Agenda item

This report seeks approval of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan towards a Climate Change Strategy for the city, and also seeks agreement to the adoption of the Environmental Policy as a basis for the Council’s Environmental Management System (EMS).

RESOLVED:(i) That the Environmental Sustainability and Action Plan towards a Climate Change Strategy and the Environmental Policy statement be endorsed as a useful basis on which to develop a further report which should address the following issues:

a)                 required actions;

b)                 possible milestones;

c)                  practicality;

d)                 costs and resourcing streams;

                        (ii) That, in producing a refined strategy, officers be requested to show clearly the following:

a)     enablers indicating the percentage of the total target that each will achieve;

b)     further detail on the “City” (Local Strategic Partnership) component of the strategy;

c)      a consultation, resident education and public engagement programme.

REASON:To provide a basis for future action in environmental sustainability for the Council and for its Environmental Management System (EMS).

Members received a report which sought approval of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan towards a Climate Change Strategy for the city, and also sought agreement to the adoption of the Environmental Policy as a basis for the Council’s Environmental Management System (EMS).

The Strategy and Action Plan were attached as Annex A of the report and the Environmental Policy as Annex B.  The Strategy related specifically to Council actions in this area and was therefore a strategy for the Council rather than the city.

The report presented two options for consideration:

·   Option A – to do nothing and continue Council sustainability activity in an ad hoc manner, utilising opportunities as they arise;

·   Option B – to provide a strategic coordinated approach to Council work on sustainability and the development of a Climate Change Strategy.

Supplementary information had been circulated explaining how the targets had been arrived at, what “carbon neutral” meant and how the proposed target for the Council fitted with this definition.

Written comments from Sir John Lawton, Chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, on opportunities for carbon mitigation in York, were circulated at the meeting.

Officers explained that they intended to bring forward a further report in December presenting the draft options appraisal for the actions for the Carbon Management Programme and which would provide an opportunity for Members to comment on the options proposed before the final Strategic Implementation Plan was produced in March.  It would also provide an opportunity to update Members on the progress with the Local Strategic Partnership on the Climate Change Strategy for the city.

The Executive expressed their thanks to officers for the work undertaken in preparing the report, which provided a good basis for further development of a strategy to address climate change in the City.  Members noted that the supplementary information provided would need to be analysed to understand more clearly what barriers there may be to implementation of the strategy.  They expressed the view that the Council should be setting a good example to the City, that the strategy must include specific trackable actions, that there should be input from all Council departments (including the Neighbourhood Services Directorate) and that there should be clarity about timescales, achievability, costs and the availability of resourcing streams.

Having considered the advice of the Shadow Executive, it was

RESOLVED:(i) That the Environmental Sustainability and Action Plan towards a Climate Change Strategy and the Environmental Policy statement be endorsed as a useful basis on which to develop a further report which should address the following issues:

a)                 required actions;

b)                 possible milestones;

c)                  practicality;

d)                 costs and resourcing streams;

                        (ii) That, in producing a refined strategy, officers be requested to show clearly the following:

a)     enablers indicating the percentage of the total target that each will achieve;

b)     further detail on the “City” (Local Strategic Partnership) component of the strategy;

c)      a consultation, resident education and public engagement programme.

REASON:To provide a basis for future action in environmental sustainability for the Council and for its Environmental Management System (EMS).