Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency.

The Cabinet Member Climate Emergency presented the report, emphasising that it showed real progress towards the council’s climate goals. Their overall carbon footprint reduction was the key figure, and had been delivered despite many different factors putting pressure on the council. Overall, they had reduced their footprint by even more than would be needed each year to achieve their target of Net Zero by 2030. Cheltenham was leading the way, and they were receiving positive feedback from other councils.

She was also pleased to announce that the council’s bid for funding to deliver a heat pump at Leisure At had been successful, and would help to protect a valuable local resource for residents to enjoy. Alongside their ambitious plans to develop solar, working with CBH to deliver carbon neutral homes and testing the viability of heat networks, they had a real plan to get the town and council to net zero. Finding the right solutions to the climate crisis in the face of a lot of changing technology and high heritage standards was a tough challenge, but they were investing in Cheltenham’s future today. She thanked officers for their dedication in drawing the report together, and commended it to Council.

The Mayor moved into Member questions:

• One Member had submitted some questions in advance, and was happy that these had been taken into account.
• One Member thanked the Cabinet Member for her open and transparent approach to an important subject. They asked how confident she was that the baseline used for these figures was sound, and not just based on an estimate or national average. The Cabinet Member Climate Emergency responded that she was confident of this, and added that they had made some adjustments to their methodology since the last report to get it as accurate as possible, working with an industry expert. This report went into more depth than previous years, though there were always areas where they could go further, for example a breakdown across individual properties.
• One Member noted that the risk assessment in Appendix 1 listed a number of particularly high scoring risks, and asked whether the Cabinet Member could reassure Members that the appropriate mitigation measures were in place. The Cabinet Member Climate Emergency confirmed that they were, and noted that the risks of not properly tackling the climate crisis was naturally high. This was an incredibly important investment that the council were taking very seriously.
• One Member praised the seriousness and enthusiasm with which the Cabinet Member approached her portfolio. There was great news about the air source heat pump at Leisure At, that would have a real impact on the running of that facility. Could that information be shared with the Lido, since they were having similar issues? The Cabinet Member Climate Emergency was happy to share what they had learned once it was complete, and added that CBC had a strong and long-running relationship with the Lido.
• One Member asked whether there was any update on the boiler situation in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10