Agenda item

Updates were provided on the ongoing work of each working group.

Lauren Lee gave an update on the Voluntary, Faith and Community Sector Working Group. Work was underway to expand the working group to ensure it represented as wide a range of faith groups and charities as possible. The working group had looked at potential training platforms, which it would share with the rest of the JCAB. The working group agreed its role would be to engage with the community to help ensure work done by the JCAB could be implemented effectively in the borough.

Councillors McKenzie-Boyle and C Eberle, Ian Evans and Sarah Thornley provided an update on the Parish and Town Council Working Group. The working group had identified the cleaning of rivers within the borough as a key priority as stats had shown that 0% of rivers were in good chemical health and just 14% in good ecological health. Therefore, the working group was proposing an initiative called the “Bracknell Big River Clean Up”. The proposed initiative would involve representatives of each ward and parish helping to mobilize volunteers in their community. Feedback from the initiative from the JCAB was very positive and it was requested that anybody who wished to help support the initiative contact Councillor McKenzie-Boyle and Ian Evans.

Damian James updated the JCAB on the work being undertaken in the Officers Working Group. The Solar Together scheme, in operation for a year, aimed to encourage households in the borough to install solar panels on their roofs. Of the 208 households enrolled, 90 installations have been completed, and the rest are scheduled to be finished by March 2024. Work was also ongoing to find new locations for electric vehicle charging points as well as eco reward checkpoints. Work on the council’s website had been done to ensure it was up to date with information on climate change. A new refuse truck had been secured ahead of schedule, which would be the subject of a trial on alternative fuels. The JCAB was also notified of new government legislation mandating kerbside collection of soft plastics by March 2027 and glass by March 2026. In preparation, a trial for collecting soft plastics in the borough would commence in the spring.

Russell Julier provided an update on the Transport Working Group. The Transport Working Group had agreed it’s terms of reference as well as a forward work programme, which had a focus on supporting the Local Transport Plan. A workshop was planned for the end of January which would look to explore in further detail what transport was needed in the borough, and what the current constraints were.

Bob Collis, Chair of the ESDP gave an update on the Business Working Group which had formed out of an ESDP sub-group. The working group had identified decarbonisation and the use of renewable energy in business as its most pressing aim. The working group had identified several issues for business such as restrictions on spaces to charge electric vehicles within the borough. Businesses had also highlighted frustration over the quality of public transport. It was hoped that some of the larger companies in the borough would like to get involved in the scheme and potentially be able to offer some funding for the JCAB’s projects. As businesses had often struggled to be fully aware of potential grants and schemes from central government, it was suggested the Business Working Group be sent the link to the local authorities’ web page on business and climate change which would help signpost businesses to these schemes (ACTION Sebastian Wright)

Paul Adkins gave an update on the Biodiversity Working Group. The working group had nearly finalised its terms of reference. The Biodiversity Working Group had been working closely in co-operation with the Nature Partnership to ensure no duplication of work. The working group had identified surveying as an important task, to ensure that all work was being done based on data. As well as doing mitigation work on biodiversity and habitats, the working group would also seek to change public behaviour to try and get them more actively involved.

Justine Alford and Sarah Taylor provided an update on the Health Working Group. A draft term of reference had been produced with 122 actions, divided into 9 main sub themes, that would need to be reduced before the terms of reference were finalised. The terms of reference would be shared around post the meeting with members of the JCAB to see where there is any overlap in terms of work.

Ben Earl from Abri provided an update on the work being done by Abri. Every Abri property was on course to have an EPC C rating by 2030 as part of their carbon reduction programme. The Housing Working Group was being setup and would be up and running shortly.

The Councillors Working Group had started a piece of research looking into the work that was being done by neighbouring local authorities, hoping to learn lessons and gain ideas for Bracknell Forest Council’s Climate Strategy. It was hoped this research would be ready to feed back at the next meeting.