Decision details

To consider Notices of Motion Submitted under Standing Order B36

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Decisions:

1.  It was moved by County Councillor Lizzi Collinge and seconded by County Councillor Erica Lewis that:

 

Full Council, having in February 2019 recognised the need for urgent action on climate change, welcomes the publication of the recommendations of the Lancaster district Climate Change People’s Jury.

 

The question considered by the Lancaster district Climate Change People’s Jury was ‘What do we need to do in our homes, neighbourhoods and district to respond to the emergency of climate change?’

 

The report, published on 23 November 2020, makes recommendations across four areas of action:

 

?  Communications, Education And Council Leadership

?  Food/Farming And Waste/Recycling

?  Housing

?  Transport

 

The report can be viewed at:http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/sites/climate-emergency/people-s-jury-recommendations

 

This council commits to:

 

(i)  Understanding which recommendations are directly under the control of the county council.

(ii)  Understanding which recommendations are within the county council sphere of influence, whether directly or indirectly.

(iii)Implementing the recommendations where we have direct control.

(iv)Making actions plans on how to influence others to implement the rest of the recommendations.

(v)  Enacting those action plans.

 

The following friendly amendment was proposed by County Councillor Michael Green in accordance with Standing Order B42:

 

Full Council, having in February 2019 recognised the need for urgent action on climate change, welcomes the publication of the recommendations of the Lancaster district Climate Change People’s Jury. The question considered by the Lancaster district Climate Change People’s Jury was ‘What do we need to do in our homes, neighbourhoods and district to respond to the emergency of climate change?’ The report, published on 23 November 2020, makes recommendations across four areas of action:

 

  Communications, Education And Council Leadership

  Food/Farming And Waste/Recycling

  Housing

  Transport

The report can be viewed at: http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/sites/climate-emergency/people-s-jury-recommendations

 

This council commits to:

 

  1. Understanding which recommendations are directly under the control of the county council.
  2. Understanding which recommendations are within the county council sphere of influence, whether directly or indirectly.
  3. Assessing how the county council can best respond to the recommendations of the Jury, particularly in the context of the recommendations that will emerge from the work on carbon assessment and pathways to net zero for Lancashire.

 

The friendly amendment was accepted by County Councillor Collinge and became the substantive motion.

 

The substantive motion, as amended by County Councillor Green's friendly amendment, was then put to the vote and was CARRIED. It was therefore:

 

Resolved: - That:

 

Full Council, having in February 2019 recognised the need for urgent action on climate change, welcomes the publication of the recommendations of the Lancaster district Climate Change People’s Jury. The question considered by the Lancaster district Climate Change People’s Jury was ‘What do we need to do in our homes, neighbourhoods and district to respond to the emergency of climate change?’ The report, published on 23 November 2020, makes recommendations across four areas of action:

 

  Communications, Education And Council Leadership

  Food/Farming And Waste/Recycling

  Housing

  Transport

 

The report can be viewed at: http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/sites/climate-emergency/people-s-jury-recommendations

 

This council commits to:

 

  1. Understanding which recommendations are directly under the control of the county council.
  2. Understanding which recommendations are within the county council sphere of influence, whether directly or indirectly.
  3. Assessing how the county council can best respond to the recommendations of the Jury, particularly in the context of the recommendations that will emerge from the work on carbon assessment and pathways to net zero for Lancashire.

 

 

2.  It was moved by County Councillor Azhar Ali and seconded by County Councillor David Whipp that:

 

Lancashire County Council notes that Rolls-Royce sites at Barnoldswick contribute £1 billion to the region's GDP and that the company has received hundreds of millions of pounds from the government to support research and development in order to support British jobs.

 

Lancashire County Council notes with great concern that the company has announced it is offshoring British jobs to Singapore with the loss of wide-chord fan blade production and has now announced the loss of jobs from Barnoldswick to Spain. 

 

If Rolls-Royce implements these decisions in full, little more than one hundred people will be left at the birthplace of the jet engine at Barnoldswick site, down from over 1,000 just a few years ago. This will have an immediate and devastating impact on the supply chain and wider economy of the county and, in the longer term, lead to the loss of advanced manufacturing capabilities and skilled job opportunities. 

 

This Council expresses solidarity with the generations of skilled workers at the Barnoldswick sites since the jet engine was developed there, the current workforce, their families, and the wider community suffering so badly as a result of the company’s actions and Government’s inaction and instructs the Chief Executive as a matter of urgency:

 

(i)  To write to the Prime Minister asking for the government to immediately intervene in this misguided decision by Rolls Royce to shut down large parts of its operation on its Barnoldswick site in Pendle which affects the strategic capabilities of the country as a whole.

(ii)  To ask the Prime Minister for a meeting with group leaders, Unite the Union, Chair of the Lancashire LEP and the Chief Executive of Rolls Royce.

(iii)To write to Ben Walllace  as Secretary of State for Defence to request consideration of ways in which defence contracts could be transferred to Barnoldswick to utilise the world class skills of the engineers at the site, and a meeting with group leaders and Unite the Union.

(iv)To ask all Lancashire MPs to actively support the Battle for Barnoldswick campaign.

 

The following friendly amendment was proposed by County Councillor Geoff Driver in accordance with Standing Order B42:

Lancashire County Council notes that Rolls-Royce sites at Barnoldswick contribute £1 billion to the region's GDP and that the company has received hundreds of millions of pounds from the government to support research and development in order to support British jobs.

Lancashire County Council notes with great concern that the company has announced it is offshoring British jobs to Singapore with the loss of wide-chord fan blade production and has now announced the loss of jobs from Barnoldswick to Spain. 

If Rolls-Royce implements these decisions in full, little more than one hundred people will be left at the birthplace of the jet engine at Barnoldswick site, down from over 1,000 just a few years ago. This will have an immediate and devastating impact on the supply chain and wider economy of the county and, in the longer term, lead to the loss of advanced manufacturing capabilities and skilled job opportunities. 

This Council expresses solidarity with the generations of skilled workers at the Barnoldswick sites since the jet engine was developed there, the current workforce, their families, and the wider community suffering so badly as a result of the company’s actions and resolves that the Chief Executive and Director of Resources should:

 

(i)  Write to the Prime Minister:

(a)  Requesting government intervention in the decision by Rolls Royce to shut down large parts of its operation on the Barnoldswick site.

(b)  Requesting a meeting with Council leaders, Union representatives and Rolls Royce senior management to consider possible alternative courses of action and possible measures to mitigate the impact of these proposals on the workforce and the wider economy.

(ii)  Write to Ben Wallace MP, Secretary of State for Defence, requesting that consideration be given to defence contracts being awarded to the Barnoldswick site to utilise the world class skills of the engineers employed there.

(iii)  Write to all Lancashire MPs asking them to actively support the 'Battle for Barnoldswick' campaign.

 

The friendly amendment was accepted by County Councillor Ali and became the substantive motion.

 

The substantive motion, as amended by County Councillor Driver's friendly amendment, was then put to the vote and was CARRIED. It was therefore:

 

Resolved: - That:

Lancashire County Council notes that Rolls-Royce sites at Barnoldswick contribute £1 billion to the region's GDP and that the company has received hundreds of millions of pounds from the government to support research and development in order to support British jobs.

Lancashire County Council notes with great concern that the company has announced it is offshoring British jobs to Singapore with the loss of wide-chord fan blade production and has now announced the loss of jobs from Barnoldswick to Spain. 

If Rolls-Royce implements these decisions in full, little more than one hundred people will be left at the birthplace of the jet engine at Barnoldswick site, down from over 1,000 just a few years ago. This will have an immediate and devastating impact on the supply chain and wider economy of the county and, in the longer term, lead to the loss of advanced manufacturing capabilities and skilled job opportunities. 

This Council expresses solidarity with the generations of skilled workers at the Barnoldswick sites since the jet engine was developed there, the current workforce, their families, and the wider community suffering so badly as a result of the company’s actions and resolves that the Chief Executive and Director of Resources should:

 

(i)  Write to the Prime Minister:

(a)  Requesting government intervention in the decision by Rolls Royce to shut down large parts of its operation on the Barnoldswick site.

(b)  Requesting a meeting with Council leaders, Union representatives and Rolls Royce senior management to consider possible alternative courses of action and possible measures to mitigate the impact of these proposals on the workforce and the wider economy.

(ii)  Write to Ben Wallace MP, Secretary of State for Defence, requesting that consideration be given to defence contracts being awarded to the Barnoldswick site to utilise the world class skills of the engineers employed there.

(iii)  Write to all Lancashire MPs asking them to actively support the 'Battle for Barnoldswick' campaign.

 

County Councillor Gina Dowding requested that her abstention be recorded.

 

3.  It was moved by County Councillor Gina Dowding and seconded by County Councillor John Potter that:

 

Lancashire Climate, Biodiversity and Decarbonisation Strategy

 

Lancashire County Council notes:

 

That while Lancashire County Council has begun to reduce its own operational carbon emissions, at current emissions levels Lancashire will use its entire carbon budget for the future within around seven years, according to the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. (1)

 

The scale of the challenge of moving towards a low carbon economy has increased considerably since Lancashire wrote its Climate Change Strategy 2009 – 2020. (2)

 

In February 2019, Lancashire County Council acknowledged that answering the challenge of climate change is not work that can be done individually and committed to working in partnership with councils, businesses, organisations and residents across the county to meet this challenge. (3)

 

That the direction of travel of Government policy is now towards stronger measures for decarbonisation. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is urging PM Boris Johnson to commit to reducing the UK's emissions by at least 68% by 2030, through its updated Paris Agreement pledge for COP26.

 

The Government accepts that plans announced so far, (4) close less than half the emissions gap needed to meet its own commitments. That future government spending contained in the Treasury’s Green Book is moving towards a zero-carbon test, and that “it is inevitable that governments will be forced to act more decisively than they have so far”. (5)

 

That a Lancashire wide decarbonisation strategy will ensure Lancashire is ahead of the policy curve; and with identified green, inclusive and climate resilient projects for further investment, will be able to more adequately compete for Government funding and respond to ‘getting to zero carbon’ polices as they are formulated.

 

Lancashire County Council therefore resolves:

 

  1. To work together with the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to create a coherent Lancashire Climate, Biodiversity and Decarbonisation Strategy within the next four months which meets year-on-year minimum emissions reduction targets such as advised by professional and scientific bodies including the Tyndall Centre, and the government’s own committee on climate change.

 

  1. To ensure that such a strategy incorporates a plan for transitioning the Lancashire economy away from carbon by 2030, addresses the biodiversity crisis; while also protecting against poverty and improving social inclusion.

 

  1. To ask the LEP to integrate the Lancashire Climate, Biodiversity and Decarbonisation Strategy into workstreams of the LEP such as the Local Industrial Strategy, and its sector plans including the Energy and Low Carbon, Food and Agriculture, and Transport sector plans. 

 

  1. To ensure that the strategy will support the LEP to embrace and/or continue its work supporting the following:

 

  i.  Local production of renewable energy, including infrastructure for a decentralised grid and peer-to-peer trading where regulation allows.

 

  ii.  Access to training for employees and prospective employees in industries which are at risk of shrinking due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crises, such as the civil aerospace industry, encouraging alternative employment and the chance to retrain for work in renewable energy engineering or other sectors needed for a zero-carbon economy.

 

  iii.  Decarbonisation of energy-intensive manufacturers.

 

  iv.  Chemicals manufacturers, where appropriate, to evaluate the impact of chemicals produced in Lancashire on biodiversity and on local health outcomes and taking steps, when necessary, to reduce or eliminate any adverse environmental impact.

 

  v.  Transport investment to reduce carbon emissions, and for public transport and active travel (walking and cycling) links in the county.

 

  vi.  Local financial services to stimulate investment in local highly- skilled low carbon businesses.

 

  vii.  The development of high-quality modular building in Lancashire to accelerate the delivery of low-carbon, high-quality homes.

 

  viii.  Funding for a programme of retrofitting of existing housing stock to reduce energy waste and fuel poverty, including working with local education providers to train the necessary workforce to meet the skills gap in the retrofitting sector.

 

  ix.  The localisation of food production, and by working with community groups and developers to increase access to urban-grown local produce.

 

  x.  The reversal of species loss by working with landowners and property owners to provide space for nature.

 

  xi.  Businesses to reduce and eliminate material, water and energy waste, and the development of a circular economy.

 

  xii.  The views and priorities of diverse communities, trades unions, the voluntary sector and local groups of Lancashire are represented in the LEP’s decision making processes, and are represented at the earliest stage of development of decarbonisation plans.

 

References

 

1. https://carbonbudget.manchester.ac.uk/reports/

2.https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/media/190306/Lancashire_Climate_Change_Strategy_2009_2020.pdf

3. Lancashire County Council meeting of Full Council, 28 February 2019

4. Such policy initiatives in pipeline are:

- Transport Decarbonisation Plan

- Energy White Paper, Heat Strategy & Buildings Strategy

- UK Hydrogen Strategy

- Environment Bill

- post-Brexit Agriculture subsidy changes

- post-Brexit emissions trading or carbon tax decision

- Future Homes Standard r

5. What is the Inevitable Policy Response? | Reports/Guides | PRI (unpri.org)

The following friendly amendment was proposed by County Councillor Michael Green in accordance with Standing Order B42:

 

Lancashire Climate, Biodiversity and Decarbonisation Strategy

 

The County Council notes:

 

That the Cabinet has established a new 'Clean Energy and Technology Diversification Fund' with an initial budget of £10million.

 

That while Lancashire County Council has begun to reduce its own operational carbon emissions, at current emissions levels Lancashire will use its entire carbon budget for the future within around seven years, according to the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. (1)

 

The scale of the challenge of moving towards a low carbon economy has increased considerably since Lancashire wrote its Climate Change Strategy 2009 – 2020. (2)

 

In February 2019, Lancashire County Council acknowledged that answering the challenge of climate change is not work that can be done individually and committed to working in partnership with councils, businesses, organisations and residents across the county to meet this challenge. (3)

 

That the direction of travel of Government policy is now towards stronger measures for decarbonisation. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is urging PM Boris Johnson to commit to reducing the UK's emissions by at least 68% by 2030, through its updated Paris Agreement pledge for COP26.

 

The Government accepts that plans announced so far, (4) close less than half the emissions gap needed to meet its own commitments. That future government spending contained in the Treasury’s Green Book is moving towards a zero-carbon test, and that “it is inevitable that governments will be forced to act more decisively than they have so far”. (5)

 

That a Lancashire wide decarbonisation strategy will ensure Lancashire is ahead of the policy curve; and with identified green, inclusive and climate resilient projects for further investment, will be able to more adequately compete for Government funding and respond to ‘getting to zero carbon’ polices as they are formulated.

 

The County Council therefore resolves:

 

  1. To create a coherent Lancashire Climate, Biodiversity and Decarbonisation Strategy which meets year on yearminimum emissions reduction targets such as advised by professional and scientific bodies including the Tyndall Centre, and the government’s own committee on climate change.

 

  1. To ensure that such a strategy incorporates a plan for transitioning the Lancashire economy away from carbon by 2030, addresses the biodiversity crisis; while also protecting against poverty and improving social inclusion.

 

3.  To request the owners to instruct the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership to integrate the Lancashire Climate, Biodiversity and Decarbonisation Strategy into workstreams of the LEP such as the Local Industrial Strategy, and its sector plans including the Energy and Low Carbon and Food and Agriculture sector plans.  

 

4.  To ensure, subject to emerging government guidance, that the strategy will champion:

 

  i.  Local production of renewable energy, including infrastructure for a decentralised grid and peer-to-peer trading where regulation allows.

 

  ii.  Access to training for employees and prospective employees in industries which are at risk of shrinking due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crises, such as the civil aerospace industry, encouraging alternative employment and the chance to retrain for work in renewable energy engineering or other sectors needed for a zero-carbon economy.

 

  iii.  Decarbonisation of energy-intensive manufacturers.

 

  iv.  Chemicals manufacturers, where appropriate, to evaluate the impact of chemicals produced in Lancashire on biodiversity and on local health outcomes and taking steps, when necessary, to reduce or eliminate any adverse environmental impact.

 

  v.  Transport investment to reduce carbon emissions, and for public transport and active travel (walking and cycling) links in the county.

 

  vi.  Local financial services to stimulate investment in local highly- skilled low carbon businesses.

 

  vii.  The development of high-quality modular building in Lancashire to accelerate the delivery of low-carbon, high-quality homes.

 

  viii.  Funding for a programme of retrofitting of existing housing stock to reduce energy waste and fuel poverty, including working with local education providers to train the necessary workforce to meet the skills gap in the retrofitting sector.

 

  ix.  The localisation of food production, and by working with community groups and developers to increase access to urban-grown local produce.

 

  x.  The reversal of species loss by working with landowners and property owners to provide space for nature.

 

  xi.  Businesses to reduce and eliminate material, water and energy waste, and the development of a circular economy.

 

  xii.  The views and priorities of diverse communities, trades unions, the voluntary sector and local groups of Lancashire, and are considered at the earliest stage of development of decarbonisation plans.

 

References

 

1. https://carbonbudget.manchester.ac.uk/reports/

2.https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/media/190306/Lancashire_Climate_Change_Strategy_2009_2020.pdf

3. Lancashire County Council meeting of Full Council, 28 February 2019

4. Such policy initiatives in pipeline are: 

- Transport Decarbonisation Plan

- Energy White Paper, Heat Strategy & Buildings Strategy

- UK Hydrogen Strategy

- Environment Bill

- post-Brexit Agriculture subsidy changes

- post-Brexit emissions trading or carbon tax decision

- Future Homes Standard r

5. What is the Inevitable Policy Response? | Reports/Guides | PRI (unpri.org)

 

The friendly amendment was accepted by County Councillor Dowding and became the substantive motion.

 

The substantive motion, as amended by County Councillor Green's friendly amendment, was then put to the vote and was CARRIED. It was therefore:

 

Resolved: - That:

 

Lancashire Climate, Biodiversity and Decarbonisation Strategy

 

The County Council notes:

 

That the Cabinet has established a new 'Clean Energy and Technology Diversification Fund' with an initial budget of £10million.

 

That while Lancashire County Council has begun to reduce its own operational carbon emissions, at current emissions levels Lancashire will use its entire carbon budget for the future within around seven years, according to the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. (1)

 

The scale of the challenge of moving towards a low carbon economy has increased considerably since Lancashire wrote its Climate Change Strategy 2009 – 2020. (2)

 

In February 2019, Lancashire County Council acknowledged that answering the challenge of climate change is not work that can be done individually and committed to working in partnership with councils, businesses, organisations and residents across the county to meet this challenge. (3)

 

That the direction of travel of Government policy is now towards stronger measures for decarbonisation. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is urging PM Boris Johnson to commit to reducing the UK's emissions by at least 68% by 2030, through its updated Paris Agreement pledge for COP26.

 

The Government accepts that plans announced so far, (4) close less than half the emissions gap needed to meet its own commitments. That future government spending contained in the Treasury’s Green Book is moving towards a zero-carbon test, and that “it is inevitable that governments will be forced to act more decisively than they have so far”. (5)

 

That a Lancashire wide decarbonisation strategy will ensure Lancashire is ahead of the policy curve; and with identified green, inclusive and climate resilient projects for further investment, will be able to more adequately compete for Government funding and respond to ‘getting to zero carbon’ polices as they are formulated.

 

The County Council therefore resolves:

 

  1. To create a coherent Lancashire Climate, Biodiversity and Decarbonisation Strategy which meets year on year minimum emissions reduction targets such as advised by professional and scientific bodies including the Tyndall Centre, and the government’s own committee on climate change.

 

  1. To ensure that such a strategy incorporates a plan for transitioning the Lancashire economy away from carbon by 2030, addresses the biodiversity crisis; while also protecting against poverty and improving social inclusion.

 

3.  To request the owners to instruct the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership to integrate the Lancashire Climate, Biodiversity and Decarbonisation Strategy into workstreams of the LEP such as the Local Industrial Strategy, and its sector plans including the Energy and Low Carbon and Food and Agriculture sector plans. 

 

4.  To ensure, subject to emerging government guidance, that the strategy will champion:

 

  i.  Local production of renewable energy, including infrastructure for a decentralised grid and peer-to-peer trading where regulation allows.

 

  ii.  Access to training for employees and prospective employees in industries which are at risk of shrinking due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crises, such as the civil aerospace industry, encouraging alternative employment and the chance to retrain for work in renewable energy engineering or other sectors needed for a zero-carbon economy.

 

  iii.  Decarbonisation of energy-intensive manufacturers.

 

  iv.  Chemicals manufacturers, where appropriate, to evaluate the impact of chemicals produced in Lancashire on biodiversity and on local health outcomes and taking steps, when necessary, to reduce or eliminate any adverse environmental impact.

 

  v.  Transport investment to reduce carbon emissions, and for public transport and active travel (walking and cycling) links in the county.

 

  vi.  Local financial services to stimulate investment in local highly- skilled low carbon businesses.

 

  vii.  The development of high-quality modular building in Lancashire to accelerate the delivery of low-carbon, high-quality homes.

 

  viii.  Funding for a programme of retrofitting of existing housing stock to reduce energy waste and fuel poverty, including working with local education providers to train the necessary workforce to meet the skills gap in the retrofitting sector.

 

  ix.  The localisation of food production, and by working with community groups and developers to increase access to urban-grown local produce.

 

  x.  The reversal of species loss by working with landowners and property owners to provide space for nature.

 

  xi.  Businesses to reduce and eliminate material, water and energy waste, and the development of a circular economy.

 

  xii.  The views and priorities of diverse communities, trades unions, the voluntary sector and local groups of Lancashire, and are considered at the earliest stage of development of decarbonisation plans.

 

 

References

 

1. https://carbonbudget.manchester.ac.uk/reports/

2.https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/media/190306/Lancashire_Climate_Change_Strategy_2009_2020.pdf

3. Lancashire County Council meeting of Full Council, 28 February 2019

4. Such policy initiatives in pipeline are: 

- Transport Decarbonisation Plan

- Energy White Paper, Heat Strategy & Buildings Strategy

- UK Hydrogen Strategy

- Environment Bill

- post-Brexit Agriculture subsidy changes

- post-Brexit emissions trading or carbon tax decision

- Future Homes Standard r

5. What is the Inevitable Policy Response? | Reports/Guides | PRI (unpri.org)

 

 

 

Date of decision: 17/12/2020

Decided at meeting: 17/12/2020 - Full Council

Accompanying Documents: