Decision details

Dealing with the Climate Change agenda is a key corporate priority for the Council.

This strategy sets out the strategic policy framework in which we can achieve our objectives of:

·        Reducing our own energy use and carbon emissions as an organisation;

·        Reducing community emissions from housing, industry and commerce and transport;

·        Increasing our resilience towards future climate change, including more extreme weather events such as prolonged heatwaves, droughts and flooding etc.

The strategy concludes with an action plan split by the key themes of:

·        Energy Efficiency

·        Renewable Energy

·        Water Issues

·        Recycling and Waste

·        Transport

·        Green Economy

·        Healthy Open Spaces

·        Sustainable New Development

·        Adaptation

RESOLVED that

1)                 the report be noted;

2)                 an annual report be made to the Executive Committee on energy savings, linking into the budget building process; and

RECOMMENDED that

3)                 the Climate Change Strategy, as attached at Appendix 1 of the report, be adopted;

4)                 100% of the savings from the Salix project be reinvested into further climate change work; and

5)                 a policy be approved for insertion in both the Planning Core Strategy and Climate Change Strategy whereby:  “for any new developments that the Council undertakes, for example when building a new public leisure centre, consideration of whole life costs of the building are considered and, as part of this, all new public buildings should aim to exceed the nationally set BREEAM standard.”

(An amendment to the recommendations was proposed, seconded and defeated.)