Agenda and draft minutes

Agenda and draft minutes

Overview and Scrutiny Climate Change Subgroup - Thursday, 23rd January, 2020 2.00 pm

Venue: Council Chamber, Level 2, Town Hall Extension. View directions

Contact: Lee Walker 

Items
No. Item

5.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 382 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 22 October 2019.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the 22 October 2019 were submitted for approval. The Chair requested that Cllr Flanagan’s apologies be recorded. The Chair recommended that the letter sent by Cllr Paul Andrews to the Greater Manchester Pension Fund regarding the divestment in fossil fuels be appended to the published minutes.

 

Decisions

 

The Subgroup;

 

1. Approve the minutes of the meeting held on 22 October 2019 as a correct record, subject to the above amendment.

 

2. Recommend that the letter sent by Cllr Paul Andrews to the Greater Manchester Pension Fund regarding the divestment in fossil fuels be appended to the minutes.

 

6.

Climate Emergency and Community Engagement pdf icon PDF 244 KB

Report of the Strategic Director, Neighbourhoods and the Strategic Lead, Neighbourhoods

 

In November 2018, the Council’s Executive agreed to the establishment of science-based carbon reduction targets for Manchester, which required the city to become net zero carbon by 2038. In July 2019, the Council declared a Climate Emergency. The declaration was explicit about the Council working with residents / other partners at a neighbourhood level, to ensure they are proactively involved in achieving this target.

 

This report provides a summary on progress to date, and building on this momentum, outlines further actions that communities, Officers, Members and other partners, want to work on together to help reduce carbon. Building capacity to accelerate action at a neighbourhood level is key, as well as embedding priority actions in neighbourhood based Ward Plans.

 

Minutes:

The Subgroup considered the report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) and the Strategic Lead, Neighbourhoods that described that in November 2018 the Council’s Executive agreed to the establishment of science-based carbon reduction targets for Manchester, which required the city to become net zero carbon by 2038. In July 2019, the Council declared a Climate Emergency, noting that the declaration was explicit about the Council working with residents and other partners at a neighbourhood level, to ensure they were proactively involved in achieving this target.

 

The report submitted provided a summary on progress to date against this activity, and building on this momentum, outlined further actions that communities, Officers, Members and other partners, wanted to work on together to help reduce carbon. Building capacity to accelerate action at a neighbourhood level was key, as well as embedding priority actions in neighbourhood based ward plans.

 

The Subgroup considered the key points within the report, which included: -

 

·         Providing a context and background to this activity;

·         Progress to date, describing a range of initiatives and activities;

·         Describing the ambitions and plans to build on this momentum to ramp up delivery and have an even greater impact to reduce carbon;

·         Next steps;

·         The approach to communications;

·         The approach to the sharing of skills and experience to support and embed this activity; and

·         Information on tools and capacity available.

 

Some of the key points that arose from the Subgroup’s discussions were: -

 

·         Welcoming the report and noting the activities delivered in wards;

·         Recognising the ambition and challenge to scale up this activity to address climate change, suggesting that car free days and road closures should be expanded;

·         The Council should use all of its influence through policy levers, across a range of activities, including planning and housing to address climate change and lead by example;

·         Communications issued by the Council should be explicit in regard to climate change to reinforce the message;

·         Recognising the importance of personal responsibility and behaviours to address climate change;

·         Neighbourhood investment funds should be awarded to support and deliver activities and schemes designed to tackle climate change; and

·         An update was sought on carbon literacy training for staff in the Neighbourhood Teams and was climate change being incorporated into respective wards plans.

 

The Members heard from Julie Ryan, Friends of Ryebank Fields. She spoke to the Subgroup and stated that the Ryebank Fields area of land did not appear on the published Brownfield Register and therefore it was their assertion that any plans to build housing on Ryebank Fields was contrary to local and national planning policy. She stated that this land was green belt land with similar status to other protected locations within the area, and as such should not be used for development.

 

The Strategic Lead, Neighbourhoods informed the Members that the community initiatives and projects were the result of engaging with, and listening to local residents and supporting them to deliver various projects. He stated that the Neighbourhoods Directorate were leading on the issue of climate change  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research pdf icon PDF 365 KB

The Subgroup will hear from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research who will be attending to present and discuss their review of the scope and targets for Manchester's climate change commitments. The review will take into account the latest science and international best practice for cities and will include further analysis and recommendations on aviation and consumption based emissions.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jonny Sadler, Programme Director, Manchester Climate Change Agency introduced the item. The Agency had commissioned the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to undertake four pieces of work and make recommendations, as required, in relation to: the city’s direct CO2 emissions; the city’s indirect / consumption-based CO2 emissions; aviation emissions, and; methodology for organisations and sectors to set science-based targets.

 

The Subgroup heard from Dr John Broderick and Dr Chris Jones, from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research who had been invited to present their work to date on the review of the city direct and aviation CO2 targets. Noting that the review would take into account the latest science and international best practice for cities and would include further analysis and recommendations on aviation and consumption based emissions.

 

The Subgroup considered the key points in the presentations, which included: -

 

Direct CO2 emissions

 

·         Based on currently scientific analysis the draft recommendations and key points in regard to direct emissions were -

-          Retain the existing 15 MtCO2 carbon budget, recognising that the latest science would allow Manchester to increase its budget to 18m tonnes;

-          Revisit carbon budgets in five years or in response to a new scientific synthesis report;

-          Focus on above 13% per annum reduction rate and meeting interim budgets;

-          Note that delays in achieving the 13% per annum reductions would require higher reduction rates in subsequent years;

-          Note that in relation to a date to become zero carbon, this is determined by historic emissions and the reduction rate then required in future years to stay within the 15m tonne budget i.e. the zero carbon date will change if the 13% annual reduction target is not met; and

-          Note that in relation to the potential 2030 zero carbon date, insufficient detail has been provided to enable Tyndall to analyse whether or not this is in line with the latest science. The main criteria to consider are: maximum carbon budget of 15m tonnes 2018-2100; 13% per annum reduction, as a minimum.

 

Aviation

 

·         UK aviation emissions should stay within a carbon budget of 1,262m tonnes CO2 2018-2100, to be in line with the Paris Agreement, versus 1,705m tonnes of estimated forecast emissions based on Government’s current plans for UK aviation;

·         MCC and Manchester Airport should work with UK Government and other UK airports to establish a plan for staying within this budget;

·         Data was available to monitor and report estimated figures for CO2 emissions from flights by Manchester residents;

·         Data was not currently available to monitor and report estimated figures for CO2 emissions from flights by Manchester businesses but could be developed; and

·         Manchester Airport could become a ‘pioneer organisation’ with other members of the Manchester Climate Change Partnership, in relation to its ground operations.

 

The Committee heard from Adam Pierce, resident of Manchester, who said that it was his opinion that Manchester needed to be bold and imaginative to effectively respond to climate change, utilising  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Terms of Reference and Work Programme pdf icon PDF 110 KB

Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit

 

Members are invited to review the Terms of Reference and Work Programme of the Subgroup.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Subgroup were invited to consider and agree the terms of reference and work programme. The Chair informed all those present that the date of the next meeting was 18 March 2020 at 2pm.

 

Decision

 

The Subgroup agreed the terms of reference and work programme.