Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Manager for Property, Leisure and Climate Change providing Members with a copy of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan that is out for public consultation.

The Cabinet had before it a *  report of the Corporate Manager for Property, Leisure and Climate Change providing Members with a copy of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan that was out for public consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change outlined the contents of the report by way of presentation providing the following information:

·         The background to the plan which identified the evidence gathering that had taken place, the consultation period, the proposed citizens assembly and the production of the final plan

·         How the plan was designed for everybody, which created a roadmap for Devon and outlined barriers and opportunities

·         The themes within the plan

·         The 8 main objectives of the plan

·         Details of how might MDDC be well placed to contribute to the plan and the opportunities that would work within Mid Devon

·         The feedback that would be provided to the Carbon Plan team

Consideration was given to:

·         Farming initiatives

·         The pros and cons of anaerobic digesters which included transport issues and the impact of those on the climate

·         The costs of achieving the plan

·         How the Cabinet Member for Climate Change could liaise with other groups to further her work

·         How supermarkets in Cornwall were working with local producers to sell local products

·         The continued use of plastics on supermarket products

RESOLVED that the feedback from the Environment Policy Development Group on the Interim Devon Carbon Plan be AGREED and that feedback be submitted to the Devon Climate Emergency Partnership.

(Proposed by Cllr B A Moore and seconded by Cllr Miss E Wainwright)

Reason for decision – to provide feedback as part of the consultation process

Note:  *Report previously circulated, copy attached to minutes)

To provide Members with a copy of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan that is currently out for consultation until 15 February 2021.

The Full Interim Carbon Plan which will be referred to during the report can be found:

https://www.devonclimateemergency.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20201215_A4_SINGLE_Electronic-Version.pdf

The Group had before it a*report from the Corporate Manager for Property, Leisure and Climate Change presenting the Interim Devon Carbon Plan.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change gave an overview of the Plan by way of a presentation highlighting:

·         Background

·         Overview of emissions per district

·         Breakdown of emissions across Devon

·         The Plan did not provide solutions at this stage, the citizens assemblies would provide the detail

·         Themes in the Plan

·         8 main objectives of the Plan

·         Proposed Governance of the Plan

The Corporate Manager for Property, Leisure and Climate Change outlined the contents of the summary report  and highlighted the 12 chapters.

Consideration was given to:

·         Some Members felt that there was a mis-perception of the Farming community

·         The costs were too high

·         How did people picture the countryside in 2030

·         How much each district would need to contribute financially to the Plan

The officer explained that the MDDC Climate Change action plan was live and all opportunities would be taken to apply for grant funding and that the main function of the Climate Change co-ordinator was to apply for funding and work with neighbouring authorities to achieve the Council’s ambitions.

The Group requested that the Cabinet give consideration to the following in it’s response to the draft Plan:

·         Anaerobic Digesters – for’s and against must be addressed

·         The size of the documents that the public were expected to read needed to be considered

·         Costs needed to be explained and the affordability of Mid Devon residents taken into consideration. The Plan needed further explanation of the cost benefits

·         There needed to be a bigger involvement with the farming community

·         Air travel should be included

The Corporate Manager for Property, Leisure and Climate Change confirmed that the suggestions from the Group would be included within the Cabinet report.

Note: *Report previously circulated and attached to the minutes.