Agenda item

Councillor S. Bunney, as Chairman of the Cross-Party Environment and Sustainability Member Working Group, was invited to introduce the Council’s third Environment & Sustainability update report. He provided the Committee with a summary of the activity undertaken since the previous annual report, including but not limited to, the installation of solar panels, the creation of orchards, and the development of communal spaces for gatherings. The Lincs Warmer Homes Officers had attended over 50 community events across West Lindsey and the wider partnership area, with their role being to provide home energy advice to residents, including bespoke advice during home visits and grant referrals where appropriate. 

In acknowledging that the Council’s waste fleet was one of highest emitters of Co2, the Council had adopted its first ever vehicle decarbonisation strategy.  Working with Officers and Members of the Environment and Sustainability Working Group to develop the strategy, it provided a clear framework for decision making which allowed a full and detailed assessment of all aspects of any future vehicle purchase, allowing future procurement to respond to technological developments whilst also continuing to balance excellent customer service and financial stability. It was highlighted that for a second year in a row the Council had reported a further 5% decrease in its operational emissions, which included the fleet and operational buildings.

Members heard that the report provided a summary of activity and initiatives undertaken across the Council in relation to delivering against the refreshed Environment and Sustainability Strategy, which was adopted this year. The overarching aim of the Strategy remained clear, which was for West Lindsey District Council to become a carbon net zero council and district as soon as possible before 2050. The Action Plan provided detail of the proposed activity required to meet this target, as well as acknowledging the importance of the co-benefits in doing so, including money, jobs, growth, better quality of life and health and wellbeing through connectedness with natural environment. Within the report, the updates were grouped by the ten themes of the Climate and Sustainability Strategy, and activities had been developed closely with all services through the business planning process.

Councillor Bunney concluded by providing his personal perspective, that, given the recent changes in national and international politics, it was key to focus on targets and actions rather than being lost in words and politics. He explained that the Administration Group intended to identify areas of focus against which it would be possible to demonstrate the successes being achieved.

The Chairman extended his thanks to Councillor Bunney, and equally those who were involved in the working group. He expressed his agreement with the intention to identify targets and demonstrable actions, also requesting that Members be provided with a breakdown of initiatives in their ward areas. It was confirmed that the State of the District report was being digitised and could include this breakdown of actions per area.

It was recognised that work was being undertaken across the district by private organisations as well as initiatives supported by the Council, and it was important that good practices be shared as much as possible. A Member of the Committee highlighted that the Council had committed to the Green Energy Statement as far back as 2012 and had continued the focus over the years. He stated that the government needed to take the matter seriously, and needed to understand the challenges faced in rural locations, for example the lack of public transport and therefore the necessity to use personal motor vehicles. It was hoped that the upcoming election for the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire would bring greater focus for lobbying the government for fairer funding and greater investment.

Members expressed the need for continued conversations to make new developments as energy efficient as possible, recognising that options to retrofit buildings with alternative energy solutions were not always the most efficient. It was highlighted that grant funding options tended to have strict criteria, however there was the possibility that some nationally set eligibility criteria may be due to be relaxed, which would open the schemes to more residents. The work undertaken by the Warmer Homes team was highlighted, with Councillors expressing their experiences of the team helping parish councils and community groups.

There was further discussion regarding the potential benefits of the new Mayor for Greater Lincolnshire, as well as the need for areas of work such as the infrastructure strategy to have significant involvement from the district councils, specifically to ensure rural areas with sparse population levels were not overlooked. The role of the transport companies was also highlighted, with instances of reduced or cancelled services being of great concern for communities with limited public transport options.

The growing network of electric vehicle charging points was welcomed, with Members seeking to understand the running costs. It was explained that the cost of installing the charging points was often prohibitive, meaning it was more cost efficient for the companies to install, manage and maintain the charging points.

With final comments regarding the importance of ensuring continued prioritisation of the environment and sustainability action plan, and having been proposed and seconded, the Chairman took the vote. It was

            RESOLVED that

a)    progress against the ten themes identified in the Environment and Sustainability Action Plan be noted; and

b)    the Environment and Sustainability Action Plan detailed under each of the adopted 10 themes for 2024/25 & 2025/26 be approved.