Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Service Delivery (copy enclosed).

The Council considered the report of the Director of Service Delivery updating Members on the work being done by Officers to reduce the Council’s carbon emissions to net-zero by 2030 and outlining the potential challenges and barriers to the Council achieving this. The report also sought agreement of a methodology to review the Council’s current commitment of achieving net-zero in order to ensure delivery of carbon emission reductions took place in a sustainable and practical way.

The Director of Service Delivery introduced the report before handing over to the Head of Environmental Health, Waste and Climate Action who provided detailed information in relation to the report and Appendix 1 (the Net-Zero Trajectory report).

The report reminded Members of the Climate Action Strategy 2021 – 2030 and 2023 / 24 Climate Action Plan (CAP) produced by the Council. One of the actions within the CAP was to produce a roadmap showing a trajectory to net zero carbon emissions. The Council had worked with the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) to develop a Net Zero Trajectory report which was attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

The trajectory report calculated the amount of carbon that the Council emitted each year and provided an indicative trajectory to be followed if the Council was to achieve net-zero by the target date. The report set out further information produced by the trajectory report including details of contributing factors, indicative capital costs and operating barriers identified.

It was noted that in order to understand the financial, technical and operational impact and compromises that may be necessary Officers were intending to undertake range of feasibility studies. The report suggested that a Member Working Group be created to focus on the challenges and barriers to achieving net-zero.

The Chairperson moved the recommendations set out in the report and this was duly seconded.

In response to comments from some Members, the Leader of the Council referred to the need to ensure that the Council was engaging with all ages across the District and playing its part to produce a green, sustainable and non-polluting environment.

The Chairperson put the earlier proposal, and this was duly agreed. He suggested that the Working Group be made up of five Members, one from each of the political parties and one non-aligned Member. The Chairperson then sought nominations and the following Members were proposed:

·                D O Bown, Conservative Group

·                U G C Siddall-Norman, Non-aligned

·                R H Siddall, the Maldon District Independent Group

·                P L Spenceley, Liberal Democrat Group

·                J C Stilts, District Support Group

The above nominated Members to form the Working Group were duly agreed by the Council. The Chairperson thanked the Technical Lead: Climate Action for her hard work, reports and information provided to Members.

RESOLVED

(i)             That Members consider the information within this report and accept the conclusions of the trajectory report.

(ii)            That Members agree to the creation of a Member and Officer Net-Zero Working Group consisting of the following Members, that will consider the Council’s route to net-zero including making future recommendations to Council on its strategy for achieving net-zero.