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Craven District Council Climate Change Strategy And Climate Local Commitments 2013 – 2016 www.cravendc.gov.uk Foreword Our climate is changing and Craven District Council is committed to prepare for these changes. Like many global problems action at a local level, no matter how small, is vitally important. Tackling climate change is recognised as a major issue as it will continually effect; people, places, economies, society and the environment. For this reason, the Government sees local authorities playing a lead exemplar role in tackling climate change. The government passed a Climate Change Bill making its 80% CO2 emissions reduction target by 2050 legally binding. Craven District Council agrees with the Independent Committee on Climate Change May 2012 report which stated ‘A failure to secure reductions across the areas where local authorities have significant influence would leave emissions above levels required to meet the climate change Bill’. This strategy focuses on how Craven District Council is committed to reducing its own and the Districts Carbon Emissions and assisting communities to adapt to weather extremes that impact on their lives. The strategy builds on the 2009 version which to introduced how Craven District Council was going to start reducing its impact on Climate Change. This document demonstrates the council’s commitment to continually reduce its impacts on climate change by taking lessons learnt over the past three years and developing viable and realistic actions that further reduce and prepare the district for the future. Craven District Council signed the Nottingham Declaration in November 2007 and since then has continually followed its obligation. The Nottingham Declaration has now been transformed into the Local Government Association Climate Local initiative which is designed to drive, inspire and support council action on carbon reduction and climate resilience. By creating this document and its climate local commitments Craven District Council will sign up (see Appendix B) to be a Climate Local Council and continue to work on Carbon Reduction and Climate Resilience. Overall action on climate change will benefit every individual who lives, works and visits the District. Paul Shevlin Chief Executive Craven District Council Councillor Carl Lis Lead Member for the Environment Craven District Council Page 2 Contents Page Page Section Page 3 Introduction Craven District Council is committed to tackling climate change and the risks associated with minimising the impact that it will have on Craven and the Council. This strategy builds on the previous strategy and action plan, by focusing our commitments to comply with the new Local Government Associations Climate Local Initiative and to concentrate resources on viable and succinct actions that achieve the paramount outcome. The strategy sets out how the climate is impacting on Craven in the past, currently and in the future and also how Craven District Council Services are doing their parts to tackle the impacts of Climate Change. Finally the strategy covers Craven communities and actions to be carried out over the future to adapt climate change, because if everyone changed one thing then Craven would be closer to reducing its impact on climate change. Climate Local Council Climate Local is a Local Government Association (LGA) initiative to drive, inspire and support council action on a changing climate. The initiative supports councils’ efforts both to reduce carbon emissions and also to improve their resilience to the affects of our changing climate and extreme weather. By Craven District Council signing up to the commitment we will participate and receive the following; · Signing a Climate Local Commitment which demonstrates we are addressing climate change and challenging ourselves to build on our existing climate change related achievements · Provide an annual update to demonstrate performance against our climate local commitments. · The LGA provides additional resources and support via a new web-based resource, online communities and opportunities for peer learning. Climate Change in Craven Weathering the storm was produced in 2009 to illustrate how the climate could impact on the Yorkshire and Humber region. The table below illustrates the headline figures quoted for Craven. . Future Climatic condition Increased summer temperature Decreased summer rainfall Increased winter temperature Increased winter rainfall Increased storminess Increased rainfall intensity Rising sea level Page 4 2020 + 1.3°C 2050 + 2.3°C 2080 + 3.3°C - 8% - 19% - 23% + 1.3°C + 1.9°C + 2.9°C + 4% + 11% + 15% Increase over time Increase over time 22cm by 2050, 36cm by 2080* Source: Weathering the storm: Yorkshire and Humber regional adaptation study, 2009 *UK Climate Change Projections 2009 Since the first Craven District Council climate change strategy was produced in 2009, external regional funding was sourced to fund an exercise called a Local Climate Impact Profile (LCLIP) which looks at extreme weather episodes over approximately a 10 year period and this profile found the following; The most common current extreme weather events in Craven are snow/blizzards (60% of the total climate profile) and heavy rainfall resulting in surface water and pluvial flooding (29% of the total climate profile). Smaller communities and rural areas suffered the majority of impacts due to roads having been closed by floods and snow with over 90% of the impacts from snow events were in rural areas A single period of increased temperature was recorded in July 2006. Temperatures exceeded 32⁰C which increased the number of call outs by the Ambulance service and increased the Fire Severity Index, with Fire and Rescue services called to moorland fires. Although much guidance focuses on the negative impact of climate change, the district could benefit from a longer growing season, increased crop yields, agricultural diversification and increased tourism. Craven District Council Current Carbon Footprint A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact Craven District Councils activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day activities. For example the burning of fossil fuels for generating electricity or producing heat. Craven District Councils Carbon footprint for 2011/12 was XXXX tonnes of CO2 e and the council has set a target of a 2% reduction per year until March 2016. This sits in line with the Independent Committee on Climate Change May 2012 report that recommended that there is a statutory duty for all local authorities develop and implement low carbon plans (achieving an annual reduction of 2%) to enable the Department for Energy and Climate Change to meet its Carbon Budgets and its legally binding Climate Change Bill target of 80% reduction by 2050. Craven District Council is currently under the minimum criteria for the Department for Energy and Climate Change Carbon Reduction Commitment energy efficiency scheme which is a mandatory scheme aimed at improving energy efficiency and cutting emissions in large public and private sector organisations. Although we do not meet the current criteria we are ensuring that we continually improve our energy efficiency and Carbon Reduction to ensure a smoother transition on to the scheme if anything changes in the future. Page 5 Craven Districts Current Carbon Footprint Recently the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) published Craven Districts Carbon footprint for 2010. This is 445.2 kt of CO2 emitted in 2010, compared with 493.6 kt of CO2 emitted in 2005 and per capita emissions has reduced from 9.0 t to 8.0t which is over an 11% reduction. Craven District Council is committed to reducing this further and the climate local commitments reflect this vision. Climate Change Strategy Vision Craven District Council is committed to reducing Carbon both operationally and in the community it serves through viable means as well as preparing for the projected changes to the climate. This strategy illustrates the type of work Craven District Council is committed to carry out to maintain the vision. Climate Change Strategy Objectives III. I. Sustainable Development; Assist in meeting Craven District Councils vision as a prosperous place by working in key areas, which include: Planning Flooding Biodiversity II. Managing Direct Emissions; Assists Craven District Council in meeting the reducing Carbon corporate priorities by effective managing and improving (where viable) the following key areas: Energy Management Renewable Energy Water Management Waste Management Transport Empowering Communities; Assisting Craven District Council empower communities and enterprise businesses to tackle the positive and negative impacts of climate change: Housing/ domestic Businesses Adaptation Sustainable Development - Planning The planning system is the most powerful tool local authorities have for ensuring development will be sustainable in a changing climate. Craven’s district is quite complex as there are two planning authorities (Craven District Council and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority) that operate within the district boundaries (See Figure 3). The way in which developments are regulated, planned and built and the way in which resources are used to do this, can determine whether or not they are sustainable. Simply Page 6 by re-evaluating how and where we construct we can reduce emissions and adapt to some of the impacts of climate change. Over the duration of this strategy the Building Regulations and building control who enforce how structures can be constructed is evolving rapidly in terms of reducing carbon and increasing energy efficiency as domestic dwellings will be built to code for sustainable homes level 6 (zero Carbon emission properties) by 2016, followed by zero carbon non domestic properties in 2019. Therefore due to the tiered introduction of these strict regulations throughout the duration of the strategy this will ensure that properties constructed in the future will have a lower impact on climate change in Craven. Figure 3 Map of the District Dark Green – Yorkshire Dales National Park Planning Authority Light Green – Craven District Council Planning Authority Page 7 Sustainable Development – Flooding Sir Michael Pitt (2007) stated local authorities (North Yorkshire County Council Emergency Planning team and Craven District Council) should lead on the management of local flood risk, with the support of relevant organisations. Which include the environment Agency, Utility Companies, Airedale Drainage Commissioners, Landowners and Riparian owners have duties and roles to play in preventing flooding. Below is a summary of these duties and roles. Craven District Council – Environmental Protection team investigates drainage problems relating to commercial and private properties and can require the unblocking of drains and sewers under Public Health legislation and also provides advice for members of the public. With the assistance of North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) Emergency Planning Unit, Environmental Health continues to respond to the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and relevant guidance, including the Pitt Review in planning for all emergencies including flooding. In conjunction with NYCC Emergency Planning Unit and the Police, we would open rest centres in the event of a flooding incident necessitating the evacuation of residents. Forty flooding hotspots throughout Craven are inspected by Environmental Protection staff every month. Debris is removed and any problem watercourses are added to the inspection list which has been successful in reducing future localised flooding. Sandbag stocks are maintained at Craven District Council depot on Engine Shed lane and Settle Coal depot. As an alternative to delivering sandbags during flooding, we now have community sandbag stores at; Sutton, Bentham, Bradley, Consitone with Kilnsey, Gargrave and Ingleton. More stores are currently being sourced. The Planning Authority is responsible for ensuring that all new developments are not subject to flooding and should consult the Environment Agency and Environmental Health about the suitability of sites. All new developments should be required to have no additional burden on the existing surface drainage system in accordance with the Governments code of practice on sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). The Craven Multi Agency Flood Plan is a government requirement for all local authority areas, setting out what each organisation will do during a flood event. Craven District Council has an approved plan that aims to identify areas at risk of flooding and outline the policies and procedures which enable the emergency services and supporting agencies to manage river and surface/ground water flooding within the Craven District area. North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) - As the Highway Authority, NYCC has duties to deal with flooding on roads, maintains the road drainage system and clears blocked road gullies. The County Council has been given the new role of lead local flood authority by the Water Management Bill and the Flood Risk Regulations 2009 to create local flood risk management strategies and carry out other responsibilities (referred to in the report.) The County Council now acts as the Land Drainage Authority using powers under the Land Drainage Act 1991. This was formally a Craven District Council function until 2011, and requires the owners of watercourses and culverts to keep them free flowing. Page 8 Yorkshire Water and United Utilities - The Sewerage undertakers have responsibility for public sewers and for dealing with blockages and carrying out repairs and improvements. In the north of Craven this is United Utilities and in Skipton and the South, this is Yorkshire Water. The Environment Agency - The main river systems throughout Craven are under the jurisdiction of the Environment Agency, a government body that deals with a range of water management and quality issues. They carry out enforcement, maintenance and improvement works and have been instrumental in tackling the causes of the previous disastrous floods in Skipton 25 years ago. The Environment Agency has emergency plans in place to deal with flooding. They have set up river monitoring and early warning systems around Craven based on triggers from level recorders on rivers, including Skipton town centre where there are level recorders near Morrisons, the Haw Beck/Waller Hill Beck level station and near the Fisher medical centre. The Environment Agency has a Flood Warning Plan whereby they notify both professional partners and local residents about potential flooding. They issue flood warnings via out of hours numbers to Environmental Health, to the general public through the media and also directly by phone to residents who have signed up to the early warning system (in flood risk areas). A Craven multi agency flood plan is to be developed in 2009 which will be produced together by the Professional Partners, co-ordinated by the Environment Agency. The Airedale Drainage Commissioners - Look after specific watercourses and ditches on behalf of its members around the River Aire in the south of Craven. Landowners/ Riparian owners - The owner of any watercourse is responsible for its upkeep. This may be the landowner on whose land the watercourse or culvert flows, or it can the owner of the land either side, ie the Riparian owner. These landowners do not have a duty to carry out improvements. Sustainable Development - Biodiversity The changing climate is impacting on UK ecosystems and this impact is expected to increase and accelerate in future, threatening the conservation of biodiversity. Without plants and animals we would not be able to survive e.g. pollination of crops by bees. The success of each species is essential to the health and well being of the whole planet, if species are destroyed having taken millions of years to evolve. The UK Government pledged to take action and as a result the UKBAP was published. The UKBAP was published to maintain and enhance Biodiversity and guides local government to publish a Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP). The Craven LBAP (http://www.ukbap.org.uk/lbap.aspx?id=535) identified that there are 19 UKBAP priorities in the district and 11 habitats of conservation concern. The LBAP also identified 53 species that are considered to be under threat locally. Page 9 The Craven Local Biodiversity Action Plan is due to be updated in 2012. The update will be led by North Yorkshire County Council and it is currently unclear what format this update will take, or when it is likely to happen. Craven will continue to use the 2005 Local BAP until an updated version is available. The Council will continue to have a regard for the conservation of biodiversity when carrying out its various functions, as is required by the NERC Act (2006). Within the planning department, policies will be written into the new Local Development Plan to protect and enhance biodiversity, and ecological surveys will be required to accompany planning applications on sites where development is likely to have an impact on biodiversity. Craven District is fortunate to have a National Park within its boundaries and the Yorkshire Dales National Park has its own LBAP. These two LBAPs provide a comprehensive assessment of the varieties of species within the District and highlights area where work needs to be undertaken to preserve/ enhance environments. Within Craven there are a total of 112 (15 in Craven and 97 within the Yorkshire Dales Boundaries) Sites of Special Scientific Interests (SSSI’s). The Forest of Bowland to the East of Craven is another area of natural beauty which is threatened by climate change. This unique area of natural beauty needs preserving and protecting from the impacts of climate change in the future and all the organisations that are responsible for protecting this rural landscape need to co-ordinate their activities to optimise their effectiveness in reducing the impacts of climate change. Managing Direct Emissions - Energy Management Energy is critical to our everyday lives and how the council operates. We often take it for granted that electricity is available 365 days a year, but in the near future energy security could inhibit how the council can operate it services and how communities could survive with black outs or power shortages. The Department for Energy and Climate Change is currently trying to seek solutions to energy security in Britain but the council can play its part by reducing the amount it uses or requires by managing its resources effectively using the elements of the energy hierarchy (demand reduction and energy efficiency). Craven District Council is committed to reducing energy from its operations and has put a target of XXXXXXXXXXXXXX and will implement a basic Carbon Management Plan to ensure all viable options/ solutions are explored/ installed to maintain or reduce our future energy use. This commitment replaces the energy management policy that was agreed at Craven District Council Policy Committee in 19th January 2011. Managing Direct Emissions - Renewable Energy Since the launch of the climate change strategy in 2009 the renewable energy sector has evolved rapidly as the Government is working towards achieving its own and European targets and ensuring renewable technologies assist with the ever increasing energy Page 10 demand and the decreasing old energy generation technologies (e.g. Coal fired power stations). In 2010 the Government launched the Feed In Tariff (FIT) which rewards approved installations of electricity generating technologies with a set tariff over a set period plus other incentives of free electricity and export tariffs. Since 2010 the tariff have been amended for some renewable technologies but is still in place to stimulate growth, business and opportunities in the renewable energy technologies sector. For more information regarding the FIT visit the Department for Energy and Climate Change Website. As well as the launch of the Feed In Tariff the Government has extensively consulted and investigated rewarding residents and businesses that install renewable heat technologies. This scheme is called the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and is currently available for the commercial sector and the Department for Energy and Climate Change hope to roll out the domestic RHI in the summer of 2013. The RHI will enable residents and businesses in Craven to install accredited renewable heat technologies and receive payments per kW of heat produced which will reduce the payback time. For more information on the Renewable Heat Incentive please visit the Department for Energy and Climate Change website. Another Government initiative that is due to be launched in 2012/13 is the green deal which includes renewable heat technologies. The green deal will basically involve a building being assessed for energy efficiency and renewable heat solutions and this will be provided in report format to the Craven resident or business. As long as the solution/s meet the criteria of the green deal they can then choose a green deal provider to install the solution and the equipment will be taken from the savings achieved in the buildings energy/ fuel bills. As mentioned this scheme is not available until after the strategy is launched and the details are still to be agreed Nationally. Please visit Craven District Councils website in 2013 for more information regarding the green deal. Craven District Council used the Craven Residents feedback panel in November 2011 to understand the resident’s views on renewable energy technologies being installed in Craven. The survey highlighted the following information; 96% of returned resident’s feedback surveys indicated that renewable energy technologies are required to meet the ever increasing energy demand in the UK. 50% of the returned resident’s feedback surveys stated that they had investigated installing some form of renewable technology on or within their properties. Finally in November 2011 54% of the returned residents feedback surveys stated the preventing factor of installing the technologies is the upfront capital expenditure even with the Government incentive schemes in place to reduce the paybacks of renewable energy technologies. Another study that was conducted by AECOM was launched in March 2011 to examine the potential for renewables in Yorkshire and Humber. This study highlights that Craven has the most potential in Yorkshire and Humber to produce electricity from hydro electric power. Please see the FIGURE XX below for potential figures for Craven. Page 11 CRAVEN Potential Current Current Resource Capacity Capacity - Heat (MW) (GWh's) (MW) Commercial Wind Small Scale Wind Hydro Solar Photovoltaic Solar Hot Water Air Source Heat Pumps Ground Source Heat Pumps Biomass (woodfuel) Potential resource electricity (MW) Potential resource (GWh's) 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 36 1 5 2 0 95 1 18 2 2 0 0 6 0 9 0 0 4 0 7 0 1 7 0 18 Figure XX – Current capacity and renewable energy resource in Craven. AECOM’s - Local Carbon and renewable energy capacity in Yorkshire and Humber study, March 2011 Managing Direct Emissions - Water Management The average household in England and Wales uses 150 litres/person/day (enough water for more than 500 cups of tea). On average Yorkshire Water supplies Yorkshire with 1.2 billion Litres of fresh treated water every day. The provision and removal of water to domestic and non domestic properties uses a significant amount of energy. About 2% of total energy used in the UK is used to treat water. This highlights how much we are dependent upon energy and this level of use is not sustainable in the long-term. The Government target for consumption of water is 130 litres/person/day by 2030. Craven District Council recognises that water management is a necessity and is a high Carbon emitting process and therefore introduced a water management policy (see appendix C) on 19th January 2011 which demonstrates our commitments to tackle the council’s operational water consumption. Page 12 Managing Direct Emissions - Waste Management In the UK over 290 million tonnes of rubbish is generated every year, with the average residual waste per person in England being 263 kg per year. In 2010/11 50% residual waste collected by local authorities went to landfill sites, which are fast filling up, and combined with the resulting greenhouse gases they create, the disposal methods of waste needs re-evaluating. Reducing the amount of waste going to landfill not only reduces the production of methane, it is also very important because if we do not recycle we are using up the world's valuable resources, many of which cannot be replaced. The waste strategy for the York and North Yorkshire Waste Partnership, of which Craven District Council is a partner, is to encourage waste minimisation, increase recycling and composting and to divert the remaining waste away from landfill by investing in alternative waste treatment technologies Maximising home composting is a good way Craven Residents can reduce their impact on climate change as it reduces the need to travel to household recycling centres and provides a good resource to put back on residents gardens in the future, therefore reducing the need to travel and/ or using fertiliser (which is a carbon intensive production process). Managing Direct Emissions - Transport Transport carbon emissions per capita in 2010 contributed to 32.5% of Craven Districts Carbon Footprint. Emissions from vehicles account for a significant proportion of CO2 equivalent emissions but emerging Government strategies and new technologies should enable us to tackle this issue and make transport greener. Within Craven District Council’s fleet we are continually searching for solutions to reduce fuel usage and mileage and this will continue to aid in reaching our annual operational reduction in Carbon Emission. Locally transport is the most difficult area to address in terms of climate change. This is because mobility is so central to life in rural communities. North Yorkshire County Council has tried to address some of these issues in the Local Transport Plan 3 (2011 – 2016) please refer to the North Yorkshire County Council website for more details on plan. Empowering Communities – Housing Domestic carbon emissions per capita in 2010 contributed to 33.75% of Craven Districts Carbon Footprint. During the writing of this strategy this a large shift/ transition from energy companies Carbon tax funded energy efficiency schemes (through CERT and CESP) to a more privately financed energy efficiency schemes like Green Deal and ECO. Page 13 It is difficult to give further information at present as the Department for energy and climate change is still consulting on elements and the future of all the different schemes is uncertain as to when the officially terminate and commence. Overall there is energy efficiency and Carbon Saving scheme available for the majority of households in Craven and please contact the council for further information. As well as energy efficiency the Government have introduced two other schemes that focus on producing renewable forms of electricity (Feed In Tariff) and heat (Renewable Heat Incentive). The Feed In Tariff (FIT) has been available since April 2010 and has evolved since, but the basis is if a domestic property installs an accredited renewable electricity generating technology they will receive the free electricity generated, an export tariff and a set tariff for each kWh produced. The Department for Energy and Climate Change is currently consulting on the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), but basically a household that installs an accredited renewable heat technology will receive a set tariff for every kW of heat produced by the accredited equipment. Please consult the Department for Energy and Climate Change website for further information regarding both the FIT’s and RHI. During 2012 the Department for Energy and Climate Change has been working on updating/ amending the Home Energy Conservation Act (HECA) 1995, to get Local Authorities to report every other March (starting in March 2013) on what activities have taken places to improve energy efficiency in Cravens housing and monitor how Craven District Council is performing at trying to encourage residents to improve the energy efficiency and Carbon Reduction by predominately using the financial mechanism listed above to assist with implementing the different solutions to households in Craven. Empowering Communities - Businesses Businesses carbon emissions in 2010 contributed to 33.75% of Craven Districts Carbon Footprint. A Department for Energy and Climate Change report launched in May 2012 titled ‘Capturing the full electricity efficiency potential in the UK’ revealed that Britain is missing a large opportunity for electricity savings in the commercial sector revealing that the largest potential electricity savings remain in the non-residential sectors. Therefore after a successful pilot of sustainability audits for core funded organisations within Craven, Craven District Council will work with Economic Development to pilot a Carbon Reduction Survey to highlight to businesses in Craven this opportunity to reduce electricity and/ or potentially generate renewable sources of heat and/ or electricity. Although there does not seem to be opportunities for all businesses in Craven to reduce their Carbon Footprint and increase their energy efficiency many of the schemes that are mentioned in the domestic section above apply to the business sector as well. For example the Green Deal is going to be available to the commercial sector and the RHI and FIT are already available to businesses in Craven. Another option to drive efficiencies in the work place is to set up an environmental management system which will ensure your business continually improves its environmental performance and there are many different system in the market place from Page 14 Investors in the Environment to ISO 14001. For Example Investors in the Environment offers three levels of accreditation which mean offers something to suit every business each level is designed to provide you with a manageable route to greater efficiency, cost savings and reduce your impact on the environment. Empowering Communities - Adaptation Adaptation is the response made to the effects of climate change, in particular to planned responses aimed at minimising the threats and maximising the opportunities of a changing climate. The effects of climate change can already be seen in our everyday lives. During the last 40 years, the UK's winters are warming, with heavier bursts of rain. The summers are drier and hotter. Much of the UK is experiencing extreme climates more associated with our European neighbours. Figure XXXX demonstrates what the UK Climate Impact Programme projects could happen to the weather in the future. This highlights the reasons why adaptation is so important for tackling the impacts of climate change. For example winter precipitation is projected to increase by up 20% if this correct the incidents associated with pluvial and surface water flooding will increase and this is the reasoning to assist with setting up community/ parish resilience plans to ensure communities adapt to the increasing levels of winter precipitation. This is also the reasoning to promote the Environment Agency Flood Alert service as this is underutilised throughout Craven. Humans must adapt to survive. Therefore we all need to understand how climate change is going to impact us locally, what risks it poses and what we can do to prevent or reduce the consequences. As an example, the increase of extreme rainfall deluges lead to frequently burst river banks and flash surface water floods. The floods experienced in Craven in 2008 led to the first severe flooding warning being issued on Eller Beck. It is therefore important that we take steps to adapt to these weather extremes within the Craven District. Figure XXXX UKCP09 Predictions for Craven District Council UKCIP (UK Climate Impacts Programme) conducted a piece of work in 2009 to project how the climate may change in 2020, 2050 and 2080 and below shows how they project the weather could change over the next 70 years in Craven. 2020 Yorkshire and Humber Climate Projections The estimate of increase in winter mean temperature is 1.3ºC. The estimate of increase in summer mean temperature is between 1.3 - 1.4ºC. The estimate of increase in summer mean daily maximum temperature is 1.7 1.8ºC. The estimate of increase in summer mean daily minimum temperature is 1.5ºC. The estimate of change in winter mean precipitation is 5%. The estimate of change in summer mean precipitation is –6% - -5%. 2050 Yorkshire and Humber Climate Projections Page 15 The estimate of increase in winter mean temperature is 1.9ºC - 2.5ºC. The estimate of increase in summer mean temperature is 2.2ºC - 2.6ºC. The estimate of increase in summer mean daily maximum temperature is 2.9ºC 3.5ºC. The estimate of increase in summer mean daily minimum temperature is 2.4ºC 2.9ºC. The estimate of change in winter mean precipitation is 9% - 12%. The estimate of change in summer mean precipitation is –15% - –18%. 2080 Yorkshire and Humber Climate Projections The estimate of increase in winter mean temperature is 2.5ºC - 3.6ºC. The estimate of increase in summer mean temperature is 2.5ºC - 4.2ºC. The estimate of increase in summer mean daily maximum temperature is 3.4ºC 5.6ºC. The estimate of increase in summer mean daily minimum temperature is 2.8ºC 4.7ºC. The estimate of change in winter mean precipitation is 12% - 20%. The estimate of change in summer mean precipitation is –17% - –28%. Page 16 Further Information Craig Wilson Craven District Council’s Asset Efficiency and Compliance Officer 01756 706311 [email protected] If you need this document in an alternative format or language please contact us: Craven District Council 1 Belle Vue Square Broughton Road Skipton North Yorkshire BD23 1FJ Tel: 01756 700600 Email: [email protected] Website: www.cravendc.gov.uk Page 17 www.cravendc.gov.uk APPENDIX A – CLIMATE LOCAL COMMITMENTS Page 18 APPENDIX B – CLIMATE LOCAL COMMITMENT Climate Local Craven District Council: Our commitment to taking action in a changing climate Craven District Council recognises that our council has an important role to help our residents and businesses to capture the opportunities and benefits of action on climate change. These include saving money on energy bills, generating income from renewable energy, attracting new jobs and investment in ‘green’ industries, supporting new sources of energy, managing local flood-risk and water scarcity and protecting our natural environment. Craven District Council will progressively address the risks and pursue the opportunities presented by a changing climate, in line with local priorities, through our role as: Community leader – helping local people and businesses to be smarter about their energy use and to prepare for climate impacts; Service provider – delivering services that are resource efficient, less carbon intensive, resilient and that protect those who are most vulnerable to climate impacts; Estate manager – ensuring that our own buildings and operations are resource efficient, use clean energy, and are well prepared for the impacts of a changing climate. In signing this commitment, Craven District Council will: Set locally owned and determined commitments and actions to reduce carbon emissions and to manage climate impacts (which will be specific, measurable and challenging) Publish our commitments, actions and progress, enabling local communities to hold us to account Share the learning from our experiences and achievements with other councils Page 19 Regularly refresh our commitments and actions to ensure they are current and continue to reflect local priorities. Signed – Date – 19/11/2012 Councillor Chris Knowles-Fitton (Leader of Craven District Council) APPENDIX C – WATER MANAGEMENT POLICY (Approved at Policy Committee on 19/01/2011) Craven District Council’s Water Management Policy 2011 – 2014 Statement of Commitment Craven District Council is committed to the effective management of water, as a corporate resource, with the express intention of making the Council more cost effective and efficient and contributing to the conservation of the natural environment. Craven District Council will pursue efficiency in the management of water within our facilities by: Carrying out physical improvements which reduce water usage and disposal. Ensuring that our staff understand the financial and environmental reasons for using water efficiently. Monitoring consumption and setting targets for reducing the amount of water we use. Objectives Minimise expenditure on water bills and unnecessary water loss by reducing water consumption in all current new build or refurbished council facilities Promote conservation of water amongst council employees Install cost effective water saving devices in council owned properties Include cost effective water saving devices as part of all future building refurbishment and new build programmes under our ownership. Page 20 Create and maintain a high profile for Water Management within the Council Specify water efficient design when planning and building of new facilities Procure water efficient plant and equipment. Monitor water consumption to minimise usage and identify high consumption Consider the use of rainwater harvesting and grey water systems wherever practicable. Target Setting Regular monitoring will commence during 2011 to collect an accurate baseline of water usage. Once a baseline is established the council will aim to reduce water use by at least 3% per year. THIS POLICY WILL BE SUBJECT TO PERIODIC REVIEW Page 21