Agenda item

To receive an update from the Programme Manager - Climate Change & Carbon Reduction.

That the update be noted.

The Programme Manager (Climate Change and Carbon Reduction) presented the report and provided a presentation which included detailed information on the following slides:-

·         Context – following Welsh Government declaring a Climate Emergency in 2019 Flintshire County Council committed to developing a Climate Change Strategy and becoming carbon neutral by to 2030

·         Achievements so far

·         Development of the Strategy – Baseline

·         Development of the Strategy – Engagement

·         The Strategy sets out to achieve net zero carbon

·         Climate Change Strategy

·         Action Plan to Net Zero Carbon

·         Current Staff Resource for Programme

·         Governance Structure

·         2021/22 Progress Report

·         Recommendations

·         Priorities for 2023/24

            The Cabinet Member congratulated the Programme Manager for the work she had undertaken.  The Committee needed to be mindful of the workload of the Programme Manager and her apprentice. 

In response to questions from Councillor Eastwood, the Programme Manager firstly confirmed that the increases in procurement was directly related to the increases in spend for 2021/22.  Referring to the net zero school, she provided an overview of the requirements which had been put in place when building the school to ensure that more accurate carbon figures were obtained and that these were the figures that would be reported rather than the spend value of the contract. 

In response to a question from Councillor Dan Rose, the Programme Manager explained the term “well to tank” referred to the emissions from the drilling and transportation of oil prior to it being sold at petrol stations.  Once the use of fossil fuels was reduced then the “well to tank” emissions would also reduce.

            The Chief Officer (Planning Environment & Economy) referred to Councillor Eastwood’s point on hydrogen fuel, saying that as part of the North Wales Economic Ambition Board a hydrogen production site was sourced on the Deeside Industrial Park, focussing on using hydrogen for vehicles.  Because of the number of businesses on the park there was a desire to switch with the focus on Green Hydrogen.  He explained if renewable energy was used to create the hydrogen, there was no bi-product of carbon dioxide, and he outlined the differences between blue and green hydrogen.   He suggested that this could be considered as an item on the Forward Work Programme.

            In response to the question from Councillor Copple on best practice, the Programme Manager confirmed that best practice was always sought, providing details of the organisations she was involved with where best practice examples were shared.  In addition, the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) were working to develop a procurement toolkit which all local authorities could use.  This would however require a dedicated officer to work with the commissioners and supply chain to gain a better understanding of what their carbon emissions were.

            In response to a question from Councillor Mansell, the Programme Manager confirmed the baseline figure for emissions was for 2018/19.  The 2019/20 data was pre-Covid.  The 2020/21 data showed reduced travel and office use during the pandemic. In 2021/22 coming out of the pandemic, data had seen some increase in emissions from the previous year, but aside from procurement, still showed reductions from the 2018/19 baseline.

            In response to a question from the Chair on procurement with larger contracts and offsetting emissions, the Programme Manager confirmed that the school referred to was a pilot and a learning curve for moving forward. 

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted.