Issue - items at meetings - Sustainability Action Plan

Report of the Strategic Director; Place (copy attached).

(1)               That the Sustainability Action Plan at Appendix 1 to the report be approved as a draft for further development between 1 December 2012 and 7 February 2013; and

(2)               That the Strategic Director; Place be instructed to:-

(i)           to revise the draft Sustainability Action Plan in response to the development phase referred to in 2.1;

(ii)         to seek approval from Policy & Resources Committee and the city’s Public Service Board in early 2013 for the revised draft to be implemented; and

(iii)       on obtaining such approval, to submit it to BioRegional for independent assessment, with a view to the council and the city being endorsed as a ‘One Planet City’.

85.1         The Strategic Director; Place introduced the report which outlined how the Draft Sustainability Action Plan could be developed using the One Planet approach to ensure Brighton & Hove would improve energy security and become resilient to shortages and price hikes.  He noted that officers had been working with city partners on a draft three-year Sustainability Action Plan and that the proposals to take on board the One Planet approach were fully supported by them.

85.2         The Chair stated that the report set out the city’s ambition and recommended it to all Members as it was vital to the future of the city and the planet itself.  He noted that independent targets would be set for the city to achieve and stated that it was the council’s duty to make progress on this matter.  He hoped that it would be fully supported by all parties and wished to thank all the officers involved in bringing the report forward.

85.3         The Head of sustainability & Environmental Policy stated that the One Planet approach reflect the council’s corporate plan and detailed a three-year sustainability action plan  He noted that the feedback to date from Bioregional as the independent assessor had been positive and with the support of various partners in the city it was hoped to promote new ways of thinking and new approaches that would see benefits for everyone in the city.

85.4         Councillor West welcomed the report and thanked everyone involved in the process; he believed it had been a tremendous effort across the city which would lead to the creation of a better future for residents and the city itself.  He stated that further work was required but that as this was taken forward it would result in savings across other areas that would then be able to support other areas that were in need of resources.

85.5         Councillor G. Theobald stated that it was a long report and suggested that a concise list of actions that would be delivered would have helped.  He had some concern in regard to the financial implications and queried what the overall cost of the One Planet Living approach would be, and noted that £90k remained in the budget which was required to support a campaign before Bioregional would give accreditation to the council.

85.6         The Chair noted the comments and stated that £30k had been set aside for the campaign to encourage behaviour change and hopefully lead t the accreditation.

85.7         Councillor Mitchell stated that she wished to pay tribute to the external partners who had come on board to support the One Planet approach.  She noted that there were pressures on existing budgets and queried what the future plans were and whether any external funding was available.  She also suggested that consideration needed to be given to informing residents so that they understood why the council was taking this forward.

85.8         Councillor A. Norman stated that she supported Councillor Mitchell’s comments and that the report was rather long and detailed, and suggested that a more comprehensive version should be available for the public.  She also queried where the feasibility study would be based referred to on page 300 of the report, whether staff had been consulted about the proposed changes to parking listed in on page 309 and what was the reasoning for the study of food deserts.

85.9         The Chair noted the questions and stated that he would ensure a full written answer was sent to Councillor Norman and then put the recommendations to the vote.

85.10    RESOLVED:

(1)         That the Sustainability Action Plan at Appendix 1 to the report be approved as a draft for further development between 1 December 2012 and 7 February 2013; and

(2)         That the Strategic Director; Place be instructed to:-

(i)           to revise the draft Sustainability Action Plan in response to the development phase referred to in 2.1;

(ii)         to seek approval from Policy & Resources Committee and the city’s Public Service Board in early 2013 for the revised draft to be implemented; and

(iii)       on obtaining such approval, to submit it to BioRegional for independent assessment, with a view to the council and the city being endorsed as a ‘One Planet City’.