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Agenda item

Notice of Motion

To be moved by Councillor Pancho Lewis and seconded by Councillor Geoff Barraclough:

 

This Council notes that in 2019 a Climate Emergency was declared committing the Council to achieving net zero emissions by 2030 with a City-wide goal of 2040.

 

This Council notes that following the Climate Emergency declaration a draft Climate Action Plan was published outlining how the Council intends to achieve its net zero goals.

 

This Council believes climate action will not happen unless local communities are at the heart of the decision-making process. Genuine public engagement needs to go deeper than what Westminster has delivered so far, giving more opportunity and time for communities to learn, discuss and make recommendations.

 

This Council believes the built environment in Westminster has a crucial part to play in addressing the climate crisis. City Plan Policy 36 aims for net zero Carbon on major developments, but most developments in Westminster are classed as minor schemes.

 

The Council resolves that major policy and spending decisions made by the Council should undergo a ‘Net Zero Test’ to inform the decision-making process and understand their carbon and environmental impact.

 

The Council resolves to establish a Westminster Climate Assembly that is fully resourced and run by a professional organisation specialising in deliberative engagement and using random stratified sampling to ensure representation according to local demographics. WCC should commit to implementing the solutions proposed wherever possible.

 

The Council resolves to examine the development of a local climate bond, a crowdfunded financing instrument that would allow Westminster residents to invest in local green projects and enable the Council to diversify its funding sources.

 

The Council resolves to strengthen its draft Environmental Supplementary Planning Document to include requiring energy assessments for net zero on major schemes (both residential and non-residential); measures to encourage developers to achieve reductions on Part L in minor developments; scrapping policies in favour of onsite parking and setting a presumption in favour of new developments being genuinely car-free; and making it easier for developers to connect new homes to community heating projects.

 

The Council resolves to set out plans to speed up retrofitting of social housing stock in Westminster, with a particular focus on addressing the 39% of Council homes which currently have single-glazed windows and on transitioning heating and hot water systems to clean sources.

 

Minutes:

12.1    The Minority Party had selected for debate the notice of motion as set out on the agenda. The notice of motion was moved by Councillor Pancho Lewis and seconded by Councillor Geoff Barraclough.

 

12.2    Councillor Rachael Robathan moved and it was seconded by Councillor Heather Acton that the notice of motion be amended, as follows:

 

           This Council notes that in 2019 a Climate Emergency was declared committing the Council to achieving net zero emissions by 2030 with a City-wide goal of 2040.

 

This Council notes the publication of Westminster’s Climate Emergency Action Plan: Zero Carbon City 2040 in November 2021. that following the Climate Emergency declaration a draft Climate Action Plan was published outlining how the Council intends to achieve its net zero goals.

 

The Council notes the activity already undertaken in support of its Climate Emergency goals. Most notably the installation of over 1,000 electric vehicle charging points, the facilitation of the micro-distribution hub at Park Lane Car Park and a 60% reduction in the carbon footprint of the council’s equity holdings. Work has also already started to retrofit council-owned homes and buildings with 100 social homes to be retrofitted by March 2022. Action to date has seen an 11% reduction in the council’s own total carbon emissions over the past two years.

 

This Council recognises that meaningful climate action requires collective action and partnership working and further notes the commitment to establish a Climate and Air Quality Alliance to foster a strong participatory approach. This approach will allow for ongoing engagement throughout the lifetime of the plan and drive impactful collaboration across the city by embedding climate conversations into everything we do and communicating flexibly with our diverse communities. believes climate action will not happen unless local communities are at the heart of the decision-making process. Genuine public engagement needs to go deeper than what Westminster has delivered so far, giving more opportunity and time for communities to learn, discuss and make recommendations.

 

This Council notes the five priorities set out in the Climate Emergency Action Plan, which target the sources of emissions in the city and respond to the ambitions of our communities and stakeholders. These priorities are:

 

· efficient buildings

· clean and affordable energy

· reduced consumption and waste

· sustainable travel and transport; and

· a green and resilient city. believes the built environment in Westminster has a crucial part to play in addressing the climate crisis. City Plan Policy 36 aims for net zero Carbon on major developments, but most developments in Westminster are classed as minor schemes.

The Council welcomes the actions set out in the Climate Emergency Action Plan to achieve the goals the Council has committed to. Most notably the development of a Sustainable City Charter to coordinate environmental commitments from major businesses in the city, the impending adoption of the Environmental Supplementary Planning Document to help drive sustainability improvements in new developments, expanding food waste collection across the city in 2022 and electrifying the whole of the council’s waste fleet.

The Council welcomes the commitment to maintain the Climate Emergency Action Plan as a ‘living document’ and to undertake a full review after three years.

The Council resolves that major policy and spending decisions made by the Council should undergo a ‘Net Zero Test’ to inform the decision-making process and understand their carbon and environmental impact.

 

The Council resolves to establish a Westminster Climate Assembly that is fully resourced and run by a professional organisation specialising in deliberative engagement and using random stratified sampling to ensure representation according to local demographics. WCC should commit to implementing the solutions proposed wherever possible.

 

The Council resolves to examine the development of a local climate bond, a crowdfunded financing instrument that would allow Westminster residents to invest in local green projects and enable the Council to diversify its funding sources.

 

The Council resolves to strengthen its draft Environmental Supplementary Planning Document to include requiring energy assessments for net zero on major schemes (both residential and non-residential); measures to encourage developers to achieve reductions on Part L in minor developments; scrapping policies in favour of onsite parking and setting a presumption in favour of new developments being genuinely car-free; and making it easier for developers to connect new homes to community heating projects.

 

The Council resolves to set out plans to speed up retrofitting of social housing stock in Westminster, with a particular focus on addressing the 39% of Council homes which currently have single-glazed windows and on transitioning heating and hot water systems to clean sources.

 

12.3    Following debate, The Lord Mayor put the amendment to the motion to the vote and following a show of hands declared the amendment to the motion CARRIED.

 

12.4    The Lord Mayor then put the substantive motion as amended to the vote and following a show of hands declared the substantive motion as amended CARRIED.

 

           RESOLVED:

          

This Council notes that in 2019 a Climate Emergency was declared committing the Council to achieving net zero emissions by 2030 with a City-wide goal of 2040.

 

This Council notes the publication of Westminster’s Climate Emergency Action Plan: Zero Carbon City 2040 in November 2021.

 

The Council notes the activity already undertaken in support of its Climate Emergency goals. Most notably the installation of over 1,000 electric vehicle charging points, the facilitation of the micro-distribution hub at Park Lane Car Park and a 60% reduction in the carbon footprint of the council’s equity holdings. Work has also already started to retrofit council-owned homes and buildings with 100 social homes to be retrofitted by March 2022. Action to date has seen an 11% reduction in the council’s own total carbon emissions over the past two years.

 

This Council recognises that meaningful climate action requires collective action and partnership working and further notes the commitment to establish a Climate and Air Quality Alliance to foster a strong participatory approach. This approach will allow for ongoing engagement throughout the lifetime of the plan and drive impactful collaboration across the city by embedding climate conversations into everything we do and communicating flexibly with our diverse communities.

 

This Council notes the five priorities set out in the Climate Emergency Action Plan, which target the sources of emissions in the city and respond to the ambitions of our communities and stakeholders. These priorities are:

 

· efficient buildings

· clean and affordable energy

· reduced consumption and waste

· sustainable travel and transport; and

· a green and resilient city

 

The Council welcomes the actions set out in the Climate Emergency Action Plan to achieve the goals the Council has committed to. Most notably the development of a Sustainable City Charter to coordinate environmental commitments from major businesses in the city, the impending adoption of the Environmental Supplementary Planning Document to help drive sustainability improvements in new developments, expanding food waste collection across the city in 2022 and electrifying the whole of the council’s waste fleet.

 

The Council welcomes the commitment to maintain the Climate Emergency Action Plan as a ‘living document’ and to undertake a full review after three years.