Agenda and minutes

Venue: Diamond Rooms 1 and 2 - Council House. View directions

Contact: Suzanne Bennett, Governance Services  Email:  suzanne.bennett@coventry.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

30.

Declaration of Interest

Minutes:

The Board noted that Councillor Bigham was a City Council Representative on the West Midlands Combined Authority Transport Delivery Committee.

 

The Board noted that Councillor Thay was employed by a company that offered financial services to businesses that purchased electric vehicles.

 

31.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 336 KB

a)  To agree the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 3 March 2022

 

b)  Matters arising

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 3rd March 2022 were agreed and signed as a true record.

 

Further to minute 27/21 headed ‘Recommendations from the Fly-tipping Task and Finish Group’, Members noted that a report on the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group would be submitted to Cabinet in the new Municipal Year. They also noted that officers were now looking at how to implement those  recommendations that didn’t require a decision, with the support of the Cabinet Member and where appropriate delegations were in place.

 

32.

Electric Vehicle Charging pdf icon PDF 746 KB

Briefing note and presentation of the Director of Transportation and Highways

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) received a briefing note and presentation of the Director of Transportation and Highways that provided details of: the Council’s on-street electric vehicle charging point programme, including progress to date, future plans and usage; the All-Electric Bus City Project being delivered in partnership with Transport for West Midlands and bus companies; progress with the electrification of the taxi fleet operating within the city; and progress with the delivery of the Council’s e-fleet programme.

 

The presentation and briefing note highlighted the following:

 

Strategic Context

International, National, Regional and Local organisations, environmental targets and key strategies

 

Coventry’s Emerging Transport Strategy

Informed by existing international, national and regional strategies built around four overarching objectives: Supporting the city’s economic recovery and enabling long-term growth; delivering a sustainable, low carbon transport system; Ensuring equality of opportunity; and maximising health and wellbeing.

   Achieving these requires a significant change to the way we travel: Away from car dependency – draft strategy is explicit that in future most people will not need to own a car to access the services they need; towards walking, cycling and public transport first.

  Main areas of activity: ‘Step change’ in the city’s public transport system (including Very Light Rail); much better infrastructure for walking and cycling; targeted investment in the road network (i.e., not aimed at simply creating capacity for more cars); widespread electrification (of public and private transport); changes to the way we transport freight; encouraging ‘behaviour change

 

The Electric Bus City - Why Electrify Coventry:

·  Climate Change Strategy

·  Coventry Local Air Quality Action Plan

·  Boost jobs and growth in local economy

·  Zero carbon transport system: Very Light Rail, electric buses, electric taxis, electric vans, Public EV charging network - Plug in Charging, Static Charging, Pantograph Charging, and Dynamic Charging of Vehicle

·  Currently over 50% of NO2 emissions in the City were from diesel vehicles

·  Reduce emissions through electric vehicles, provision of electric vehicle charging for businesses, try before you buy electric fleet, 468 charge points operational & 155 currently being installed, urban airport, and electric buses

 

Coventry City Council

·  Coventry had one of the most comprehensive EV charging networks outside London.

·  Work-Place Charging –44 fast chargers at Council’s properties and Plug-in Coventry project to support charge point provision at business premises

·  Ultra-Low Emission Buses – Office for Zero Emission Vehicle (OZEV) grant funding of £2.255m for 10 electric buses in partnership with National Express – Launched end of August 2020

·  All Electric Bus Town [AEBT] – Coventry secured funding of £50 million to fully electrify the bus fleet in the city and key corridors into Warwickshire – joint project with Warwickshire County Council and major bus companies. 130 double decker electric buses were ordered in January 2022 as first phase of the delivery programme.

·  Electric Fleet First project – Coventry has been awarded funding by Highways England for a fleet of electric vans, pool cars and taxis for local businesses to try before they buy electric vehicles for their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

33.

Work Programme and Outstanding Issues 2021-2022 pdf icon PDF 339 KB

Report of the Director of Law and Governance

Minutes:

The Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) received a report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator that detailed issues on the Board’s Work Programme for 2021/2022 and the suggested items for the Board for 2022/2023.

 

RESOLVED that the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) notes the completion of the Board’s Work Programme for the Municipal Year 2021/2022 and the suggested items for meetings of the Board for 2022/2023.

 

34.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

Minutes:

There were no other items of public business.