Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Chair drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure.

There were none.

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest,  (as defined in Part 2, A and B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officeror a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

There were none.

There was none.

Two questions have been received from a member of the public and will be circulated to Panel members on 7^th June 2021.

There were none.

The Panel confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting as a true record.

A report is attached. There will be a presentation at the meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Climate and Sustainable Travel (& Deputy Leader), Councillor Sarah Warren introduced the report. Jane Wildblood, Corporate & Community Sustainability Manager, gave a presentation which covered the following:

·  Key facts

·  Modelling issues

·  Leadership and influencing

·  CCC on local authorities

·  A new approach to annual reporting

·  Annual Emissions and Action Report Proposal

·  Annual Emissions and Action Report

Panel members raised the following point and asked the following questions:

(Officer responses shown in italics)

Councillor Hirst stated that he had hoped that it would be clear where we are now in relation to our target of net zero carbon by 2030 and what was still left to do. The officer responded that it cannot be presented that simply and that modellers are being honest in that, at local level, there are limitations partly due to this work being in its infancy, the changing nature of the data and assumptions and partly due to the scope of local authority powers

Councillor Hirst asked if there is a timeline for the developing the KPIs for the three indicators. The officer explained that this is a huge piece of work and it is being developed as rapidly as possible across all services as part of the development of the new Integrated Reporting Framework . Information on the climate and ecological emergency element of the new Framework will be reported in the next annual report.

Councillor Hirst stated that there was public perception that we are not doing enough – how can the Panel help. The officer explained that the new performance framework will help with monitoring which will be reported by the end of the year. She also explained that there is a difference between quantitative and qualitative measuring.

Councillor Hirst stated that he was keen to see a rating system for employers/university’s etc. The officer explained the report in November will include information on specific partners.

Councillor O Brien asked if there could be some measures regarding the things we do have local control over such as buildings and homes eg. Amount of Curo properties retrofitted. She added that this Panel should see the report before it goes to Council in November. Councillor Walker agreed. The officer explained that there is a survey of Council buildings, funding has been obtained to retrofit a care home (this was covered in the January report to the Panel). In response to a query from Councillor O Brien on the cost of modelling, she explained that was not a high cost.

Councillor Crossley asked the Cabinet Member what leadership role she is taking to move forward. He stated that we should not blame the Government. The Cabinet Member explained that she had been leading public engagement events and also changing policies that underline all Council activities. She gave examples of the Clean Air Zone, Active Travel Plans and Liveable Neighbourhoods along with updating the Local Plan with the primary purpose of addressing the Climate Emergency. She stated that it is a priority that underlies every  ...  view the full minutes text for item 98.

There will be a presentation at the meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Climate and Sustainable Travel (& Deputy Leader), Councillor Sarah Warren introduced the report. Richard Howroyd, Head of Strategic Procurement and Commissioning, gave a presentation to the Panel and covered the following points:

·  Context and Procurement’s Strategic Role in achieving CNZ and Sustainability ambitions

·  National Procurement Policy Statement (05/21)

·  Procurement Framework and Operating Model

·  Local Authority Role

·  Structure of Climate Emergency Procurement Strategy

·  Core Policy One – Objectives 1 to 4

·  Core Policy Two – Giving People a Bigger Say

·  Principle One – Preparing for the Future

·  Principle Two – Deliver for Local Residents

·  Principle Three – Focus on Prevention

·  What’s in a Name?

·  Sample Outcomes of Strategy

·  Initial responses to consultation (internal)

·  Background publications

Panel members raised the following point and asked the following questions:

(Officer responses shown in italics)

Councillor Walker asked for an example of how the Council can influence the market. The officer explained that this can be done through supplier engagement events. An example would be the locally produced food strategy – we developed this and it is now going national. Also social, residential and care home contracts have clauses around the Climate Emergency.

Councillor Johnson mentioned the NFU ‘Back British Farming’ campaign and asked what communication/consultation had been done with local famers in BANES and in the South West. The officer explained that the South West Food Hub had been used for supplier/producer and buyer engagement. There are regular events which are shown on their website. We have had good engagement with the NFU and Soil Association – there has been an issue during the pandemic, the Crown Commercial Services (CCC) backlog is getting back on track

Councillor Johnson asked if we have leverage to change contracts that are already in place and if we can track the effects of the changes (for Climate Emergency purposes). The officer explained that many suppliers are already working towards this. It can be difficult to change depending on the details of the specification.

Councillor Wright raised the following points:

·  Procurement is part of state capitalism, there are competing values – Climate Emergency as a baseline is a distraction. The officer explained that the Council can use its influence, sometimes affordability is an issue but sustainability is key.

·  What are the next steps? The officer explained that there had been officer consultation, this Panel and then Senior Leadership Team. Next month the item is on the workplan for the Corporate PDS Panel and will then go to Cabinet.

·  Has this been to the Children, Adults, Health and Wellbeing PDS Panel. The officer explained that there is a separate piece of work regarding Adult and Child care but it could go to the Panel if that would be valuable.  Councillor Walker stated that she would raise this at the PDS Chairs and Vice Chairs meeting next week.

Councillor O Brien stated that some retailers had already started making local connections. She mentioned that the Planning Committee had refused an application for an allotment. She added  ...  view the full minutes text for item 99.

A report is attached on the ‘Clean Air Zone Update’. There will be a presentation at the meeting.

It was agreed that this item would be postponed until the next meeting on 21^st June 2021.

A report is attached on ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods Update’. There will be a presentation at the meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Climate and Sustainable Travel (& Deputy Leader), Councillor Sarah Warren introduced the report. Nick Helps, Sustainable Transport Manager, gave a presentation to the Panel and covered the following points:

·  Change in Road Traffic GB 1949-2020

·  Cars are getting longer, wider, taller and heavier

·  School Travel

·  Previous schemes in Bath

·  Liveable Neighborhoods in Bath

·  Timeline

·  Consultation – key principles 1 and 2

·  Comparison with national data

·  Concerns Expressed

·  Opportunities identified

·  ‘We will give people a bigger say in shaping our services’

·  Summary of applications (February and May 2021)

·  LTN and SRTS Applications: Bath and Batheaston

·  LTN and SRTS Applications: Rest of NE Somerset

·  LTN prioritization: Key assessment criteria

·  Proposed next steps

Panel members raised the following point and asked the following questions:

(Officer responses shown in italics)

Councillor O Brien raised the following:

·  The feedback from similar schemes in London mentioned that emergency vehicles had been hindered. The officer explained that the fire brigade had been positive in programming in areas where there are LTNs. The main thing that delays emergency vehicles is traffic. Also there are some issues with data coding.

·  Mitigations will be done while designing the new scheme – how will this work? The officer explained that use of ANPR enforcement cameras will maintain emergency vehicle access.

·  What are the implications for residents parking schemes for areas of deprivation? The officer explained that while some people have older cars, if we do not take action, we will not get the benefits. Some elements of plans could be phased. The benefits of LTNs are cleaner air and less traffic on streets which will benefit everyone. The Cabinet Member added that residents parking zones will only come forward in areas that request it.

·  Some people may need cars to get to work. The London Road will get more traffic if there is an LTN north of the area. The officer explained that LTNs are not about pushing traffic from one area to another, they are about reducing the overall number of vehicles on the network.

Councillor Bromley asked if other traffic calming measures could be used in areas where a scheme is not successful at the consultation stage. The officer confirmed this.

Dr Kumar asked if there was still time to apply. The officer explained that the next application deadline is 5^th August.

Councillor Hirst stating that it was an exciting and ambitious programme. He raised the following:

·  Will there be monitoring and evaluation of unintended consequences and how quickly can we tune in on any issues. The officer explained that traffic monitoring will be carried out before the scheme and also once it is in operation.

·  How confident are you are delivery? The officer stated that we should be ambitious, even if it takes time to come to fruition.

Councillor Wright raised the following points:

·  Who is responsible for TRO’s? The Cabinet Member stated that she would ask an officer to check this.

·  The issue affects public health, is the relevant Cabinet Member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 101.

This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel. Any suggestions for further items or amendments to the current programme will be logged and scheduled in consultation with the Panel’s Chair and supporting senior officers.

The Panel noted the workplan with the following agreed changes:

21^st June meeting

·  CAZ Update

·  Local Plan Partial Update

·  Investment in Neighbourhood Services

27^th July meeting

·  Update on Western Gateway

·  Charging Points Update

·  Final Strategy for Planting Trees in BANES