There are two Notices of Motion, as
follows:
1) Implementing Climate Change and
Environmental Action Plans
The motion is as follows:
“This Council resolves to establish a
politically proportionate Scrutiny Committee to monitor its
progress on developing and implementing climate and environmental
action plans across the whole of the Council’s business. The
remit of this committee is to ensure that there is oversight of the
overall achievement of the collective ambition for change. It will
remain the remit of individual scrutiny areas to ensure this work
is embedded in the action planning in each of the Council’s
areas of work.”
Proposed by County Councillor Andy Brown
Seconded by County Councillor Stuart
Parsons.
2) Nature and Climate Change
The motion is as follows:
The
Liberal Democrat & Liberal Group congratulates the previous council in creating
the foundations of a net zero carbon
plan and welcomes the development of the enhanced net zero
carbon neutral plan for the new authority. The Group alsocelebrates
and supports the recent NYCC cabinet decision to declare a climate
change emergency.
The group reminds the council
that under the leadership of Alok Sharma MP, the UK still holds the
COP Presidency until later this year with a mandate of working with
governments and organisations to make sure they deliver on the
Glasgow Climate Pact, turning momentum into action
The Group asks council to note and act on the subsequent
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC
(2022) report which stated;
- Climate resilient development is
enabled when governments, civil society and the private sector make
inclusive development choices that prioritise risk reduction,
equity and justice, and when decision-making processes, finance and
actions are integrated across governance levels, sectors and
timeframes (very high confidence). Climate resilient
development is facilitated by international cooperation and by
governments at all levels working with communities, civil society,
educational bodies, scientific and other institutions, media,
investors and businesses; and by developing partnerships with
traditionally marginalised groups, including women, youth,
Indigenous Peoples, local communities and ethnic minorities
(high confidence). These partnerships are most effective
when supported by enabling political leadership, institutions,
resources, including finance, as well as climate services,
information and decision support tools (high
confidence).
- Safeguarding
biodiversity and ecosystems is fundamental to climate resilient
development, in light of the threat’s climate change poses to
them and their roles in adaptation and mitigation (very high
confidence).
- Any further delay in
concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation
will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to
secure a liveable and sustainable future for all’; This
isn’t an opinion; it is a statement of the evidence with very
high confidence
The
Group ask the Council to also note and as a priority act
on:
- The recent joint
statement on July 8th 2022 from the government office of
science and the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick
Vallance recognise that ‘addressing the twin challenges of
carbon emissions and biodiversity loss requires political will and
leadership.’
- In Great Britain
alone, of the 8,431 species assessed in the 2019 State of Nature
report, 1,188 are threatened with extinction.
The Group also asks Council to
recognise and be proactive in recognising:
-
that we are facing an ecological emergency as well
as a climate emergency and that actions to reduce emissions
contributing to climate change must go hand in hand with action to
protect and increase nature and biodiversity
-
the challenge to balance economic growth with
measures to protect and enhance nature has never been more
urgent.
-
That opportunities are available through the
planning system for improving nature by embedding the
“environmental net gain” principle into development,
including housing and infrastructure, in order to deliver
environmental improvements
-
That the conservation and enhancement of the natural
environment play a pivotal role in our economy and wellbeing,
providing wide-ranging benefits such as clean water and air, food,
timber, carbon capture, flood protection and
recreation.
We therefore propose that this council
resolves:
-
To ensure the development and delivery of a
mandatory Net Zero Carbon neutral policy for North Yorkshire
through the Beyond Carbon plan.
-
Enable the development and delivery of a mandatory
Biodiversity net gain policy for North Yorkshire through the
creation of new Biodiversity and Nature action plan
-
Ensure both plans are embedded into all council work
and are core principles for all future strategic
development.
In order to do so, this Council
will
-
Continue and advance the work to put its own house
in order to be an exemplar to all
-
Use the councils direct influence through its
policies and procurement
-
Make the most of our wider influence through
partnerships and within the wider community
-
Increase the areas of rich wildlife habitats, tree
cover and accessible green space in order for nature and people to
thrive, and the economy to prosper.
-
Ensure the delivery of carbon reductions,
biodiversity net gain and environmental enhancements through our
planning policy and development control functions.
-
Provide more detailed guidance for developers
through the creation of a Climate Change and Biodiversity Gain
Supplementary Planning Document
-
Create a Developing Nature Toolkit and direct
developers to use the toolkit to assist them in demonstrating a net
gain in biodiversity, to be used from the very outset of planning
new developments, and ideally at the time of selecting sites to
acquire for development.
-
Identifying areas for tree planting for carbon
sequestration, flood management, air quality improvement and other
environmental services.
Furthermore, this council believes that tackling a
climate change and ecological emergency requires action in all
areas of the council operations and influence and the scale of such
a bold policy must be recognised, therefore;
-
This council recommends a climate change and
biodiversity working party be created to maximise ALL available
resources and expertise to support officers in the development and
creation of this ambitious plan.
-
This council recommends that a new cabinet role
should also be created to reflect the scale of the job
-
This council resolves to create a new
politically proportionate
Environmental Scrutiny Committee to monitor progress on developing
and implementing the climate change and biodiversity action plans
to ensure that there is oversight of the collective ambition of
this council.
Proposed by County Councillor
Steve Mason
Seconded by County Councillor
Bryn Griffiths.