Agenda item

Report of the Director of the Director of Regeneration and Economy

The Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee considered a report and received a presentation on the Climate Change Strategy.

The report is also to be considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 5^th November 2024 and by Council at its meeting on 3^rd December 2024.

The Coventry Climate Change Strategy 2024-2030 sets out how the Council plans to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change, which is central to the delivery of the One Coventry Plan.  The Strategy sets out the challenges and opportunities to creating a more sustainable city through the following five key pathways or themes:

·  Adaptation and Resilience 

·  Route to net zero

·  A circular economy

·  Fairer green future

·  Nature

The report provided a summary of the five pathways, which included the existing challenges and key recommendations.

Tackling the causes and consequences of climate change is a key priority for the Council as set out in the One Coventry Plan. The Strategy gives a comprehensive insight into the challenges and opportunities the Council faces  collectively in tackling the causes and consequences of climate change. Whilst the challenges ahead are significant, taking positive action to address them brings about real opportunity to create a better future for the city and its residents. The Climate Change Strategy is an important step for Coventry in being clear on the Council’s level of ambition, to be a leading city on the global stage, which is innovative, forward-thinking and capable of delivering meaningful change and leading the green industrial revolution. The Council needs to be bold and rise to these challenges.  However, the Council can’t do this alone and the success of how it responds to this will rely on city-wide support.

Climate change has many complex challenges which must be looked at holistically to deliver meaningful and lasting chance.

The Council recognised the importance of this issue well before many authorities were declaring emergencies, the Council were a founding signatory of the Global Covenant of Mayors in 2008, which set a target of achieving net zero by 2050 and the Council published its first Climate Change Strategy in the same year.  In 2021 the Council signed up to the Covenant of Mayors revised interim target of 55-65% reduction in emissions from 1990 levels by 2030. The Council are committed to working towards the UK government’s more recent interim target for a 68% reduction in emissions by 2030. More recently the Council has been working towards how it can support government targets to tackle the ecological emergency, whereby 30% of land in the UK should be conserved and managed for nature by 2030.  Whilst Coventry recognises the importance of targets to give focus, the Council’s focus is taking action and being innovative to tackle climate change.

It is important that the Council is seen to lead from the front; and is committed to reducing the direct impact the Council has on the environment and climate change, and have a role to lead and encourage city-wide action.  It is for that reason that the Council helped to develop an independent Climate Change Board in 2021, where the Council in its leadership role, representing the interests of its citizens, brings together the leading stakeholders in the private, public and voluntary sectors to take action on climate change and promote sustainability.

The Board is made up of more than 25 partner agencies from the public, private and third sectors. The Board is supported by five pathway groups, focusing on each of the key areas of the Strategy, expertly chaired by professionals in those areas. The Board and pathway groups share ideas and resources to develop solutions to these difficult and complex issues affecting the city and its people and have had an important role in developing this Strategy. The Council will also continue to engage with residents and help empower community organisations to develop projects on the ground and encourage behavioural change.

The Committee noted that the Council’s emissions only account for 1% of the city as a total, but the organisation is taking significant steps to decarbonise its estate and fleet and to ensure that climate change and sustainability is embedded in all policy areas, from planning to procurement. The Council has an important role in terms of co-ordinating the city’s approach to tackling climate change, which includes partnership working, building support and empowering citizens to take action. Key actions in the next 12 months will include training and reviewing resources to build knowledge, capacity and awareness to help deliver against the Action Plan.

The Climate Change Action Plan sets out all of the planned activities and projects, many already in development or underway, or plans the Council aspires to deliver in response to the Climate Change Strategy, to make a real difference city wide. Whilst a large number of the actions sit with the Council, there are also initiatives that require support from partners, businesses and communities to reflect the citywide action required. The Action Plan will remain a live document and be used to monitor progress and performance to make sure that the actions being taken are delivering against goals.

It was acknowledged that there is a huge amount to do, and whilst it is important to be aspirational there is also a requirement to be practical about what can be achieved. The Council will work hard to raise finance, engage partners and work with communities and organisations across the city to help remove barriers, identify opportunities and make this happen. It must also ensure it considers the risks and impacts of activities and take collective action to deliver a just transition as part this.

The Committee sought clarification about the membership of the Climate Change Board as it was understood that a number of residents had tried to engage with the Board without success.  It was confirmed that the members of the Board are all professionals in various capacity who volunteer their time and expertise in respect of climate change, with the relevant abilities, skillsets, knowledge and organisations behind them to enable ideas to become projects.  There is however work ongoing outside of the Climate Change Board to engage with the community in respect of project development on the ground.

Concerns were raised regarding the number of properties within the city reported to be at risk of flooding.  The Committee requested that information be circulated to the Committee Members and Members of the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) who were invited to attend the meeting, identifying the flood risks within the city by electoral wards.

Whilst considering decarbonisation, reference was made to the installation of cycle routes around the city and the public misconception that the Council have funded these projects.  The Committee requested that information in respect of cycle routes and how they have been funded be publicised through the Communications Team, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for City Services and the Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change.

The Committee discussed the route to net zero and made particular reference to the electric vehicle charging facilities and the impact of charging points being damaged or vandalised. During the course of this discussion, the Committee requested that investigations be made into the level of vandalism that has occurred and that information be circulated to all Councillors on the process for reporting where charging facilities have been damaged or vandalised.

RESOLVED that, the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee note the report and confirm there are no comments or recommendations to be forwarded to Cabinet for consideration at their meeting on 5th November 2024.