Agenda and minutes

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules (in the event of an appeal the press and public will be excluded).

(*In accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2, written notice of an appeal must be received by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting)

There were no appeals against refusal of inspection of documents.

1)  To highlight reports or appendices which officers have identified as containing exempt information, and where officers consider that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons outlined in the report.

2)  To consider whether or not to accept the officers recommendation in respect of the above information.

3)  If so, to formally pass the following resolution:-

RESOLVED – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following parts of the agenda designated as containing exempt information on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, as follows:-

The agenda contained no exempt information.

To identify items which have been admitted to the agenda by the Chair for consideration

(The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes)

There were no late items of business.

To disclose or draw attention to any interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’.

No declarations of interest were made.

To receive any apologies for absence from the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillor O Newton and Councillor J Tudor. Councillor D Jenkins attended in place of Councillor J Tudor.

To receive and approve the minutes of the meeting held on 20^th March 2023.

RESOLVED - That the minutes of the formal meeting held on 20^th March 2023 be confirmed as a correct record.

Minute No. 18 (Matters Arising from the Minutes)

Responding to a Member’s enquiry, the Committee noted that Sport England had been contacted regarding concerns in relation to black crumb sports turfing, however, to date, no response had been received. Responding to further enquiries it was undertaken that this matter would be pursued and escalated as appropriate to other related organisations.

Minute No. 19 (Open Forum)

Members received an update following the presentation by ‘The Commitment’, with it being noted that The Commitment had been contacted, acknowledging their contribution to the meeting, with it also being noted that work continued with a view to The Commitment engaging with Community Committees, as appropriate, during the municipal year.

Similarly, Members also received an update following the presentation by Guiseley Primary School, with it being noted that they too had been contacted, thanking them for their contribution to the meeting. In addition, the Chair highlighted the initiative being promoted by the Primary School regarding the provision of wildflower seeds and encouraged Elected Members’ involvement in the scheme and to do so by liaising directly with primary schools in their Wards.

Minute No. 20 (Working Groups Update)

Responding to an enquiry regarding a proposed feasibility study for the provision of a community greenhouse in Burmantofts fuelled by the RERF (Recycling & Energy Recovery Facility), it was confirmed that this matter had been included in the working groups’ work programme for the year.

Minute No. 23 (Update on Climate-Related Council Communications)

The Chair highlighted the value of the Communications Team’s attendance at recent youth summits, and recommended to Members that they encourage the Communications Team’s attendance at youth summit events taking place in their own respective areas.

The Chair highlighted the ongoing work to promote climate and carbon literacy across the Council, emphasising the importance of this work being rolled out across Elected Members.

At the discretion of the Chair, a period of up to 15 minutes may be allocated at each ordinary meeting for members of the public to make representations or to ask questions on matters within the terms of reference of the Committee. No member of the public shall speak for more than five minutes in the Open Forum, except by permission of the Chair.

Please note: Members of the public are asked to submit a video of their question or statement to climate.emergency@leeds.gov.uk  by 5.00 pm on

Three matters were raised under the Open Forum:

1.  Suzanne Harbourne requested information on the evidence base used within Leeds City Council and other statutory organisations regarding climate change mitigation and adaptation, and how this is balanced with economic growth and personal liberty.

2.  Trudie Canavan discussed different climate change statistics and policies, and requested further information on how Leeds City Council intends to improve it’s public consultations.

3.  Kate Hutchinson sent a video presentation regarding Yorkshire Sustainability Week, which takes place 3^rd – 7^th July 2023 and focuses on balancing growth and sustainability within the entrepreneurial space.  

The Chair thanked the participants for their attendance and informed them that they will receive a response in writing regarding their queries.

To receive the report of the Transport Development Services manager providing an update on the Corporate Travel Plan and proposed refresh.  

The Transport Development Services Manager submitted a report which updated the Committee on the progress of the Corporate Travel Plan (CTP).

In attendance were;

• Rachael Elliott – Travel Planning Team Leader, Influencing Travel Behaviour, Highways and Transportation

• Ewhen Chymera – Transport Planner, Travel Planning Team, Influencing Travel Behaviour, Highways and Transportation

• Gillian MacLeod (remotely) - Transport Development Services Manager, Highways and Transportation

The Travel Planning Team Leader introduced the report, which provided a history of the Corporate Travel Plan in Leeds City Council (LCC), and presented the Committee with the proposed refresh in order to bring the CTP into line with the Council’s commitment to reach net zero by 2030. As LCC is one of the biggest employers in Leeds, the intention is for the Council to lead by example.

The CTP was first adopted by the Council in 2005 and the current CTP was published in 2014. Since then, there have been changes to how LCC staff travel and work, such as the post pandemic move to working from home. In addition, there has been a rise in staff mileage in privately owned vehicles (“grey fleet”).

An achievement of the CTP has been a reduction of the number of staff driving alone to work, from 51% to 43%.

In alignment with Vision Zero, the target for there to be zero road related deaths or serious injuries on Leeds roads, the refreshed CTP will aim for there to be zero staff deaths or seriously injured on roads.

After the presentation there was a discussion session, highlights included;

The Committee discussed further analysis of the statistical evidence, such as travel modal shift and age demographics. Councillor P Carlill suggested that some of this analysis could be performed by the Scrutiny Board he chairs (Strategy & Resources) such as Directorate specific analysis.

The status of Member’s as LCC employees was discussed, with the Committee noting that the tax implications are beyond the Council’s powers. The necessity for Members to travel to Civic Hall in person for formal Committees, according to the 1972 Local Government Act was noted, as well as recent discussions that have been had within the Licensing Sub-Committee on allowing Members to attend remotely for film certification hearings.

The Committee discussed how LCC buildings, such as community hubs, could be utilised, such as improving hotdesking for local LCC staff, and installing EV chargers.

The Committee discussed the wider issue of public transport in West Yorkshire and how that impacts staff travel.

• The Committee discussed whether Leeds public transport is comparable to other similar cities within the UK and compared the levels of funding and self-organisation that London has been given.

• The Committee was informed by the Transport Development Services Manager that the soon to be installed e-Bike hire scheme (Leeds City Bikes) has provision for e-Scooters to be included, in the case that they are legalised.

• Car Clubs and car sharing was discussed, with the Enterprise Car Club  pay-as-you-go vehicles being available for book being  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To consider the report of the Chief Officer Climate, Energy and Green Spaces which provides an update on the delivery of Public Sector Decarbonisation Programme (PSDS3a).

The Chief Officer Climate, Energy and Green Spaces submitted a report to the Committee regarding the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

In attendance;

Nazar Soofi – Head of Decarbonisation and Planned Maintenance

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) is a government project, funded through a non-departmental public body (Salix) to reduce carbon emissions from public sector buildings 

The Head of Decarbonisation and Planned Maintenance presented the item which provided an update on the recent delivery of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Programme (PSDS3a). PSDS3a delivered air source heat pumps and solar panels at 10 sites across Leeds.

The Committee noted the following highlights of the PSDS3a;

·  The Aireborough Leisure Centre had a 90% carbon emissions reduction through heat pump optimisation

·  The funding was reduced, from PSDS £500/tonne carbon reduction, to £325/tonne carbon reduction

PSDS3b project delivery has commenced, with 15 sites confirmed in estimation scope. The sites include PSDS3b –

·  8 primary schools

·  1 secondary school

·  2 leisure centres

·  4 heritage buildings

The Head of Decarbonisation and Planned Maintenance outlined some of the challenges facing PSDS3a;

·  Simpler projects were already completed in earlier programmes

·  Hybrid systems have been disallowed

·  Northern Power Grid (NPG) has had a backlog of similar work requests from other northern councils

·  7 substations have been identified for installation which could lead to longer wait times

·  There is one year to design and install the systems or the funding is returned to Salix

The Head of Decarbonisation and Planned Maintenance noted that the PSDS3c will be announced in due course, at which point the new criteria will be examined and appropriate sites will be selected.

The Head of Decarbonisation and Planned Maintenance and the Committee had a discussion, highlights of which include;

·  The Head of Decarbonisation and Planned Maintenance confirmed that the PSDS criteria specified only sites with systems older than 10 years. Buildings are required to provide a 12% contribution to the installation. To ensure the long term sustainability of the programme, mainstream brands for parts have been primarily chosen so that they may easily be replaced if needed. The Chief Officer noted that hydrogen conversion is not currently planned for Leeds and systems need to be upgraded in the meantime as many gas systems have passed their intended life span and need replacing now.

·  To account for the criterion disallowing hybrid systems, the installations have included four units to prevent total system failure in the case of one unit failing.

·  The solar panel programme planning permission has already been applied for PSDS3b, with the air pump planning permission due to be applied for when the design phase has been completed. The equipment has been planned to be ordered in July, with installation commencing in September.

·  The life span of the air pump heaters is around 25 years, at which point there will have been new technological and legislative developments, requiring the Council of the day to make their own design choices. The Chief Officer noted that air pump heaters and other carbon reduction technology will eventually exceed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To consider the report of Chief Officer (Climate, Energy & Green Spaces) which provides the workplan for the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee in 2023/24 including working groups and meeting schedule.

The Chief Officer (Climate, Energy & Green Spaces) submitted a report which provided a workplan for the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee (CEAC) in the 2023 – 24 municipal year.

The Chief officer presented the forward plan. Each meeting of CEAC will progress one or more of the following themes covering climate change mitigations and adaptation;

Climate change mitigation

1.  Power

2.  Buildings

3.  Transport

4.  Resources

5.  Business & Industry

6.  Nature & Greenhouse gas removal (GGR)

Climate change adaptation

7.  Flood resilience

8.  Heat resilience

9.  Drought resilience

10.Cascading impact resilience

The Working Groups for 2023/2024;

·  Infrastructure, Planning & Buildings

·  Biodiversity, Food & Waste

·  Community & Business Engagement

·  Economy & Finance

The Chief Officer invited the Committee to provide comment and steering to the work programme.

The Committee noted the report listed a meeting on Monday 15^th December 2023, as the Monday will be 11^th December 2023.

Councillor D Jenkins requested that the Committee cross-work with other Committees regarding energy.

Councillor M Shahzad requested that new Members of the Council be invited to attend the working groups of the Committee. This work was confirmed as having already been undertaken.

The Chair thanked Officers for their work on the forward plan.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report be noted, with the recommendations raised during discussion being factored into the Committee’s work programming, as appropriate .

To note the date and time of the next meeting as being Wednesday 5th July 2023 at 2pm and is a consultative meeting (online).

RESOLVED – To note the date and time of the next meeting as Wednesday 5th July 2023 at 2pm