Minutes:
The following question had been submitted by Cllr M Cooper.
“"At the last Council meeting held on the 10 December there was an item and a question on Climate Change about the setting up of a Climate Change Working Group, under the auspices of the S&R Committee. This being a group which will look at and decide both on actions and priorities for any TDC work on Climate Change.
If this group is to be able to have any credibility in the eyes of our residents it must include people with a scientific and/or engineering qualification or professional experience of power generation and supply. Only professionals with this type of knowledge would be adequately qualified to advise the Council
My concern is based on comments made at the meeting on the 10 December which, to me, indicated a failure of understanding by some councillors:
One councillor who advised that the future was electric cars and we should embrace them. This, despite my reminding him that an earlier Prime Minister, Tony Bliar, had said the future was diesel cars, which he got disastrously wrong. We need to understand that there are many technologies currently being explored to power the future, electricity being just one. There are, however, many issues and constraints around the provision of purely electrically powered vehicles especially when concerned with larger vehicles. The commercial energy industry is currently showing a great deal of interest in hydrogen powered vehicles for example.
Another councillor commented about mobile phones getting smaller and using smaller batteries. This failed to appreciate that mobile phone manufacturers realised that most people would not be prepared to carry round a heavy suitcase or even a brick. The manufacturers redesigned the mobile phone, not least by removing the mouth and earpiece and used micro-components. The reduced size of all of the components produced a product with mass market appeal and greatly reduced the power needed to operate the device which meant much smaller batteries could be used!
In my view, we need to give our residents confidence that, not only are the challenges arising from the climate change issue understood, but that the Working Group convened will not be comprised of a random group of councillors who have little notion of what action is required or what priority any action should be given. This is not to say that the councillors concerned are not earnest in their feelings and intent but that the council simply does not employ people with the crucial knowledge and experience needed to make such decisions and we absolutely need people with that knowledge to make such decisions.
This working group will be looking to direct serious TDC future expenditure - local tax-payers money. Therefore, I believe that those councillors who have put their names forward to serve on the working group need to possess scientific and/or engineering qualification or professional experience of power generation and supply.
Therefore, please could you supply a list of the councillors on the Working Group and the qualifications which make their inclusion on that group relevant.
Thank you."
Jackie King, the Acting Chief Executive, responded (at the request of the Chairman) as follows:
“To clarify, the working group does not have decision making powers, it also does not have a budget. Its purpose is to inform and review the development of the climate change action plan in line and provide strategic input and direction that officers can then develop initiatives from further.
As is normal practice, business cases will be established for any actions or options appraisals that include Council expenditure, and follow the Council’s contract standing orders. These will include assessments by our finance team and other relevant external professionals where we feel we need their input.
Strategy & Resources Committee is the decision-making body for the climate change workstream, unless an action is particularly relevant to another committee such as Housing or Community Services, in which case reports for each committee may be submitted. Nonetheless, members are reminded that the Council’s preferred funding options for its climate change work are grants, and working with partners including the County Council, to reduce or eliminate costs for those initiatives. Further, the Council will utilise its business as usual activities as far as possible to meet our climate change aspirations.
The Climate Change Working Group is made up of seven councillors, the lead climate change officer, Will Mace, and any other officers relevant to a particular topic being discussed, as set out in the Action Plan committee report that came previously to this committee.”
Cllr Cooper commented that the question had not been answered and asked for the names of the Councillors who would be on the committee along with their qualifications.
Jackie King confirmed she could provide the names of the Councillors. She confirmed that Group Leaders had been invited to nominate the members they feel are best placed to participate. At present the members were:
• Cllr Milton
• Cllr Duck
• Cllr Pursehouse
• Cllr Davies
• Cllr Stamp
• Cllr Caulcott
• There is one vacancy for the Liberal Democrats.
Jackie King confirmed that she did not have the qualifications of these Members, but we don’t ask for these on any other working group and it would be difficult to find individuals with the qualifications suggested.
Cllr Cooper asked a supplementary question requesting that the councillors who had put themselves forward to the working group consider their position to possibly allow for more knowledgeable councillors to be involved.
Cllr Elias answered by stating that it was not the intention to have people with qualifications on the working group. Councillors provide strategic direction to the work of the officers rather than provide technical knowhow.