Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Head of Environmental Health Services.

Scrutiny Committee – Community will consider the report at their meeting on 4 March 2008 and their comments will be reported.

                                                       (Report circulated) 

The report of the Head of Environmental Health Services was submitted, presenting the outcomes of the Council’s Carbon Management Programme and seeking approval for the Strategy and Implementation Plan.

Scrutiny Committee – Community considered the report at their meeting on 4 March 2008 and the support and comments of members were noted. Members were pleased to note the success of the bio-diesel trials.

RESOLVED that:-

(1)        the Carbon Management Strategy and Implementation Plan be approved;

(2)        general progress towards meeting the aims of the Strategy and Implementation Plan be monitored on an annual basis and reported to Scrutiny Committee – Community;

(3)        the action plan be revised on an annual basis; and

(4)        a commitment be made to undertaking a full review of the Strategy and Implementation Plan in five years’ time (2013).

(Report circulated)

To consider the report of the Head of Environmental Health Services – report circulated.

The Head of Environmental Health Services presented the report setting out the outcomes of the Council’s Carbon Management Programme and seeking support for the Strategy and Implementation Plan. In response to a Member, he advised that the annual budget of £100,000 to implement the Carbon Management Programme was for a five year period from 2008/09 to 2012/13 and that there would be sustainable savings in the medium and longer term from a reduction in energy consumption by following the programme.

The baseline figure for 2006/07 of the Council’s carbon dioxide emissions had been estimated at 2,925 tonnes by the Carbon Trust.

In response to another Member, he advised that the bio-diesel for use in two of the refuse collection vehicles was sourced locally from Clyst St Mary (the bio-diesel was made from re-cycled vegetable oil collected from local catering establishments) and that there had been no conversion costs to the diesel vehicles using this alternative energy source. Older refuse collection vehicles had been used and the fleet manager planned to roll out use of this fuel to a further ten vehicles initially and to monitor maintenance before extending this to a larger pool of fleet vehicles.

Feedback from the vehicle drivers was that the vegetable oil led to a reduction in particulate matter at start up and that performance was equal to, if not slightly better than, mineral diesel. The cost of the bio-diesel was comparable to mineral diesel at present.

Scrutiny Committee - Community supported the report and requested Executive to:-

(1)               approve the Carbon Management Strategy and Implementation Plan;

(2)               ensure the monitoring of the aims of the Strategy and Implementation Plan on an annual basis with a report to the Scrutiny Committee- Community;

(3)               ensure the revision of the action plan on an annual basis; and

(4)               commit to undertaking a full review of the Strategy and Implementation Plan in five years’ time (2013).

(Report circulated)