Agenda item

The Panel will consider the draft Kirklees Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) ,the draft Cabinet report and the proposed next steps.

 

Contacts:

Shaun Berry – Operations Manager Air Quality, Energy, Climate Change

Robert Green - Environment Officer for Climate Change

 

The Panel considered the draft Kirklees Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) presented by Robert Green, Climate Change Officer. Councillor Will Simpson, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener Kirklees was also in attendance. Robert Green shared the presentation and highlighted that:

 

·       Kirklees Council had declared a climate change emergency in 2019 and had set an initial target to become net zero by 2038.

·       In 2019 a climate emergency working party was established to identify practical measures for emission reduction and more comprehensive action planning.

·       Phase 1 of the plan identified the immediate actions to be taken and 113 of these had been completed or were on-going.

·       The scope of the CCAP was district wide and contained actions for the Council, Key Partners, and the wider community.

·       The plan was structured by 8 action areas, Buildings, Energy, Natural Environment and Biodiversity, Sustainable Food and Agriculture, Transport, Waste, Water and Cross-Cutting.

·       The Council reported annually to the CDP and the results were expected mid-November 2022.

·       The CCAP adhered to the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) and the results were expected early 2024 for year 2022.

·       It aligned with guidance set out in the Climate Change Emergency Scorecard for best practise approach to action planning.

·       The plan was the first step in the Council’s action planning journey and would be followed by a more detailed action plan of firm commitments.

·       The CCAP set out a list of actions to achieve net zero by 2038 and was centred on evidence and public engagement.

·       The plan was not the only action plan within the Council; other organisations had their own action plans, which the CCAP would complement.

·       The Climate Change Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CCRVA) would be published at the same time as the action plan to ensure the CCRVA and the net zero assessment were in alignment.

·       The CCRVA was a key piece of work that informed the action plan and demonstrated climate leadership by the Council

·       The CCRVA was designed to identify key hazards that could lead to associated climate change risks across 2030, 2050 and 2080 using the latest Met Office projections.

·       The CCRVA also informed decision making and enhanced the resilience and adaptability of organisations.

·       A total of 206 actions were identified for both adaptation (52) and mitigation (52), with 72 actions addressing both areas’ simultaneously, and would be prioritised in the next steps of the programme.

·       Future steps would continue to be taken to enhance the climate emergency response through the development of place-based measures for carbon reduction and resilience building.

·       Stakeholder engagement with residents and organisations would be undertaken with the aim of a final decision being made on prioritising the relevant climate actions that would best reflect Kirklees.

·       Strategic alignment had been identified with the Transport Strategy and the intention was to work in partnership on the engagement process to reduce duplication.

·       Once the prioritised actions had been agreed a business case would be developed, which would include a greater understanding of the funding and financing, as well as the carbon reduction potential, which would dictate the ability to deliver the outcomes expected.

·       The business case would form the basis of action plan version 2 which would be published at the end of 2023 or early 2024.

·       Once the business case had been approved, the monitoring and evaluation strategy would begin on a 3-year cycle.

·       Whilst work on the action plan was ongoing, other climate related projects would continue from phase one of the approach.

·       The action plan would go to Cabinet for approval on 16th November 2022 followed by full Council on 7th December 2022.

·       The communications strategy would involve press releases for the Governance flightpath, publication of the plan and associated documents, social media posts and the publication of responses to questions.

·       Communications would be written in language that would appeal to both a professional and lay audience.

 

In the discussion to follow the Panel noted the challenges in relation to communicating with different audiences and recommended that there were several streams of communication to meet the needs of different audiences. The Panel further suggested that communications were informed by relatable stories or real-life experiences rather than technical jargon. The Panel also recommended that a place-based approach be taken to communication so that it linked directly to individual communities and their needs. Cllr Will Simpson responded to agree highlighting the importance of ensuring that information was communicated effectively and targeted towards different audiences

 

The Panel also noted that the information gathered in relation to the CCAP would help to inform the revisions of the Local Plan and the transport strategy and would help provide a better understanding of the risks and mitigations that would need to happen.

Cllr Will Simpson responded to agree adding that tackling the climate emergency was a large challenge but also an opportunity in relation to key strategic links.

 

Responding to concerns raised by the Panel in relation to the length of development of phase 2 (16 years)  and how this would make it difficult for the public to engage with,  Robert Green, Climate Change Officer responded to advise that all the actions in the CCAP had associated timeframes (long term, medium term, short term) and that the high priority actions selected through the next stage of engagement would be clearly communicated to show the progression from start to finish. The Panel noted the response but further recommended that shorter-term targets be included within the plan to make it more attractive. Robert Green noted the Panels suggestion and advised that as part of the net zero assessment, steppingstone targets were identified that set out the targets to hit between now and 2038 in terms of emission reduction on a 5 yearly cycle, and that the monitoring and evaluation strategy and the data collected in terms of the emission reduction being achieved, would be balanced against those targets.

 

Responding to a question from the Panel regarding the potential to recruit external Climate Champions, John Atkinson, Group Leader for Energy and Climate Change advised the Panel that the current Climate Champions were internal but agreed to consider the proposal taking into account the need to understand how to establish external roles correctly and in a meaningful way.

 

Responding to a question from the Panel about the measurement of the emission reduction Robert Green, Climate Change Officer explained that scatter emissions had been measured on an annual basis since 2019, but because the target was net zero, there was no baseline to set the emissions measurements against.

 

Responding to a question from the Panel in relation to the White Rose Forest initiative and how many trees had been planted, Robert Green advised that the Woodland website had been recently updated and showed 8,366 trees had been planted as part of the Woodland Creating Scheme.

 

Responding to a question from the Panel about the consideration of co-benefits (such as the social value of place-based working) when reviewing building efficiency; Robert Green explained that co-benefits had been considered throughout the plan, as well as trying to achieve the balance between achieving the largest carbon reductions as well as other social, environmental and economic benefits.

 

The Panel noted the responses to their questions and acknowledged the target to achieve net zero by 2038 but highlighted the importance of ensuring people were not mis-led by the figures published and that the figures were as a result of policy and practice changes.

 

Cllr Will Simpson referred back to the Panels comments in relation to Phase 2 of the action plan and advised that the document would be reviewed and monitored at a place-based level to ensure the climate emergency and actions were at the heart of what was to be achieved over the years.

 

Responding to a question from the Panel around the implementation of Phase 1 and 2 actions, Robert Green shared that the actions in Phase 1 could be implemented between 2019 and 2022 to achieve emission reduction immediately but there were soft actions such as behaviour change, education, and training whereas Phase 2 was the first step in implementing the delivery and investment of harder actions such as infrastructure, cultural change and policy for example. 

 

Responding to a question from the Panel in relation to enforcing existing regulations; Robert Green explained that the plan set the ambition in terms of what the Council wanted to achieve but there was scope to include more. Robert also advised that there were already processes in place to encourage the alignment of ambitions for enforcement with the other key strategies such as the Resources and Waste Strategy, Transport Strategy and Local Plan. 

 

Responding to a question from the Panel regarding the implementation of low emission zones, Robert Green advised that similar concerns were raised during stakeholder engagement sessions and that consideration would be given to incorporating low emission zones into the plan going forward.

 

In the discussion to follow the Panel highlighted the section of the report on the natural environment and biodiversity and several questions were raised in relation to; the consideration of the species of trees planted in the proposed sapling nurseries, the risks of invasive species, encouragement for hedgerow productions to increase biodiversity, (particularly insect population growth), water efficiency standards and the wetting of the moors to reduce flood risk and increase carbon capture in the peatlands. The Panel also referred to the mandate to introduce dedicated officers to look after the natural environment and recommended that site inspectors be included as part of this.

 

Robert Green responded to the questions raised by the Panel and advised:

 

·       In relation to the sapling nurseries, nature-based solutions, and ensuring biodiversity was developed as part of the plan and reflected the local environment.

 

·       In relation to the mandate, site inspections could be incorporated into the plan, and once actions had been prioritised, they would be developed in collaboration with experts in that sector.

 

·       In relation to encouraging farmers to use available hedgerow productions to increase biodiversity, the best use of land and best practise was incorporated.

 

·       In relation to the wetting of the moors, a recent piece of work had been completed which outlined the condition of the moors and provided recommendations to enhance this. Conversations were also taking place with the Footage Strategy Team around mitigating the impact of degradation.

 

·       In relation to higher water efficiency standards, consideration could be given to how it could be extended to private ownership.

 

·       In relation to invasive species, currently there was no reference within the report as to how invasive species (such as Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed) would be dealt with, but the plan was flexible and there was potential to incorporate this. 

 

Cllr Will Simpson referred to the comments raised regarding low emission zones and advised that they related to tailpipe emissions and pollutants which impacted air quality rather than carbon, but acknowledged it was still an important issue to be picked up through the Air Quality Action Plan and the Environment Strategy. Cllr Simpson also agreed that there was a need to ensure the right mix of trees were planted in the right places to ensure the desired outcomes were achieved, and that this should be included in the action plan. In respect of invasive species and maximising agricultural land, Cllr Simpson added that this would involve partnership working and advised that targets were in place for the borough and not just Kirklees. To conclude, Cllr Will Simpson further expressed gratitude to the Climate Team for their hard work.

 

Colin Parr, Strategic Director for Environment and Climate Change welcomed the Panel’s feedback highlighting this would inform the further development of both the action plan and business case, as well as other key strategies as noted. Colin also agreed that the place-based focus of the action plan should be emphasised more, and that mid-term targets (for phase 2), and a baseline to measure progress from in relation to carbon reduction needed to be clear within the plan.

 

RESOLVED: The Panel noted the Climate Change Action Plan and thanked officers for their positive work. The Panel also recommended that:

 

1.    The place-based focus of the CCAP should be emphasised, particularly in relation to communications, to address individual needs within different communities.

2.    There should be several different methods/streams of communication to engage with a variety of audiences, with different levels of understanding and needs.

3.    Lay language and success stories (linking key technical information to the real-life experiences of the public) be used to increase understanding in the community.

4.    The Climate Change Action Plan should be used to help inform and support the Local Plan and other key strategic links, such as the Transport Strategy and Waste Strategy.

5.    Mid-Term targets (i.e.- for reducing emissions) should be included in Phase 2 delivery of the Plan.

6.    The recruitment of external Climate Champions be considered in the long term.

7.    When reviewing building efficiency, co-benefits (such as the social value of place-based working) be considered when making judgements.

8.    Consideration be given to native species when planting and that the details for mitigating the risks of invasive species be included in the Plan.

9.    Consideration be given to the type of trees planted in particular areas to ensure the desired outcome.

10. Site inspectors be included as part of the mandate that focuses on protecting and enhancing the natural environment.

11. Consideration be given to the re-wetting of the moors to encourage carbon retention in the peatlands and to mitigate the impact of degradation.

12. It was important to encourage farmers to use any available hedgerow to increase biodiversity particularly insect population growth.

13. Consideration be given to Low Emissions Zones and be incorporated into the CCAP, as well as the Air Quality Action Plan and Environment Strategy.

14. The plan be reviewed and monitored to ensure the Climate Emergency and actions were being achieved.

15. The new development higher water efficiency standards be considered for expansion to private developments.

16. In relation to net zero targets and reducing carbon emissions there needed to be a clear baseline within the plan to measure progress.