Archived decisions

Contact:Cllr Ken Thornber(01962 847750) e-mail: [email protected]

1. Introduction

1.1 The Cabinet has considered the conclusions of the Climate Change Commission which the County Council set up to advise it as to how best to respond to the impact of climate change. Climate change represents a direct threat to both long term prosperity and aspects of the environment of Hampshire and is, therefore, a key risk in the effective delivery of the County Council's vision that: "Within a decade Hampshire will prosper without risking our environment". The Cabinet was mindful that the County Council has long been concerned about the issue having been actively engaged with climate change since the late 1990s.

1.2 The conclusions of the Commission would, if carried out, ensure that the County Council remains in a strong position to fulfil its corporate aims and vision, and help prepare Hampshire for Climate Change.

2. Recommendations

(i) That the report and conclusions of the Commission of Inquiry be noted and that the Council records its thanks to the Commissioners for their work to date on this important matter;

(ii) That the following policy be adopted:

The County Council, through its own operations and in partnership with others, will seek to ensure a resilient, sustainable Hampshire by placing climate change considerations at the heart of its decision making processes, its policy development, and its operational activities;

(iii) That the actions set out in paragraph 4 of the report be approved as the basis of an Action Plan for the County Council in 2008/09, subject to resource availability and agreement of Partners where required;

(iv) That the Commission of Inquiry be asked to reconvene on a regular but infrequent basis in the future to monitor progress, review the changing state of knowledge and advise the County Council further on relevant considerations.

(v) That a Member of the Cabinet be appointed to champion Climate Change matters across the County Council's activities and operations.

3. The Report of the Commission of Inquiry

3.1 Four themed hearings of the Commission were held between May and September 2007 where evidence was presented by external experts, and key findings were agreed by Commissioners. The Commission also received evidence from a number of interested organisations and members of the public. A final plenary hearing was held in October 2007 and Commissioners reviewed all of the key points of evidence. They reached conclusions for Hampshire, and highlighted the responsibilities that Hampshire County Council has in respect to those conclusions. The Commission's report was published on despatch of the agenda for the meeting of the Council on 22 November 2007.

4. Findings of Commission

4.1 The Cabinet has considered the findings of the Commission and has identified generic action areas as follows:

4.2 Develop Knowledge: in order better to understand the impacts of climate change and the response required. This would require

(i) Work with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Environment Agency and local partners to develop a research project on the consequences of sea level rise on the coast: to include issues such as economy, recreation, ports, open space, biodiversity, underground services and pollution. Scope of work to be agreed and initial stages commenced by the end of 2008/09.

(ii) Work with partners to research long term requirements for coastal defence and the potential options for dealing with an increasingly dynamic coastline as a result of climate change. Scope of work to be agreed during 2008, with a view to commencing work in early 2009.

(iii) Work with Defra, Natural England and local partners to develop a research project on the impacts of climate change on rural Hampshire: to lead towards a new approach to land management in Hampshire, securing long term resilience to climate change impacts. Work to be scoped during 2008, with a view to commencing work during 2009.

4.3 Build Partnerships: to influence policy and action beyond the County Council. This would require:

(i) Work with partners to embed Climate Change in the Sustainable Community Strategy and to influence the development of Local Area Agreements and other joint delivery mechanisms to help communities become more sustainable.

(ii) Work with partners to develop sustainable communities that are designed and built to be resilient under climate change. Scope of work to be agreed by mid-2008, with an indicative timescale for overall delivery of outcomes.

(iii) Work with all infrastructure providers to deliver sustainable infrastructure that will improve its ability to withstand the impacts of climate change and, where appropriate, help to reduce the causes of climate change. Group to be formed and work programme to be agreed during 2008, with longer term work programme and timescales established.

(iv) Request the Hampshire Water Partnership to address issues surrounding water resource (quality and quantity) issues, and the assumptions made concerning the impacts of climate change of those resources . Scope of work to be agreed in 2008.

(v) Commission Sustainable Business Partnership and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to develop a set of key messages about the economics of adapting to climate change and devise an effective methodology for disseminating them to Hampshire businesses. Messages and methodology to be agreed during 2008, and rolled out from 2009 onwards.

4.4 Education and Communication: to engage with the Hampshire community (including working with local communities, partners, children within schools and the staff of Hampshire County Council). This would require:

(i) Build upon the 2004 survey on public attitudes to climate change in Hampshire by commissioning a new survey during 2008. Results to be used to develop recommendations for any further action needed to engage with the community of Hampshire.

(ii) Produce a climate change engagement strategy to target those groups highlighted above and engage with them on the issue of climate change. Strategy to be produced by the end of 2008/09 with recommendations for next steps to be considered by the County Council.

(iii) Work with partners (eg Solent Forum) and stakeholders to scope the development of an engagement and delivery strategy to raise awareness of and promote adaptation to sea level rise with coastal communities. Work to be scoped during 2008, and delivery programme established with appropriate timescales.

4.5 Immediate Actions: to address issues within Hampshire County Council operations and procedures by way of:

(i) the Policy and Resources Select Committee to review the County Council's decision making processes during 2008 to make recommendations for incorporating climate change issues.

(ii) the Corporate Risk Manager to review the County Council's insurance position in light of climate change, during 2008. Potential weaknesses to be identified and remedial action to be identified.

(iii) the County Emergency Planning Officer to review disaster recovery plans to ensure that they are fit for purpose in light of the impacts of climate change. Review to be undertaken during 2008 and recommendations made for improvement where required.

(iv) The County Council will build climate change amelioration into its building repairs programme, will work to maximise the use of sustainable fuels by its fleet of vehicles and will take steps to conserve energy resources at every available opportunity.

4 County Council response to the Commission's conclusions

5.1 The Cabinet is very mindful, as they are sure are Members of the Council, that climate change is becoming a serious challenge to the achievement of economic prosperity as well as a significant risk to the Hampshire environment, and that the effects will continue to increase over time.

5.2 The Cabinet believes, therefore, that the County Council should adopt an over-arching policy on climate change to provide a framework for embedding climate change considerations into policy development, operating procedures and future actions. Accordingly the cabinet proposes the following supplemented by the other actions set out in the recommendations contained in paragraph 2 above:

5.3 `The County Council, through its own operations and in partnership with others, will seek to ensure a resilient sustainable Hampshire by placing climate change considerations at the heart of its decision making processes, its policy development, and its operational activities.'

5 Resources

6.1 The Cabinet is mindful that there are some resources within the Environment Department, both in terms of staff capacity and operational budget, which can be prioritised to work on Climate Change issues. Some of this capacity will be lost with the ending of the ESPACE project in August 2008, however. In addition, the resourcing issue is critically dependent on the willingness of key partners to support and provide resources for the proposed actions. This picture will only become clearer once detailed negotiations have taken place with partners and the Action Plan is developed further on that basis. However, the County Council alone cannot resource all of the actions proposed within current budget and staffing provision. Prioritisation will also be an important dimension to the development of the Action Plan, therefore.

6 Impact Assessments

7.1 Assessment of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has been considered in the development of these proposals. No adverse impact has been identified in terms of race, creed or gender.

8. Conclusion

8.1 Climate change is considered to be a major challenge to the future prosperity and quality of life in Hampshire, and as part of the County Council's commitment to a safe and secure Hampshire, the Cabinet believes that the Council must look ahead and plan for its impacts. Some changes to the climate are now inevitable and the Cabinet is satisfied that their likely impacts must be taken into account and that everything has been done to respond to and manage these impacts. The Cabinet believes that the County Council is clear about the need for everyone to act decisively now, to help ensure that Hampshire is well-placed to adapt to the inevitable climate change that will happen over the next 25-50 years. The Cabinet also is satisfied that the County Council cannot address these issues alone and that, therefore, public awareness and community engagement will be vital to a successful outcome. The County Council has accepted the challenge of community leadership, and the results of the Commission and the Cabinet's recommended response to the Commission's findings will help it to develop priorities and focus on key areas.

Section 100 D - :Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

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