Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Andrews, Cox, McAndrew and Thomas. It was noted that Councillor Watson was substituting for Councillor Cox and Councillor Marlow was substituting for Councillor Thomas.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 1 July 2024.

Councillor Swainston proposed and Councillor Buckmaster seconded, a motion that the minutes of the meeting held on 1 July 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the minutes of the meeting held on 1 July 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Chair reminded Members to use their microphones as the meeting was being webcasted.

To receive any Members’ Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability submitted a report inviting Overview and Scrutiny Committee to discuss the council’s actions in reducing its carbon footprint in line with its commitments in the Climate Emergency declaration passed by Council on 26th July 2023.

Members were advised that the report provided the opportunity for Overview and Scrutiny to review the issues involved and share views and ideas about tackling climate change with the Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability.

The Executive Member said that the council had unanimously approved the making of a climate emergency declaration on 26 July 2023, and this built on a climate change declaration made by Council on 24 July 2019. He said that the council had maintained its commitment to becoming a net zero carbon council by 2030.

The Executive Member emphasised that the council had also committed to reducing its emissions to a minimum by 2027 and had also identified a pathway for offsetting any residual emissions. He said that the analysis was based on the carbon emissions report which was referenced in the document and was also available on the council’s website.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability invited Members to consider the recommendation and pass any comments to him for his consideration when determining priorities and actions.

Councillor Buckmaster asked what the council would consider to be a minimum in terms of emissions so that the council knew what progress was being made. The Executive Member said that 75% of the 2019 emissions were committed due to the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) boilers installed at the leisure centres. These units were one of the largest emissions within the council’s footprint and the second one was the diesel vehicles used for waste collection.

The Executive Member said that the council needed to evaluate whether it was cheaper to reduce emissions or to offset the emissions. He said that this piece of work was being carried out in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire.

Councillor Clements commented on the disparity between the 40% carbon reduction identified in the 2021 sustainability plan and the current prediction of 25%. He referred to the current figure of 17% and the detailed roadmap for how the figure could reach 37%. He commented on the current listed actions and asked about the confidence level that the 25% level could be reached.

Councillor Clements said that the big-ticket items that might make a difference for reducing carbon would be delivered in 2026/27, and this did not leave much leeway if these measures did not work out.

The Executive Member acknowledged that there was some uncertainty in this phase and whether it was worth replacing a gas boiler with an air source heat pump or better to invest in some offsetting measures locally. He said that a piece of work had been commissioned with the University of Hertfordshire in conjunction with the Hertfordshire Climate Change Group. The Executive Member summarised the 5 topics to be covered by the research.

The Executive Member confirmed that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 134.

The Committee Support Officer submitted the work programme report and drew Members’ attention to the Appendix containing the items identified by Members at the workshop held on 11 June 2024.

The Committee Support Officer reminded Members to complete the scrutiny proposal form circulated by email on 12 June 2024. He said that this was particularly important for the housing topic for the November meeting.

Councillor Carter mentioned glyphosate and the officer briefing paper that had been circulated to Members. She said that she would like to see this matter come to Overview and Scrutiny Committee at a meeting. Councillor Carter said that it would be useful to see to what extent the council was using glyphosate and what could be done to minimise it. Councillor Horner said that he would be happy to talk to Councillor Carter about putting in a scrutiny proposal.

The Chair sought the committee’s views on moving the housing item from 5 November on the forward plan to later in the civic year given the substantial proposed changes to the planning process announced by the government. He commented on the clear relationship between these changes to planning and housing.

Councillor Boylan said that he was supportive of delaying this matter to later in the civic year until there was more clarity in terms of the impact of these changes. The Chair said that moving housing to March 2025 would leave a gap for 5 November which could be filled by considering glyphosate.

The Chair said that he had attended a meeting of the Joint Administration Steering Group and a number of items had come out of the discussions for possible considering by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He referred to the consideration of the parking engagement strategy in January 2025.

Councillor Swainston raised the topic of air source heat pumps and the council’s planning policy on this matter. The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability referred to 3 ongoing appeals and whether the committee should discuss planning policy out with specific cases that were out to appeal.

Councillor Woollcombe proposed and Councillor Nicholls seconded a motion that the 2024/25 Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme in Appendix 1, be agreed subject to the following changes:

·               Glyphosate considered on 5 November 2024

·               Parking Engagement Strategy considered on 14 January 2025

·               Housing topic moved to 4 March 2025

·               Additional items in the email sent to Overview and Scrutiny by the chair on 5^th September 2024

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the 2024/25 Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme in Appendix 1, be agreed subject to the following changes:

·               Glyphosate considered on 5 November 2024

·               Parking Engagement Strategy considered on 14 January 2025

·               Housing topic moved to 4 March 2025

Additional items in the email sent to Overview and Scrutiny by the chair on 5^th September 2024.

To consider such other business as, in the opinion of the Chairman of the meeting, is of sufficient urgency to warrant consideration and is not likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information.

There was no urgent business.