Agenda item

To consider the report of the Programme Director for Exeter City Futures and the Deputy Leader & Portfolio Holder for Climate and Culture.

The Executive Committee considered the report at its meeting on 11 June 2019 and the Place Scrutiny Committee considered the report at its meeting on 18 June 2019. (The appendices were previously circulated to the Scrutiny Committee on the above dates).

The Executive received a report, which had already been considered at its previous meeting, prior to being presented to Place Scrutiny Committee on 18 June 2019, which concerned the approach to enable the city to become carbon neutral by 2030. 

Members attention was drawn to the detailed minutes of the Place Committee on 18 June, which had been circulated.

During discussion, the following points were raised:-

-       The consideration by Place Scrutiny Committee of the report, and its support of the recommendations contained therein, together with two additional recommendations relating to biannual Special meetings of the Scrutiny Committee to discuss progress towards the Council’s objective; as well as a request for council reports to include a section detailing progress and impact on working towards this goal;

-       The accountability relationships between Exeter City Futures and the City Council ensuring that it is managed and scrutinised appropriately;

-       The involvement of communities in helping the City Council achieve its goals;

-       The potential for the inclusion of biodiversity in the Council’s goals;

-       Members were reminded of the amount of work which the Council had already undertaken in driving towards its carbon neutral goals;

-       A recognition that the Council’s and community’s ambitions must be considered alongside the resources available to the Council, Exeter City Futures and its partners and how these must be tempered accordingly;

-       No-one should be in any doubt as to the ambition of the City Council to achieve this, but that a roadmap setting out how this could be realistically achieved is needed as soon as practicably possible so that the appropriate planning can be undertaken;

-       The list of current members of the ECF CIC Partner Network which was  provided in the circulated report;

-       The list of the 12 Goals of EFC which were appended to the circulated report, and which would be reviewed following the comments made during the Council’s consideration of this matter.

RECOMMENDED that:-

(1)          Exeter City Council declare a ‘Climate Emergency’;

(2)          The carbon neutral target for Exeter is framed in a way that links to wider regional targets. This shows Exeter’s intention to decrease its emissions without increasing emissions in the wider region;

(3)          Exeter City Council commit to its operations becoming carbon neutral ahead of the 2030 date and mobilise resources to develop internal plans to deliver the target;

(4)          A “Carbon Neutral Delivery Team” be convened by Exeter City Futures Community Interest Company (ECF CIC) to establish a city plan for delivery that builds on the Energy Independence Roadmap produced by ECF CIC and uses the 12 Goals as the basis of the approach. The Carbon Neutral delivery team will:

o    Draw together existing evidence and data to establish baseline state of the city presented under each of the 12 Goals;

o    Conduct a full audit of the city to highlight gaps between current plans and what is required to achieve carbon neutrality;

o  Define a clear city plan showing outcomes that will need to be met to deliver carbon neutrality, how existing activities support and where there are gaps;

o  Identify immediate opportunities and crucial first steps.

(5)          Resources be committed to be part of the Carbon Neutral Delivery Team and, due to the urgency required, those resources be co-located with ECF CIC to ensure that the City Council is leading by example and sharing learning with other ECF CIC Member organisations and the wider ECF CIC Partner Network;

(6)          Exeter City Futures CIC be requested to convene a “Carbon Neutral Mandate Group” through a series of summits to validate, challenge and endorse the Roadmap produced by the Carbon Neutral working group.

(7)          The work of the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group (CERG) be supported with the outcomes and recommendations noted. Exeter City Council will participate in a "People’s Assembly" with the governance arrangements to be confirmed by the CERG;

(8)          A special meeting of Place Scrutiny Committee, be convened on a biannual basis, to collate and discuss all of the work by Exeter City Council in respect of Climate Change and also allow the opportunity for outside bodies to continue to update Members; and

(9)          Once the aforementioned roadmap/action plan has been received, Council reports should include an analysis of the progress and impact in working towards a Carbon neutral city goal, as they currently do for the impact on any decision in relation to equality and diversity; health and wellbeing; safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults; economy, safety and the environment.