Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport which presented the Environmental Performance Report 2024-25. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 10’ is filed with these minutes.

Arising from the discussion, the following points were made:

i)    A Member asked whether the Council had seen a rise in electricity costs for its electric vehicle fleet and whether this had been factored into future planning. It was confirmed that the County Council currently operated very few Electric Vehicles (EV) in its fleet. Before moving to a large EV fleet, the Council would comprehensively review the capital investment needed for the transition including charging infrastructure and power capacity. A full business case would be carried out and cost implications would be factored into the MTFS.

ii)   A Member queried the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for fleet vehicles in light of media reports suggesting some HVO supplies were fraudulent. They also questioned whether there were any additional costs of using HVO compared with using diesel. It was noted that HVO had been used by the County Council within the waste fleet which operated across household waste sites for a year. This delivered various operational benefits, including longer shelf life and improved engine wear. It was noted that the Council had a budget to cover the price difference between standard fuel and HVO and that the actual numbers remained below the budgeted level, due to favourable market prices to date. It was suggested that HVO prices were volatile, with no long-term fixed price available. Members were assured that officers would investigate the concern of fraudulent supplies further, including any risks associated with palm-oil HVO and provide an update outside the meeting. It was highlighted that a review of HVO use was ongoing to assess whether further benefits existed beyond those already known.

iii) Policy changes encouraging more office based working could negatively impact the Council’s environmental performance. It was highlighted that going online and reducing paper use and travel during and after the Covid-19 pandemic contributed positively to Council’s performance and that a shift back to physical meetings and commuting could reduce some of the progress made. 

iv) It was highlighted that the national reporting frameworks assumed that a proportion of reuse occurred in households, although this was not measurable. The Council could measure collected waste streams, including recycling and composting tonnage. Behaviour change, national studies, and historic experience suggested that investments in reuse campaigns prevented waste from rising.

v)  It was noted that district and borough councils were responsible for fly tipping collections, while the County Council covered the cost of disposal. Trends varied and were influenced by multiple factors, including enforcement activity by neighbouring authorities. It was highlighted that previous reports to the Committee provided trend data over multiple years.

vi) A Member questioned the reliability of the reported 97% of the Council managed land said to be under better management for nature. They further queried whether management plans existed and whether the Council could evidence biodiversity improvements. Officers acknowledged that comprehensive biodiversity measurements were difficult to attain and report due to the limited resources the Council had available to do this. The Council was, however, engaging volunteers, county recorders, and promoting local initiatives to strengthen evidence gathering. Work was underway through the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Biodiversity Net Gain requirements to develop more robust indicators, such as tree and hedge planting, pesticide usage, and site specific monitoring.

vii)   A Member raised concerns about the lack of information on the condition of three Sites of Scientific Importance (SSIs) managed by the Council, and whether biodiversity changes were being measured through surveys or other methods. Officers highlighted the challenges with delayed national datasets and limited Natural England resources for assessing SSIs.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.