Agenda and minutes

To note any substitution of Members made in accordance with Council Procedure Rules.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Lake for whom Councillor Cragg substituted.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 6 September 2023 (previously circulated).

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as a correct record.

There were no items of urgent business.

To note declarations of Members’ disclosable pecuniary interests, non-disclosable pecuniary interests and non-pecuniary interests in respect of items on the Agenda.

Cllr Zukowskyj declared a non-pecuniary interest as a Member of Hertfordshire County Council.

The meeting received the Update Report on Climate Change. The Climate Change Officer advised that the Climate Action Plan had been updated. There were now 101 actions of which 35 had been completed, 23 were in progress, 35 were ongoing and 8 had not yet started; of the latter, at least half would start in the next few months. There were two new actions: implementation of an environmental management system (ISO 50001); and the creation of a ‘transition to net zero strategy’ document which had been added at the request of members and which would outline the Council’s vision, what it did and planned to do, and what others could do to meet the net zero target. It was expected that both pieces of work would be completed by the end of the financial year. The greenhouse gas assessment for the most recent financial year was expected by the end of the month; once it was received, officers would be better able to provide a more tangible update on progress towards becoming a net zero organisation by 2030. 

Officers highlighted some key points:

·       It was intended to plant at least 300 street trees per year; planting should start at the end of the month.

·       Hertfordshire County Council was running ‘Your Tree, Our Future’ again with 10,000 trees due to be given away on 9 December 2023.

·        In terms of promoting energy efficiency, a number of schemes were intended to support residents to lower their household emissions and reduce their bills. The Home Upgrade Grant had now been launched which targeted lower-income households not connected to mains gas; targeted letters were being sent to around 600 homes. In relation to the ECO flex4/Great British Insulation Scheme, a statement of intent had recently been published on the Council’s website which essentially broadened the criteria to allow more households to be eligible for funding.  Officers had partnered with National Energy Foundation and residents could seek advice and assistance in applying for funding through their Better Housing Better Health platform. A boiler upgrade scheme offered up to £75k worth of grant funding to eligible properties to replace existing heating systems with low carbon heating systems. The Solar Together scheme had now closed with around 101 registrations from Welwyn Hatfield.

·       With respect to ‘nudge’ behaviour, a climate hub would be created and as a first step, a climate action survey had been launched which would run until the end of November 2023 with a draw where a participant would win a £30 gift card; Members were encouraged to share the survey with residents.

·       Hertfordshire County Council had a staff group tasked with facilitating the districts and boroughs to complete a climate change risk assessment and ensure actions were defined to mitigate climate risk. Officers noted extreme weather could mean an increased demand for and pressure on services, disruption in access to assets, services, IT and communications etc. The template had been circulated to the Council’s senior leadership team for risk leads to complete. Approximately 20  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

The Committee is asked to resolve:

That under Section 100(A)(2) and (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be now excluded from the meeting for Item XX on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of confidential or exempt information as defined in Section 100(A)(3) and Paragraphs 2 (Information likely to reveal the identity of an individual), and 6 (Statutory notice or order)  of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the said Act (as amended).

In resolving to exclude the public in respect of the exempt information, it is considered that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.