Issue - meetings

To receive a presentation that will give the Committee a background on the Carbon Management Programme.

The Committee received a presentation on the Carbon Management Programme from the Senior Carbon Management Officer. The presentation was designed to brief Members of the Committee on the Carbon Management Programme to enable them to effectively scrutinise the Annual Review of the Carbon Management performance of the Council.

The presentation explained why carbon management was an issue and why it was important to reduce the Council’s carbon emissions. The carbon management programme (CMP) was a five year plan endorsed by the Carbon Trust. The target of the CMP was to reduce the Council’s CO₂ emissions by 25% by 2016 from the baseline level set in 2008. Currently 55 projects had been identified which would reduce emissions by 20%. Plans to achieve the remaining 5% of the target were yet to be identified. The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), informally known as the Carbon Tax, was a legal obligation for large organisations to pay £12 per tonne of CO₂ emissions produced each year. Cheshire East Council was not obliged to start paying for the CRC until the 2013/14 municipal year as the authority had been created after the introduction of the first phase of CRC. The second phase would begin in 2013 and it was expected that the rate would increase to £16 per tonne of CO₂ produced. It was calculated that this would cost Cheshire East Council £700,000 per annum. This created a financial incentive for the Council to reduce its carbon emissions.

RESOLVED:

(a)   That the presentation be noted and the Senior Carbon Management Officer be thanked.         

(b)  That the Senior Carbon Management Officer be requested to attend the Committee meeting on 24 April to present the Carbon Management Annual Review for the Committee to consider.