The Scrutiny Panel will hear from the Cabinet Member and Officers outlining priorities and areas of challenge.
Cabinet Members and Officers will be asked to leave the meeting at this point.
Minutes:
Councillor Rick Jewell, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Cabinet Member presented the local priorities for 2022/23, which was endorsed by Councillor Ergin Erbil, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member.
1. Waste & Recycling
Decarbonise more council vehicle fleets. Increase engagement with residents to emphasis the responsibility of the content of the bins and cross contamination. Increase recycling educational sessions in schools. Fly tipping – continue to identify, tackle and enforce offenders. Increase access to recycling facilities for all flats and bulk waste from streets. Sorting waste deposited in general bins e.g. parks.
2. Wetlands
Delivery of 10 new wetlands and introduce greater biodiversity and regeneration, such as grazing cattle and flying-ants.
3. School Streets and Quieter Low Traffic Neighbourhoods
Creation of 50 new School Streets.
4. Climate
Continue to transfer the Council’s current fossil fuel refuge fleet to electric vehicles. Increase in the provision of electric vehicle charging points.
The Executive Director – Place, Sarah Cary made the following contributions:
5. Strategy and Policies
Climate Action Plan – to be refreshed following declaration of the manifesto pledges following the elections. An update to Council for approval to go out to consultation and in January 2023 or Spring 2023 to go out for consultation before a though review of the Climate Action Plan.
6. Parking Strategy
The rationale and management of parking across the Borough.
7. Enfield Forest/Chase
Planting of 1 million trees to create a new Enfield Forest, the long-term plans, including landscaping.
8. Waste and Recycling
Significant service changes for recycling and fly-tipping.
9. Healthy Streets
Following Cabinet approval these will be progressed throughout the year.
10. Climate
Air quality and air pollution number of changes following the Environment Bill when Royal Assent had been received. There were implications for the Local Authority combined with eh recovery strategy.
11. Park Management
A review of the Council’s public open spaces would be carried out.
The Executive Director – Place responded to several questions from Panel Members as follows:
· The Council’s overall climate policy would influence the building of Council owned buildings. Consideration was currently being given to the details of a further site for a new Eco park to serve the Borough for waste recycling together with possible changes to the pattern of bin collection across the Borough and would be known later in the year.
· The Council had a relatively small role to play regarding the initiative to reduce domestic gas consumption and to promote greener energy, which was a government lead scheme. New buildings would be regulated and enforced through Building Regulations.
· The review of the parking strategy and roll out of additional electric vehicle charging points would be included in a progress report, also later in the year. It was likely that there would be policy changes and an increase in a government support grant. The strategy would promote the reduction of car usage and encourage walking. The Council’s current parking strategy based the cost of parking permits on engine size rather than carbon omissions.
Councillor Ergin Erbil confirmed that it was important the Council looked at the use of cars in the wider debate. The Council had pledged to install 1,000 more electric vehicle charging points. In order to deliver the manifesto pledges, it would be necessary to redirect Council resources. A considerable amount of work had been carried out to retrofit council homes to improve energy efficiency. The Council and residents would benefit from government funding for climate change initiatives.
Action: Executive Director – Place – to provide a number of electric vehicle charging points installed across the note Borough.
The Chair, on behalf of the Members of the Environment and Climate Action Scrutiny Panel, thanked the Cabinet Members and Officers for attending the meeting and presenting a comprehensive set of Council priorities in relation to the Scrutiny Panel for the forthcoming year.
At 7.35pm the Cabinet Members and Officer, as asked by the Chair and endorsed by the Scrutiny Panel members, left the meeting.