Minutes:
(A)
Mr
Hunt asked the following question of the Leader or his nominee:
“1. At the last Council Meeting the Cabinet proposed and Council duly
accepted, in light of the Council’s financial position, the proposal to revise
the Council’s net zero targets for its own operations, from 2030 to 2035. How
has this affected the budget and how will it affect the actions that Council
recently agreed?
2. At the last
Council Meeting the Cabinet proposed and Council duly accepted, in light of the Council’s
financial position, the proposal to revise the Council’s net zero targets for
the wider County, from 2045 to 2050. How has this affected the budget and how
will it affect the actions that Council recently agreed?”
Mr Pain replied as follows:
Officers are currently reviewing the 2030 Net
Zero Council Action Plan to take into account the
revised target and consider what actions can be prioritised for delivery within
the staff and financial resources available.
2.
During the preparation of the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for
2024-2028, it was established that additional funding would be required each
year to progress the Council’s ambitions in relation to net zero and the wider
environment. The Council’s financial position however, meant this additional
funding was not available and it was, therefore, agreed by the County Council
that the net zero target for the wider county would be revised from 2045 to
2050 to reflect the existing budget. The published MTFS, as approved by the
County Council on 21 February 2024, has not been affected by this decision.
Officers are currently reviewing the Net Zero
Leicestershire Action Plan to take into account the
revised target and consider what actions can be prioritised for delivery within
the staff and financial resources available.”
Mr Hunt asked the following supplementary question:
“1. On
the County Council's own operations for climate change, which have been
remarkably successful, saving millions of pounds on street lighting and saving
energy on this building, why are we delaying it without even knowing how we're
going to achieve the target we've set?
2.
On the second part, we really do not have an answer on this, simply
saying that officers may come up with something. If I could just summarise where we are: we
responded to an emergency, we set about 150 or more actions, then we decided to
delay them for five years. But you're not sure how to do it, are you?”
Mr Pain replied as
follows:
“1. I
don't believe we're delaying anything. We've set out to achieve our Net Zero
targets by 2045 and 2050 respectively.”
2. Yes,
the Council did declare a climate emergency but, I must say, we have answered
the initial question. There is no change
to the budget that we set in February. I have to say that the Labour group did
not come forward with an amendment to that budget proposing £475,000 worth of
additional funding to meet the initial targets, so we had to make decisions
which has meant that we have altered our budgets and been pragmatic and
proportionate with not only the monies that we have available but the time as
well to meet those targets. Finally, can I just say that when we set out to
draw up a plan to achieve our Net Zero targets, it's a bit like a Premiership
football team in a league. They set out
to win the league but if something happens to their star striker or their
midfielder during the course of that season, they have
to alter their plan. We have significant financial pressures here at Leicestershire
County Council and, in accordance with those pressures, we have had to alter
our plan. We are still seeking to meet our objectives by the mandatory dates
that the Government has set, and I believe we've still answered the question
that you put.”