Agenda item

To consider the following motions on the theme submitted by members of the council:

·  Making Southwark a Carbon Neutral Council

·  Green Southwark

MOTION 1 – MAKING SOUTHWARK A CARBON NEUTRAL COUNCIL (see page 3 of the main agenda)

Councillor James Barber, seconded by Councillor Geoffrey Thornton, moved the motion.

Councillor Barrie Hargrove, seconded by Councillor Neil Coyle, moved Amendment A.

At 10.07 pm the bell was rung and the Mayor announced that the guillotine had fallen.  The Mayor announced that the motions and amendments would be voted on separately.

Amendment A was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

RESOLVED:

That council assembly:

·  Recognises the urgent need to plan for a greener, healthier future for Southwark and notes the council’s existing commitment to reduce emissions in the borough by 80% on current levels by 2050.

·  Welcomes the council’s energy and carbon reduction strategy which sets out what the council will do to reduce both council emissions and those from the borough as a whole.

·  Notes that the strategy sets out the council’s plans to reduce operational emissions from all the council’s offices, schools, libraries and leisure centres.  Council assembly further notes the council’s commitment to encouraging all council staff to work sustainability through monthly workshops and events as part of the council’s green buildings programme.

·  Notes that the council itself is responsible for 14.5% of the borough’s total carbon emissions (including council homes), and believes the council should be leading the way in emissions reduction to encourage residents and local businesses to follow suit.

·  Welcomes that this winter, Southwark is leading the way by delivering London’s first energy from waste district heating network.  Energy from the SELCHP facility will provide heating and hot water to five housing estates in the north east of the borough, in the process reducing carbon emissions by 8,000 tonnes per annum. 

·  Welcomes the real energy efficiency improvements that we are making to our housing stock, making use of funding opportunities such as the energy companies obligation to install cavity wall and solid wall insulation.  Council assembly notes that one such project recently completed on 2,200 properties has reduced carbon emissions by around 2,000 tonnes per annum.

·  Notes that the council continue to work with a large number of the biggest commercial carbon emitters in the borough through the 200 Club programme of events, providing a forum for encouraging and educating about sustainability and energy efficiency in the work environment. 

·  Recognises that as well as minimising impact on the environment, reducing emissions will also cut the council’s energy bill, save money that can be put to good use elsewhere and reduce pollution.

·  Believes that the aspiration of the council should be to be carbon neutral but that the environment is best served by setting challenging but realistic carbon emissions targets.

·  Recognises that for a borough of the size and nature of Southwark to be carbon neutral, then both the investment and green technology needs to be available.  Council assembly notes that with the government cuts the borough is facing and the green technologies currently available that this is not possible in the next four years. 

·  Council assembly therefore and calls on cabinet to ensure the borough continues to make progress against its carbon reduction targets and encourages members who have ideas about what more the council could be doing to bring them forward to cabinet to help the borough achieve its goal.

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

2.  MOTION 2 - GREEN SOUTHWARK (See pages 4 – 5 of the main agenda)

Amendment B was put to the vote and declared to be lost.

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

RESOLVED:

·  That council assembly welcomes this administration’s commitment to improving Southwark’s environment and notes the progress that has been made since 2010, despite aggressive cuts to local budgets from the government.

·  That council assembly believes that a green Southwark not only improves our natural environment, but contributes to the health and wellbeing of our residents, the vibrancy of our communities and the richness of our heritage.

·  That council assembly notes that 17 Southwark parks and green spaces are now in receipt of the prestigious Green Flag award – more than in the borough’s history. It congratulates the fantastic work of the council’s parks team, Friends Groups and volunteers who have all made this possible.

·  That council assembly notes that Southwark is the 5th best in the whole of England for having sites of importance for nature conservation in positive management demonstrating the council’s commitment to the preservation and enhancement of biodiversity across the borough.

·  That council assembly welcomes this administration’s £8 million investment in Burgess Park which has seen 331 newly planted trees, 92,000 plants and shrubs, new play areas and outdoor gym equipment, the planting of St Georges Gardens and of course a world class new BMX track.

·  That council assembly notes the introduction of a tree warden network to Southwark and, for the first time ever, a tree management strategy which records the borough’s current tree stock, aims to increase community involvement in tree management and sets out the council’s vision for trees for the coming years.

·  That council assembly welcomes the opening of two new air quality stations in the borough, at the Old Kent Road and Elephant and Castle and welcomes this reversal of policy from the previous administration.

·  That council assembly believes part of a green Southwark is to encourage sustainable forms of transport and notes that the number of people cycling and walking in the borough has increased with the help of key initiatives including free adult cyclist training.

·  That council assembly believes that in order tackle climate change, the council itself must set an example and therefore welcomes the news that Southwark has achieved a 20.6% reduction of energy use on its operational estate and school buildings since 2009.

·  That council assembly regrets the failure of the Tory Liberal Democrat government’s to live up to its promise to be “the greenest government ever” after it slashed the budget for helping fuel poor households with their energy bills, failed to ensure that the energy companies meet their obligations on energy efficiency and failed to back a decarbonisation target.

·  That council assembly welcomes the cabinet’s commitment to creating a greener Southwark and urges them to continue to ensure that Southwark remains a green borough. 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.