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.

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:-

There were no exempt items.

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

(The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes)

Item 11 - The report titled ‘Response to the Citizens’ Jury’s Recommendations’ was unavailable at the time of agenda publication and was published as a late item (Minute 22 refers)

To disclose or draw attention to any disclosable pecuniary interests for the purposes of Section 31 of the Localism Act 2000 and paragraphs 13-18 of the Members’ Code of Conduct. Also to declare any other significant interests which the Member wishes to declare in the public interest, in accordance with paragraphs 19-20 of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary or other interests.

To receive any apologies for absence from the meeting.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor B Anderson, and Councillor D Collins was in attendance as substitute.

To receive and approve the minutes of the meeting held on 17^th July 2020.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held 17 July 2020 be approved as an accurate record, subject to an amendment to reflect that Councillor P Carlill was in attendance.

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 12 p.m. on Wednesday 16th September 2020.

Members of the public were asked to submit a video recording of their open forum submission in advance of the meeting. The Chair noted that for future meetings, video submissions would be selected at random, with priority given to individuals or groups who have not been selected in the last 6 months.

Three videos were played at the meeting, which were submitted by the following groups:

1)  Youth Strike4Climate

2)  Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport

3)  Wildlife Friendly Otley

All three videos can be viewed here.

To receive a verbal update on the progress of the Committees’ working groups to date.

The Chief Officer for Sustainable Energy and Air Quality, Polly Cook, advised that the working groups had not been recommenced since ‘lockdown’, and therefore provided an update to the groups upcoming work streams to begin in October as follows:

·  Biodiversity and Food - during previous sessions, the working group had focused predominantly on biodiversity, therefore at the request of the Chair, the next session will focus on concluding the work undertaken to support biodiversity in Leeds, and also consider the White Rose strategy ahead of consideration at Executive Board the following month. Thereafter, the group intends to focus on food production, assessing and taking forward opportunities to develop a sustainable food system in Leeds recommended by research partners (Minute 21 refers)

·  Planning, Buildings and Energy - to date, had focused on planning regulations and drafting a response to the recently published government white paper, which is to be circulated to members of the working group for comment via email, ahead of the final discussions at the next session before submission. The group will then move on to focus on energy efficiency, and specifically examine domestic energy efficiency policy and commercial energy efficiency policy.

·  Transport - the working group intends to continue to work on active travel and walking strategies with partners, and the upcoming transport strategy prior to consideration at Executive Board later in the year.

Members requested that a focus on improving public transport patronage following the pandemic should also feature on the work schedule for the Transport working group, along with analysis of emissions for prospective walking and cycling schemes, to ensure that such schemes do not contribute to further pollution in the city. Additionally, Members requested that a written timetable of the scheduled meetings be circulated.

To consider the report of the Head of Democratic Services that introduces a presentation to be delivered by representatives from a partnership of local organisations who have been successful in their bid for funding from the £2.5m National Lottery Climate Action Fund.

The Head of Democratic Services submitted a report that introduced a presentation to be delivered by representatives from a partnership of local organisations who have been successful in their bid for funding from the £2.5m National Lottery Climate Action Fund.

Paul Chatterton, Our Future Leeds, was in attendance for this item and delivered a presentation on the Climate Emergency Community Action Programme (CECAP) in Leeds, setting out the range of partners engaged, resources secured, governance arrangements, and plans for the 16 new Climate Action Hubs across the city. 

Members discussed a number of matters, including:

·  Engaging with communities. Members asked how the Council could improve their own communications and consultations. Members were advised that in order to rebuild trust, authorities must be clear about the challenges faced and the direct actions needed to address them, and specifically in relation to the planning, the development of a popular planning process where people feel involved in co-creating suggestions based on their lived experiences.

·  Climate Action Hubs. Members were supportive of the plans for encouraging deeper democracy and creating hubs within communities across Leeds to develop ‘community climate plans’. Linked to this, it was also suggested that local groups, including faith groups, could be involved in the development of 16 city-wide hubs.

RESOLVED –

a)  That the contents of the report and presentation be noted;

b)  That an annual update on the Climate Emergency Community Action Programme (CECAP) be provided to the Committee over the course of the next five years of funding.

To consider the report of the Head of Democratic Services that introduces a presentation to be delivered by representatives from UKRI and the Global Food and Environment Institute setting out the action to be taken to develop a climate resilient food system in Leeds that promotes health, sustainability and food security.

The Head of Democratic Services submitted a report that introduced a presentation to be delivered by representatives from UKRI and the Global Food and Environment Institute setting out the action to be taken to develop a climate resilient food system in Leeds that promotes health, sustainability and food security.

The following were in attendance:

-  Tom Bliss, Chair of Feed Leeds

-  Paola Hernandez Montes de Oca, UKRI Research and Innovation Fellow

-  Sonja Woodcock, Zest Leeds

-  Andy Goldring - Permaculture Association

The guest speakers provided Members with a presentation highlighting the findings of a number of workshops held with prominent stakeholders in the Leeds city region, which focused on the future of food production in the context of a climate emergency and the actions to be taken to improve the system. The key recommendations were set out as follows:

·  Leeds City Council should seek to appoint a senior / high profile council contact to chair a Leeds Food System Cross-Council working group, meeting regularly with members in attendance as required;

·  The working group should include all senior officers with food, land and/or other relevant responsibilities e.g. asset management, planning, parks and countryside, environment, climate, public health (enhancing the existing Food Group), procurement, business innovation, waste management, among others;

·  The group should also hold regular outreach meetings with local experts such as Feed Leeds, FoodWise Leeds and a new Farm Forum linking and supporting producers in the Leeds/Yorkshire agricultural zone and others (e.g. processors, distribution).

Members discussed a number of matters, including:

·  Producing more food locally. Members highlighted opportunities for vertical farming in industrial areas to support the local food and catering industry, including the Council’s own catering service, as well as to support broader food security in the region and creating ‘green jobs’.

·  Devolution and working beyond Leeds. Members queried whether the research group had considered the West Yorkshire region as a whole in their workshops to date, and were advised that discussions are in progress around the development of a larger working group with West Yorkshire partners.

RESOLVED –

a)  That the contents of the report and presentation be noted.

b)  That the recommendations be considered at the next meeting of the Biodiversity and Food Working Group.  

To consider the report of the Director of Resources and Housing that provides a formal response to the Citizens’ Jury’s recommendations from the Council’s perspective.

(Report to follow)

The Director of Resources and Housing submitted a report that provided a formal response to the Citizens’ Jury’s recommendations from the Council’s perspective.

The Chief Officer for Sustainable Energy and Air Quality, Polly Cook, introduced the report, highlighting the progress on the recommendations since the first response report in March 2020, within context of the changes arising from the devolution deal and the challenges associated with the pandemic.

Members discussed a number of matters, including:

·  Digital communications. Members suggested further analysis of the methods of communication to residents in Leeds, noting that some of the more tradition communication methods had been shown to no longer be useful, whereas there had been a rise in social platforms, including registered WhatsApp groups.

·  Vision for a car-free Leeds. In reference to the Transport Strategy, Members noted the challenge associated with reducing car usage when the infrastructure of the city was built to encourage car usage, particularly in the context of social distancing, however also referenced a number of schemes underway to make other forms of travel more accessible and reliable. Related to this, Members noted that the report did not include an indication of whether the Council intends to introduce a workplace parking levy, and suggested that the upcoming Transport Strategy includes a position on this matter.

·  Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) expansion. Members noted that the response to Recommendation I did not include a position on the planning application submitted by LBA, however, recognised that the City Plans Panel, which includes Members of the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee, will consider the application in due course. The Council is therefore prohibited from commenting at this time through other forums.

RESOLVED – That the contexts of the report be noted.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 22^nd October 2020 at 10:30 a.m.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 22nd October 2020 at 10:30 a.m.