Agenda item

The Committee will receive an update on the Climate Change and Air Quality Strategy.

Contributors:

Cllr Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment

Steve Bambrick, Service Director for Planning & Environment

Ed Barlow, Head of Climate Change & Environment

Alexander Beckett, Energy & Climate Change Manager

The Chairman invited the Cabinet Member for Environment & Climate Change, Councillor Peter Strachan, to introduce the update to the Select Committee. There were a number of updates on key transport related initiatives, nature-based solutions, buildings and green behaviour encouragement:

·       A new Taxi License policy whereby licenses would only be issued to ultra-low or zero emission vehicles by 2030.

·       The installation of two wireless induction electric vehicle charging points in Marlow.

·       The commissioning of fleet electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

·       £0.5m bid submitted for electrifying a refuse collection vehicle.

·       New electric vehicle charging working group.

·       62 accredited school travel plans with the School Travel team placed second in Modeshift Sustainable Travel: Active, Responsible, Safe (STARS) league table.

·       Expansion of e-scooter trial into Princes Risborough.

·       3,450 trees established at Billets Field and 243 trees gifted to schools and care homes. £203,000 had been secured from the Local Authority Treescapes Fund to deliver tree planting in non-woodland locations including roadsides.

·       Though the Green Homes Grant Programme, £7.43m had been secured to improve the energy performance and efficiency of low-income homes. Over £200,000 had been secured towards two heat pump projects in council buildings which aimed to move away from gas.

·       Training for Members was planned for later in 2022.

The Cabinet Member also addressed the council’s recent scoring on Climate Emergency UK’s scorecard system. The level of training provided by Climate Emergency UK to volunteers that scored council strategies, and their base level of knowledge regarding undertaking these assessments, was unknown. When reviewing the scoring criteria, it was felt that the Council could have received an additional 11 points and it was noted that there was no scoring mechanism of the deliverability of the strategy which was important.

The following points were made during the Committee discussion:-

·       The funding bid was to convert an older refuse vehicle into a battery powered one. Once completed, its effectiveness would be trialed which would then inform future decision-making on the refuse fleet. The Cabinet Member would update on this as it progressed.

·       The Climate Change Steering Group was co-chaired by the Cabinet Member and Ian Thompson. It consisted of senior officers and would liaise with other Cabinet Members on their portfolios to ensure climate change was actioned in each area.

·       The Electric Vehicle Charging Group was internal with a membership of officers from different services. Members asked that the experience of electric vehicle users be considered, for instance by ensuring the right charger (slow vs fast) was in the right location (dwell time) and that caution be exercised when selecting partnerships. The Cabinet Member for Transport acknowledged that there been issues and that recent procurement and service level agreements aimed to mitigate this going forward. Another Member expressed concern over the performance of BP Pulse’s charging points in Buckingham.

·       Around 1% of trees had been planted over the first year and this volume would increase over the coming year. Woodland scheme sites had been identified across the county however details on individual sites could not be shared yet.

·       Funding secured towards Groundwater Resilience and Community Engagement (GRACE) as part of the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme fell within flood management. Details on this would be circulated outside the meeting.

ACTION: Ed Barlow

·       The legacy Wycombe District Plan had reference to tree canopy coverage. This could be fed into the development of the new Buckinghamshire Local Plan.

·       Consideration would be given on how the Green Homes Grant could be publicised further by Members.

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member for the update and welcomed a more detail annual update report later in 2022.