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.
Decision:
To accept the
report and to note the observations received.
Minutes:
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.
-
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.
Supporting documents: