Issue - meetings

(A report by Christian Allen, Assistant Director – Regulatory)

Portfolio Holder: Councillor Callum Butler

Councillor Callum Butler presented a report which sought approval for a new South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership Environment Policy, to underpin the Sub-Regional Strategy. The policy represented a refresh of the existing Boston Borough Council Environment Policy, which had been approved in 2021. It had been designed to provide the mandate for climate change and environment delivery to underpin the collective ambition of the three partnership Councils within the sub-regional strategy.

Members noted that the existing environment policy underpinned the previous Boston Borough Council corporate policy aim around environmental awareness and accountability, whereas the revision underpinned the new sub-regional strategy’s environment priority. The policy was split into four key themes: protecting and recovering our natural environment, mitigating and adapting to climate change, enhancing our built environment and ensuring a sustainable approach to waste and waste management.

Members noted their support of the policy. The Leader stated that the policy would enable the authority to create a community across the borough that was green and healthy, and that it would assist them to achieve their ambitions. She thanked the Portfolio Holder and officers for their work.

The recommendations were moved by Councillor Callum Butler and seconded by Councillor John Baxter.

RESOLVED:

That the new Environment Policy, in Appendix A, be adopted.

(A report by Christian Allen, Assistant Director – Regulatory)

The Portfolio Holder Councillor Callum Butler presented the report supported by the Group Manager for Climate Change and confirmed that inFebruary 2021, a new Environment Policy had been introduced to provide the mandate for work to underpin the strategic aim within the 2020-2024 Corporate Strategy around Environmental Awareness and Accountability.  The policy had provided the framework for more detailed plans and strategies to be developed and helped to embed climate change and environment considerations across all services and directorates. The development of the new Sub-regional Strategy for the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership in 2024 set out a collective ambition for the three Councils and had at its heart the Environment as one of four sub-regional priorities.  It was a timely opportunity to review the existing policies of East Lindsey and Boston and produce a revised document that underpinned delivery of the Environment priority in the new Sub Regional Strategy.  Climate change was widely considered to be one of the greatest challenges facing our society and it was recognised that the Partnership has a stronger voice and influence by working together.

The Council’s Climate Change and Environment Team worked across the three Councils to achieve environmental aims and objectives and had been responsible for implementing carbon foot-printing assessments and monitoring, delivery of environment projects such as community orchard planting, the establishment of a South and East Lincolnshire Climate Action Network and delivery of multi-million pound programmes of home energy advice and capital works to improve the energy-efficiency of residents’ homes.  Achieving the collective climate change and environment ambitions of the Partnership and meeting Net Zero targets however could not be delivered by one team in isolation. It required buy-in from all areas of Council operations from procurement through to service delivery and it was therefore important that guiding documents set out a clear plan for what considerations need to be part of decision-making activities.

The new SELCP Environment Policy (Appendix A) set out the key themes and priorities that underpinned the strategic aim of the Sub-regional Strategy and that simple approach was designed to provide the basis from which to link to wider initiatives and funding proposals, and also provide the framework under which more detailed plans and strategies sat e.g. the Carbon Reduction Plan, Sustainable Products Policy and Climate Change Strategy. Monitoring of the Environment Policy would be driven by the Performance Management Framework and Annual Delivery Plan as outlined in the Sub-regional Strategy given that the policy directly supported delivery of the Environment priority. 

A broader approach to quantifying how the Partnership was delivering against its Climate Change and Environment ambitions was also currently being developed to evaluate progress across service areas and to enable a level of benchmarking against other authorities and organisations. The Environment Policy would be embedded as part of any agreed monitoring process.

Member deliberation followed which included:

Several suggestions were tabled including the provision of recycling bins within the town allowing the public to dispense their rubbish in the correct receptacle,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63