Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Cllr. Dyfrig Siencyn

An update on what the Council is currently doing to meet the challenges of climate change and other steps that are practical for the Council to act on in future.

To accept the report and to note the observations received.

To accept the report and to note the observations received.

As an introduction, the Council Leader set out the background to the report, and emphasised the importance of providing an opportunity for the Committee to discuss the issue of Climate Change.

He explained that the Climate Change Board had now been established to offer a corporate overview of the work happening within the Council to find solutions.  He discussed the Council's commitment to reduce its carbon emissions as a method of reaching net zero carbon by 2030, which was the target set by Welsh Government for Local Authorities. The Climate Change Manager, appointed to lead the corporate aspects of this work and coordinate cross-departmental work, was welcomed to the meeting.

Submitted - the report of the Climate Change Manager, referring to the work that had happened to date, including:

-        Production of an action plan for the proposed work

-        The steps to be taken in order to reduce the Council’s environmental impact and its carbon footprint

-        An explanation of how the Council’s intended work, and what it has already done, to respond to the effects of Climate Change

-        Note that the report summarises the main examples of the work

During the discussion, the following observations were made by members: -

-        The Programme Manager was welcomed to her new role.

-        A member asked how the Climate Change Board had been established, and enquired about its membership. It was noted that some members had expertise in this field, and it was proposed that the Board should take advantage of this expertise.

-        A request was made for information about the contact point within the Council if members became aware of an issue that related to climate change.

-        A member referred to the report, in particular point 2.6, and asked whether the Council was taking advantage of re-using the waste produced, for example in road maintenance works.

-        In relation to reaching net zero carbon, a request was made to clarify the methods to reach this target.

-        A further explanation was requested about the impact of work schemes such as the Llanbedr by-pass, work on the sea-wall etc., on the Council's ability to reach net zero Carbon. It was noted that as part of the aim of reaching the target, there should be no restrictions imposed on the construction of important infrastructure.

-        A question was asked about the work to deal with Ash Dieback, and how the Council intended to solve the problem, as trees were needed to deal with carbon emissions.

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In response to the observations it was noted:-

-        The Climate Change Board included a representation of heads of department and members, and had been established as a board to give status to this field. It was added that consideration could be given to expanding its membership to other areas of expertise.

-        It was suggested to the member that the Programme Manager should be the contact point if any matters arose, and that the purpose of the Scrutiny Committee was reinforced by means of the opportunity for members to draw the attention of officers to matters that arose within their wards.

-        It was explained that the definition of net zero was an organisation's use of emissions in the justification of its Carbon Footprint.

-        It was explained that the roadworks mentioned by the member were schemes run by the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales, that would not affect the Council's carbon footprint.

-        The member was thanked for her work as the Biodiversity champion, and it was suggested that messages about the Council's work in the field of Climate Change needed to be promoted.

-        It was noted that there was a work scheme to deal with Ash Dieback, to identify the number of affected trees so that trees with similar biodiversity could be planted to replace them. It was added that the trees played a significant role in Carbon absorption.

-        It was noted that a bid for funding would be required to extend the post of Programme Manager for Climate Change. It was added that the role is important to co-ordinate and ensure cross-department understanding.