North Yorkshire Council

Selby and Ainsty Area Committee

25 April 2025

Climate Change Activity in the Selby and Ainsty Area

Report of the Corporate Director - Environment

1.0 PURPOSE OF REPORT

1.1 To provide an update on recent climate change activities that have taken place in the Selby and Ainsty Area Committee area.

2.0 SUMMARY

2.1 This report presents an update of the climate change activities that have taken place in the Selby and Ainsty area. It highlights activity that has taken place in 2024 and provides an indication of expected activities in 2025. The following report includes information on support that NYC has provided to local activities to support the delivery of the climate change strategy. The purpose of the report is to provide an update, and there are no recommendations.

3.0 BACKGROUND

3.1 North Yorkshire Council’s Climate Change Strategy was approved by Executive in July 2023 in response to the declared climate emergency. The council’s Climate Change Delivery Pathway (CCDP) was approved by Executive on 20 August 2024 and sets out how the Strategy will be delivered.

3.2 The Council’s overall progress on the Climate Change Strategy is reported biannually to the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee, alongside an annual progress report direct to Executive. The most recent Overview and Scrutiny report was made on 24 April 2025.

4.0 UPDATE ON RECENT CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITY

4.1 Climate Change Strategy: Governance

4.1.1 Regional greenhouse gas emissions: As reported at October’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, regional greenhouse gas emissions across North Yorkshire were 5,714 ktCO2e in 2022 (this is the most recently available data). This is an overall 31% decrease since 2005, and 5% lower than 2021.

4.1.2 North Yorkshire Council carbon footprint: The Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the 2023/24 operational carbon footprint (the first year of North Yorkshire Council’s operations) which was 29,951 tCO2e. This includes fleet fuel consumption, heating, electricity, and certain “Scope three” emissions which fall outside the direct control of the organisation but are a direct consequence of our operations, in this case business mileage in employee vehicles, and various transmission losses and “well to tank” emissions from supplied energy.

4.1.3 External benchmarking:

i. In September 2024 the council for the first time submitted a response to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). This internationally recognised scheme is a voluntary reporting and accountability platform for local governments, investors, and companies to help them understand their impact and act. The council’s submission is now being independently assessed, and the results are awaited. It is anticipated that they will provide a benchmark score on our activity, including identifying areas for improvement.

ii. The council has also provided information (principally via freedom of information requests) to the campaign group Climate Emergency UK for the completion of their Council Climate Scorecards process. A score and “league table” of all councils will be published in 2025.

4.1.4 Community engagement:

In the Selby and Ainsty area, regular liaison has taken place between council officers and the wider community through the:

· Selby Sustainability Partnership, facilitated by the Up 4 Yorkshire voluntary sector infrastructure organisation

· Our Zero Selby, Up 4 Yorkshire supported Selby Town Centre group. A briefing on their activity is in Appendix A.

· The Barn CIC in Tadcaster – supporting circular economy projects and a Climathon community engagement activity in April 2025

· Coronation Woods tree planting activity in February, in Selby and Tadcaster.

4.2 Mitigation: reducing greenhouse gas emissions

4.2.1 Community and business-based projects:

i. NYC has secured and delivered the Shared Prosperity Fund Community Climate Action Programme and Business Sustainability Programme.

Business Sustainability Programme

SPF010	Arc Workwear Ltd	Lighting and heating decarbonisation/waste management	£4,489
SPF038	R & R Country Ltd	R & R Country Ltd EV Chargers	£2,700
SPF048	Brocklesby Building Products Ltd	Solar PV installation	£49,950
SPF674	The Main Company (York) Ltd	Solar Panel system	£40,781
SPF037	Tadcaster Albion	Tadcaster Albion LED Floodlights	£4,175
SPF592	Morphet Bros	Solar Panels	£30,519
Totals:			£132,614

Community Climate Action Programme

SPF008	Tadcaster Community Sports Trust	Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Generation/Storage Project	£49,900
SPF008	Tadcaster Community Sports Trust	Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Generation/Storage Project	£49,900
SPF023	Whixley Village Hall CIO	Replace Heating System	£24,000
SPF634	Yorkshire Energy Doctor CIC	Community Climate Ambassadors	£5,419
SPFD004	Up for Yorkshire	Our Zero Selby - Repair Cafe Roadshow	£15,527
Totals			£144,746

Decarbonisation audits have been completed for 4 organisations in the area, through the SPF programme:

SPF327	Great Ouseburn Village Hall
SPF330	Tadcaster Community Library
SPF036	Holistic Care Provision Ltd.
SPF166	Riccall House Residential Care Home

ii. Devolution Deal Net Zero Fund: Funding was secured from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority for community buildings decarbonisation and community transport decarbonisation. The following organisations were allocated grant support for their projects:

· Sherburn Visiting Scheme has received £44,095 for the purchase of a multi person EV and associated EVCP. In addition, a lease for the former Sherburn library garage is being prepared to support safe storage of the vehicle.

· Up 4 Yorkshire Community Transport has received £44,095 for the purchase of a multi person EV and associated EVCP.

· Sherburn White Rose Sports and Social club received £48,064 for energy efficiency and renewable energy (solar PVs).

4.2.2 Schools climate change engagement: The CYPS Directorate, with their climate change business partner, have facilitated a workshop for school staff to support the development of school-based climate action plans. Staff from schools in the area attended:

· Selby Abby

· Monk Fryston

· Barlby schools

· Sherburn Hungate

· Thorpe Willoughby

· Star Mat Tadcaster

4.2.2 Built Environment

i. Selby Leisure Centre has recently had Solar PV panels installed at a cost of £130K, this was 100% funded by Sport England. All Council leisure facilities are currently receiving decarbonisation plans for all sites funded through the internal Beyond Carbon program.

ii. Selby Library is currently in the Property pipeline for decarbonisation work, following a decarbonisation audit. This is anticipated to be worth £60,000.

iii. Social Housing

· Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2.2: The SHDF wave 2.2 fund has provided a £1,772,000 in grant funding, and NYC have match funded £2,045,107 to retrofit council owned housing stock. This programme will retrofit 300 homes, with 150 in former Selby District Council area by March 2026.

· NYC have successfully applied for the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund wave 3 and accepted a grant of £34,345,388 with a target to retrofit a total of 2700 homes. The anticipated numbers in this area are currently being modelled.

iv. Private Housing

· Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) two and Warm Homes Fund: The Home Upgrade Grant was put in place to help homes without mains gas supply, with poor quality insulation or inefficient heating systems. Applications for the grant scheme closed on 30 September 2024. 36 properties across former Selby area benefitted from measures installed by the programme. This includes insulation, air source heat pumps, electric storage heating and solar PV. Some house received multiple measures.

HUG2 Stats - Selby area only to date (19/03/25)	Year 1	Year 2
Properties Complete	4	32
Measures Installed	7	66
Carbon Savings	9.26	106.61
Cost Savings	£2,305	£25,200
Value of works	£44,006	£572,774
Hard to treat	0	8
Number of properties EPC improvements to C or above	3	22

· The delivery of HUG2 has been successful and the team have exceeded the initial target of delivery. This has allowed NYC to develop a strong pipeline of properties that can benefit from the new funding scheme, the Warm Homes Fund: Local Grant. NYC have requested £9.5million per year for three years across the county to upgrade privately owned homes for low-income households. The target is to upgrade 540 homes a year. As £5.9 million has been awarded under this scheme, the programme will be reduced accordingly.

· The Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) programme ran until March 2025. This is funded through the SPF programme and Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and it provides a home survey and a free home energy plan. 23 contacts in the Selby West area were supported through this programme.

· Big Community Switch Scheme is available to anyone who pays a household energy bill and who is interested in saving money by switching energy suppliers can register for free to the Collective energy switching. We are provided with countywide reports, that do not reflect localities. On the autumn auction (Oct/Nov) we had 868 residents registered and 108 accepted the offer, which was £129 below the Ofgem Price Cap, fixed for 12 months and based on 100% renewable electricity.

4.2.3 Transport

i. Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCPs). There is a network of public EVCPs in the Selby and Ainsty Area. Regarding the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project, Officers are currently evaluating the bids to engage a charge point operator for both the NYC public charge points and the new LEVI programme. This will provide charging points across the county, with a focus on delivering in areas where the market otherwise would not, by using public subsidy, while operating under a portfolio approach to ensure that the charge point operator is able to lever in private investment. It is anticipated that a contract start date with the chosen operator will be secured in June. However, there is a period of project planning written into the contract before design and then delivery, which is anticipated to start in Autumn 2025.

ii. EV and EVCP at Selby Civic Centre is going to be delivered as part of the LEVI programme contract. This will enable officers at this location to utilise an EV pool car to reduce both cost and carbon emissions of grey fleet.

iii. Local Cycling and Walking Implementation Plans (LCWIP) aim to provide a long-term strategic approach to identifying cycling and walking improvements at a local level. LCWIPs have been developed for the following areas:

· The Brayton to Selby LCWIP corridor detailed design work is close to concluding and the scheme is currently on the pipeline of major schemes awaiting a funding route.

· A feasibility study is also underway looking at potential connections from Hambleton and Thorpe Willoughby to Selby, with one option linking into the Brayton to Selby corridor.

· Officers are also conducting a prioritisation exercise of the Selby, Sherburn in Elmet and Tadcaster LCWIP routes to identify quick wins and lower cost/more deliverable interventions.

iv. NYC has declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) on New Street (the A19) in Selby. This is for exceedances of the UK air quality objective target for nitrogen dioxide due to transport emissions. As such it's part of the Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) for North Yorkshire which demonstrates the measures in place to bring pollution levels back to compliant levels.

v. Improvements to public transport bases in are underway. This is from the £700k towards the improvement of public spaces surrounding Selby Station, as part of the Transforming Cities Fund scheme. The full refurbishment of Tadcaster bus station building, and related waiting area canopy work, is now well under way. Work is programmed to be completed in April 2025.

4.3 Adaptation: Preparing for the changing climate.

4.3.1 As a result of climate change, the Selby and Ainsty Area Committee area can expect to see weather changes in line with wider regional projections, specifically, hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters. Extreme weather events such as intense rainfall and heatwaves are likely to become more frequent. That is why it is important to better understand the future impacts of climate change, to identify steps we can take to adapt to, or be better prepared and resilient to the effects of climate change for our communities and Council operations.

4.3.2 Since January 2024, there were 11 flood warnings and eight flood alerts across the Selby and Ainsty area.

4.3.3 The Selby and Ainsty area is particularly vulnerable to the raising sea level due to the Humber inundation. A partnership of organisations surrounding the Humber are working to put in place mitigation and adaptation to this. Humber 2100+ is a partnership consisting of 11 local authorities from around the Humber and the Environment Agency. This is ensuring organisations are working together with various partners to develop a strategy that will reinforce the long-term ambition for a prosperous Humber which is a safe and sustainable place to live, work and visit.

4.3.4 Work to develop an Adaptation section of the CCDP will be concluded in 2025 and this is now the Climate Change Team’s current focus for policy development. The Council is working alongside the Combined Authority who will be commissioning a comprehensive Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment for North Yorkshire. This will identify detailed geographical areas of risk for climate change and will provide an evidence base for developing an Adaptation Strategy.

4.4 Supporting Nature

4.4.1 The tree planting has taken place on four of the originally identified areas that Selby District Council had earmarked. This is because of the realities of grounds maintenance constraints, lack of suitability of chosen species, locations, (for example proximity to houses and playing fields and inappropriate planting densities. A total of 46 trees were planted on public open space.

4.4.2 Coronation Heritage Woods programme. NYC was successful in bidding for two Coronations woods programmes, and these have now been successfully planted up in Selby and Tadcaster on public open space sites owned by NYC. Both sites were funded through the Government’s Living Heritage Coronation Fund and were delivered following the Miyawaki method and involving the local community in planting sessions. Twelve species of native trees and shrub whips (40-60cm) were planted, in prepared ground that had been enriched with compost, and have subsequently been mulched, to reduce weed competition and maintain warmth and moisture to promote strong growth. The sites have been fenced, with gates to facilitate access for maintenance. Signs have been designed and will be erected at both sites. The health of the trees will be monitored for the next three years. This includes allowance for watering during extended dry spells and the replacement planting of any plants that fail to establish. Additional mulch will also be laid each year to give the plants the best chance of succeeding. The sites will also be maintained to control any weed growth and repair any damage to the fencing and signage, also for a period of three years. After the third year, the trees should be well enough established that the fencing can be removed.

· Leeds Road Recreation Ground, Selby

Area of land planted: 325m2

Number of trees: 1625

Adult Volunteers: 37

School Children: 43 in total from St Mary’s Primary and Selby Abbey Primary

· Wighill Park, Tadcaster

Area of land planted: 295m2

Number of trees: 1475

Adult volunteers: 30

School children: 51 from Tadcaster Primary

Due to wet ground conditions at this site a length of grass reinforcement mesh is being laid to improve access to the micro-wood.

4.4.3 Selby Park, adjacent to the station, is also being redesigned and this will support urban biodiversity.

5.0 Nationally significant projects

5.1 Due to the geography and grid capacity in the area, there are several nationally significant infrastructure projects related to the national ambition on net zero. The list below outlines those that colleagues in the Planning service are dealing with:

· Yorkshire GREEN – Development Control Order granted

· Drax Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage – Development Control Order granted

· East Yorkshire Solar Farm – Examination complete, awaiting decision

· Helio Renewable Energy Scheme – At examination

· Humber Carbon Capture pipeline – Pre application stage

· Ferrybridge Carbon Capture and Storage – Pre application stage

· Ferrybridge next generation power station – pre application stage

· Light Valley Solar – pre application stage

Projects at pre application stage will be reported to the Selby and Ainsty Area Planning committee in the coming months.

6.0 CONTRIBUTION TO COUNCIL PRIORITIES

6.1 The Council has declared a Climate Emergency and pledged to play its part in tackling the causes and impacts of climate change.

6.2 The activities outlined above contribute towards the council climate change strategy objectives, and deliver the following specific Council Plan ambitions:

· Place and Environment:

o A clean, environmentally sustainable and attractive place to live, work and visit

o A well connected and planned place with good transport links and digital connectivity

o Communities are supported and work together to improve their local area

o Good quality, affordable and sustainable housing that meets the needs of our communities

· Economy

o Economically sustainable growth that enables people and places to prosper

o Culture, heritage, arts and sustainable tourism all play their part in the economic growth of the county

· Health and Wellbeing

o People are supported to have a good quality of life and enjoy active and healthy lifestyles

o Reduced variations in health through tackling the root causes of inequality

· People

o In times of hardship, support is provided to those that need it most

· Organisation

o A carbon neutral council

7.0 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

7.1 The recommendation is to note the information in this report, alternative options have not been considered.

8.0 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

8.1 As this report is for information only, no financial implications arise specifically as a result of this report. A variety of external grant funding sources (some with match funding requirements) have been secured to enable the delivery of a number of programmes and climate action initiatives as outlined above. Work to secure further external grant funding will continue in support of North Yorkshire Council’s climate ambition.

8.2 A budget of £1 million was made available to NYCC for Climate Change activity (disbursed through the Beyond Carbon Board). The funding was one-off revenue funding. To date, £837,559 has been allocated, leaving £162,441 remaining with pending requests expected to be brought forward imminently to commit the remaining allocation.

9.0 LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

9.1 As this report is for information only, there are no legal implications.

10.0 EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS

10.1 An Equalities Impact Assessment is not required.

11.0 CLIMATE CHANGE IMPLICATIONS

11.1 This report outlines a number of positive carbon reduction and associated initiatives in the Selby and Ainsty Area Committee area. A Climate Change Impact Assessment is not required as the recommendation is to note this for information only.

12.0 REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

12.1 This report outlines some of the local activity being undertaken to address climate change, contributing towards the Council’s Climate Change Strategy objectives. The activities described above enable the council as an organisation, as well as residents, communities and businesses in the area, to make climate responsible choices.

13.0

13.1

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the Selby and Ainsty Area Committee notes the recent climate change activities which are outlined in this report.

APPENDICIES

Appendix A - Our Zero Selby

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS: North Yorkshire Council Climate Change Strategy

Karl Battersby

Corporate Director – Environment

County Hall

Northallerton

27 February 2025

Report Author and presenter – Jos Holmes, Climate Change Strategy Manager