Agenda and draft minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

[To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on 20 June 2023 as a correct record.]

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 20 June 2023 be approved as a correct record.

[To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.]

David Pattison, Chief Operating Officer, noted that, moving forwards, all minutes for Climate Change Advisory Group meetings would be made publicly available.

Item 5: Carbon Monitoring

Oliver Thomas, Service Manager – Green Cities, noted that Scope 1 and 2 emissions accounted for approximately 10% of the Council’s emissions, and that an exercise to scrutinise Scope 3 emissions needed to be undertaken. He advised members that conversations had been had with Procurement, and they were using a sustainability framework that would help to reduce Scope 3 emissions.

The Chief Operating Officer advised members that further information on Scope 3 emissions and how they fit into the Net Zero Strategy would be brought to the next meeting.

In relation to the Key Reference Group (KRG), Perminder Balu, Head of Green Cities and Circular Economy, noted that it would include organisations from the Council’s anchor network, key stakeholders and members of the Advisory Group.

He advised members that the KRG was still in early stages of development, but that the team would be speaking to a range of organisations and business during the upcoming Business Week to encourage members from a range of different interests to join the KRG and provide feedback.

Item 8: Internal Waste

The Head of Green Cities and Circular Economy clarified that the Youth Council had indicated that the current communications did not fit their needs. He emphasised the importance of tailoring the strategy to different audiences, and advised members that he would engage with the Youth Council again later in the year to gather further feedback.

Resolved:

1.       That an update on Scope 3 emissions be brought to the next meeting.

[To receive an update on the Energy from Waste (EfW) Plant.]

Steve Woodward, Head of Environmental Services, and Anna Spinks, Programme Manager – EfW, provided an update on the Energy from Waste (EfW) Plant.

The Head of Environmental Services outlined the process undertaken at the EfW Plant that turned non-recyclable waste into low carbon electricity. He advised members that it was a clean plant; ash and scrap metal left behind by the process were reused and recycled.

He noted that the plant currently processed 70,000 tons of non-recyclable waste out of total capacity of 110,000 tons, could provide power for 10,000 homes and was in good condition for its age.

He advised members that the Council had a contract with NMOL to manage the plant for up to four years, and that the Council would be developing a long-term strategy and evaluating options regarding the future of the plant in that time.

The Programme Manager – EfW outlined how the EfW plant fit into the waste hierarchy and noted that it was a central part of the Council’s waste management strategy. She advised members that significant work had been done to encourage residents to minimise waste and promote reduction, reuse, and recycling, including of plastics.

Responding to questions, the Head of Environmental Services advised members that the carbon footprint of the plant was not currently monitored but that it would be investigated as part of the long-term strategy. He noted that the current processing figure of 70,000 tons could not be used to measure the viability of the plant.

John Roseblade, Director of Resident Services, advised members that the plant was currently operating at a cost to the Council, but that it would cost more to take waste to landfill. He noted that the appraisal of the plant would investigate the viability of the plant and would include the cost of waste disposal and the carbon footprint associated.

The Head of Environmental Services confirmed that a visit to the EfW plant for Advisory Group members could be arranged.

It was agreed that a further update on the EfW plant be brought to a future meeting of the Advisory Group.

Resolved:

1.       That the update on the Energy from Waste (EfW) Plant be noted.

2.       That a visit to the EfW Plant for Advisory Group members be organised.

3.       That a further update on the EfW plant be brought to a future meeting.

[To receive an update on Carbon Monitoring.]

The Service Manager – Green Cities provided an update on Carbon Monitoring. He outlined the Annual Carbon Monitoring Report, including the total emissions from gas, fleet, business mileage, electricity, and street lighting, against the Council’s overall carbon budget. He provided a summary of the findings from the report and outlined the next steps.

Members of the Advisory Group discussed the update.

Responding to questions, he advised members that the savings from the LED Street Light Programme were calculated by the amount of electricity consumed and this took into account the greening of the grid.

Responding to further questions, the Head of Green Cities and Circular Economy advised members that the Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) that would be used in the trial would come mainly from catering residue and would be both certificated and UK based. He noted that all HVO used would be recycled material.

The Chief Operating Officer noted that the trial would allow the Council to investigate the viability of HVO and it could provide a temporary option whilst the EV market recovered. He advised members that a more detailed report would be brought to a future meeting.

The Service Manager – Green Cities outlined the Quarter 1 Carbon Monitoring Report. He noted that the Council was moving in the right direction when comparing with Quarter 1 data from previous years. He advised members that the new dashboard would help to further evaluate data and a demonstration of this would be brought to the next meeting. 

Responding to questions, the Chief Operating Officer advised members that the Energy Audits would include the rationalisation of assets and would ensure that the Council’s buildings were still value for money and used for the right purposes, especially with employees working from home.

Resolved:

1.       That the update on Carbon Monitoring be noted. 

2.       That an update on HVO be brought to a future meeting.

3.       That the new Carbon Monitoring Dashboard be demonstrated at the next meeting.

[To receive an update on Fleet Electrification and Monitoring.]

The Head of Green Cities and Circular Economy provided an update on Fleet Electrification and Monitoring, in relation to Electric Vehicle (EV) procurement, infrastructure delivery, the Fleet Replacement Programme and the Fleet Replacement Strategy.

He noted that a site visit to the new depot could be arranged for Advisory Group members.

The Director of Resident Services advised members that the Council was in a strong position. He noted that the Council currently had 34 EVs and 31 chargepoints across 11 workplaces. He advised members that the Council’s workshops were fitted to service EVs, and all mechanics had been certified to work on EVs.

He advised members that work was also being undertaken to investigate the necessity of certain vehicles and whether some of the journeys made could be removed.

Resolved:

1.       That the update on Fleet Electrification and Monitoring be noted.

[To receive an update on Building Energy Audits.]

The Head of Green Cities and Circular Economy provided an update on planned energy audits of the Council’s assets that had started in the previous month.

He advised members that the audits would give a detailed insight into the energy consumption of buildings and would allow for informed decision making on building management.

He noted that the audits would focus on the top 50 Council buildings with the highest energy usage and would be completed in batches of 10, with all reports being completed by December 2023.

He noted that the Civic Centre report had already been completed. He advised members that he was happy to share the full list of planned audits.

He advised members that the audits would help the Council’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) bid. Responding to questions, the Service Manager – Green Cities, provided information on the PSDS and the current round of bidding. He advised members that the scheme provided a maximum of 88% of funding for works, and the government would cover the cost of like-for-like replacements.

The Chief Operating Officer outlined the positives of the PSDS and noted that reducing the amount of energy consumption in Local Authority buildings was good for the public and the overall climate impact of the Council. He advised members that a detailed business case would be carried out.

Responding to a question on the viability of some Council properties and whether they could be offloaded, he advised members that there was a joined-up approach with the Assets and Climate Change teams in place. He advised members that it would be useful for the Head of Assets to attend the next meeting to provide a further update. 

Resolved:

1.       That the update on Building Energy Audits be noted.

2.       That the Head of Assets attend the next meeting to provide a further update on Building Energy Audits.

[To receive an update on the 2041 Net Zero Strategy.]

The Head of Green Cities and Circular Economy provided a verbal update on the 2041 Net Zero Strategy. He noted that the strategy would be city-wide and was currently in development, with a draft report currently scheduled for the end of January 2024. He advised members that consultants had been appointed to support work in this area.

He noted that the strategy would be led from the grassroots and asked the Advisory Group for their support in assisting with buy-in from community groups.

He advised members that a Citizens’ Assembly was currently in the early stages of development, and that this would allow for a wider insight from groups such as residents, organisations, action groups and Councillors on this issue.

He advised members that an External Reference Group would also be established to target key stakeholders, businesses and national organisations with ties to Wolverhampton.

Responding to questions, he advised members that the West Midlands Combined Authority and Transport for West Midlands had been contacted to link in with the strategy.

Resolved:

1.       That the update on the 2041 Net Zero Strategy be noted.

It was raised by a Councillor that a Green Week Event had been planned for June 2024 in West Park and that it would be a positive way to engage the public on climate change and showcase the Council’s green credentials.

The Chief Operating Officer advised that he would discuss the event with the Councillor outside of the meeting.

New ways of advocating recycling were raised by a Councillor and discussed. The Director of Resident Services advised that the Council was keen to maximise outreach and would be happy to have a conversation on alternative methods outside of the meeting.

[The next meeting of Climate Change Advisory Group will be held on 19 December 2023 at 17:15.]

The next meeting of Climate Change Advisory Group will be held on 19 December 2023 at 17:15.