Issue - meetings

To consider the draft final report of the former Housing Scrutiny Board, delivering their research and findings regarding approaches Local Authorities might take to reducing carbon emissions in York’s public and private sector housing.

Consideration was given to the draft final report of the former Housing Scrutiny Board which presented their research and findings regarding approaches Local Authorities might take in reducing carbon emissions in York’s public and private sector housing. The Sub-Committee were recommended to agree the report and subject to amendments, its submission to Scrutiny Management Committee, in line with their decision to complete outstanding scrutiny topics as a matter or urgency.

Reference was made to the lack of Member commitment to the report following Cllr Jamieson-Ball, as the Scrutiny Boards Chair’s appointment as Executive Member for Youth and Social Inclusion. It was felt that there was a case for this topic to be converted into an Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee to enable full consideration to be given by Members and Officers to finalising the report.

Members also considered a list of proposed amendments to the report, made by Cllr Hill, which had been emailed to Members detailing a series of short term actions which could be taken to help in the reduction of carbon emissions. Details were also circulated, at the meeting, of the Green Parties Alternative Energy Report in particular charts showing selected carbon reduction options that were not included in current Government policies, plans or programmes.

Consideration was given to the principals and major points in the draft report prior to further consideration by an informal drafting meeting of former Board members and an examination of the implications by Officers.

RESOLVED:  (i) That the Scrutiny Management Committee be requested to agree an extension of time for the completion of the Housing topic Reducing Carbon Emissions in York’s Housing as it was not considered feasible to finalise the report without further work and a full examination of the implications by Officers, for submission to SMC on 25 September 2006.

                        (ii) That subject to the following amendments and alterations the draft final report of the Housing Scrutiny Board be circulated to Members and Officers by email prior to an informal meeting of the Board on Friday 4 August at 4.15pm to complete the redraft of the report.

a.At the redrafting stage the wording of the report be simplified, in plain English and particularly technical information contained in an annex, footnote or bibliography to the document to make it accessible to everyone;

b.Recommendation 2 in the summary of recommendations the removal of the more than and less than symbols () and their replacement with text.

c.Recommendation 5 in the summary of recommendations the replacement of the words “funded housing” with “local authority stock” in the second line.

d.The inclusion of the following text before paragraph 14  “Nationally, our reaction to the threat of climate change has not been very effective:

·      It has long been the Government’s policy to reduce greenhouse emissions by 20 per cent from 1990 levels by 2010. We are now emitting only 7.5% less than in 1990.

·      Carbon dioxide emissions rose by 1.5% in 2004, and figures released this year showed that carbon dioxide  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5