Agenda item

The Committee received a presentation from Sarah Hitchcock, Head of Net Zero Carbon Programme, on the Q2 Performance Report.  The following key Points were raised in the discussion:

• Buildings, Housing, Commercial and Infrastructure: The UCL report had now been completed on housing stock; There had been a delay in some works due to procurement issues, but this was moving forward and has had a lot of resident engagement; grant fund application for Bevin Court pilot expected to be submitted (up to 50% match funding, with funding to be drawn down by March 2025) and other pilot projects were progressing.
• Transport: all deliverables on track
• Sustainable and Affordable Energy: all deliverables on track; GreenSCIES Phase 2 was now underway. Specialist input had been procured to facilitate the final design development and outline business case preparations. Timescales would be updated in due course. Solar PV was to be delivered to 5 corporate buildings this financial year
• Green Economy: most deliverables on track; ongoing work on mapping skills; the requirement for Net Zero Carbon had been added to Islington Council’s Affordable Workspace Specification document along with references to planning guidelines. This would be shared with all developers at pre app stage and appended to the S106 agreement. This would be for all S106 from this point onwards; £2.7 million pounds awarded under the strategic development fund
• Natural Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling: majority of deliverables on track; private tree planting initiative was delayed due to recruitment issues; a lot of successes in fundraising; 230 entries for Islington in bloom; flats above shops food waste trial launched.
• Planning: delays in adoption of local plan; new officer to take forward the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).
• Engaging, Empowering and Partnering: focus on stakeholder engagement over the next quarter; Staffing changes have delayed commissioning of Council led events. NZC Team and comms had supported community led events including Car Free Day (which they were linking to play streets and the Islington Environmental Emergency Alliance event at Union Chapel); comms plan had stalled over summer, but an agency was now helping; launched the net zero carbon champions.
• Finance and Investment: working closely with other London boroughs, the green finance initiative and 3Ci.

Officers gave clarification to the Committee on some points raised:

• Campaigns for increasing waste recycling included pulling together a series of activities for March and engagement workshops to explore the barriers to recycling. As well as looking at behaviour change programmes and getting officers in post to help with this.
• The next wave of de-carbonisation funding was not live yet, there had been technical challenges but had been successful in in getting applications in and now waiting for the next round of funding.
• Officers indicated they would send the latest update on the future of the Bright Sparks re-use and repair project once they had received this.
• Officers confirmed they would check technical details surrounding questions regarding the decarbonisation of the pension fund.

Resolved

That the report be noted

ACTIONS

Officers to provide further information to the committee surrounding the Bright Sparks reuse and repair project;

Officers to provide further information to the committee on the decarbonisation of the Pensions Fund.