Issue - meetings

(b)      To consider any recommendations

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, Councillor C. Hotham, presented the recommendations of the meeting of the Board held on 24th October 2022. The four recommendations were in respect of the Carbon Reduction Strategy and Implementation Plan. Members had been particularly interested in the information regarding the latest figures (in tonnes) quantifying Bromsgrove District Council’s reduction in carbon emissions. It was felt that the figures provided in the report, which were from 2019, needed to be updated in order to provide a clearer picture of the carbon reduction improvements that had been made. The second recommendation was in respect of partnership working on carbon reduction with Birmingham City Council and other Worcestershire Councils, particularly as Lickey Hills Country Park, located mainly in Worcestershire, was owned and maintained by Birmingham City Council. 

The third recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Board was concerned with accessibility of the Carbon Reduction Strategy & Implementation Plan, and the availability on the website, for the benefit of Councillors and members of the public given the complexity and detail of the strategy. The final recommendation proposed that Parish Councils be included as stakeholders in the Bromsgrove District Council Carbon Reduction Strategy & Implementation Plan and its ongoing development.

Members discussed the recommendations that had been made on this subject and reference was made that the data provided within the strategy and it was stated that the data post 2019 was not typical due to Covid-19. In addition to this, it was confirmed that the Council did not currently formally report on carbon. Members discussed that since one of the recommendations contained within the strategy was to restart carbon reporting, it was suggested that Officer time was best spent on implementing the action plan and putting in place effective carbon reporting going forward. Councillor C. Hotham acknowledged that this was acceptable, and that Covid-19 would certainly have impacted on the data collected during this period.

In respect of recommendation 2 it was suggested that rather than highlighting a specific Local Authority area, an amendment to the recommendation be made that partnership working take place with all bordering Local Authorities to support work on carbon reduction.

Members were supportive of the final two recommendations in respect of the accessibility of the strategy and the involvement of the Parish Councils as stakeholders in the Bromsgrove District Council Carbon Reduction Strategy & Implementation Plan and its ongoing development.

RESOLVED that Carbon Reduction Strategy and Implementation Plan be amended to incorporate that

1)    All bordering Local Authorities be asked to engage in partnership working on carbon reduction with Bromsgrove District Council and other Worcestershire Councils and;

2)    Parish Councils be included as stakeholders in the Bromsgrove District Council Carbon Reduction Strategy & Implementation Plan and its ongoing development and;

3)    An easily accessible, infographic version of the Bromsgrove District Council Carbon Reduction Strategy & Implementation Plan be produced for the benefit of Councillors and members of the public on the website.