Agenda item - Climate Change Strategy/Carbon Reduction Implementation Plan - Report to Follow

Agenda item

Climate Change Strategy/Carbon Reduction Implementation Plan - Report to Follow

This report will be published in a Supplementary Papers pack once it has been published for the consideration of the Cabinet.

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the Net Zero Projects Manager from the Midlands Net Zero Hub to the meeting who provided a detailed presentation regarding the Council’s Carbon Reduction Strategy and Action Plan. During the presentation Members’ attention was drawn to the following:

 

  • Bromsgrove District Council’s Carbon Reduction Strategy and Action Plan covered exclusively the carbon dioxide emissions of the Council (including direct emissions from the activities of the Council and the emissions that the Council had influence over).
  • The Strategy and Action Plan would be refreshed every three years and progress against targets reviewed twice a year.
  • The Council’s carbon reduction targets were set in line with the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) target of 50% carbon reduction by 2030 and the ambition of becoming net zero by 2040.
  • To reach an interim target of 50% carbon emissions reduction by 2030, the Council would need to reduce its emissions by approximately 41 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. To achieve the net zero in the remaining 10 years to 2040, the Council would need to deliver on a target of approximately 51 tonnes of savings per year.
  • Even though the Council’s own emissions were only a very small part of the district’s total, it was in a strong position to exert influence on the wider geographical area.
  • For the purposes of carbon reduction strategies, carbon dioxide emissions were categorised as coming from three sources – direct use of fuel (such as transport, gas heating), use of electricity, and indirect emissions (such as via the supply chain).
  • The Council’s 3-year Implementation Plan identified that the latest available carbon emission figure for Bromsgrove District Council was 818 tonnes (2019).
  • The latest total emissions figure for the district of Bromsgrove was 669,200 tonnes.
  • The Council had been successful in securing funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme for the Artrix, which would contribute to a carbon reduction of 126 tonnes and saving £16,000 per annum through the installation of heat pumps and solar panels.
  • The Council had also applied for ‘Public Sector Energy Efficiency Programme’ funding for the decarbonisation of the Parkside building.
  • The Council required staffing resources in order to prepare the strategy and there would be further resource requirement as the strategy was implemented. This would be accounted for in the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

 

Following the presentation, the Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Climate Change commented on the preference of Members for the carbon reduction strategy to be presented in a more concise, infographic format. He added, however, that for the purposes of auditing the strategy it was necessary to include lengthy text in places, although a need to strike the right balance and reduce the overall document length to only include the salient points was acknowledged.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Climate Change also commented on the need for partners across the region, including Worcestershire County Council and Birmingham City Council, which owned the Lickey Hills Country Park, to engage in partnership working on carbon reduction with Bromsgrove District Council and other authorities across Worcestershire.

 

It was suggested that a recommendation be made by the Board for the Cabinet to be requested to formally ask the regional partners to engage in partnership working on carbon reduction with Bromsgrove District Council and other Worcestershire Councils.

 

Some Members commented that it was necessary for the strategy to acknowledge the contributions made by Parish Councillors to the green agenda, for example in terms of rewilding. Consequently, it was deemed essential for Parish Councillors to be included as stakeholders in the Bromsgrove District Council Carbon Reduction Strategy and Action Plan and its ongoing development, and that a recommendation to Cabinet should be made by the Board to that effect.

 

Members queried what reductions to carbon dioxide emissions had been made by the Council since 2019. In response, Officers reported that the latest available figure was for 2019 and they endeavoured to provide this figure when it became available. Members agreed that it be recommended to the Cabinet that the latest figure be obtained and reported.

 

During the discussion, it was noted that meeting the carbon reduction targets set for Bromsgrove District Council was in large part predicated on the national grid meeting its target of net zero by 2050 and, crucially, its target of 40 Gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind connected to the network by 2030, as detailed in the Government’s Energy White Paper 2020.

 

Explanation was also provided with regards to what was meant by purchasing 100 per cent green energy. This was related to the Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certification, which provided transparency to consumers about the proportion of electricity that suppliers source from renewable generation. The purpose of the certificate was to prove to the final customer that a given share of energy was produced from renewable sources, and a statement of 100 per cent green energy certified that the given supplier had supplied 100 per cent renewable energy. Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) were a similar scheme where suppliers were incentivised to increase growing their renewable regeneration by receiving certificates which could then be traded with other parties.

 

It was clarified that the carbon dioxide saving of 5-15 per cent per staff member through Carbon Literacy Training was dependent mainly on the culture change associated with people’s working practices and that this would be calculated as a real reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of the Council.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Climate Change commented in response to the Chairman’s question that a delivery of a carbon reduction saving of half a tonne per Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (BDHT) owned property (circa 100 properties in total) was predicated on the cooperation of the Trust in delivering the ambition.

 

After the discussion concluded, the recommendations as discussed by Members were proposed:

 

On being put to the vote the recommendations were carried.

 

RECOMMENDED to the Cabinet that:-

 

1)    the latest figure, quantifying Bromsgrove District Council’s reduction in carbon emissions (in tonnes) between 2019 and the present, be provided.

 

2)    Birmingham City Council be asked to engage in partnership working on carbon reduction with Bromsgrove District Council and other Worcestershire Councils, especially given that Lickey Hills Country Park, located mainly in Worcestershire, is owned and maintained by Birmingham City Council.

 

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

 

4)    Parish Councils be included as stakeholders in the Bromsgrove District Council Carbon Reduction Strategy and Action Plan and its ongoing development.

 

 

Supporting documents: