Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were presented from County Councillors Susie Charles and Mark Perks.

Members are asked to consider any Personal / Prejudicial Interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the Agenda.

None.

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 July 2011 were agreed as correct.

- Verbal update on Natural Environment White Paper: Local Nature Partnerships and Nature Improvement Areas. (Anne Selby – Lancashire Wildlife Trust)

Andy Mullaney provided an update on the item presented at the previous meeting regarding the Lancashire Insulation Fund.  Andy reported that one of the providers had gone bankrupt but that the other provider would take over the contract for all, assurances had been given that the sole provider could meet demand.

Anne Selby also provided an update on the Bid for Local Nature Partnership funding.  Anne reported that the Local Nature Partnership had been successful in securing government funding and was one of 27 areas that have been successful out of 80 that applied.  The process was now at the confirmation stage.  The Chair formally congratulated all involved in the bidding process on their success.

Resolved: The Committee noted the update on matters arising.

(Presentation – Anne Selby, Lancashire Wildlife Trust)

Tim Mitcham gave a presentation on the National Biodiversity Strategy.  Tim explained that the strategy has been redeveloped due to the failure to meet 2010 targets to halt the loss of biodiversity, new 2020 targets were set at the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit held in October 2010.  Tim discussed the way we approach nature conservation, climate and population changes.  Tim also highlighted the "Making Space for Nature" review of England's wildlife sites, chaired by Sir John Lawton.The Lawton Review called for a step change in the way nature conservation is delivered and set out principles to guide adaptation to climate change.

Tim also highlighted the 5 key elements of England's Biodiversity Strategy which are:

•  a more integrated approach across all sectors

•  large-scale approach to conservation on land and at sea

•  putting people at the heart of biodiversity policy

•  reducing environmental pressures

•  improving our knowledge

An action plan is due to be published in the spring of 2012. 

Tim also discussed Natural Improvement Areas which have the opportunity to take part in a £7.5million competition for partnerships, primarily LNPs, to bid for funding to develop one of 12 initial Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs). They will be:

“large, discrete areas that will deliver a step change in nature conservation, where a local partnership has a shared vision for their natural environment.”

Three NIAs have been submitted in Lancashire: Morecambe Bay Partnership Area; Forest of Bowland; South Pennines

It was noted that so far the Morecambe Bay Partnership's bid had not been successful and they were asked to re-submit their bid.

Resolved: The Committee agreed to note the presentation.

(Fiona Cruchley)

Fiona Cruchley presented this report which summarised the requirement to share information on greenhouse gas emissions from the County Council's own estate and operations and present data on performance in 2009/10 and 2010/11.

Fiona explained that as part of the single data list of national reporting requirements there is a requirement to report on greenhouse gas emissions from the council's own estate and operations.  This requires similar information to the former national indicator, NI 185, but is in a different format.

Key differences with NI 185 are that this indicator requires reporting of all greenhouse gases rather than just carbon dioxide.  The format of the report also requires a split into scope 1 (direct energy emissions), scope 2 (indirect energy emissions) and scope 3 (other indirect emissions).  This is in line with the greenhouse gas reporting protocol.

The reports published, and submitted to national government, were circulated to the Committee at appendices A and B to this report. 

It was reported to the Committee that total emissions reported for 2009/10 were 138,196 tonnes CO₂e and in 2010/11emissions were 145,768 tonnes CO₂e.

Resolved: The Committee noted the report and agreed to receive annual updates.

(Matthew Tidmarsh)

Matthew Tidmarsh provided an update and explained that the Committee had received previous reports concerning the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme of which the County is required to be a registered participant.  The CRC came into force on 1^st April 2010 and the Council must meet certain deadlines for reporting.  The most recent and significant of which were the initial carbon 'Footprint Report' and the first 'Annual Report' on emissions.  The Footprint Report identifies all energy consumed within relevant buildings whereas the Annual Report identifies the energy consumption for which carbon allowances will ultimately need to be purchased.  Both reports were submitted on time by the end of July 2011 and covered the period April 2010 to March 2011 inclusive.

The County's Corporate Property Group's Energy Team collated and delivered these reports and also the required 'Evidence Pack' necessary for external audit by the Environment Agency.  The Evidence Pack details the procedures and systems in place for the collation of information for the Footprint and Annual Reports. An internal audit of this was rated as providing 'substantial assurance' over the systems and procedures in place.

Matthew explained that Appendix 'A' contained the Footprint Report which shows the total LCC carbon footprint emissions at just over 138,000 tonnes.

Matthew also explained that Appendix 'B' summarised the emissions data collated for the first Annual Report.  The CRC does not require the purchase of allowances for reported emissions in the first year and so the first Annual Report is for information only.  However, allowances are currently valued at £12.00 per tonne and, based upon the first year reported and 'regulated' emissions of just over 131,000 tonnes, the total cost of purchase for Lancashire County Council would have been in the order of £1.58 million (slightly less than originally anticipated).

The first actual purchase of allowances will take place from April 2012 based upon emissions reported in the second Annual Report covering the year 2011/12.

Resolved: The Committee agreed to note the report and the commitment to provide regular updates regarding the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

(Matthew Tidmarsh)

Matthew Tidmash provided an update on the Schools' Energy Loan Fund.  Matthew explained that the Schools' Forum had previously agreed to transfer funding from the Schools' Centrally Retained Reserve to support the setting up of an Energy Loan Fund.  The Council's Energy Team was charged with conducting a series of energy surveys at 30 of the schools with the poorest energy rating as determined by the Display Energy Certificate (DEC) records.

The surveys were recently completed and the results presented to Schools' Forum on 20^th September 2011.  Approximately £4.1 million worth of schemes were identified.  Of this £1.5 million will be financed from the 2011/12 CYP capital allocation for condition based works in schools which is now underway.  A further £1.25 million worth of schemes have a payback in excess of 20 years and so are unlikely to ever be financially viable on their own.  Matthew reported that this leaves schemes totalling £1.35 million.

The condition under which the loans are to be made is that the Fund will only lend a maximum of 5 times the value of the annual savings in energy arising from the works in question.  This will allow the fund to be sustained from the repayments after 5 years (assuming the whole fund is utilised each year).  Where the payback of a scheme exceeds 5 years the school would have to fund the balance from other sources.

Consequently of the £1.35 million, a total of £835,000 will be supported by the Fund leaving the remaining £520,000 to be made up from contributions by the individual schools.  This will encourage investment in the most cost effective schemes with the biggest return per £ invested.  Successful implementation of the identified schemes will reduce overall carbon emissions by approximately 1,070 tonnes per annum.

The Schools' Forum has agreed to support these schemes and the proposed method of operation but as participation in the Energy Loan Fund is entirely voluntary, has asked the Energy Team to write to the schools concerned to encourage them to apply for loans to enable to the works to proceed.

Resolved: The Committee agreed to note the report and supported the implementation of the Schools' Energy Loan Fund in line with the approval given by the Schools' Forum.

An item of Urgent Business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the minutes, the Chairman of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.  Wherever possible, the Chief Executive should be given advance warning of any Members' intention to raise a matter under this heading.

None.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 6 December 2011, at 2pm, in Cabinet Room 'B', County Hall, Preston.

The next meeting of the Cabinet Committee will be held on Tuesday 6^th March 2012, at 2pm, in Cabinet Room 'B', County Hall, Preston.