To:      COUNCIL

13 JULY 2022

Climate Change Action Plan annual progress report

Executive Director of Delivery

1          Purpose of Report

1.1       Following the publication of the council’s climate change strategy in January 2021 the Executive Director Delivery promised to provide annual update reports on progress to Full Council. This is the first such update.

2          Recommendation

2.1       For Council to note and approve the report.

3          Reasons for Recommendation

3.1       Council are requested to endorse progress so far.

4          Alternative Options Considered

4.1       N/A

5          Supporting Information

5.1       The full annual progress report for 2021/22 is attached as appendix 1 and a summary of climate change progress so far is attached as appendix 2.

5.2       In summary significant achievements have included increased robustness of the governance of climate change actions; improvements to the energy efficiency of both the council’s estate and our residents’ homes; the successful implementation of kerbside food waste collections coupled with reduced residual waste collections resulting in both increased recycling rates and reduced landfill; and successful Highways initiatives aimed at improving and increasing active travel.

5.3       Areas requiring a stronger focus over the coming year include continuing our efforts to make all climate change targets SMARTer, improving our customer facing website information, investigating ways to record the council’s indirect (scope 3) CO2 emissions and improving our collaboration with businesses, community groups and schools alike.

6          Consultation and Other Considerations

Legal Advice

6.1       The overarching legislative context of the Council’s Climate change strategy is the Climate Change Act 2008. This Act places a legal duty on central government to set legally binding targets to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050.

Financial Advice

6.2       There are no direct financial implications arising from this report.

Other Consultation Responses

6.3       N/A

Equalities Impact Assessment

6.4       Specific EIA’s are completed by Officers for their individual projects within the Action Plan.

Strategic Risk Management Issues

6.5       The Council is committed to becoming a net zero carbon authority by 2050. All actions that the council undertakes should be assessed for their environmental impacts prior to receiving executive approval.

Climate Change Implications

6.6       The recommendations in Section 2 above are expected to:

Reduce emissions of CO_2.

The reason the Council believes that this will reduce emissions is because the very goal of all actions contained within the annual progress report is to mitigate the man-made impacts of climate change and lower CO_2..

Health & Wellbeing Considerations

6.7       The are strong and developing links between Health in All Policies ambitions and climate change actions. Promoting active commuting, supporting green and active volunteering and improving the warmth of residents’ homes are all such examples.

Background Papers

Appendix 1: Climate Change Annual Report 2021/22

Appendix 2: Our action towards net zero 2050

Contact for further information

Kevin Gibbs, Executive Director of Delivery, 01344 355621

Kevin.Gibbs@bracknell-forest.gov.uk