HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL Agenda Item No. PLANNING AND PARTNERSHIPS PANEL MONDAY 16 JULY 2007 AT 2.00PM 7 A CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY FOR HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL – PROGRESS REPORT Report of the Director of Environment Author: John Rumble Tel: 01992 556296 Executive Member: Derrick Ashley 1. Purpose of Report 1.1 To inform the panel of progress in the development of the climate change strategies for Hertfordshire County Council and Hertfordshire. 2. Summary 2.1 Work on developing the Climate Change Strategy for the County Council is well underway and is on target for completion based on the timetable presented to Planning and partnerships panel on 9 March 2007. Projects to date have focused on: The development of a baseline CO2 emissions figure for Hertfordshire County Council and the development of a monitoring capability to maintain CO2 emissions information for the authority. Joining up to and starting implementation of the Carbon Trust’s Local Authority Carbon Management Programme – Phase 5 (LACM5). Establishing an aspirational target of 25% reduction in CO2 emissions to be tested through the action development process of the LACM5 programme. Beginning the process of developing and implementing a web site presence on climate change for the County Council. The recruitment of a dedicated climate change officer for the authority. Preparation of a communications plan for climate change aimed at the public and HCC staff. Progress against all of the key actions is shown in tables 4 and 5 in section 8 of this report. 2.2 Work is underway with Herts Forward on the theme of Tackling Climate Change as one of the big issues to be addressed as part of 81911144 1 Hertfordshire’s Community Strategy to 2021. The Herts Forward core group have been asked to provide details of their own organisations efforts to tackle climate change and to identify opportunities for collaborative working. There are a series of workshops on the development of the community strategy taking place in July 2007 where it is expected that climate change and tackling climate change will be endorsed as one of the big issues. The results from these activities will be discussed by Hertfordshire Forward in September 2007 in order to ensure that the climate change issues are embedded effectively within the community strategy to be launched at the Herts Forward conference in October 2007. Full strategy development and key actions for implementation will then run in parallel to the community strategy development programme to ensure that integration is maintained between the two streams of work and that the Sustainable Community Strategy and the Climate Change Strategy for Hertfordshire compliment one another. 3. Conclusion 3.1 Work on developing the climate change strategy for the County Council is underway and on-target. A range of measures are taking place and key programmes like the Hertfordshire participation in the Local Authority carbon management programme will assist in the strategies development. 3.2 Work on the development of a climate change strategy for Hertfordshire has begun and the big issues will be integrated into the new Sustainable Community Strategy for Hertfordshire that is to be launched at the Herts Forward October Conference. Full strategy development and key actions for implementation will then run in parallel to the community strategy development programme to ensure that integration is maintained between the two streams of work and that the Sustainable Community Strategy and the Climate Change Strategy for Hertfordshire compliment one another. 4. Background 4.1 Cabinet on 22 January 2007 took the decision for Hertfordshire County Council to become a signatory of the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change. This decision was endorsed by County Council on 27 February 2007. At the time of signing the declaration the authority decided that the climate change strategy work undertaken in Hertfordshire should encompass the following activities: (a) (b) 81911144 the direct impacts that arise through the activities of the County Council in the operation of its own services; the impact and influence the County Council has with its partners through policies and strategies for Hertfordshire; and 2 (c) the development of greenhouse gas reduction targets for the County Council and Hertfordshire. 4.2 Planning and Partnerships Panel on 9 March 2007 agreed to a timetable and process for developing climate change strategies for the County Council and Hertfordshire based on the structure set out in the action pack supporting the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change, which is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 Main areas of local authority action to address climate change HCC Hertfordshire Sections 5 through 8 of this report set out progress to date against the programme of work agreed at the meeting on 9 March 2007. 5. Current Greenhouse Gas Emissions levels for Hertfordshire County Council 5.1 One of the first steps in developing a Climate Change Strategy for HCC and Hertfordshire is to establish a baseline for current greenhouse gas emissions against which future targets for reduction can be set. The compilation of a baseline for the County Council is now well underway using the Carbon Trust’s carbon monitoring tools. This process is now receiving additional support from the Carbon Trust due to the fact that in June 2007 Hertfordshire County Council, in partnership with The City and District of St Albans signed up to phase 5 of the Local Authority Carbon Management Programme (LACM). The details of this programme and what it entails is described in section 6 of this report. As the baseline is being developed the update and monitoring system is also being looked at to ensure that not only is a baseline established but the capability to monitor actions against that baseline and any reduction targets is possible. 5.2 A key step in the process is to establish a carbon emissions baseline for the Authority by compiling together an inventory of emission sources (e.g. buildings, street lighting and transport). Typically only things that are under direct management control are included in the inventory. Data 81911144 3 on these sources is converted into emissions by using the current CO 2 conversion factors of energy and fuels. 5.3 Hertfordshire’s carbon emissions baseline is being calculated to represent emission levels for the 2005/6 financial year. The calculation of an accurate baseline depends on the availability of accurate figures on energy and fuel use. Where up to date information is unavailable an estimate has to be made with whatever data is available. The current estimate for HCC’s carbon emissions for 2005/6 is shown in Table 1. Additional information on each major emissions source, including current limitations with data accuracy or availability, is presented below. Table 1 Estimate of HCC’s CO2 emissions 2005/6 Energy use within Buildings (including schools) Street Lighting Transport - Business Transport - Fleet Commuting Waste Total CO2 Emissions (tonnes) 81,583 18,142 2,842 1,527 104,094 Buildings 5.4 The figure for emissions from buildings is based on an estimate of overall energy use (electricity, gas, oil) supplied by MACE. More detailed information on actual energy use, which will allow building energy use to be analysed by department or building type, will be available from Herts Business Services later in 2007. A useful way of comparing emissions levels over time is by considering CO2 emitted per employee, the average for Hertfordshire property being 2.48 tonnes. Street Lighting 5.5 The estimate for street lighting is based on figures provided by Hertfordshire Highways. Although electricity purchased for street lighting by HCC is under a ‘green tariff’ and is described as ‘zero CO2 rated’ the Carbon Trust recommend that electricity purchased under a ‘green tariff’ should be regarded as having the same carbon weighting as general, undifferentiated grid electricity. This is because CO2 reduction attributed from renewable energy sources is already accounted for in the national CO2 figures, if this CO2 reduction where also included in the local authority figures then there would be elements of double counting starting to emerge. It also means that the focus is on reducing energy use, and thereby gaining cost savings rather than just switching to a green tariff structure which may mean additional cost. 81911144 4 Transport – Business and Fleet 5.6 Business transport figures are based on business mileage claims for a 6 month period in 2003, which are then grossed up to a 12 month figure. Actual figures for 2006/7 financial year will be available from the SHARP team in the near future. Emissions from business transport can be further broken down into service areas and by those produced by essential, casual and lease car mileage (See Table 2 and Figure 2). 5.7 Fleet transport figures are based on HCC fleet vehicle fuel purchased using Fuel card scheme. As the current fuel card scheme commenced in February 2006 figures reflect figures for the 2006/7 financial year. A breakdown of fleet emissions by service area is provided in Table 3. Table 2 Breakdown of Business Mileage CO2 Emissions by Service Area (2003 Data) Service Area Mileage CO2 Tonnes ACS Archives and Local Studies Audit Business Support County Supplies Chief Executives CSF Connexions Corporate Finance County Secretary Environment Fire & Rescue Herts Property ICT Library, Arts & Information Personnel S.E.R.M.U. Shire Catering Statutory Services Strategy and Consultancy Trading Standards 2,235,246 6,510 17,086 168 147,676 58,542 4,866,282 44,948 15,118 44,034 804,464 393,254 47,072 63,494 129,074 38,176 15,196 237,928 48,706 15,192 67,540 683 2 5 0 45 18 1,488 14 5 13 246 120 14 19 39 12 5 73 15 5 21 Total Business Mileage 9,295,706 2,842 81911144 5 Table 3 Breakdown of Fleet Mileage CO2 Emissions by Service Area (2006 Data) Service Area Mileage CO2 Tonnes Herts Business Services Herts Equipment Services CTS CSF Herts Media Education Workshops Fire & Rescue Community Information Trading Standards Dial a Ride Shire Services PTU Other 202,136 43,603 203,047 308 2,854 39,198 362 23,916 2,409 37,182 5,517 703 28,833 517 114 533 1 7 103 1 59 6 98 12 2 74 Total Fleet Mileage 590,066 1,527 Figure 2 Breakdown of Business Mileage CO2 Emissions Business Mileage Essential 12% Fleet 35% Business Mileage Casual 30% Business Mileage Lease 23% Commuting 5.8 The inclusion of commuting data in an authority’s carbon emissions baseline is optional. Some data on HCC commuting patterns is available from staff surveys conducted by the ‘Way We Work’ team however further analysis is required to establish if a useful estimate of emissions from commuting can be calculated. Once this is completed a decision on the reliability of the data will be taken and based upon this a 81911144 6 decision will be made whether to include commuting information in the baseline or not. It is anticipated that we will be able to make this judgement by September 2007. Waste 5.9 No data on the volume of waste produced by HCC business operations is available at present. We are currently exploring the complexities associated with assembling this data and will be making a judgement as to viability of including business related waste as part of the authorities carbon baseline. As the levels of carbon emissions associated with waste are usually low in relation to other major emissions sources should it be too difficult to collect reliable data this issue it could be ignored in the initial work on a carbon baseline for the authority. It is anticipated that we will be able to make this judgement by September 2007. 6. A Carbon Emissions Mitigation Strategy for HCC 6.1 In early May 2007 Hertfordshire County Council, in partnership with the City and District of St Albans were accepted onto phase 5 of the Carbon Trust’s Local Authority Carbon Management Programme (LACM5). The Local Authority Carbon Management Programme (LACM) was set up by the Carbon Trust in 2003 and is designed to support Local Authorities in realising carbon emissions reductions across their organisation through technical and change management support and guidance. Their main focus for achieving emission reductions is in those areas under the control of local authorities such as buildings (including schools), vehicle fleets, street lighting and landfill sites. Councils enrolled in the programme receive consultancy support in the form of workshops and dedicated support to guide them through an analysis of their carbon footprint, the potential cost of business as usual and the opportunities available to manage carbon reduction. This is all focused into a 5 step programme that the Carbon Trust uses to focus activities within the year. 6.2 The 2007/08 programme commenced with the launch of phase 5 on Thursday 10 May 2007 and will be supported by the Carbon Trust, with approximately £15 - £20k of consultancy support, until the end of March 2008. The process follows the 5 step programme illustrated below (diagram 1), although this is broken down further into a monthly work schedule for authorities which details when certain tasks should be completed and how activities should run alongside one another. 6.3 The key components of the LACM5 Programme run in parallel with one another, rather than being viewed as isolated tasks. A detailed timetable, which fits with the timetable for HCC strategy work on climate change mitigation, presented to members in the report to Panel in March 2007, has been produced to further clarify the process throughout the year and this is included in appendix 1 of this report. All tasks cascade 81911144 7 towards the completion of the final Strategy and Implementation Plan (SIP) in March 2008. Implementation of emissions reduction measures can take place at anytime throughout the programme and are not dependant upon the finalisation of the SIP. Direct support from the Carbon Trust and its consultants will end upon final completion of the SIP although it is expected that measures identified will continue beyond the supported stage of the programme. Diagram 1 The Carbon Trust 5 Step Programme 6.4 Hertfordshire County Council will be working in partnership with St Albans City and District Council on the LACM phase 5. Each authority will produce their own individual SIP in order to meet their own specific carbon reduction requirements. The two authorities will be working jointly throughout the programme to support each other and enable joint learning during all stages and from all aspects of the programme. 6.5 The initiation workshop for the LACM5 programme was held on 13 June 2007 with officers from HCC and St Albans attending. For the County Council the scope of the carbon reduction work will focus on the following key areas for carbon emissions: 81911144 Energy use from HCC property (including schools) To look at energy management and energy efficiency Transport – Business mileage Transport – Fleet management Highways – street lighting Purchasing and contracts Staff commuting (if reliable data can be established) Waste management (if reliable data can be established) Property development (this area will fit in with work already underway on the sustainable design guide – ‘Building Futures’) 8 Within the LACM5 programme an opportunities workshop is scheduled for September where proposals for carbon reduction measures will be presented and discussed. This is the point at which the main carbon reduction measures will be identified for inclusion in the draft SIP. It is also at this point in the programme that a carbon reduction target will be agreed upon. These targets are usually authority wide and over 5 years. Provisional targets set by the participants on phase 5 of the LACM programme range between 20% and 40% over a five year period from 2008 – 2013, with the average being 25%. In reviewing opportunities for carbon reduction HCC will be looking at the feasibility of achieving the highest possible carbon reduction that we can but should be aiming for a minimum of 25% saving on the established baseline. This would mean cutting our emissions from approximately 104,000 tonnes CO 2 to 78, 000 tonnes CO2 by 2013. 6.6 The detailed working up of measures to be included into the SIP will follow two paths. For those actions that can be undertaken within existing budgets they will be worked up and included directly into the final SIP document. For those actions that may require additional budget to be made available they will need to be reported through the relevant panels / budgetary procedures to get funding approval before being included in the final SIP. The draft and final SIP will be reported back to Planning and Partnerships Panel so than members can be made aware of the range of actions being proposed, and the split between actions that can be undertaken immediately and within existing budgets and those that will need to go through additional decision making and budgetary processes before decisions upon implementation can be made. It is anticipated that the final SIP will be presented to cabinet for final approval. The draft SIP will be available at the end of September 2007, between September 2007 and January 2008 the draft SIP will need to be finalised and it is within this period that proposed carbon reduction measures will need to be costed and reported to relevant panels for consideration. Finalisation of the SIP and the funding to support its implementation is scheduled to take place between January and March 2008. 6.7 Signing up for the LACM5 Programme provides HCC with the opportunity to focus attention at emissions reduction and carbon management in a focused and structured way. Following the designated program with tailored consultant support enables authorities to save money by managing and reducing energy bills, prepare for incoming regulations and legislation (such as the much anticipated Energy White Paper), raise the profile of the County Council and shares good practice with business and the local community. The scheme will act as a trigger to focus attention and bring together all the work being undertaken across the authority in order to work towards greater energy efficiency and carbon savings. It will also drive people’s commitment towards realising these savings as the timetable for completion of the SIP can act as a focal point for all parties involved. 81911144 9 7. Other Climate Change Activity Underway 7.1 In May 2007 a new Climate Change officer was appointed to the Sustainability Team in Forward Planning. They will be joining the authority at the end of July 2007 and will take on the role of developing the authority’s response to climate change mitigation and adaptation, including the joint lead role on the LACM5 programme. 7.2 Work is already underway on website development to incorporate the authorities work on climate change onto the HCC website and intranet. The programme for work is as follows: HCC external web site development Stage One - End of September 2007: Structure of external website to be complete and presence established on hertsdirect.org/climate change, with basic introductory material and explanation of HCC work. Not all areas will have information initially due to time needed for web authoring. Stage Two - November/December 2007: Case studies and project related materials to be added, including adaptation guidance and advice. Stage Three – March 2008: Completion of external site, internally available information supplemented with additional links and resources as a) researched internally in the Sustainability Team and b) provided by other members of staff, partners and stakeholders with knowledge of site prior to launch. Site development then ongoing. HCC internal INTRANET development Intranet development will be undertaken in parallel with the external web site development, according to web development resources available. It is more complicated as it will depend on policies and guidelines first being established within the service areas, being signed off for publication and then incorporated into the site. Also, we want to be sure that interactive capabilities that are being explored are feasible and can be provided. i.e. whether online forums are practical to implement and maintain. It is anticipated that an effective intranet presence on climate change with the basic structure will be up and running by the end of 2007. This intranet development is essential for developing guidance for staff around adaptation measures and the use of the risk management process to address climate change adaptation issues in project and service planning. 81911144 10 7.3 The Environment department is preparing a Beacon Bid for the theme of Tackling Climate Change for Round 9 of the Beacon Award Scheme and the will have been submitted on 29 June 2007. Following submission of the bid the authority should know if it is shortlisted by early October 2007, with assessment visits, if successful, in November/ December 2007. The final notification of whether the bid is successful or not will be in March 2008. A copy of the submitted bid will be available to members at the panel meeting. 7.4 A communications plan is being developed for the work on climate change which will focus on the development of consistent branding and messaging around the authority’s climate change activities. This plan is due to commence in earnest in the autumn, with the development of the web site and with a range of internal communications / campaigns on the authorities work. Kicking things off in late September, early October will be a ‘Switch Off’ campaign for County Hall aimed at getting staff to switch off electrical appliances and lights when not being used and at the end of the day. This will be monitored and results fed back to staff. 7.5 Discussions with service department on climate change adaptation issues are being set up over the summer and autumn period and will commence once the new climate change officer is in place. The inputs to these discussions will focus on potential service impacts arising from climate change and how the risk of these impacts can be managed through the authorities risk management process. The intention is to develop a series of service related guidance notes for inclusion on the HCC Intranet site that will enable managers to include climate change considerations into the appropriate decision making processes. The initial set of headline service impacts are being collated and have been derived from the work already undertaken by the authority in looking at local authority service adaptation issues at the regional level in the report “Living with Climate Change in the East of England”. 7.6 A number of other developments incorporating climate change measures are also underway, including: Launch of ‘Building Futures’ on 5 July 2007 HCC involvement in the regional renewables study, due to report at the end of 2007 The commissioning of an ecological footprint study of the County Council, to include the development of a consumption based carbon footprint for the authority. (This work is currently being scoped and is due to be let in Autumn 2007) HCC participation and leading of work on climate change adaptation for the County Surveyors Society. 7.7 At its meeting on 24 May, Herts Forward identified Tackling Climate Change as one of the big issues to be addressed as part of Hertfordshire’s Community Strategy to 2021. To enable the successful integration of climate change maters into the community strategy the 81911144 11 Herts Forward core group have been asked to provide details of their constituent organisations efforts to tackle climate change and to identify opportunities for collaborative working to address this challenge. There are a series of workshops on the development of the community strategy taking place in July 2007 where it is expected that climate change and tackling climate change will be endorsed as one of the big issues. The results from the workshops and the feedback from Herts Forward Core Group members will be discussed with Hertfordshire Forward in September 2007 in order to ensure that the climate change issues are embedded effectively within the community strategy to be launched at the Herts Forward conference in October 2007. Full strategy development and key actions for implementation will then run in parallel to the community strategy development programme to ensure that integration is maintained between the two streams of work and that the Sustainable Community Strategy and the Climate Change Strategy for Hertfordshire compliment one another. Hertfordshire’s second Local Area Agreement 2008 – 11 will have specific targets relating to the key themes in the strategy and if climate change remains a key theme then targets relating to this will also be included. 7.8 In addition to the core work on the community strategy additional dialogue is underway with partners including a seminar on business and climate change, organised by Herts Prosperity that took place on 26 April at Bio-Park, Hertfordshire and discussions with the NHS in Hertfordshire which are to take place in late June 2007. The outcomes from the seminar and the NHS discussions will be input to the September meeting of Herts Forward. 8. A Climate Change Strategy for the County Council and Hertfordshire – Work Programme Progress to date Progress against actions and key milestones for strategy development is shown in tables 4 to 6 on the following pages: 9. Financial Implications 9.1 Actions to be undertaken as part of the climate change strategy for the County Council will have financial implications for the Authority. It is for this reason that a specific cost benefit process is being incorporated into the strategies development. The financial implications of the strategies will then be properly considered in light of the budget available at the time. Similarly until details of actions to be undertaken emerge and are set out in more detail it is not possible to specify the financial implications for the authority of implementing the strategy. It is anticipated that these costs will emerge as part of the SIP work on the LACM5 programme 81911144 12 9.2 The financial implications of developing the strategies for the County Council and for Hertfordshire will be met from existing resources. Background Information used in preparing this report HCC Planning and Partnerships Panel. FRIDAY 9 March 2007, A Climate Change Strategy for Hertfordshire County Council and Hertfordshire – Proposed scope, timetable and work programme. Energy Savings Trust (2006) “Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change Action Pack” 81911144 13 Table 4 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Action Establish a robust baseline for HCC greenhouse gas emissions through the development of a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the County Council. Develop and implement a monitoring plan to update data on greenhouse gasses on an annual basis. Investigate future scenarios for greenhouse gas reduction. Complete cost-benefit analysis of greenhouse gas reduction measures. Agree greenhouse gas reduction targets and actions Table 5 1. 2. 81911144 A Strategy for the County Council - mitigation strand Progress Baseline being developed as part of LACM5 programme Timetable June 2007 Comments On-target Monitoring mechanisms being explored within baseline development and web site development. Sept 2007 On-target Nov 2007 Feb 2008 March 2008 A Strategy for the County Council - adaptation strand Action Audit HCC service provision to determine which services are susceptible to climate change impacts. Provide on-line support measures for determining likely service Progress The living with climate change study will provide the basis for this. Timetable Sept 2007 Comments On-target. Discussions with service departments commencing July 2007 Web site and online resource development Sept 2007 Basic web site development on-target with phase 1 14 Action impacts from climate change 3. Develop officer network on climate change within service departments. 4. Determine likely severity of impact and timetable for response and planned measures. Establish monitoring arrangements for service and project planning in relation to climate change risks and responses. 5. Table 6 1. 2. 81911144 Progress underway and implementation to take place over 3 phases up to March 2008 Discussions held with property and Human resources to date Timetable Comments scheduled for September release date. June 2007 Remaining implementation will occur when Climate Change Officer is in-post in July 2007 Feb 2008 March 2008 A Strategy for Hertfordshire Action Report to Hertfordshire Forward and get agreement to the development of the climate change strategy for Hertfordshire Engage with key partners and secure key stakeholder Progress Herts prosperity seminar held in April 2007. Climate change issues being explored as part of evidence base for Community strategy and LAA work Discussions under way as to Herts prosperity Timetable May 2007 June 2007 Comments Work on incorporating climate change issues into the Sustainable Community Strategy has begun and will be launched at the Herts Forward Conference in October 2007 Seminar held jointly with Herts prosperity on business 15 involvement 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 81911144 Scope Hertfordshire Climate Change Strategy and develop work programme First draft of strategy (including greenhouse gas reduction targets) Consultation Final strategy for Hertfordshire Partner endorsement and signup to Hertfordshire Climate Change Strategy involvement. June 2007 and climate change and initial meeting with Herts NHS environment group scheduled for 23rd June 2007 Underway with Herts Forward core group members Jan 2008 Feb – Mar 2008 May 2008 Sept 2008 16 Appendix 1. Hertfordshire’s Local Authority Carbon Management Programme STEPS MONTH May June July Aug Sept Planning Phase 5 Launch on 10 May 2007 Initial Workshop with St Albans City & District Council to devise Project Plan Research and Evidence Collection of Hertfordshire’s Carbon Baseline Data and HCC Carbon Inventory Identify and Quantify Options Finalise Strategy and Implementati on Plan Implementatio n Ongoing Support and Monitoring Programme Boards Opportunities Workshop/ Idea Sharing Conference Initial Draft SIP Programme Boards Monthly Telephone Updates with a designated Consultant Oct Programme Boards Nov Dec Jan Mature Draft SIP Programme Boards Final SIP Programme Boards Feb Mar 81911144 17
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