NorthYorkshire Council
Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, 24 April 2025 commencing at 10.00 am.
Councillor David Staveley in the Chair plus Councillors Melanie Davis, Philip Barrett, Derek Bastiman, John Cattanach, Hannah Gostlow, David Ireton, David Jeffels, George Jabbour (substitute), Steve Mason, Subash Sharma, Steve Watson, Andrew Williams and Robert Windass.
In attendance: Councillor David Hugill and Paul Haslam (virtual)
Officers present (in-person): Will Baines, Alex Hollifield and Jos Holmes
Officers present (virtual): Allan McVeigh
Apologies: Councillors Phil Trumper and David Noland
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Copies of all documents considered are in the Minute Book
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Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Phil Trumper, with Councillor George Jabbour attending as substitute and from Councillor David Noland.
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Minutes of the Meeting held on 30 January 2025
Resolved
That the Minutes of the meeting held on 30 January 2025, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and confirmed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.
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Declarations of Interest
Councillor Steve Mason declared a personal interest under item 5 (Climate Change Delivery Pathway Performance Report) regarding procurement due to his employment as a sustainability consultant.
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Public Participation
There were no public questions or statements received.
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Climate Change Delivery Pathway Performance Report
A report from Jos Holmes, Climate Change Strategy Manager was considered, providing a progress update on the Climate Change Delivery Pathway (CCDP), tracking the implementation of the overall Climate Change Strategy.
In introducing the report, it was noted that alternative solutions are being considered to present the visualisation of the progress of the CCDP in future updates.
Some of the key points highlighted in the report included:
· The public and private sector housing programmes have made significant progress, with a large number of retrofits either in delivery or programmed in across the Harrogate, Selby and Richmond housing stock following a successful bid to the Social Housing Delivery Fund.
· Work on an Adaptation strategy is ongoing, as it has become clear that it needs to be done on a broader scale. Officers are working with the Combined Authority, City of York Council and representatives from the protected landscapes to produce a comprehensive Climate Risk and Vulnerability report, which will conclude in early summer. A session for town and parish councils is also planned for later in the year to improve knowledge and understanding.
· Work to deliver an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Rollout Strategy back in 2023 has led to a successful grant to the LEVI capital fund from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, and this work is now coming to fruition to deliver a much more comprehensive programme of electric vehicle charging points (EVCPs).
· Leisure facilities decarbonisation audits have now been completed, utilising Beyond Carbon funding. This has helped to support bids for funding from the Combined Authority for renewable energy improvements.
· Work to build a number of new care and support hubs across North Yorkshire, to provide care for 250 people, will include energy efficient and low carbon measures built into the developments.
Following this, questions raised by Elected Members was as follows:
· It was asked if more EVCPs were planned to be delivered in the Whitby area. In response, it was highlighted that all the charging points were being brought together under one supplier as part of the new council. This was currently at procurement stage, and that a review of EVCP locations would follow this.
· Improved signage and promotion of cycling and walking routes was requested, to get as many visitors and local residents using these, given the benefits this would lead to for the wider mental and physical health improvements and the climate change agenda.
· The existing basic infrastructure for walking and cycling, particularly the width of footpaths, requires improvement. For example, grass verges and hedges are not adequately maintained, leading to narrower paths and difficulties for some residents to get around. Further information was requested on this.
· Improving the access to alternative fuels was raised. In response, an ongoing community energy feasibility study was highlighted, funded through the Shared Prosperity Fund Community Climate Action Fund. This is creating an innovative business plan for a ‘local energy club’ in Settle as an initial trial, and if successful could be a blueprint for rolling out community energy buying and selling to local people, connected to the substation. It was noted that there is huge potential for small scale community energy projects across North Yorkshire, although difficulties with the smart meter technology in rural parts of the county was proving an obstacle.
· A timeline for achieving the targets set out in the Delivery Pathway into future progress reports was requested, as well as the incorporation of reference to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
· More information was sought on the Devolution Deal Net Zero Fund feasibility study into the decarbonisation of Allerton Waste Recovery Park.
· The Home Upgrade Grant scheme for private sector housing operated by the Council was welcomed, particularly the estimated average energy savings per property of £770, with 63% of properties bought up to Energy Performance Certificate A-C, which were previously F to G. It was felt that the future plans in this area should be ambitious and build on the current progress.
· In response to a question about reducing carbon emissions, work to reduce ‘Grey Fleet’ private car mileage for NYC business use was emphasised, alongside the production of a business case for reducing ordinary fleet vehicle mileage and transition to low carbon vehicles expected in September (using Beyond Carbon funding) and the rollout of a sustainability plan for corporate property decarbonisation. The tracking of these initiatives would form part of an improved performance management structure for the CCDP.
· In response to a query, it was noted that the climate team are actively engaged in the production of the business plans for the Brierley Group companies, in particular setting out the requirements to support the overall Climate Change Strategy of the council.
· The Archimedes’ Screws in North Yorkshire (examples include Ruswarp, Bainbridge and Howsham Mill) for water energy generation were asked about. In response, it is an aspiration to use Energy Generation Accelerator Programme (EGAP) funding as part of the Carbon Negative Challenge Fund from the Combined Authority to develop business plans for renewable energy generation, and small water energy generation projects is a potential use of this funding pot. Another avenue to explore the feasibility for is water source heat pumps from reservoirs and lakes.
· It was noted that the ongoing work to engage schools and young people in this area is progressing, with an event held for school leaders to support the development of schools-based climate action plans.
· Further information was requested on the draft ‘Food for the Future in North Yorkshire: A framework for action’ referenced in the report.
In the discussion of the report, a further report recommendation was put forward that officers explore the viability of providing carbon literacy training for elected members. This was supported unanimously.
Therefore it was resolved to: i) acknowledge the progress related to the implementation of the Climate Change Delivery Pathway and proposed next steps.
ii) Recommend to the Corporate Director of Environment to explore the viability of providing carbon literacy training for elected members.
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Report of the Climate Change Member Champion
The annual report of the Climate Change Member Champion, Councillor David Hugill, was considered, setting out the activities he has undertaken in his role as Member Champion. As part of his report, he highlighted the new initiatives from North Yorkshire Council to ensure tackling climate change is at the heart of everything we do. As an example, the proposed new care and support hubs project was emphasised for the net zero opportunities that had been identified in the design phase of the programme. Councillor Hugill also listed the impressive variety of events he has attended in the last nine months, from a recent North Yorkshire Climate Coalition event to the Women’s Institute in Great Broughton and Kirby.
Questions and comments from committee members included the collation of environmental material in an easily accessible format in future and ways of increasing and improving engagement with interested parties.
It was resolved that the Annual Report of the Member Champion for Climate Change be noted.
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Update on Lane Rental Scheme for North Yorkshire
An update on the implementation of a Lane Rental Scheme for North Yorkshire was given by Alex Hollifield, Team Leader for Network Information and Compliance. The key points as highlighted below include:
· Lane Rental is a scheme that allows Highway Authorities to charge utilities and other third-party contractors for occupying road space on the busiest roads at the busiest times. Highway Authority works are also chargeable.
· Charges are set at a maximum of £2500 per day, dependent on the level of disruption caused. This is to incentivise Statutory Undertakers carrying out works to do it outside of disruptive times, leading to overall minimised disruption on the network.
· The proposed Lane Rental Scheme will be overseen by a governance group made up of Utilities and the Authority, with any surplus generated from the scheme to be reinvested in network innovation projects, minus any scheme costs. A minimum of 50% of this is to be reinvested into Highway Maintenance, with the other 50% to be invested in innovation projects. Any Lane Rental scheme put in place would operate alongside the existing North Yorkshire Permit Scheme.
· Examples of the type of innovation projects used by other local authorities include Kent County Council carrying out drone surveys as part of rapid investigations of roadworks and infrastructure conditions, reducing the need for physical traffic management on the road and resulting in faster maintenance response times. Furthermore, Surrey County Council introduced intelligent traffic management systems, utilising AI to optimise traffic signal timings based on the traffic flow and congestion patterns.
· The objectives of the proposed Lane Rental scheme are to minimise disruption and encourage faster, smarter working, as well as reducing the environmental impact as works should be completed to a high standard first time.
· As it stands, a detailed proposal has been submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) for Secretary of State Approval. 7.25% of the overall network has been proposed as subject to Lane Rental Charges. A Traffic Sensitive Street Review was required as part of the application.
· A functioning permit scheme needs to be demonstrated, with the latest scheme report rated years 4 to 6 as ‘Excellent’ despite a huge increase in permits due to the introduction of fibre internet schemes.
· Emergency works are exempt from Lane Rental charges in the first 48 hours only, to encourage work to get done as soon as possible.
· If successful, North Yorkshire will look to implement the scheme at the end of 2025.
· Next steps include the set up and recruitment of a Lane Rental team alongside the existing streetworks permit team, finalising the governance structure for allocation of surplus funds and finalising the environmental protection process.
Following this, key points raised in the discussion that followed included:
· There were queries around the charging regime for the proposed Lane Rental scheme and how the position of the works on the highway (e.g. in the carriageway compared to in the verge) would dictate the level of charge that could be levied.
· Further context was requested on the type of roads that would fall under the proposed Lane Rental scheme.
· There were concerns that roads falling outside the proposed Lane Rental scheme would be deprioritised by utility companies and third-party contractors with their resources directed towards the routes included in Lane Rental because of the financial charges that could be levied. In response, it was emphasised that the existing streetworks permit scheme would continue in North Yorkshire to operate on non-Lane Rental routes, with a maximum daily charge of £2000 available.
· A comment was made about starting with the strongest possible financial charges as a general principle for network compliance.
· The desire for efficient working was seen as a key aspect of the work of the utilities companies and third party contractors when carrying out works in the road.
· Ways of submitting evidence of utilities and other third party contractors occupying road space to assist in the charging process was discussed.
· There was a general view that the potential to add extra capacity within the Inspections team as part of future plans for the implementation of the proposed Lane Rental scheme should be welcomed. To understand this area further, particularly financially for the Council, it was requested that a future report on the Lane Rental Scheme (if approved) and the proposed fee changes to the streetworks permit Scheme come to a future meeting of the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny committee for consideration.
It was resolved that:
i) The update on the Lane Rental Scheme be noted.
ii) A report be requested on the plans for implementation of the Lane Rental Scheme (if given approval to commence) and the future plans for the North Yorkshire Streetworks Permit scheme.
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Work Programme
The committee work programme was considered. Comments made by committee members included:
· It was requested that an Economic Development/Tourism update be brought to the scheduled October committee meeting. · · As per the previous item, a report was requested on the plans for implementation of the Lane Rental Scheme (if given approval to commence) and the future plans for the North Yorkshire Streetworks Permit scheme. The date of this was to be confirmed. There was also a general discussion about the scrutiny priorities for the committee at future meetings.
Taking into account the feedback received, it was resolved to note the work programme.
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Progress on Issues Raised
An update was asked for on the setup of the Active Travel Working Group referenced in the report.
Following this it was resolved to note the progress on issues raised report.
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Any other items
Councillor Mason recorded his thanks for the letter co-signed by the Leader and the Chair of the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the Climate and Nature Bill.
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The meeting concluded at 12.15 pm.