Issue - meetings

Reporting Person – Geoff McManus

Following the Council’s climate and ecological emergency declaration on 25 July 2019, Councillor Davis, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, introduced a report which set out recommendations from the Climate Change Working Group regarding a Renewable Energy Plan.  Councillor Howard, Chairman of the Climate Change Working Group, advised that the use of renewable energy would be the biggest step the Council could take to become carbon neutral across the Council’s estate, and achieve Borough-wide carbon neutrality by 2050 at the latest.  Attention was drawn to page 80 of the Agenda Pack which set out a summary of actions.

Councillor Ashall, Portfolio Holder for Finance, was supportive of the proposals and requested that information on local community municipal bonds be brought to the Finance Task Group for discussion.

The Executive welcomed the report and commended the Green Infrastructure Team on their hard work on the Plan.

RESOLVEd

That  (i)    the Renewable Energy Plan be adopted;

          (ii)   the potential to establish a local community municipal bond for the financing of local renewable energy projects be explored by the Director of Neighbourhood Services in consultation with (a) the Portfolio Holder and Shadow Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, (b) the Director of Finance and (c) the Director of Legal and Democratic Services; and

          (iii)  if a local community municipal bond for the financing of local renewable energy projects is considered feasible and beneficial, further report(s) be presented to the Executive/Council.

Reason    In furtherance of the Council’s climate and ecological emergency declaration, the Renewable Energy Plan sets out a range of actions to facilitate next steps to transition to net zero, through achieving greater proportions of locally generated renewable energy and decarbonisation of our local energy supplies.