Issue - meetings

Report of Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Regeneration and Planning

Lead Cabinet member: Councillor Matthew Bird

(Key decision):

(1) To approve the Climate Change and Sustainability Annual Update (as attached at Appendix 1 to the report) for publication on the Council’s website

(2) To note progress to date on the strategy action plan as contained at Appendix 1 to the report.

(3) To support the proposed climate change activities for 2023/24, subject to full consideration within the annual business and budget planning process.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Regeneration and Planning, providing an update on the Climate Change and Sustainability Action Plan and to set out proposals for climate change activities in 2023/24.

Thanks were conveyed to Kate Richardson, Strategy & Partnership Lead – Sustainability for progressing the work and achievements outlined in the report.

Policy and Performance Advisory Committee (PPAC), held on 3 November 2022 considered the report and made the following recommendation to Cabinet:

To support the officer recommendations in the Cabinet report in full, subject to the following amendment to recommendation (3) being considered:

(3) To support the proposed climate change activities for 2023/24, subject to the consideration of any alternative funding sources available.

Councillor Linington, Vice-Chair of Policy and Performance Advisory Committee, was in attendance to present PPAC’s discussion.

Cabinet noted that the action plan, detailed at Appendix 1 to the report, covered large sections of the organisation and had been positively welcomed by all staff and community affected.

Following discussions, the Cabinet unanimously agreed to make a revision to officer recommendation (3), to make it clear that proposed climate change activities for 2023/24 were subject to full consideration within the annual business and budget planning process. This was detailed in the resolution below.

Councillor O’Keeffe declared a personal interest in this item as Chair of the Friends of Lewes – The Lewes Civic Society, who were a beneficiary of one of the projects. She remained in the room and voted on the item.

Resolved (Key decision):

(1) To approve the Climate Change and Sustainability Annual Update (as attached at Appendix 1 to the report) for publication on the Council’s website

(2) To note progress to date on the strategy action plan as contained at Appendix 1 to the report.

(3) To support the proposed climate change activities for 2023/24, subject to full consideration within the annual business and budget planning process.

Reason for decisions:

To progress the aims of the Council’s Climate Emergency Declaration (2019) to make the Council Net Zero Carbon by 2030 and to assist the same aim to be achieved within the wider district.