Council and democracy

Agenda item

Establishment of the Climate Emergency Taskforce

Minutes:

Stephen Taylor, Strategic Lead of Economic Development and Gary Crooks, ERDF Business Manager, presented the report that set out the collaborative approach to tackling climate change utilising the recently established Climate Change Partnership and Officer Groups and proposed that climate objectives be considered within an economic development and green growth context. Members were updated on the approach and the activities that had taken place so far to address the requirements that had been set out in the motion proposed to Council.

 

The Chair thanked Officers for the good report and hoped that this could now make a difference in the borough and referred to her motion on planting a wood in Thurrock and how primary school children were being encouraged to plant trees.

 

Councillor Lawrence also agreed on the importance of trees and how hedgerows were being planted in Kent and hoped that this initiative could be used in Thurrock to help with pollution. Councillor Lawrence stated that other areas, such as the escalation of pollution within the borough particularly on the A13, should be considered as part of this report. Stephen Taylor stated that the partnership group had decided that the first place to start would be looking at emissions from the Local Authority and then to look at emissions across the borough as a whole and what the Council could do to influence businesses and others to help reduce overall emissions. In regards to the air quality around the A13, work was being undertaken by colleagues elsewhere in the Council. Stephen Taylor agreed with Councillors Redsell and Lawrence comments on the importance of trees and hedgerow and stated that was on the partnership group’s radar. Councillor Redsell thanked officers for the comments and stated the move forward to using river taxis was being addressed to get vehicles off the road. Councillor Hague stated that Thurrock was an industrial area with busy motorways going through the borough andasked what realistically would need to be undertaken to offset those levels. Councillor Redsell stated that Thurrock had already planted approximately 1000 trees and Daren Spring stated that where trees had been taken out over the last few years had been replaced with new ones and the planting of new trees over the coming years would continue but was unsure how many trees would need to be planted to offset the emissions. Gary Crooks stated that a climate change officer groups had been set up with colleagues from all directorates who met monthly to consider ways to support the partnership group and to reduce Council emissions.  Tree planting had been considered by that group. Councillor Redsell questioned what Member involvement was in that group to which Gary Crooks stated there were two groups, climate change partnership group with a cross party membership with the support from officers to address issues and another supporting officer group that would support the work coming out of the climate change partnership group.

 

Councillor J Kent welcomed the approach of the report and it was noted that work was following the approach recommended by the Carbon Trust with the six meetings and their themes looking right. Councillor J Kent was pleased that there was now an officer group looking at climate change but asked that group to report publically to ensure members were aware of what was discussed and asked where this group fits in with the broader Council strategy for example the report on the “facilitating the roll out of electric charging points” to Cabinet next week. Councillor J Kent also questioned what the first steps would be towards getting the Council to net zero emissions. Stephen Taylor stated the officer group would undertake the role in understanding what other directorates were working on and joining things up and report back to the partnership group so Members of that group would be fully aware of what was happening.

 

Councillor Rigby questioned what education programmes were being ran by the Council that were aimed at residents to encourage the planting of trees and hedgerows. Gary Crooks stated there were pockets of activity to educate both schools and residents but stated this could formpart of a strategy which could be followed, picked up and developed. 

 

Councillor Lawrence asked that residents be notified of any areas of tree planting being worked on as she was sure there would be lot of volunteers and questioned whether local farmers had been contacted regarding the planting of hedgerow around field borders. Gary Crooks agreed with the comments and the benefits of hedges and hedgerows in regards to both air quality and carbon prospective.

 

Gary Hague stated for the Council to be serious about climate change he challenged the officer group to conclude on what the carbon emissions were in the borough in regards to industry and traffic and then how many trees and what other areas could be addressed to offset the carbon emissions as planting trees and hedgerows was good but this was only tinkering around the edges. Councillor Redsell stated it was important that residents were aware of that was happening to encourage them to do more.

 

Councillor Fletcher stated that he would like to add a new recommendation to this report to ask the Climate Change Partnership Group to benchmark and baseline what the carbon omission situation is now so that a clear idea could be given to what the Council would be dealing with.

 

Councillor Rigby referred to the carbon emissions in regards to car usage and questioned how much had the fine for idling of engines impacted on the level of carbon emissions since it had been introduced. Gary Crooks stated it was impossible to measure on a car-by-car, street-by-street basis on the measure and the affects.

 

Gary Crooks referred to previous questions around the Council’s ambition around the carbon reduction activities and stated there were a lot of potential projects that could be proposed as part of the process and the first thing would be to benchmark and baseline the current situation and then carbon pathways would be produced to get to zero emissions. That Thurrock was very well placed to capitalise putting in the technologies to reduce Thurrock emissions.

 

Stephen Taylor stated the work programme set the baseline and decarbonisation pathways would be developed with a range of measures that could be considered by Members who would be able to see the impact of those measures and what timescales they would take to be implemented against the costs and benefits.

 

RESOLVED

 

1.         That the Cleaner, Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted and commented on the approach and activity being taken to address the requirements set out in the Council motion to declare a climate emergency.

 

2.         That the Climate Change Partnership Group to benchmark and baseline what the carbon omission situation was now so that a clear idea could be given to what the Council would be dealing with.

 

Supporting documents: