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 Portfolio Holder, Climate and Culture, presented the report, stating that on 15th March 2019, Exeter City Council, declared its commitment to make Exeter a Carbon-Neutral City by 2030, which was aligned to the vision for the City. Exeter had a world-class reputation in climate and environmental research and had pioneered Passivhaus standards in the UK, deployed renewable generation across its public sites and delivered large-scale district heating networks, over the past decade.

The Portfolio Holder introduced Dr Liz O’Driscoll, Programme Director with Exeter City Futures, who explained that in 2016, Exeter City Council and Global City Futures had established Exeter City Futures Community Interest Company (ECF CIC), as an organisation to bring stakeholders together to identify and implement plans towards carbon neutral.  Since then, other organisations in the City had joined this partnership including the Exeter University, College, Devon County Council, and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.  

During discussion, the following points were raised:-

-       That there had been some confusion with the wording used in the report, particularly the use of the terms Carbon Neutral and Zero Carbon, which it was noted meant different things.  The Programme Director confirmed that the wording Carbon Neutral should be used throughout the report, including in two of the recommendations which were changed accordingly;

-       That the Leader had recently attended a meeting of Devon Leaders which had discussed this matter.  He consequently moved that there be an additional recommendation added to those published (listed as number 8 below), and that the report considered by that meeting should be similarly considered by the Special Place Scrutiny Committee scheduled for 18^th June 2019;

-       That extensive consultation work had been undertaken by Exeter City Futures (ECF) which had resulted in the creation of 12 goals towards which each all partner organisations would aspire to meet the target of a carbon neutral city by 2030.

RECOMMENDED that:-

(1)  Executive recommends, that Council declare a ‘Climate Emergency’;

(2)  Executive are minded to recommend the following to the Council on 23 July, subject to detailed consideration by a special meeting of Place Scrutiny, scheduled for 18 June 2019, with the results of that consideration being reported back to Executive on 9 July 2019;

(3)  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;

(4)   Exeter City Council commit to their operations becoming carbon neutral ahead of the 2030 date and mobilise resource to develop internal plans to deliver the target.

(5)   Exeter City Council request a “Carbon Neutral Delivery Team” is convened by 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 (see Appendix 1 to the report presented to the meeting, for a list of the Goals). The Zero Carbon 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 zero carbon

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

o   Identify immediate opportunities and crucial first steps

(6)  Exeter City Council commit resource to be part of the Carbon Neutral Delivery Team and, due to the urgency required, co-locate those resources 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. (A list of current members of the ECF CIC Partner Network was provided in Appendix 2 to the report);

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

(8)  That Exeter City Council support the work of the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group (CERG) and note the outcomes and recommendations, including a “Peoples Assembly." The attached paper should be considered by the Place Scrutiny Meeting at its meeting to be held on 18th June 2019.