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Lancashire County Council
Cabinet Committee on Climate Change and the Environment
Minutes of the Meeting held on Monday 24 May 2010, 3.00 pm at County
Hall, Preston
Present:
County Councillor Tim Ashton (In the Chair)
County Councillor Mike Calvert
County Councillor Susie Charles
County Councillor Michael Green
County Councillor Janice Hanson
Co-Opted Members
Anne Selby – Lancashire Wildlife Trust
Dr John Collins – Environment Agency
Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from County Councillor Mark Perks.
Disclosure of Personal and Prejudicial Interests
None were declared.
Minutes of the Meeting held on 8th December 2009
The Minutes of the meeting held on the 8th December, 2009 were presented.
9.
Resolved: That the Minutes of the meeting held on the 8th December,
2009 be confirmed and signed by the Chairman.
Dr John Collins reported that he is taking up a temporary secondment within
the Agency to review regulatory practices across England and Wales. He is
therefore stepping down from his co-opted role, but his successor will
continue the Agency's participation in the Committee.
The Chair and Members thanked John for his valuable advice during his short
spell on the Committee, and wished him well for the future.
Lessons learned from the Cumbrian Floods
Dr John Collins, Regional Manager of the Environment Agency gave a
presentation on the impact of the Cumbrian Floods that occurred in November
2009. Dr Collins highlighted the key points of the floods including the causes,
impact on rivers and towns and the warning systems used.
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Some of the key points learned from the Cumbrian Floods included:
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Ensuring effective engagement with the local communities to help prepare
for any incidents.
Acting early on forecasts rather than actual rainfall.
Developing a formal framework of policies and procedures for recovery.
Recognising the need to communicate the severity of flooding.
Preparing for media demands
Helping businesses recover qujckly
Resolved: That the Committee note the presentation and the
comments made regarding the lessons learned from the Cumbrian
Floods and requested that the key points of the lessons learned be
reported to the next meeting of the Committee..
Adapting to Climate Change – Activity Update
Joanne Hudson gave a verbal update and reported that Lancashire County
Council was making good progress towards National Indicator NI188 –
'planning to adapt to climate change'.
Joanne explained that National indicator 188 measures local authority
progress on assessing and managing climate risk and opportunities. It also
measures progress on incorporating action into local authority and
partners/strategic planning. There are four levels of the indicator which gauge
the progress of a local area in the achievement of the following objectives:
1. Assess the risks and opportunities comprehensively across the area
2. Take action in any identified priority areas
3. Develop an adaptation action plan setting out the risk assessment,
where the priority areas are and what action is being taken to address
these
4. Implement, assess and monitor the actions on an ongoing basis.
Joanne advised that a full report with details of what Lancashire County
Council is doing to make progress towards National Indicator NI188 would be
presented to a future meeting of the Committee.
11.
Resolved: That the Committee note the verbal update, and agreed
that a full report be presented to the September 2010 meeting of the
Committee.
Carbon Reduction Programme 2011/11 in Lancashire County Council
Operation
Fiona Cruchley (Environment Directorate) presented a report and explained
that the County Council has to report annually on the carbon dioxide
emissions from its own operations through the requirements of NI 185. The
indicator requires emissions from buildings, street-lighting, business travel
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and service delivery to be assessed. The first report on this performance
indicator was made in July 2009 and this provides the baseline year against
which future reductions will be measured. In 2008/9 Lancashire County
Council emitted 159,000 tonnes CO2. The target for the County Council is to
reduce these emissions by 16% in 5 years.
Fiona also explained that of the £20 million pounds spent by the County
Council on energy, £10 million was spent in Schools. The Committee
discussed ways in which everyone could jointly work, particularly with Schools
to look at ways to reduce the CO2 emissions.
12.
Resolved: That the Committee noted the report and requested that a
financial or other mechanism be investigated by officers from the
Resources Directorate and the Environment Directorate that will enable
schools to make capital investments to reduce their energy
consumption and carbon emissions. A progress should be brought to
the next meeting of the Committee to be held in July 2010.
Lancashire Climate Change Strategy Annual Progress Report (2009 – 10)
Debbie King (Environment Directorate) presented the report which set out
progress made against Lancashire's target to cut carbon emissions by 30% by
2020 as well as objectives for adapting to the consequences of a changing
climate.
Debbie explained that The Climate Change Partnership recommends that the
Lancashire target to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2020 (from 1990
baseline) should be increased initially to 34% to reflect the national target. A
further 'stretch' target on top of this should then be considered after the
publication of the updated 2008 regional study into the potential for carbon
savings in the Northwest (Autumn 2010) and 2008 DECC CO2 emissions data
has been released.
13.
Resolved: The Committee that resolved to:
(a)
Note the first annual progress report on Lancashire's Climate
Change Strategy, and;
(b)
Endorsed the Lancashire Climate Change Partnership's
recommendation that targets are revised to 34% (to reflect the
national target) and that the finalised progress report be reported
to the Lancashire Leaders.
Lancashire Partnership's 'Big Ticket' approach to Climate Change
Andy Mullaney (Environment Directorate) presented the report and explained
that 'Big Ticket Issues' (BTIs) have been identified by the Lancashire
Partnership as those issues that affect a range of outcomes, and that
significantly influence the County Council's efforts to achieve both LAA and
longer term (Ambition Lancashire) targets.
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Four Big Ticket Issues have been agreed by the Partnership based on
emerging Comprehensive Area Assessment findings, impact, resident priority,
performance and cost (financial, social and long term implications). They are:
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The Economy
Health Inequalities
Affordable Housing, and
Climate Change
The Lancashire Partnership has asked various partnerships in the county to
formulate ideas and proposals that would make a 'breakthrough' against the
appropriate Big Ticket issue.
The Lancashire Climate Change Partnership, together with various other
groups, has developed some early thinking on projects that might make a
breakthrough as follows:
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Fuel Poverty Referral Project
Low Cost Home Insulation Project
Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) Resource Efficiency Project
Spatial Planning Project
Andy gave an update on each of the projects and the take up on things like
loft and wall insulation.
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Resolved: The Committee then resolved to note the report and agreed
to support the emerging four project ideas from the Lancashire
Partnership's 'Big Ticket' approach to climate change.
The Chair requested the Lancashire Climate Change Partnership consider Big
Ticket projects around fuel poverty, schools carbon emissions, and climate
change adaptation.
'The National and International Context on Climate Change Policy, Post
Copenhagen'
Andrew Coombe (Environment Directorate) presented the report which
examined the recent international climate change summit at Copenhagen.
Andrew highlighted the existing national policy on climate change and
addressed how these policy agendas are translated at the regional and local
level, he also described the work Lancashire County Council was doing in
response to this including:
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Launching the Lancashire Climate Change Strategy in April 2009.
The County Council taking a lead role in co-ordinating delivery on
National Indicator 186.
Leading on National Indicator 187 'Reducing Fuel Poverty' for the
Lancashire Local Area Agreement (LAA).
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Leading on National Indicator 188 'Adapting to Climate Change'.
Working on the County Council's programme of work to reduce carbon
emissions from its own operations. The 5 year programme aims to
deliver a reduction of 16%.
Maximising the economic opportunities associated with the shift to a
low carbon economy, encouraging businesses to lower their energy
use, carbon emissions and waste and supporting the development of a
low carbon economy in Lancashire.
Transport planning (for example the current Local Transport Plan 3)
which aims to reduce congestion and emissions by encouraging people
to use public transport and to walk or cycle short journeys.
Keeping up to date with the developments regarding a nuclear power
station for Heysham.
Resolved: The Committee agreed to note the report.
An Introduction to Carbon Offsetting and the Lancashire Gulu Carbon
Compensation Scheme
Fiona Cruchley presented the report which provided an introduction to Carbon
Offsetting, Fiona explained that Carbon Offsetting means paying another
party to reduce CO2 emissions somewhere else on your behalf. Fiona also
explained that Carbon Offsetting cannot be used to fund projects in
Lancashire. Carbon offset projects must be additional to emission reduction
projects that are already required.
Lancashire County Council's Carbon Offset project is the Lancashire Gulu
Carbon Compensation Scheme. The project is now in its third year, and it was
established with the support of the County Council. Support is now limited to
a modest amount of officer time.
The development of the project has been undertaken as a partnership
between the County Council and the Lancashire Gulu Link charity here in
Lancashire, working with Gulu Municipal Council and the Gulu Lancashire
Link charity in Uganda. The project builds on a relationship between the 2
communities that was established in the early 1990s.
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Resolved: The Committee agreed to note the report.
Date of the Next Meeting
It was reported that the next meeting of the Committee would be held on
Tuesday, 20 July 2010 at 10.00 am in the Policy Meeting General Room,
Christ Church Precinct at County Hall, Preston.
Ged Fitzgerald
Chief Executive
County Hall
Preston
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