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Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for Climate Action and Environment
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: No
To approve the new Climate Change Strategy 2016-2021 for public consultation.
Matter for
Decision
The report presented a draft revised Climate Change
Strategy for a five year period from April 2016 to March 2021.
Decisions
of Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources
i.
Agreed
the draft climate change strategy attached to the report at Appendix A for
public consultation.
ii.
Agreed the consultation approach set out in paragraph 3.12 of
the report.
Reason for the Decision
As set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny
Considerations
The Committee received a report from the Strategy and Partnerships
Manager.
Dr Eva addressed the Committee and made the
following points:
i.
There were obligations to reduce emissions as
signatories to the Copenhagen Accord, the increase in global temperature should
be below 2 degrees on the basis of equity therefore deep cuts in global
emissions were required according to science.
ii.
The Council’s Climate Change Strategy failed
to lay out the scale of the dangers faced, ignored climate science, did not
inspire citizens and failed to address issues of fairness.
iii.
Requested that the Council introduced a 10%
reduction target per year for emissions into the Climate Change Policy.
The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:
i.
Expressed concern at the change to the climate
change objectives as they no longer seemed to seek high standards.
ii.
The Council could not promise to deliver a target
figure for Cambridge when the Council did not have control over all the
services provided in Cambridge.
iii.
Requested information on rainfall in relation to
paragraph 2.5 of the officer’s report.
iv.
Clarification was sought regarding paragraph 5.15
of the officer’s report and what was meant by rapid charging infrastructure.
v.
Questioned whether the Executive Councillor would
put a target on the first objective of the Policy.
In response to Members’ questions the Strategy and Partnerships Manager
said the following:
i.
The emission figures were provided by way of
illustration.
ii.
The Cambridge emission figures showed the energy
usage by domestic households, would need to check about emissions from people
driving into the City with the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
iii.
Confirmed that the wording of the climate change
objectives had changed but this did not mean that the Council was any less
ambitious and the Council would still seek to set high standards.
iv.
Welcomed comments on the drafting of the document
before the document went out to consultation.
v.
With regards to the commercial food waste
collection service the Council ideally wanted businesses to reduce the food
waste produced in the first place.
vi.
Confirmed that paragraph 5.15 of the report which
referred to rapid charging infrastructure, was in relation to charging points
for electric vehicles.
vii.
The Council had considered the use of photovoltaic
solar panels on some of its buildings but following the Government’s withdrawal
of the feed in tariff subsidy was no longer able to pursue this.
viii.
A carbon management plan ran alongside the Climate
Change Policy, this previously set a Council target of a 20% reduction over a 5
year period. There had been a number of issues in measuring energy usage data
but now the Council had more reliable data.
A revised Carbon Management Plan was due to come to Committee in
January
In response to Members’ questions the
Executive Councillor said the following:
i.
i. Cambridge was the fastest growing City in
the region.
ii.
ii. Noted the comments about imported carbon but
the Council could not disconnect itself from people who travelled into the
City.
iii.
iii. Climate Energy, a company the City Council worked
with for energy saving home improvements went into administration on 8 October
2015. The administrators were trying to find a buyer for the company. The Council would need to work with those
individuals who were already having work done or had
paid a deposit to ensure that these people had their work sorted out
first.
iv.
iv. Rainfall was covered within paragraph 2.3 of
the officer’s report.
v.
v. Congratulated the Strategy and
Partnerships Manager for the work which had been undertaken on the draft Climate
change Policy.
vi.
vi. The Council had limited ability to influence
beyond Cambridge.
The Committee resolved by 6 votes to 0 to endorse the recommendation.
The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.
Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor
(and any Dispensations Granted):
Not applicable.
Publication date: 14/01/2016
Date of decision: 12/10/2015