was proposed in the Strategy.   Referring to the points raised on public transport he agreed with the comments made saying it went beyond the scope for some of the things that could be provided but that this could hopefully influence a second bid for the improvement of services along that line.  

As Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Councillor Derek Butler thanked Members for their contributions saying the Council’s record and list of achievements were tangible and creditable.  He added areas such as wetlands and reed beds brought another biodiversity and assisted with cleaner water.  He referred to WG Public Sector Route Map to Decarbonisation Framework and said out of the five objectives the greatest was behaviour, starting with small steps.  He praised the report which set out clear targets and he thanked the team presenting it today.

As Cabinet Member for Streetscene, Councillor Glyn Banks stated that there was a need for every single person in Flintshire to play their part, starting with small changes such as using the safer routes to schools instead of taking the cars and maximising household recycling.

Councillor Hilary McGuill backed the recommendations but highlighted the importance of actions being implemented.  She said that careful consideration should be given prior to removing/replacing larger trees.

Councillor Alasdair Ibbotson said that it was a huge responsibility for the Council to be a leader in the local area and support decarbonisation projects in the private sector. This was a starting point with the financial implications and decisions to be determined at a later stage.  This had to be a live document which was revisited and revised as 2030 approached.  Referring to the last 30 years, he praised the actions taken by many young people in raising this issue which had led to the stance taken by WG.

Councillor Helen Brown asked whether the governance arrangements set out at point 23.2 should be re-worded to reflect any changes leading up to 2030.  In response the Chief Officer (Planning Environment & Economy) said the wording was accurate in naming those who had led on the strategy at that point in time.  Referring to Councillor Ibbotson’s comments, the third recommendation highlighted that Climate Literacy training would be provided as a core element of the induction programme for all Members.   In response to Councillor Thomas’ point, the Chief Officer commented that this was covered in recommendation 4 and that the website would be developed to highlight what had been achieved in the past and set out the challenges for the future.

Councillor Ian Dunbar referred to the provision of electric charging points with Flintshire being one of the councils leading on this.  He took the opportunity to commend the involvement of local people in the tree planting scheme at Wepre Park.

The recommendations were moved by Councillor Ian Roberts and seconded by Councillor Sean Bibby.

RESOLVED:

(a)          That progress made in delivering carbon reduction measures to date is acknowledged;

(b)          That the Climate Change Strategy for 2022 – 2030 and its aims therein be endorsed;

(c)          That a briefing for new Members following the election be arranged to highlight the work undertaken to date and the commitments of the Council moving forward, and that the Climate Change Strategy forms part of the Member Induction Programme; and

(d)          That the Council’s website be updated to include the Climate Change Strategy.