Agenda item

To receive a presentation in relation to the implementation of the Climate Action Plan.

Doug Wilkinson introduced the Item and Dominic Millen went through the presentation, highlighting the following:

1)    The range of carbon emissions within council fleet, council buildings and construction.

2)    An estimated reduction figure for emissions was explained, based upon actions within the Climate Action Plan, to be taken over the next 10 years.

3)    There are 2 targets for zero emissions, council by 2030 and the borough by 2040. However, the initial review of carbon emission levels indicates that performance is below the trajectory, with consistency and quality of data being an issue. In addition, high emitters, such as the Civic Centre, influence the statistics.

4)    Some of the progress highlighted, included the street-light LED replacement programme, the development of a sustainable procurement policy and moving to lower carbon diesel for fleet vehicles.

5)    Other progress includes the first Chase restoration trees planted and sustainable urban drainage schemes delivered. The Meridian Water Sustainability Strategy has been approved and the Blue Green Strategy, looking at parks, open spaces and water is out for consultation.

6)    In summary it was noted that from the starting point in the programme, there has been significant progress overall and the Climate Action Plan year one report will be published in the early summer.

7)    Actions will be taken to mitigate potential risks relating to capacity, communications, culture, delivery and funding.

8)    Some of the top priorities include Engaging with schools to initiate a retrofit pilot, encourage active and sustainable travel, improve data and monitoring and embed a climate action culture.

9)    Within the next 3 months, work will include building climate action capacity within the Council, engagement with schools and suppliers and reviewing climate actions and targets.

The Chair thanked officers for the presentation and asked members of the Panel for any comments and questions.

10)It was noted that from a council fleet of 317 vehicles, 3 are electric. The vehicle replacement programme is part of the 10-year capital programme and there will be a review of the availability and reliability of large electric vehicles, in conjunction with costs and affordability.

11)Green walls and roofs within schools will be considered, however, green walls are high maintenance, requiring a lot of water. The priority within schools is to de-carbonise the site and make their buildings more energy efficient.

12)In response to a question regarding supporting disabled residents with active and sustainable travel, it was noted that step free access to train stations is important. Central Government funding is available to bid for to support schemes being considered at Enfield Chase and Silver Street stations. In addition, to promote pedestrian movements, the Highways Programme will consider improvements to pavement repairs and the quality of footpaths.

13)It was confirmed that the Council are keen to have a bike hire scheme in the borough. However, the number of operators has reduced as it is a difficult model to roll-out in London. The Council would need to ensure that any scheme would be viable in the long-term.

14)The Council will be considering a tree planting programme in the east of the borough. The funding within the Climate Action Plan has been doubled from £150K to £300K for street trees. Consideration has to be given for the network of services, below street level, which can determine   areas to safely plant trees.

15)At this point, Cllr Barnes joined the meeting and confirmed that there should be more trees in the east of the borough and around Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs). The Chase Restoration project is progressing and the Council are exploring plans for a new forest in the future, which would be an important part of off-setting carbon emissions.

16) A comment was received relating to the council selling a building and then claiming a reduction in carbon emissions, however this would only be against the council target and not the borough-wide target as the building would continue to be used by a new owner, with staff travelling to and from for work purposes. The council need to consider the impact of decisions such as this.

17)The planting of trees is commended but there will be a good period of time before these will begin to off-set carbon emissions. It was confirmed that this would still form part of the calculations relating to off-setting.

18)It was confirmed that the Climate Action Plan progress report would be available in late June/early July.

19)Although an interim measure, moving to lower carbon diesel in council vehicles has resulted in a 5% reduction in emissions.

20)Work is currently underway on a school’s programme, allowing access to speak to children and to use as an important resource to boost re-cycling rates by educating their parents.

21)It was confirmed that old street lightening units are dismantled and re-cycled.

22)In response to question, it was confirmed that the aim of LTNs is to push the through traffic back on to main roads. This will improve road safety on smaller, residential roads. It is hoped this will lead to reduced traffic and less pollution as seen following the introduction of LTNs and a survey commissioned in Waltham Forest.

23)Comments from Meridian Water developers relating to the Sustainability Strategy for the scheme will be investigated further.

24)As joint-lead (with Waltham Forest) on Retrofit London, Enfield Council will learn from other boroughs and have an opportunity to promote work within the borough, such as the retrofitting of Walbrook House in Edmonton, a high-rise residential building.

25)It was confirmed that the next round of Solar Together is being launched, coordinated by the GLA. In addition, the Big London Energy Switch offers 100% renewable energy.

26)Now that the consultation period for the Blue Green Strategy is closed, it was confirmed that approximately 250 response were received.

27)In response to a question, it was confirmed that when a resident has a drop kerb installed on their property, their has to be adequate drainage built into the design.

28)A comment was made that more action needs to be evident, however, it was explained that with a strategy of this magnitude, the initial months are spent in planning before mobilisation commences. It is when clear evidence of progress is provided, for example, electric charging points or developing more sustainable buildings, that public confidence is increased.

29)The council will resource as appropriate to deliver the Climate Action Plan and being a corporate responsibility it is important to ensure that all service areas can support specific areas of the strategy.

30)A comment was made that it is vitally important for individuals to do whatever they can, however small, to support the climate action.

31)Reference to LTNs was made and alternative data from Waltham Forest indicated residents lack of agreement with the scheme, however, this would be discussed in greater detail at a future meeting of this Panel.

32)As recently as 2019, a number of diesel vehicles were purchased as part of the council fleet, which doesn’t compliment the Climate Action Plan. It was re-iterated that the 10-year capital programme would hopefully address this, however, the cost of replacing larger vehicles with an electric equivalent would be approximately £16m, an increased cost of £11m over purchasing a like for like vehicle. This would need careful consideration.

33)A question was asked in relation to the estimated 100,000 trees to be planted over the next year. It was agreed that this was an ambitious target but by planting up to 50,000 trees by the end of 2021, the remainder could be achieved in the first few months of 2022.

34)A comment was made that there should be more focus on the areas of capital goods, housing stock and purchased electricity, which together account for 83% of all emissions.

35)In response to a question on how waste will be reduced by a third by 2022, it was confirmed that systems would be reviewed to get waste down and recycling rates up. It was noted that ideally, supermarkets would encourage suppliers to reduce packaging, with customers encouraged to use their own packaging which could be re-used. It was noted that some materials are problematic and can’t be recycled but it was confirmed that the council is working with industry, Government and legislation to meet this challenge.  

36)A process map will be devised to show how old street-lights are re-cycled.

37)Further information will be required on the budget and costs associated with the employment of Greengage Consultants in this area.

38)Figures for borough-wide emissions indicate that 40% relate to transport and it was confirmed that there are 120,000 cars registered in the borough and although many pass through using the main arterial roads, a number use smaller residential roads to find a path through Enfield.

39)It was noted that new housing developments over 20 residential units, provide more space for waste (80%) than recycling. This will need to be reviewed within planning regulations to address this in-balance. Enfield Council are part of a Pan-London Group looking at waste and recycling in existing flats, ensuring that areas are well maintained and accessible to encourage residents

40)Information will be circulated on the plastic free scheme in Southgate.

41)A comment was noted that to allow Councillors adequate time to devise appropriate questions for scrutiny meetings, the information presented should be provided well in advance of the meeting.

42)It was confirmed that there will be an additional 60 charging points installed across the borough by the end of March. If enough residents in a particular road indicate interest, a charging point could be installed. Longer term lamppost charging would be the preference. As large fuel companies transition to providing electric filling stations, the Council does not want to be left with may obsolete charging posts in the borough.

43)In response to a question, it was confirmed that the pandemic had delayed a large amount of public engagement, such as face to face and pop-up events, however, it is envisaged that this will pick-up as restrictions ease.

44)The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) Heat and Power Facility will also provide state of the art recycling facilities, ensuring that the target of 75% will be achieved.

45)Further educate of the public would be needed to ensure that recyclable materials are not placed in waste bins as they are not sorted before incineration.

46)Clarification was provided on the composition of the NLWA, with 7 boroughs providing 2 representatives. Cllr Hass Yusuf and Cllr Kate Anolue are Enfield’s representatives.

Cllr Yusuf, thanked the Cabinet Member and Officers for attending.