Consideration was given to the report of the Director – Place and Climate Change, which outlined progress made on the Environment Strategy (2020) since the last report to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) on 25 April 2022.

Two new staff members had joined the Council to lead work on carbon reduction and the Environment Strategy (ES): Project Officer  (Environment), to develop and deliver projects that aimed to reduce the carbon footprint of both the Council and the wider district and Environment Strategy Officer, responsible for reviewing and updating the Council’s strategic approach to carbon reduction and the environment.

Delivery of the ES and action plan had significantly improved over the previous six months. There was a renewed focus within the Climate Change Steering Group (CCSG), which was now meeting monthly and driving the policy agenda of the Council’s climate change ambitions. A full summary of the projects being reviewed by the CCSG was attached at Appendix A to the report. The new staff resourcing had made a significant impact on the ability of the Council to deliver against its aims.

Members were updated on the following projects:

•           Baselining and Monitoring Annual Emissions: the Council adopted the Local Government Association’s Green House Gas (GHG) Accounting Tool for Local Authorities to track its annual emission of tonnes of Carbon dioxide (tCO2e) and other GHGs, starting from a baseline year of April 2019 – March 2020.  The tool categorised emissions into three distinct Scopes, as outlined in the report and Members were presented with the Council’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2019/20.  Emissions generated by the Town Hall made up 39% of total emissions in the baseline year.

•           Village Halls Energy Project: led by the Project Officer  (Environment), aimed to reduce the carbon footprint of Village and Community Halls across Rother through energy efficiency measures, switching to low carbon energy systems and installing renewables.  £500k of project funding was approved by the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Panel in July 2022 from the Climate Emergency Bonus fund, 40 halls had expressed an interest in taking part and funds would be allocated using a prioritisation process.  The intended project completion date was May 2024.

•           Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Points in Council-owned Car Parks: Approval to procure an appropriate service provider had been granted in March 2022.  Site surveys had since been undertaken by the provider and the Council was awaiting the outcome of detailed feasibility studies, to include details of infrastructure capability from UKPN. Once the feasibility studies were complete, an application for the funding of equipment and installations would be made, with installation at the priority car parks of De la Warr Bexhill, Bedford Place Rye and Mount Street Battle to be completed by Spring 2023, with a further six car parks being considered.

•           Couch to Carbon Zero: the Council was the first local authority to commit to the Couch to Carbon Zero Sprint which took  place from 7 to 18 November in line with the annual UN Climate Change conference, COP27, in Egypt), with all employees and Members being invited to join.  The project involved receiving one email a day for 10 days, featuring advice on small lifestyle changes that would have a big impact on the planet. To incentivise participation, a prize draw was being offered.

•           Green Team: re-launched in June 2022, chaired by the Projects Officer (Environment), the team met every 4 – 6 weeks. Membership currently comprised of 16 employees from a cross section of Council departments and projects that had been prioritised for immediate action included improving recycling rates at the Town Hall and reducing emissions from staff commuting.

•           Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil (HVO) Waste Collection Fuel Trial: the Joint Waste and Recycling Committee had recommended that each partner council consider the implications of funding HVO in 2023/24; this recommendation followed a lengthy period of work by the Joint Waste Climate Change Working Group to consider short- and longer-term options to minimise carbon emissions. The principles for an agreement aligned with the Joint Waste Contract to enable use of HVO had been agreed with Biffa and the councils were liable to fund the cost differential between diesel and HVO fuel.  In the Rother District area, an estimated additional annual budget of £218,000 would enable use of HVO and secure an immediate reduction in carbon emission of up to/approximately 90%.  A single fuel tank operated in both the Hastings and Rother areas, therefore both Hastings and Rother Councils would be required to accept the terms of the agreement.  A full and detailed report outlining the additional budget requirement would be presented to Cabinet in due course.

•           Climate science and climate action had progressed significantly in the last two years and the ES would be reviewed and updated considering these advancements.  A Climate Action Plan with measurable deliverables would be developed to support the ES, providing clear, timely direction for staff, Members and stakeholders.

Members were given the opportunity to ask questions and the following points were noted during the discussions:

•           all village halls had been invited to take part in the project. One of the criteria was that the bills were met by a charitable organisation, therefore those halls that were combined with a school, for example, so the bills paid for by East Sussex County Council (ESCC), were not eligible;

•           no retro-fitting was required to enable the waste contract vehicles to switch to HVO.  The scheme was an interim measure, likely to be used for 5-10 years whilst technology developed; and

•           investment in bus routes by ESCC should be made to routes not so well used and those routes already served by trains should not be enhanced.

The current adopted ES was outdated and the strategic ambitions lacked clarity of focus. As such, a full review and rewrite of the strategy was required with a view to have a fully adopted revision by December 2023.

RESOLVED: That the progress made against the Environment Strategy (2020) be noted.

(Councillor J. Barnes declared a Personal Interest in this matter as Chair of Etchingham Parish Council and in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct remained in the meeting during the consideration thereof).

(Councillors Courtel and Gray each declared a Personal Interest in this matter as members of Bexhill Environment Group and in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct remained in the meeting during the consideration thereof).

(Councillor Maynard declared a Personal Interest in this matter as an Executive Member of East Sussex County Council and in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct remained in the meeting during the consideration thereof).