Issue - meetings

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and referenced the updated provided at the Committee’s previous meeting. Specific attention was drawn to point 2.7 of the report, which outlined the proposed annual review process for the actions within the Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan to be separated into those within the Council’s direct control and those it can influence. The actions would be aligned to the relevant Lead Member on the Executive and presented to the respective Policy Advisory Committees as part of the annual review process.

The Leader of the Council stated that the proposed approach would be manageable and would ensure that the actions were effectively monitored. Member input into each annual review would be maximised through aligning the actions to the relevant Lead Member, particularly given that the full Council had declared a Biodiversity and Climate Change Emergency. The importance of considering Biodiversity and Climate Change when making decisions was emphasised, alongside some of the plans’ achievements including the recent ‘Go Green Information Centre’.

The Committee expressed support for the proposed annual review process to increase Member involvement in plan’s review.

RESOLVED: That

1.  The Committee notes the progress made towards delivery of the Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan.

2.  The timeline for delivering against the targets contained within the Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan, and responsible Lead Members on the Executive and Officers be identified.

Note: Councillor English left the meeting during the item’s introduction between 6.45 p.m. to 6.56 p.m.