Agenda item

To scrutinise the Climate and Nature Emergency Plan Annual Report 2024/25.

Resolved:

1.         To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

2.         To recommend to the Cabinet Member for Environment that there is a need to revisit the Council's ambition to be net zero by 2030 and that consideration should be given to setting a realistic target for reducing carbon emissions.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for the Environment and the Climate Change Programme Manager.

It was reported that the Climate and Nature Emergency Plan had now completed its third year of operation. Statistics were presented on the amount of carbon being absorbed by Council lands as well as the carbon emissions, explaining that there was an 18,132,729 kgC0ze deficit to reach a net zero carbon position. They elaborated on carbon emissions, including from procurement, during the year 2024/25 and explained that the procurement information was based on financial expenditure in accordance with the Welsh Government's requirements, rather than the actual impact of the developments. They confirmed that discussions were taking place to ensure that the information on carbon emissions is not based on financial expenditure in future, as this led to a false impression of the true situation as the costs of goods continually increased. They also provided an update on carbon emission levels excluding the financial expenditure from procurement, as this gave a clearer and more accurate picture of the Council's actual position.

It was confirmed that all Local Authorities and public bodies in Wales used the same formula for measuring their carbon emissions. It was explained that this system had been in place since 2019 and that that year was being used as a baseline for subsequent years. They expressed pride that the Council's carbon emissions had reduced by 32% since 2019. They acknowledged that the statistics for the year 2023/24 showed an increase of 4% and explained that this increase stemmed from having to use more gas to heat the Council's buildings due to cold weather.

It was noted that work had been undertaken on several of the Council's buildings, for insulation and ensuring they contributed less to carbon emission levels. They confirmed that there was not a full year's worth of data available at present to be able to analyse the data from that work, but it was likely to be included in future reports.

During the debate, the following observations were made by the Members:-

In response to enquiries for further information on how the Council was encouraging greater biodiversity within the Land Use section of the Emergency Plan, the Programme Manager confirmed that a roadside wildflower scheme was contributing to this aim. It was elaborated that the plan to plant more wildflowers had begun during the National Eisteddfod campaign in Boduan in 2023 and they confirmed that the Council had plans to extend it to the Meirionnydd area in the future. It was ensured that the seeds for wildflowers were planted during the autumn season, and they also emphasised that no weed-killers with harmful chemicals were used. It was confirmed that analytical work was underway to measure how much carbon this project was absorbing and data on how much it contributed to biodiversity levels. In response to the comments, it was suggested that the Council look into conducting a pilot on the Foamstream weed-killer, like other authorities, as it was a chemical-free and effective herbicide.

In response to an enquiry as to whether the Council was likely to succeed in meeting the Welsh Government's target of a net zero carbon position by 2030, the Programme Manager acknowledged that this was a very challenging target to meet. It was emphasised that if procurement carbon emissions data continued to be included as part of the Council's total carbon emissions, the Council would not be able to reach the target. However, it was pointed out that several other factors affected the Council's ability to achieve this target such as technology, the costs of purchasing goods and resources, the need for a significant financial resource and the fact that a number of aspects were beyond the authority's control. They shared an example of a situation where the Council has worked to reduce carbon emissions by converting streetlights to LED lighting. However, it was noted that the Council identified levels of carbon emissions from those streetlights as the electricity used from the national grid does not come from renewable energy, which was an aspect that was beyond the Council's control. The Cabinet Member added that Cyngor Gwynedd was leading in this area, but the target remained challenging. It was noted that the Council was working with other counties to share ideas and good practice. A member suggested that it was timely to set a more realistic target.

A member asked if the Council could set an alternative target for achieving net zero carbon rather than sticking to what had been set by the Welsh Government. In response, the Programme Manager confirmed that the net zero carbon target had been set for the public sector as a whole and that a national discussion would be needed to be able to address and revise the target.

Project 3 within the Plan's Movement and Transport section was considered, and it was enquired whether the charging point provision was sufficient for the needs of the fleet. In response to the enquiries, the Programme Manager stated that the work of setting up charging points was being undertaken in conjunction with the development of the fleet. It was confirmed that these corresponding developments were undergoing ongoing review to meet the needs of the Council. The Cabinet Member added that the Council faced a number of challenges in installing charging points for the fleet and the public as the Council had no authority to ask electricity providers to power them. It was noted that this had been a challenge for some years and there was currently no obvious solution to it.

In response to a comment that only 43% of the fleet's vehicles had been upgraded to electric vehicles, the Programme Manager confirmed that this resulted from the lack of suitable electric vehicles available for heavy machinery. It was recognised that the Council could not significantly increase this percentage until the technology for heavy machinery had been developed and made available in a way that made sense financially for the Council. However, the members were assured that the fleet's vans and cars were upgraded to electric vehicles when the existing vehicles reached the end of their life and that a difference could be seen in the fleet's carbon emission levels thanks to the changes that had already been implemented. In response to an enquiry as to whether hydrogen was an option being considered to power heavy vehicles, the Programme Manager confirmed that Ambition North Wales was currently developing a hydrogen project in Deeside and that the Council was keen to monitor the project in order to consider hydrogen as a means of powering heavy vehicles into the future. The Cabinet Member added that it would be beneficial to look at different projects relating to hydrogen at a national level in order to consider whether hydrogen could be an option for future use in Gwynedd.

The Cabinet Member was asked what his plans were for the future of the Climate Change and Nature Board and what considerations for public transport were underway in order to reduce carbon emissions. In response, the Cabinet Member confirmed that he considered the Council to be performing well in responding to climate change. However, he stated that he hoped to see a change in the board's work in the future so that the Plan's priorities became focal to all Council departments' work, so that responding to climate change became part of the authority's culture. In response to the enquiry on public transport, the Cabinet Member reported that he was involved in discussions with the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee on these issues but that there were significant challenges associated with the field due to a lack of funding to support green public transport projects.

In response to an enquiry on whether there were any plans to expand the Fflecsi buses provision to other areas of Gwynedd, the Programme Manager confirmed that they had been very effective in those communities that had benefited from them to date. However, she emphasised that the needs of the residents of each community varied, and detailed consideration would be required before introducing fflecsi buses to other areas of Gwynedd to ensure that the service was used and that the financial investment was cost-effective.

It was noted that the Council had managed to attract a grant of £1.7million through the Welsh Government's Low Carbon Heat grant scheme for upgrading the Plas Ogwen residential home in Bethesda to EnerPHit standard. They asked if consideration was being given to upgrading other residential homes to reduce their carbon emissions. In response, the Programme Manager noted that this project at Plas Ogwen was the first of its kind in Britain. She elaborated that it would be encouraging if the scheme could be extended to other settings within the county as an 80% saving in carbon emissions was expected from this project. She assured the committee that officers were applying for relevant grants in order to expand the project as it would enable the Council to save money and energy in the future.

It was noted that the possibility of developing solar farms had been presented to this Committee in the past, and an update was requested on the matter. In response, the Programme Manager confirmed that this option was no longer being considered by the Council at this time. She explained that the latest data suggested that there would be no financial benefit or reduction in carbon emission rates for the Council because any energy generated through the solar panels would be transported back to the national grid. However, she noted that such plans had not been ruled out entirely, and confirmed that their development would be reconsidered if it was effective for the Council to do so in the future.

At the end of the discussion, the Committee considered whether a specific recommendation should be made to the Cabinet Member in terms of revisiting the Council's ambition to be net-zero carbon by 2030.

The members expressed their thanks for the report.

       RESOLVED

1.     To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.  

2.     To recommend to the Cabinet Member for the Environment that there is a need to revisit the Council's ambition to be net zero by 2030 and that consideration should be given to setting a realistic target for reducing carbon emissions.