Question submitted by: Jackie Young

To the Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene

On 8th October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a stark warning of the need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Given the emphasis on public involvement in this report, how does Plymouth City Council propose to lead the local action required to realise this target?

Response:

We take the IPCCs warnings very seriously. The report made clear that we cannot afford to delay further action on Climate Change and the need continue our acclaimed work on our City's Low Carbon future.

This Administration has made a manifesto pledge in re-committing Plymouth to become a carbon neutral city by 2050 and working to achieve our interim target of halving emissions by 2034.

Our soon-to-be adopted Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan provides the statutory planning policies to pursue these ambitions through the consideration of future developments.

·         We are already delivering a range of energy efficiency and new renewable generation projects across the City including:

·         Allocating £350,000 to our Energy Company Obligation top up grant fund to support 500 fuel households get energy efficiency improvements in their homes

·         Launching a new Warm Homes Fund to allow another 200 homes to get brand new efficient heating systems

·         Drilling a 100 metre deep borehole to access ground source heat to support regeneration of the Civic Centre, and the expansion of District wide heating solutions

·         Running an ambitious energy advice and community engagement programme to give 1,000 homes the opportunity get free LED lights and other simple energy saving measures

·         Working across our estate, and in partnership with Plymouth Energy Community to identify new solar and other renewable projects across the City.

·         Working with Schools and community buildings to drive an uptake in LED lighting systems

In addition to this we are also:

·         Continuing to run our successful Plymotion campaign offering incentives to encourage residents to try greener, cheaper and healthier ways of travelling.

·         Investing heavily in public transport infrastructure.

·         Have approved a Plan for Plastics and banning Single Use Plastics from Council venues.

·         Committing to install more electric car charging points across Plymouth.

However we recognise there is more to do in response to what the IPCC have said.

Plymouth City Council is already leading several innovative initiatives in relation to climate change issues - but to achieve even more we will need the support of central government, our local businesses, other public sector partners and a range of community organisations to make the difference required.

Councillor Dann, Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene

Question submitted by: Mr. Alan Ramage

To the Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene

Will PCC task its Public Health Team to assess relevant health data for citizens resident close to arterial routes compared to those who are not close?

What legislation and policy changes would PCC wish citizens to lobby their MPs for to help enhance PCC’s current air  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49