Agenda item

Cabinet received a report which sought its support for the Environment Capital Action Plan (ECAP), and to recommend the ECAP to Council for adoption.

The Plan had been prepared to outline how the city intended to deliver against the ‘Creating the UK’s Environment Capital’ strategic priority. Cabinet had previously approved a draft ECAP for the purposes of consultation at its meeting held on 16 December 2013.

Councillor North introduced the report and stated that there had been a number of consultation responses received, with a high level of satisfaction being achieved in relation to the targets and visions. He further provided an overview of the ECAP, stating that it was a Plan that would foster healthier and happier lives and would support economic prosperity.

There were two different sets of targets within the Plan, 2013-2016 targets, which mostly already existed in the city, and 2050 targets, which were designed to be visionary. At the current stage it could not be categorically identified whether all of the visionary targets would be achievable, however upon adoption of the Plan, research work would be undertaken on each theme, establishing the trajectory and revising the target if necessary.

The Plan would continue to evolve and new targets would be added as they were identified and developed. Progress against the Plan and any additional targets included going forward would be reporting upon annually. It was also to be noted that the ECAP was a starting point and the challenge following adoption would be to address how, collectively as a city, the gap between the 2016 and 2050 vision would be filled.

Comments from Members and responses to questions from Councillor North and the Council’s Climate Change Team Manager included:

·         There would be a number of groups and organisations encompassed within the Plan;

·         The City Council’s policy of refurbishment and rebuilding schools had gone towards the stated reduction in carbon emissions;

·         Responses to the questionnaire had highlighted that a third of people were not aware as to how they could personally help to limit the effects of climate change, therefore a communication piece did need to be cascaded wider to highlight that individuals could make a difference;

·         The role of children was paramount, and they needed to play a large part in taking the action plan forward. In response to this point it was highlighted that there was a national scheme called ‘Eco Schools’ in which Peterborough was second nationally, with 94% of the city’s schools registered;

·         The Plan had been kept intentionally short and there were a number of additional layers below each action; and

·         Progress would be monitored and reported via a number of methods and there would be an annual report to the Environment Capital Scrutiny Committee, with ad-hoc reports as appropriate to highlight particular areas of success.

The Council’s Climate Change Team Manager highlighted a number of points of activity including:

·           School Engagement - Ten city schools had recently developed a film to explain the concept of living within the resources of one planet and to showcase the work they were doing;

·           Eco Peterborough Education Awards - Schools across the city had been invited to attend the annual awards, due to be held at the Nene Park Academy on 1July 2014. The awards provided a showcase for Peterborough’s schools to share best practice and celebrate their achievements;

·           Twitter – Environment Capital now had its own Twitter feed; and

·           Further work would be undertaken with regards to how young people could monitor actions within the Plan.

Cabinet considered the report and RESOLVED to:

Recommend the Environment Capital Action Plan to Council for approval.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION

Cabinet was recommended to approve the ECAP. This was because the Plan would help deliver the city’s Environment Capital priority by providing clear strategic direction for the priority whilst creating, for the first time, a set of targets with which the progress of this priority would be measured.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

The alternative option of not producing a Plan would mean that there would be no clear vision and targets associated with the Environment Capital priority making progress difficult to monitor and the effective allocation of resources difficult. Therefore the alternative option of not producing the ECAP was rejected.