Agenda and minutes

Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee - Thursday, 5 October 2023 10.00 am

Contact: Clare Madden, Scrutiny Officer 

Media

Items
No. Item

27/22

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS

    To report any apologies for absence and substitutions.

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    Minutes:

    Apologies were received from Cllr Liz Bowes and Cllr Keith Witham  

     

28/22

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS: 5 JULY 2023 pdf icon PDF 242 KB

    To agree the minutes of the previous meeting of the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee as a true and accurate record of proceedings.

     

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    Minutes:

    The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting.

29/22

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

    All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or

    as soon as possible thereafter:

     

    i. any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or;

     

    ii. other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any

    item(s) of business being considered at this meeting.

     

    NOTES:

     

    ·         Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item

    where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest;

     

    ·         as well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of

    which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or

    civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a

    spouse or civil partner); and

     

    ·         Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the

    discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be

    reasonably regarded as prejudicial.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    None received.

30/22

QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS pdf icon PDF 66 KB

    To receive any questions or petitions.

     

     

    The public retain their right to submit questions for written response, with such answers recorded in the minutes of the meeting; questioners may participate in meetings to ask a supplementary question. Petitioners may address the Committee on their petition for up to three minutes. Guidance will be made available to any member of the public wishing to speak at a meeting.



    Notes:

    1.    The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (30/09/2023).

     

    2.    The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting(28/09/2023)

     

    3.    The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received.

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    Minutes:

     

    1. There was one question received from Barbara Rogers. A response had been provided and sent to the member of the public.
    2. A Member noted that attendance for public questions would be better if there were still local committees.

     

31/22

CLIMATE CHANGE DELIVERY PLAN ANNUAL UPDATE pdf icon PDF 99 KB

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    Purpose of report:This is the second progress assessment to be done since Surrey declared a climate emergency in 2019 and the Climate Change Delivery Plan (the Delivery Plan) was published in 2021.  It sets out the achievements we have made in supporting residents and businesses to reduce their emissions as well as the progress made to date on the Council’s 2030 target.  It also recommends areas of focus in the coming year to ensure that the plan has the greatest impact.

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    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

    Marisa Heath, Cabinet Member for Environment

    Katie Stewart, Executive Director for Environment, Transport and Infrastructure

    Carolyn McKenzie, Director, Environment

    Katie Sargent, Greener Futures Group Manager

    Cat Halter, Climate Change Strategic Lead

     

    Key Discussions:

     

    General

    1. The Cabinet Member for Environment summarised the 2030 and 2050 targets of the Council and affirmed the Council ’s ambitions to reaching those targets. There were many challenges in reaching the targets including the national policy context, grid infrastructure and funding.The Cabinet Member paid tribute to the work of the team which was recognised nationally. The Executive Director for Environment, Transport and Infrastructure added that the work was increasingly a cross-county, cross-Council endeavour and highlighted the strong partnerships in place.

     

    1. A Member asked the Cabinet Member if recent Government announcements would derail progress towards net zero targets. The Cabinet Member said the context was challenging but the Council was committed to reaching its goals. Changes to national vehicle decarbonisation timelines were unhelpful. The Climate Change Strategic Lead added that the Climate Change Committee highlighted in their June report that the current government framework was not sufficient for reaching future targets for electric vehicles. Recent national announcements weakened carbon policies around vehicles, home insulation and gas heating and would negatively impact the Council ’s ability to meet its targets. Reforms related to the grid were positive but would only be effective if planning laws were strengthened. A Member asked if it was better that more achievable targets were set. The Cabinet Member for Environment said that there was a willingness within business and the public to press ahead with the agenda.

     

    Progress Towards Council 2030 Target

     

    1. The Chairman noted that the assessment of the 2030 target was Green on track with risk and asked if this was an accurate reflection. The Cabinet Member for Environment confirmed it was but acknowledged a degree of risk. Good progress had been made on streetlighting and decarbonising the Council estate which made up for 91% of the target. The Greener Futures Group Manager expressed confidence that the service would achieve the 2030 target.

     

    1. A Member noted that activity and investment should be driven by impact and asked if it would be possible to give an impact assessment to increase understanding of which activities or projects would make the biggest difference to reducing carbon. The Climate Change Strategic Lead noted that this would be difficult Creating a rating had not been achievable to date, but impact was considered strongly across all actions. It was important to reflect the level of control and ability of the local authority to act.

     

    1. The Director of Environment added that with limited resources, the Council was continually looking at how to maximise impact by collaborating with partners the support of the Greener Futures Reference Group was welcomed.
    2. A Member raised concerns about the new street lighting in her area and queried if they had turned dimmer over time. The Executive Director for Environment, Transport and Infrastructure offered to hold a conversation with Cllr Mason regarding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31/22

32/22

SURREY TRANSPORT PLAN (LTP4) DELIVERY PLAN pdf icon PDF 168 KB

    Purpose of report:To seek the views of the Select Committee on the scope, content and structure of a proposed Delivery Plan for the Surrey Transport Plan. This insight will help to shape the drafting of a Delivery Plan this year, which will be presented to the Select Committee in 2024 for review and scrutiny.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

    Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth

    Katie Stewart, Executive Director – Environment, Transport & Infrastructure

    Paul Millin, Assistant Director, Strategic Transport

    Lucy Monie, Director, Highways and Transport

    Steve Howard, Transport Strategy Manager, Environment, Transport & Infrastructure

    Key points made in the discussion:

    General

    1. The Chairman asked a question on the impact of delays in the development of the Surrey Transport Plan. The Transport Strategy Manager, Environment, Transport & Infrastructure said that the Council had been waiting 18 months for the Department for Transport to issue guidance and an associated carbon reduction toolkit . The Cabinet Member had written to the Secretary of State. The response would be shared with the Committee.

     

    1. A Member asked how national attitudes would affect motivations for delivery. The Cabinet Member emphasised that the service was offering residents as many sustainable transport options as possible. The Member noted that some residents had encountered issues with EV cables running over pavements. This was considered an obstruction. The Cabinet Member explained that the Trojan Trial Project which allowed residents to charge their vehicles by way of a gulley laid across the pavement. A trial was underway. The Cabinet Member agreed to revert to the Member with the cost to resident of implementing this approach.

     

    Delivery Plan Approach

     

    1. A Member asked a question about pace of delivery of the Transport Plan – numbers of car movements in Surrey had increased not decreased. The Cabinet Member said that progress was being made where there was public support for example for walking and electric biking schemes. The Executive Director for Environment, Transport and Infrastructure noted that even though there was no formal delivery plan yet in place, delivery was nonetheless taking place.

     

    1. A Member asked if the Council would bid for additional funding for the Transport Plan. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth answered that HS2 diverted funds would be bid for by the Council for major infrastructure improvements. Additionally, the Council had recently been awarded £3.9 billion for bus services in Surrey and the £2 bus cap fare remained in place.

     

    Engagement

     

    1. A Member asked how consultation could be managed in the context of residents feeling that car ownership was under attack. The Cabinet Member stressed that motorists were not being attacked.  A new and slower co-design process was being adopted. This involved longer and more thorough consultation to make sure residents were on board with any plans.

     

    Governance, Monitoring & Measuring Success

     

    1. A Member asked a question on what measures might be considered to make short car journeys less attractive. A range of possible options were flagged including reducing parking, traffic calming and management measures and road user charging. The Cabinet Member emphasised that this was not currently under consideration. The Member also asked how the Council would define the acceptable level of public support from residents for any new measures. The Cabinet Member answered that Councillors had an important role in deciding what was acceptable in their division.  An effective codesign process was critical.

     

    1. A Member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32/22

33/22

RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 40 KB

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    Purpose of report: for the Select Committee to review the attached recommendations tracker and forward work programme, making suggestions for additions or amendments as appropriate.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Key points made in the discussion:

    1. A Member raised concern over the role of scrutiny in private session groups and asked for all members to see the reports and outcomes of Task & Finish groups.
    2. A Member echoed that he was unhappy with the report that came out at the last session. The Chairman expressed agreement that all Member’s should have the opportunity to see the outcomes of Task & Finish groups and expected the leader of the Council to offer clarity at the next Full Council meeting.

     

34/22

DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING: 4 DECEMBER 2023

    The next public meeting of the committee will be held on 4 December 2023.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The next Committee meeting will be held on Monday 4 December 2023.