Issue - meetings

This report is due to be pre-scrutinised at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee scheduled to take place on Thursday 20^th October 2022.  Any recommendations arising from this meeting will be reported in a supplementary pack for the Executive Committee’s consideration.

The Head of Community and Housing Services presented the Climate Change Strategy / Carbon Reduction Implementation Plan for Members’ consideration.

The Executive Committee was informed that the strategy would apply over the following three year period, although would be considered twice a year by the Climate Change Cross Party Working Group and would be reviewed annually.  The strategy detailed how the Council was aiming to achieve net zero by 2040.

Following the presentation of the report, Members discussed the content and in doing so commented that the strategy was necessary in a context in which the country was increasingly experiencing extreme weather patterns and other impacts of climate change.  Reference was made to recent work undertaken by Members who were also serving as County Councillors, in which Worcestershire County Council had been benchmarking its progress in tackling climate change and it was suggested that Redditch Borough Council was performing well compared to other local authorities in the country.  Members also welcomed the transparency of the report, in terms of highlighting both action taken to date and forthcoming challenges.

During consideration of this item, reference was made to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s pre-scrutiny of the report at a meeting held on 20^th October 2022.  At the meeting, reference had been made to actions, such as the installation of solar panels, which could help to reduce climate emissions.  Members were asked to note that this would require action in relation to the Council’s planning process which could be investigated further through work on the Local Plan.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had concluded by endorsing the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan and Members thanked the Committee for their contribution.

RECOMMENDED that

the Council’s Carbon Reduction Strategy and Action Plan be endorsed and adopted.