Issue - meetings
Environmental Strategy
Meeting: 26/11/2013 - Executive (Item 105)
105 Environmental Performance 
PDF 41 KB
To consider the report of the Assistant Director Environment.
Scrutiny Committee – Community considered the report at its meeting on 12 November 2013 and its comments will be reported.
Additional documents:
Decision:
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Agreed:
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(1) the report be noted;
(2) the revision of the Environmental, Carbon Management and Climate Change strategies in to one encompassing strategy be approved; and
(3) a revised Environmental Performance Strategy to be brought to Executive in draft form for consultation in Spring 2014 and subsequent approval following consultation.
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Reason for Decision:
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As set out in the report.
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Minutes:
The report of the Assistant Director Environment was submitted, providing an updated report on the environmental performance of the Council in a single document, and seeking approval for a revision of the three strategies to one overall strategy. Following consultation, a final report would be brought back to Members for approval in the New Year.
In response to Members, the Assistant Director Environment clarified that there was currently a national Communities and Local Government Review which threatened the energy efficient requirement in the City Core Strategy. The Exeter Together Initiative was a collective energy purchasing scheme that had been part of a national Department of Energy and Climate Change sponsored project. The Council had undertaken this in partnership with other Authorities and private industry, which encouraged householders come together collectively to buy cheaper energy and switch energy provide. This national project was focussed on learning about behavioural change and what motivated people to switch energy providers. Work was being undertaken with community groups to encourage a greater take-up of composting through community composting schemes.
Member’s discussed the difficulties of insulating older and listed properties; the Councils installation of solar panels on its buildings, its proposals for District Heating Systems and the need to encourage residents to use composting bins.
The Chair requested that a report be brought back to outline the budget implications of supplying composting bins to residents on new housing developments to encourage composting.
Scrutiny Committee – Community considered the report at its meeting on 12 November 2013 and the comments of Members were noted.
RESOLVED that:-
(1) the report be noted;
(2) the revision of the Environmental, Carbon Management and Climate Change strategies in to one encompassing strategy be approved; and
(3) a revised Environmental Performance Strategy to be brought to Executive in draft form for consultation in Spring 2014 and subsequent approval following consultation.
Meeting: 12/11/2013 - Scrutiny Committee - Community (Item 57)
57 Environmental Performance PDF 41 KB
To consider the report of the Assistant Director Environment - report circulated
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Assistant Director Environment presented the report setting out an updated Environmental Performance report in a single document format and seeking Members’ approval for a revision of the three strategies in one overall strategy. Following consultation, a final report would be brought back to Members for approval in the New Year.
The following responses were given to Members’ questions:-
· the Exeter Together collective energy purchasing scheme evaluation had produced some extremely useful learning points which had been fed to the Department of Energy and Climate Change evaluation of the national project, published recently. The project was focussed on learning about behavioural change and what motivates people to switch energy providers;
· air quality in Exeter was generally good but trigger points for Nitrous Oxide were exceeded at times along the main arterial routes into the City. Reducing vehicle use, by encouraging park and ride and cycling etc. were all factors which reduced Nitrous Oxide levels;
· there had been a decrease in grey waste collection per head; recycling rates were largely static partly resulting from reduced packaging and newspaper purchase; and
· work was underway to encourage greater take-up of composting e.g. with Council tenants.
Scrutiny Committee - Community noted the report and requested Executive to approve:-
(1) the revision of the Environmental, Carbon Management and Climate Change strategies in to one encompassing strategy; and
(2) a revised Environmental Performance Strategy being submitted to them in draft form for consultation in Spring 2014 and subsequent approval following consultation.
(Report circulated)