Report of Director of Regeneration and Planning

Lead Cabinet member: Councillor Jonathan Dow

(Key decision):

(1) To authorise the Strategy & Partnership Lead, Quality Environment, to conduct a desk-based feasibility study for the potential of free drinking water provision within council-owned parks and in other public places within Eastbourne borough, working with partners and stakeholders.

(2) To agree to support the national ‘Refill’ campaign through social media and as appropriate.

(3) To delegate authority to the Director of Regeneration and Planning, in consultation with the Cabinet member for Place Services, to bid for funding, supported by an appropriate business case, to invest in electric vehicle (EV) charging technology and infrastructure, working with partners and other local authorities.

(4) To authorise the Strategy & Partnership Lead, Quality Environment, in consultation with the Cabinet member for Place Services to prepare a Sustainability Policy to provide a framework for council activities for consideration and approval at Cabinet later in the year.

(5) To note the launch and progress to date of the ‘Single-Use Plastics’ project.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Regeneration and Planning, seeking their approval for a series of environmental initiatives. This included the formulation of a sustainability policy, drinking water provision, single use plastics project and an electric vehicle charge point feasibility study, given the current issues and proposal to ban combustion vehicles from sale by 2040.

Visiting member, Councillor Freebody addressed the Cabinet and welcomed the initiatives outlined in the report and offered the support of his group to assist in any way.

In response to a question about the overall budget of the initiatives, the Cabinet advised that the figure of £3,000 signified an initial likely spend and the budget may increase over time. It was also advised that funding towards the installation of water fountains around parks could be provided by the council’s devolved ward budget scheme.

Thanks were conveyed to Jane Goodall (Strategy and Partnership Lead, Quality Environment), Kate Tradewell (Strategy and Corporate Projects Officer, Quality Environment) and Devan Briggs (Policy and Engagement Co-ordinator) for their work on the initiatives outlined in the report.

Resolved (key decision):

(1) To authorise the Strategy & Partnership Lead, Quality Environment, to conduct a desk-based feasibility study for the potential of free drinking water provision within council-owned parks and in other public places within Eastbourne borough, working with partners and stakeholders.

(2) To agree to support the national ‘Refill’ campaign through social media and as appropriate.

(3) To delegate authority to the Director of Regeneration and Planning, in consultation with the Cabinet member for Place Services, to bid for funding, supported by an appropriate business case, to invest in electric vehicle (EV) charging technology and infrastructure, working with partners and other local authorities.

(4) To authorise the Strategy & Partnership Lead, Quality Environment, in consultation with the Cabinet member for Place Services to prepare a Sustainability Policy to provide a framework for council activities for consideration and approval at Cabinet later in the year.

(5) To note the launch and progress to date of the ‘Single-Use Plastics’ project.

Reasons for decisions:

(1) Drinking water provision could be made available to the general public in areas of high foot traffic and where other access to water may be limited, for example parks. This would support various initiatives currently prominent in the political and public arena including the reduction of single use plastics and promoting healthy and active lifestyles

(2) The ‘Refill’ campaign, described in paragraph 1.2, had arrived in the area through community activism.

(3) A charging point feasibility study would provide an evaluation of the opportunities available to Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) with regards to EV charging on its own estate in light of the national move towards the provision of this infrastructure.

(4) The adoption of a set of guiding principles in the form of an overarching Sustainability Policy would bring EBC into line with many other councils nationally. The policy would support planning policy and guidance, guide procurement decisions, potentially reduce costs with regards to energy and waste (through staff education and project initiatives) and generally work to ensure the council had ‘its own house in order’ before guiding others.

(5) The Single-Use Plastic (SUP) project started in May as a result of the Council’s aim to become SUP free where it was reasonable to do so by 31 December 2018.