Agenda item

Report of Councillor Petty (attached)

As per the Chairperson’s announcement at minute COU54, this item was moved from item 8 on the agenda.

Councillor Petty introduced her report and gave a presentation on the council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan.  She highlighted to members some of the work that officers, members and community groups had been working on but stated that a national programme was required to deliver the required real and rapid change in terms of housing.  Officers had been encouraging communities to participate in the Big Green Week 2022 held at locations throughout North Somerset.  She added that there was still significant work to carry out if the council was to reach its net zero target by 2030.  Her presentation touched on the breakdown of the sources of greenhouse emissions within North Somerset which indicated that a credible public transport system would be necessary to reduce the district’s emissions still further.  The council had been supporting schools and leisure centres with advice on how to lower their emissions and the updated Strategy and Action Plan included updated themes demonstrating what action and why the council was carrying out to work towards net zero.  She advised members that all directorates had their own themed action plans and that North Somerset Council was the only council in the south west to have been awarded the Silver Carbon Literacy Award having trained 15% of its workforce in carbon literacy.

During the debate on the report, the following points were raised; what local and meaningful actions could be taken and the funds available to support these; the matter of bus service provision including the use of community buses; opportunities to explore partnership working; what the carbon budget actually meant and how this should be incorporated into all council reports; concerns over the specific actions and improvements required to reach net zero as a council and district by 2030 with an emphasis on the requirement for bigger, more ambitious and more urgent actions; concerns over the moors in the district and their capacity to support carbon reduction; the need to collaborate with local stakeholders; the need to educate and listen to young people including reconvening the Youth Parliament to discuss ideas; the requirement for developed nations to support developing nations in reducing carbon emissions and what contact had been made with local MPs to gain their support in lobbying central government.

Councillor Petty thanked members for their passionate contributions to the debate and acknowledged there was likely to be a global migration problem due to flooding as a result of climate change. 

Motion: proposed by Council Petty and seconded by Councillor Bridger and

Resolved: that

Members approved the updated Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan (subject to final editorial amendments by officers), and:

       i.          Re-confirmed their commitment to achieving net zero carbon by 2030 through the actions described.

      ii.          Noted the Action Plan information on carbon emissions and progress on existing projects to tackle climate change, which were also summarised in the report.

    iii.          Endorsed the development of a Climate Performance dashboard that will be used to monitor progress on the Action Plan.

    iv.          Requested that the Executive Member write to the new prime minister and relevant minister to:

a.     Confirm the council’s commitment in local government to action on climate change.

b.     Reiterate the council’s opposition to fracking and urge the government to reverse their recent decisions on this issue.

c.     Seek that they take seriously the role of central government in properly funding a transition away from fossil fuels and

d.     Request increased, longer-term funding for other actions to enable a low carbon economy and healthy community.