Agenda item

Contact Officer:annie.sommazzi@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Decision

RESOLVED

In the absence of the Portfolio Holder for Environment, Cllr Fitch-Tillett, Portfolio Holder for Coast, introduced this item. Before reading out a statement from Cllr Lloyd, she said that as the Cabinet member responsible for the coast, she was only too aware of the problems caused by climate change. Just at the weekend, due to a rise in the sea level, the railings at Overstrand had been lost and at Hemsby the lifeboat could not get out due to a large number of rocks dispersed across the beach.

She then read out the following statement from Cllr N Lloyd:

‘It is my belief that addressing Climate Change is one of the most pressing problems threating humankind and indeed all life forms on this Planet. Failure to limit our carbon emissions now will result in much higher mitigation costs later – not to mention the personal suffering that is predicted to ensue from rising sea levels and ever more extreme weather events. I believe that this is why tackling climate change has become a strategic priority for central Government.

Councils like our own will be key to reducing emissions nationally. We have an important role in leading others and we want to take residents with us on this journey.

Addressing climate change at NNDC is a corporate activity that requires cooperation from all our departments. It can only be achieved by embedding a whole Council approach to tackling our carbon emissions.

In our Environmental Charter we pledged to reduce our carbon footprint to net zero by 2030. The Charter also pledged that we would measure and publish our carbon footprint and manage the carbon footprints of all our operational buildings. [AS1] 

This document sets out the pathway to de-carbonise our activities at NNDC by 2030 whilst also outlining the challenges that exist for North Norfolk as a whole with regard to tackling climate change.

It is an evidence-based document deliberately written in a way that our residents would understand. It sets out how much carbon we are emitting, where these emissions emanate, and it looks at how we might address those emissions.

Of course, we have already began tackling our carbon footprint which is evidenced in the document. It offers a glide path for this Council to reach net carbon zero by 2030.

It was important to me that the O&S committee were given early sight of this document before went to Cabinet. I would like to thank the Chair of O&S for including it in an already busy agenda. I welcomed the early O&S feedback and I thank the committee for their positive contribution to the strategy, their initial recommendations will be adopted. Staff workshops have been held and I was very grateful that so many Senior Managers and Directors attended. Member training is underway with sessions held and more scheduled.

There will further opportunities to offer comments or questions on the strategy before and after the strategy comes before you at Cabinet today and I ask you to provide any further feedback you may have to our brilliant climate change Officers Annie and Nige, the Director Martyn Fulcher or myself.

I would like to thank officers for their hard work in bringing the net Zero Action Plan before us today. In addition, Net Zero East, a climate change consultancy, number crunched much of the data and provided independent scientific expertise, they did a great job for us.’

The Chairman invited Members to speak:

Cllr J Toye, Portfolio Holder for Planning, welcomed the strategy. He said that the Council had declared a climate emergency in 2019 and that the Environment Charter and now the Net Zero Strategy & Action plan demonstrated that the Council was committed to taking action and delivering on its agenda.

Cllr C Cushing referred to page 10, paragraph s4.2 which mentioned significant associated costs which had yet to be identified. He said that he felt it was remiss to set out a strategy with no costings and that the matter  had been raised with the Portfolio Holder for Finance when the draft Budget was considered by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee. He asked whether a response would be provided when the budget was considered later in the agenda. Cllr Seward replied that the costs he was referring to went beyond the 2022/23 budget and the Council was exploring all funding options including grants and any funding incentives coming forward.

The Chairman of Overview & Scrutiny, Cllr Dixon, said that the committee had recommended one action in relation to the strategy – that briefings for members should be arranged. The committee felt that if the strategy was to be embraced by the Council and the towns and parishes, then it was important that members were fully acquainted with its contents. He said that he agreed with Cllr Cushing that the resourcing of it was a key component that would embed it. Otherwise it remain aspirational. He said that the near-term implications should be included in the budget projections and the medium term financial strategy (MTFS), so that members could convey the message about the of the strategy importance with conviction.

Cllr J Rest referred to page 14, bullet point 3, and asked if there was a figure for the revenue return for the feed-in tariff payments for the solar panels. The Chairman replied that a written response would be provided.

Cllr R Kershaw commented that it would be difficult to put an accurate costing on this at the current time and it was unrealistic. He said that Government had similar aspirations nationally but they had not fully costed them yet and the Climate Change Committee had commented on this, acknowledging that the aspirations were laudable but needed to be costed. He added that it would involve a change in lifestyle for people and it was challenging to put a figure on this.

It was proposed by Cllr A Fitch-Tillett, seconded by Cllr V Gay and

RESOLVED to recommend