Agenda item

The Chair welcomed Mike Kirby, Director of Strategy and Performance and
County Councillor Shaun Turner, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, who provided the committee with an update on activity undertaken to reduce single-use plastics following the report of the Overview and Scrutiny Task Group in 2019, whilst recognising the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was highlighted that the report included a draft policy statement. The final policy would be accompanied by an action plan, which would set out timescales and responsibilities in more detail.

Comments and queries from the committee were as follows:

·  Members commented that they had been working with the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service to ban the use of Chinese lanterns.

·  On initiatives to work with schools to reduce single-use plastics, information was published to the school's portal for schools to take forward. The county council had the ability to work closely with both academies and maintained schools through platforms such as the school's forum.

·  It was suggested that there should be a designated officer for schools to contact about engaging with the county council on reducing single-use plastics. Officers would look into providing this, but in the meantime the best person to contact was Debbie King, Environment and Climate Change Manager.

·  Regarding the task group's recommendation "Invest in moveable signs that can help deter the public from littering from their cars and reminding them to be responsible with their waste", it was clarified that concerns had been raised and therefore this recommendation had not been taken forward; however, this would be kept under review. Concerns included the capacity of county council staff to revisit sites to move signs, the possible requirement of advertising consent in some locations, the work required to understand where there was a local perception of a problem, and that consideration needed to be given to the government guidance about the use of signs which could become a distraction to drivers.

·  It was recognised that the policy could have consequences for some residents of Lancashire, such as those with disabilities. Rather than looking at alternatives to single-use plastics such as bamboo, which could become contaminated by food and could not be recycled, re-usable alternatives would be preferred. 

·  Members suggested that the policy should include facts and figures on the county council's position in 2018, its position now, and where the authority aimed to be, in order to provide quantifiable and measurable data. It was noted that there were no baseline statistics available when the task group met, however, officers were looking to include baseline statistics or key performance indictors in the action plan (where possible) to increase transparency.

·  Regarding the financial risk management included in the report, it was explained that the small increases in cost had been incorporated into the purchase price, leaving no impact on the taxpayer. 

·  More detail could be provided on how the county council exerted influence on the supply chain through its procurement activities. It was generally successful at influencing its suppliers in relation to products such as plastics.

·  The use of re-useable cups and other materials at county council facilities was being investigated and had been used previously.

·  The committee recognised that the county council's work with communities, district councils, public sector colleagues, and businesses was vital to the policy's publicity and success.

Actions:

·  A county council officer or team contact for single-use plastics queries to be shared with members, which could also be provided to schools.

·  Measurable targets to be included in the final Single-Use Plastics Policy and action plan.

Resolved: That the update report and draft Single-Use Plastics Policy be noted.