Issue - meetings

City of York Council has set a target to reduce carbon emissions from corporate activity to net zero by 2030. This is an Annual Carbon Emissions Report to monitor progress against this target and identify areas of improvement.

Resolved:

i.             That the City of York Council Corporate Emissions Report is approved and the Council’s contribution to city-wide emissions is noted.

Reason: This report fulfils the commitment in the Council Plan to report on City of York Council’s corporate emissions, using the standardised and transparent SCATTER methodology.

ii.            That the recommended actions listed in the report to reduce emissions is approved.

Reason: Progress towards City of York Council becoming net zero carbon by 2030.

The Executive Member considered a report on York’s carbon emissions from corporate activity in 2021/22, which monitored progress towards the City’s 2030 net zero goal and identified areas of improvements. The Head of Carbon Reduction outlined the report and reported that:

·        Total emissions experienced a small decrease between 2020/21 and 2021/22.

·        Corporate emissions accounted for roughly 4% of city-wide greenhouse gas emissions and the Council’s fleet and buildings accounted for most of the corporate emissions.

·        Emissions associated with the fleet continued to reduce as a result of the electrification programme.

·        Emissions from the space heating and hot water of buildings increased but are still lower than they were in 2019.

He also went on to explain that since 2019, the Council have produced decarbonisation plans for buildings, introduced carbon literacy training, adopted a policy to consider low carbon heating solutions, and continue to decarbonise the fleet and promote active travel. The Officer concluded by stating that further progress needs to be made in decarbonising the Car Club fleet, improving understanding of scope 3 emissions, and reviewing waste production in office buildings.

The Executive Member thanked the Officer for the work on this issue and the data within the report.

Resolved:

i.             That the City of York Council Corporate Emissions Report is approved and the Council’s contribution to city-wide emissions is noted.

Reason: This report fulfils the commitment in the Council Plan to report on City of York Council’s corporate emissions, using the standardised and transparent SCATTER methodology.

ii.            That the recommended actions listed in the report to reduce emissions is approved.

Reason: Progress towards City of York Council becoming net zero carbon by 2030.