Agenda item

Considered – A report providing an overview of the current work of North Yorkshire Council in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The committee were joined by Michael Leah, Assistant Director – Environmental Services and Simon Moss, Strategy and Performance Team Leader to answer technical questions on the UN SDGs.

As the proposer of the Notice of Motion, Councillor Steve Mason set out the rationale and context behind it, the key points of which were:

·         The motion was submitted to try and bring the UN SDGs into the strategies of the Council.

·         It is about changing our collaboration with partners, finding potential black spots in the Council Plan in relation to the UN SDGs and identify where we can do better.

·         Achieving better social value, for example through the allocation of Member Locality Grants and the potential multiplier effect of funding allocations.

·         The LGA recommends that undertaking a mapping exercise will lead the council into making choices about which SDGs and targets align most to its own locality and communities, rather than having to adopt them all.

·         He felt the Council could publish a report together with the Council Plan to show the external wider public the progress made against the SDGs as a local authority and by doing this it would help to encourage other organisations such as NGOs, businesses and community groups to get involved and engage with us.

·         He noted the recommendations of the Audit Committee and felt they could be echoed as part of any recommendations from the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise O&S Committee.

Simon Moss from the Strategy and Performance team detailed the work undertaken to map the North Yorkshire Council Plan Objectives against the UN SDGs (Appendix B) and subsequent work to look at other strategies and services provided by the Council that contribute to the UN SDGs (Appendix C). This showed that all of the 17 goals are covered by at least two of the NYC Council Plan objectives.

Of the underlying 167 targets, although some are applicable to the function of the council e.g. reducing waste generation and integrating climate change measures into policies and plans; many are not, for example reducing the illicit arms trade or combatting desertification. It should also be noted that a lot of the underlying targets are aimed at encouraging developing countries that are furthest behind to improve in particular areas, such as infant mortality, so a selective approach is required into which of the targets that we as North Yorkshire Council want to focus on and collaborate with others.

On the reporting, given the close relationship between the Council Plan and the SDGs, it was felt the right approach was to use and reference the SDGs into the next Council Plan, rather than creating a separate piece of work. It was noted that the SDGs are a useful tool to aid our current framework and thinking.

Following this and some general comments made by members, it was

Resolved - That the following recommendations on the UN SDGs motion be considered by Full Council on 21^st February 2024:

1.       The Committee notes that the Council is already working towards delivering some of the objectives that the UN SDGs outline; and;

2.       Ask that the Executive Member for Managing our Environment informs Council Leadership Teams to make them aware of the importance of and the commitment to the UN SDGs, and;

3.       The Council use and reference the UN SDGs in the ongoing development and communication of the Council Plan.