Decision details

RESOLVED

1)    That Cabinet makes the following declaration of a climate emergency: “Chichester District Council declares a Climate Emergency and requests the Environment Panel to advise Cabinet and Council on how to move to a carbon neutral environment.

2)    That the Environment Panel draft Terms of Reference as outlined in Appendix 1 be approved subject to the following amendments:

·       The final bullet point to read ‘to consider opportunities for joint initiatives and Partnership working and seek to influence the extent to which climate emergency is reflected in the development and implementation of cross boundary and county-wide strategies and plans;

·       that the Panel is tasked with evaluating priority actions for a Climate Emergency Action Plan, and reports back to Cabinet in January 2020’;

·       the frequency of the Environment Panel meetings to be monthly.

3)    That the Environment Panel is asked in its report to identify and evaluate the resources needed to achieve delivery of the action plan, including the proposal for a Climate Emergency Officer funded from reserves and the potential for the use of the Zero Carbon Graylingwell payment for implementing carbon reduction initiatives.

4)    That in the event that the Council is invited to accept a transfer of funds by Homes England associated with the Zero Carbon Graylingwell project, authority is delegated to the Director of Planning and Environment to accept the funds which are to be used towards specified carbon reduction projects, the spend for which will need to be first agreed in each case by both Homes England and the Council.