Agenda item

To receive an annual update from the Head of Environmental Management on the Council’s Environment Strategy.

(Councillor D M Tysoe, Executive Councillor for the Environment, was in attendance for this Item).

Councillor D M Tysoe introduced a report by the Head of Environmental Management (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) on Growing Awareness: A Plan for Our Environment. The Plan contained a framework for the Council to make continual, measurable progress in reducing its own resource use and in stimulating environmental improvements in the wider district.  The Annual Review of the Plan was appended to the report. The Review analysed how the Council had performed against the Plan’s targets.  Members’ attention was drawn to the fact that energy usage had decreased by 18% across the Council’s portfolio.

The Panel questioned whether there were any plans to increase the types of materials that could be recycled.  In response, Councillor Tysoe advised Members that the Council was hoping to expand the range of items which could be recycled and that work was ongoing with other authorities in order to determine the cost-effectiveness of offering an enhanced service.

Having questioned whether it would still be worthwhile to install PV panels and other energy saving measures given the reduction in the Government feed-in tariff, Members were advised that as there had also been a decline in their cost, they still offered a favourable rate of return and as such should still be encouraged.

In response to a further question, the Environment Team Leader clarified the Government Salix Energy Efficiency Grant Funding process. £75,000 had been received and match funded to provide an initial £150,000 for energy efficiency projects at the Council’s main site.  Savings generated from the projects that had been implemented would be recycled into the fund. This would provide a maximum of £450,000 towards energy efficiency projects across the Council’s estate. The Panel was then advised that a biomass boiler would be used to generate heat for Hinchingbrooke Country Park’s Countryside Centre.  This should realise savings as the Country Park had a plentiful supply of logs and volunteers were willing to assist with this change in approach.

The Panel discussed the possibility of generating energy from waste and the implementation of a district heating scheme.  With regard to the latter, the Head of Environmental Management explained that RWE Npower had requested a 15% – 20% rate of return to engage with the Council on a heating scheme in St. Neots.  As the heating scheme would only provide a 7% – 10% rate of return, at present, this was not a viable option.

Members were acquainted with details of the Green Deal, which would become active in the coming months.  Having been advised that Councils would be best placed to promote the scheme, Members stressed the importance of ensuring that the Council provided the best value options for householders.  Furthermore, the Panel recommended that, as far as possible, local traders should be used to deliver installations.  A procurement exercise would be undertaken and a report would be delivered back to the Panel in due course on the precise details of the scheme. 

Members highlighted the fact that the Council had not achieved its target of a 9.5% reduction in the cubic metres of water consumed by Council buildings, noting that there had been a 5.7% increase compared with 2008/2009.  The Panel was assured that this would become a priority of the Environment Team and would continue to be carefully monitored.  Attention was also drawn to the increase in the percentage of Council employees travelling to work by car and the slow progress that had been made in increasing the proportion of waste from the Council’s Headquarters that was recycled.  These trends illustrated the need for continual efforts to be made to encourage the activities that were required to achieve targets.  In particular, reference was made to the need to promote the Council’s home working policy and its travel plan.

RESOLVED

  (a)  that the significant progress towards the implementation of Growing Awareness contained with the annual update 2011/2012 be noted, and

  (b)  that the Cabinet be recommended to continue to support the role of the Strategy as the main means for the Council to monitor and improve its own environmental performance, whilst acting as a community leader, to encourage improved environmental practice in the District as a whole.