Agenda item

In the month ahead of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, this council meeting recalls its declaration of a Climate Emergency through an all-party motion on 28th March 2019.

 

This council meeting believes progress has been slower than residents would expect and an increase in pace is needed to tackle this issue, where ambition and leadership from the council will be key to taking our community and local industry with us to reach carbon neutrality as quickly as we can.

 

This council meeting recognises that the past year has been heavily impacted by the pandemic and notes that we have seen how the council can effectively mobilise in an emergency in dealing with Covid19.

 

This council meeting regrets that this urgency has been less evident in the efforts to address the climate emergency, an issue that remains a considerable threat to the borough.  A threat clearly demonstrated by the extraordinary rain events that led to the near disaster of a breach at Toddbrook Dam which would have been devastating for Stockport as a borough and our neighbours, and of course the many homes that flooded in the days around that time from Romiley, to Cheadle and Bramhall.  There is a cost of failing to act ambitiously and without enough urgency during the first year following the Climate Emergency declaration and before the pandemic struck and it is why we must be bold moving forward. Rapid and extensive reductions in carbon early on will give us more time and buffer to deal with the more challenging aspects and areas of reaching carbon neutrality.

 

This council meeting welcomes the recent appointment of a climate change officer and notes some progress on the issue, albeit concerns regarding lack of ambition have been raised consistently through council meetings and at scrutiny and, while a focus on carbon reduction has been an important place to start, the declaration of a climate emergency must also consider the local effects of climate change including flooding, district centre heat issues and biodiversity loss moving forward.

 

This council meeting further welcomes the council’s forthcoming Climate Summit, which has been billed as a transformative opportunity to engage with residents and other local stakeholders to create a new and ambitious approach to the Climate Emergency we all face. This council meeting looks forward to measuring the success of this endeavour and encourages all members to do what they can to help promote the work within their networks and wards so that the event is representative of our communities. Young people will be disproportionately more affected by climate change in their lives, it is important we act for them and with them on this issue and they must be a key focus as the work moves forward.

 

This Climate Emergency needs to be treated as such and adequate priority now given to it by this administration.

 

This council meeting therefore resolves to:

·         call on the cabinet member whose wide-ranging responsibilities include Climate Change for a step change in activity in line with the council’s leadership role in our community and to drive forward more ambitious proposals to ensure that Stockport can meet its carbon neutrality target by 2038; setting interim, achievable but ambitious targets for carbon reduction;

·         to accelerate provision of EV charging points across the borough as called for by this council in December 2018 by the Liberal Democrats, taking an open attitude to new technology;

·         take steps to ensure young people are given an effective voice beyond the Climate Summit through consultation with schools and the Youth Council;

·         Call on the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to use the power it has, including its influence as one of the UK’s largest pension funds, to take more of a leadership role to tackle climate change and to accelerate its ambition from being carbon neutral by 2050 to achieving this by 2038, in line with the ambition expressed by all ten local authorities across Greater Manchester;

·         Commission an independent audit of the council’s climate policy to help indicate areas we can make more substantive progress;

·         To explore the requirements for Planet Mark status for the local authority and, if suitable, pursue this accreditation as soon as is practicable;

·         To expand the scope of the council’s response to the climate emergency to equally focus on the local effects and not just local causes of climate change including the biodiversity crisis; and

·         To commit to give elected members the means to contribute to the issue of the climate emergency, both cause and effect, in their wards as part of CAN, both as decision makers and drivers of local change.

 

Moved by:                  Councillor Mark Roberts

 

Seconded by:           Councillor Becky Senior

MOVED AND SECONDED - In the month ahead of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, this council meeting recalls its declaration of a Climate Emergency through an all-party motion on 28th March 2019.

 

This council meeting believes progress has been slower than residents would expect and an increase in pace is needed to tackle this issue, where ambition and leadership from the council will be key to taking our community and local industry with us to reach carbon neutrality as quickly as we can.

 

This council meeting recognises that the past year has been heavily impacted by the pandemic and notes that we have seen how the council can effectively mobilise in an emergency in dealing with Covid19.

 

This council meeting regrets that this urgency has been less evident in the efforts to address the climate emergency, an issue that remains a considerable threat to the borough.  A threat clearly demonstrated by the extraordinary rain events that led to the near disaster of a breach at Toddbrook Dam which would have been devastating for Stockport as a borough and our neighbours, and of course the many homes that flooded in the days around that time from Romiley, to Cheadle and Bramhall.  There is a cost of failing to act ambitiously and without enough urgency during the first year following the Climate Emergency declaration and before the pandemic struck and it is why we must be bold moving forward. Rapid and extensive reductions in carbon early on will give us more time and buffer to deal with the more challenging aspects and areas of reaching carbon neutrality.

 

This council meeting welcomes the recent appointment of a climate change officer and notes some progress on the issue, albeit concerns regarding lack of ambition have been raised consistently through council meetings and at scrutiny and, while a focus on carbon reduction has been an important place to start, the declaration of a climate emergency must also consider the local effects of climate change including flooding, district centre heat issues and biodiversity loss moving forward.

 

This council meeting further welcomes the council’s forthcoming Climate Summit, which has been billed as a transformative opportunity to engage with residents and other local stakeholders to create a new and ambitious approach to the Climate Emergency we all face. This council meeting looks forward to measuring the success of this endeavour and encourages all members to do what they can to help promote the work within their networks and wards so that the event is representative of our communities. Young people will be disproportionately more affected by climate change in their lives, it is important we act for them and with them on this issue and they must be a key focus as the work moves forward.

 

This Climate Emergency needs to be treated as such and adequate priority now given to it by this administration.

 

This council meeting therefore resolves to:

 

·         call on the cabinet member whose wide-ranging responsibilities include Climate Change for a step change in activity in line with the council’s leadership role in our community and to drive forward more ambitious proposals to ensure that Stockport can meet its carbon neutrality target by 2038; setting interim, achievable but ambitious targets for carbon reduction;

·         to accelerate provision of EV charging points across the borough as called for by this council in December 2018 by the Liberal Democrats, taking an open attitude to new technology;

·         take steps to ensure young people are given an effective voice beyond the Climate Summit through consultation with schools and the Youth Council;

·         Call on the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to use the power it has, including its influence as one of the UK’s largest pension funds, to take more of a leadership role to tackle climate change and to accelerate its ambition from being carbon neutral by 2050 to achieving this by 2038, in line with the ambition expressed by all ten local authorities across Greater Manchester;

·         Commission an independent audit of the council’s climate policy to help indicate areas we can make more substantive progress;

·         To explore the requirements for Planet Mark status for the local authority and, if suitable, pursue this accreditation as soon as is practicable;

·         To expand the scope of the council’s response to the climate emergency to equally focus on the local effects and not just local causes of climate change including the biodiversity crisis; and

·         To commit to give elected members the means to contribute to the issue of the climate emergency, both cause and effect, in their wards as part of CAN, both as decision makers and drivers of local change.

 

AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED - In the month ahead of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, this council meeting recalls its declaration of a Climate Emergency through an all-party motion on 28th March 2019.

 

This council meeting recognises:

 

·         considerable progress has been made whilst acknowledging more needs to be done and is being done and welcomes the contribution made by the cross-party Climate Change Working Party;

·         the immediate appointment of a Lead Officer and the appointment of consultants Anthesis who have carried out an independent audit to review our carbon footprint to identify where we needed to focus and to inform our Strategy;

·         the Cabinet Member's support for the letter from GM Councils to the GM Pension Fund calling on the Pension Fund to commit to a zero-carbon strategy in line with the GMCA 2038 target;

·         our commitment to increase council maintained public electric charging points up to 30 by 2025 and ensure all new vehicles which form part of our fleet will be non-carbon within five years where technology allows;

·         the planting of 17,000 trees and the replacement of all street lighting with LED bulbs;

·         the production of Stockport Council's first Climate Change Strategy - CAN; and

·         the appointment of A Head Of CAN and the arrangements being made for Stockport Council's first Climate Change summit on the 9th November.

 

This council meeting also recognises that the past year has been heavily impacted by the pandemic and notes that officers have been totally committed to keeping Stockport residents as safe as possible both through the early stages of the pandemic and subsequently helping with the very successful vaccine roll out. Despite this, work on CAN has continued.

 

This council meeting therefore resolves to recognise the progress made in all seven work streams of the Climate Action Now Strategy that will, as agreed, be the subject of an Annual Report.

 

1.    Stockport Council CAN – leading the way to build climate action into everything it does

2.    Sustainable financial appraisal – Putting climate impact at the heart of the council by introducing a brand new model of financial appraisal

3.    Climate friendly borough – Working with businesses and local people to take action

4.    Low carbon buildings – Delivering more energy efficient homes and buildings, now and in the future

5.    Renewable energy – Making sure that the future energy needs of the borough can all be met in a sustainable way

6.    Sustainable transport – Moving to carbon-free transport options and increasing walking, cycling and the use of public transport

7.    Natural environment – Protecting and enhancing our natural environment

 

This Council further resolves to:

 

·         Enhance governance and measuring of Council’s own operational carbon footprint to inform carbon budgets in line with carbon neutrality target of 2038;

·         Introduce risk analysis to inform Council strategy to plan for effects of climate change on the Council; and

·         Establish external groups on the back of the summit (to include local residents, youth groups, businesses, community groups, climate change experts to inform the effectiveness of the CAN strategy and aim for continual improvement.

 

For the amendment 27, against 28, abstentions 2.

 

AMENDMENT NOT CARRIED

 

Upon the original motion being put to the vote, it was

 

RESOLVED – (35 for, 21 abstentions) In the month ahead of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, this council meeting recalls its declaration of a Climate Emergency through an all-party motion on 28th March 2019.

 

This council meeting believes progress has been slower than residents would expect and an increase in pace is needed to tackle this issue, where ambition and leadership from the council will be key to taking our community and local industry with us to reach carbon neutrality as quickly as we can.

 

This council meeting recognises that the past year has been heavily impacted by the pandemic and notes that we have seen how the council can effectively mobilise in an emergency in dealing with Covid19.

 

This council meeting regrets that this urgency has been less evident in the efforts to address the climate emergency, an issue that remains a considerable threat to the borough.  A threat clearly demonstrated by the extraordinary rain events that led to the near disaster of a breach at Toddbrook Dam which would have been devastating for Stockport as a borough and our neighbours, and of course the many homes that flooded in the days around that time from Romiley, to Cheadle and Bramhall.  There is a cost of failing to act ambitiously and without enough urgency during the first year following the Climate Emergency declaration and before the pandemic struck and it is why we must be bold moving forward. Rapid and extensive reductions in carbon early on will give us more time and buffer to deal with the more challenging aspects and areas of reaching carbon neutrality.

 

This council meeting welcomes the recent appointment of a climate change officer and notes some progress on the issue, albeit concerns regarding lack of ambition have been raised consistently through council meetings and at scrutiny and, while a focus on carbon reduction has been an important place to start, the declaration of a climate emergency must also consider the local effects of climate change including flooding, district centre heat issues and biodiversity loss moving forward.

 

This council meeting further welcomes the council’s forthcoming Climate Summit, which has been billed as a transformative opportunity to engage with residents and other local stakeholders to create a new and ambitious approach to the Climate Emergency we all face. This council meeting looks forward to measuring the success of this endeavour and encourages all members to do what they can to help promote the work within their networks and wards so that the event is representative of our communities. Young people will be disproportionately more affected by climate change in their lives, it is important we act for them and with them on this issue and they must be a key focus as the work moves forward.

 

This Climate Emergency needs to be treated as such and adequate priority now given to it by this administration.

 

This council meeting therefore resolves to:

 

·         call on the cabinet member whose wide-ranging responsibilities include Climate Change for a step change in activity in line with the council’s leadership role in our community and to drive forward more ambitious proposals to ensure that Stockport can meet its carbon neutrality target by 2038; setting interim, achievable but ambitious targets for carbon reduction;

·         to accelerate provision of EV charging points across the borough as called for by this council in December 2018 by the Liberal Democrats, taking an open attitude to new technology;

·         take steps to ensure young people are given an effective voice beyond the Climate Summit through consultation with schools and the Youth Council;

·         Call on the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to use the power it has, including its influence as one of the UK’s largest pension funds, to take more of a leadership role to tackle climate change and to accelerate its ambition from being carbon neutral by 2050 to achieving this by 2038, in line with the ambition expressed by all ten local authorities across Greater Manchester;

·         Commission an independent audit of the council’s climate policy to help indicate areas we can make more substantive progress;

·         To explore the requirements for Planet Mark status for the local authority and, if suitable, pursue this accreditation as soon as is practicable;

·         To expand the scope of the council’s response to the climate emergency to equally focus on the local effects and not just local causes of climate change including the biodiversity crisis; and

·         To commit to give elected members the means to contribute to the issue of the climate emergency, both cause and effect, in their wards as part of CAN, both as decision makers and drivers of local change.