Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation & Environment (PTE/17/2) on proposed revisions to the Councils Environmental Policies and related Action Plans relating to waste, procurement and countryside and heritage issues arising from the Council’s determination of a Notice of Motion on this matter previously submitted by Councillor Wright, attached

(Councillors Connett, Julian and Owen attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation & Environment (PTE/17/2) on the proposed revision of the Council’s Environmental Policies and related Action Plans relating specifically to Waste, Procurement and Countryside & Heritage service areas to enable the Council to continue to enhance its environmental performance and deliver its over-arching Environmental Policy: arising in part from the Council’s determination of a Notice of Motion on this matter previously submitted by Councillor Wright, requiring the Cabinet to review existing policies and action plans.

The Head of Service commended  the proposals now before Cabinet which would contribute to delivering the Environmental Policy, enable the Council to demonstrate vital community leadership on environmental best practice and provide improved measures for managing legislative compliance and insulating the Council from rising commodity prices. The Cabinet  Member for Community & Environmental Services nonetheless undertook to review the wording of the overarching aims of the strategy set out in Report PTE/17/2 to be more definitive wherever possible.

The Head of Service’s Report also incorporated an Impact Assessment relating to the possible impacts of the proposal, which had been circulated previously for the attention of Members at this meeting in order that as part of its determination of the next steps in the process the Cabinet might have full regard to the responsibilities placed upon it to exercise its Public Sector Equality Duty, under s149 of the Equality Act 2010, where relevant.  The  Assessment acknowledged that the environmental aspects would have no negative effect on equality considerations -  having been designed with the objective of improving environmental outcomes, providing benefits for the health and wellbeing of the whole population and help maintain the flow of natural resources into the local economy. No unmanageable impacts had been identified.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, environmental, risk management and equality considerations) set out in the Head of Service’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

It was MOVED by Councillor Croad, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

RESOLVED that the revised environmental policies relating to waste, procurement and countryside and heritage be endorsed; acknowledging also that the accompanying Countryside and Heritage Action Plan gives effect to the aims of the Notice of Motion referred to above.

[NB: The Impact Assessment referred to above is available at:  http://new.devon.gov.uk/impact/].