Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive

The Chief Executive submitted a report (previously circulated) to update Council on progress towards the Council’s net zero target.

The submitted report stated that the Darlington Eco Fair was held in June 2024, with more than 5000 attending the marquee, and that a Climate Change Seminar for Members had been held on 19 September 2024. It was reported that the Highways Asset Management Team annual maintenance programme for 2023/24 had demonstrated a total reduction of over 348 tonnes in CO2 emissions.

The submitted report highlighted that the Sustainability and Climate Change Officer had submitted the Council’s report to DEFRA as part of a trial project for local authorities to report to the Secretary of State under the Climate Change Act’s Adaption Reporting Power. Progress on actions had been reviewed and some of the delivery dates of actions had been amended to allow resources (staff and financial) to be managed.

It was reported that the Housing Service was bidding for Wave Three of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund through the Tees Valley Combined Authority, and it was stated that should the bid be successful, Wave Three would see a further 1600 of the Council’s homes below EPC C by 2028.

Members were informed that the Head of Environmental Services and the Sustainability and Climate Change Lead Officer had worked together to commission a piece of work to calculate the carbon sequestration potential of Council land, and that the Council were the first local authority in the UK to do this work in this way. It was reported that the report had been received and demonstrated a positive result.

RESOLVED – That the content of the report be acknowledged.

REASON – Due to the increasing public pressure to act on climate change, the Council runs the risk of significant damage to its reputation if it does not deliver on its stated commitment to dealing with the Council’s contribution to climate change.