Agenda item

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. The deadline for registering is 5.00pm on 13 December 2019. Members of the public can speak on agenda items or matters within the remit of the Committee.

To register to speak please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting, on the details at the foot of the agenda.

Filming, Recording or Webcasting Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will be filmed and webcast, or recorded, including any registered public speakers who have given their permission. The broadcast can be viewed at http://www.york.gov.uk/webcasts or, if sound recorded, this will be uploaded onto the Council’s website following the meeting.

Residents are welcome to photograph, film or record Councillors and Officers at all meetings open to the press and public. This includes the use of social media reporting, i.e. tweeting.  Anyone wishing to film, record or take photos at any public meeting should contact the Democracy Officer (whose contact details are at the foot of this agenda) in advance of the meeting.

The Council’s protocol on Webcasting, Filming & Recording of Meetings ensures that these practices are carried out in a manner both respectful to the conduct of the meeting and all those present.  It can be viewed at http://www.york.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/11406/protocol_for_webcasting_filming_and_recording_of_council_meetings_20160809.pdf

It was reported that there had been six registrations to speak under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Petra Bistri?i? confirmed that Extinction Rebellion’s road blocks would continue in the city every month to protest against air pollution in the city. They raised concerns that air pollution in the city was a major environmental and health issue that resulted in the death of York residents every year. They requested that the Council take the health risks seriously and that the city be made a car free zone. This request would extend to electric vehicles as they also create air pollution.

June Tranmer spoke as a member of One Planet York on its planning moving forward and the groups funding situation, with member funding not be sufficient for the group to carry out work. They highlighted that the group was still writing its mission statement and would like to provide mentoring to business’ across the city, to assist these business to reduce their carbon foot print.

Debby Cobbett raised the Yorkshire and Humber Pensioners Convention Transport Manifesto and noted the importance of better bus services to people and the planet. They also noted that York’s current bus services were not good enough for accessing the city centre. They asked the Committee to support the manifesto either as a Committee or as individual members. They raised the Council magazine not including anything on climate change and questioned if the council had done enough after declaring a climate emergency.

Kate Ravilious highlighted their background in climate science and their role as a science journalist. They noted that they were pleased that carbon budgeting was on the agenda but that the City of York Council had not done enough fast enough and were treating the Climate Emergency like it was business as usual. They requested the Committee recommend to the Executive to create a Specialist Climate Emergency team, to create a strategy on how to reach a net zero by 2030, and to pause all major projects until the strategy is in place.

David Emslie runs two business’ at Clifton Moor, these business carry out work in lighting and water which can save money and reduce carbon emissions. They noted that their projects aim to keep cost lower than the predicted savings and that projects on average recoup the cost of the project in 3 years. They an audit carried out for the York Eco Business Centre in May 2016 that highlighted a potential saving in both carbon emissions and up keep cost to upgrade light bulbs, that was not implemented. They asked that the Committee to support working with local organisations that can assist in reaching zero carbon by 2030.   

Geoff Beacon raised concerns that the Local Plan was planning for people in the city to have large carbon foot prints. They highlighted a concern that a large amount of York residents were retired and moved from the south to buy several properties in the city, resulting in York importing a lot of high carbon foot prints, while driving those in the city with a low carbon foot print to live further out of the city. They noted that too few people knew about the Committee in the city and that more should be done to advertise it.