Issue - meetings

Councillor Hipkin left the Committee meeting before the vote was taken on this item.

 

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.