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Meeting: 12/02/2021 - Cabinet (Item 627)

627 Formal Consultation Response on the Interim Devon Carbon Plan pdf icon PDF 244 KB

Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment (PTE/21/4) outlining a proposed formal consultation response on the Interim Devon Carbon Plan, attached.

 

An Impact Assessment is also attached for the attention of Members at this meeting and is also available on the Impact Assessment webpages.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

(Councillors Biederman, Connett, Dewhirst and Hannaford attended remotely in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 and spoke to this item).

 

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment (PTE/21/4) giving a proposed response to the consultation on the Interim Devon Carbon Plan, circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

 

The Council was the founding partner of the Devon Climate Emergency project, which convened an independent Net-Zero Task Force of specialists who had subsequently involved the public in the preparation of a consultation draft Interim Devon Carbon Plan.

 

An independent Net-Zero Task Force of specialists had been set up by the initiative, who had subsequently involved the public in the preparation of a consultation draft Interim Devon Carbon Plan. The consultation had been opened from the 7th December 2020 and closed on the 15th February 2021. All Councillors were notified by email of the consultation period, which also included a webinar session for local authority members.

 

The Task Force would consider the consultation responses and also work with the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group to prepare a post-consultation version of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan, which would be available for organisations to consider adopting in late summer/autumn 2021.

 

Alongside the preparation of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan (post consultation), in July 2021 an online Citizens’ Assembly would deliberate some of the more controversial issues highlighted by the consultation and suggest actions for implementation in Devon. The recommendations from the Citizens’ Assembly would be considered and used to update the Interim Devon Carbon Plan into a Final Devon Carbon Plan for further consultation in 2022.

 

The Cabinet noted that the Net-Zero Task Force had prepared a comprehensive roadmap showing the extensive technological, infrastructure and behavioural changes required to achieve net-zero carbon in Devon and as such endorsed the draft Interim Devon Carbon Plan.

 

The Plan showed that the transition to net-zero would have far reaching and profound implications for how communities functioned and how behaviours needed to change. All parts of Devon’s communities, including businesses, would need to feel invested in the transition and would need time to adapt. However, this was an emergency, and time was of the essence and the Council was committed to playing its part in achieving net-zero in Devon by 2050 at the latest. Government action was also necessary to deliver many of the transformations necessary at the speed required.

 

The Report commented on the co-benefits available to Devon through achieving net-zero and the Council had been furthering its plans to achieve net-zero within its own operations and supply chain by 2030. The reduction of carbon emissions needed to fit alongside a broader consideration of the unavoidable climate change impacts for Devon and the Council was working  ...  view the full minutes text for item 627



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