Agenda item

4.1

RESOLVED: On the motion of Councillor Martin Phipps and seconded by Councillor Douglas Johnson, that, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.1, the order of business as published on the Council Summons be altered by taking item 6 on the agenda (Notice of Motion regarding “Declaring A Climate Emergency”) as the next item of business.

4.2

It was moved by Councillor Jack Scott, and seconded by Councillor Michelle Cook, that this Council:-

(a)       believes that climate change and sustainability are amongst the biggest issues of the 21st century and the effects of manmade and dangerous climate change are already manifestly occurring;

(b)       notes that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) detail that we are already seeing the consequences of a 1°C of global warming through more extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic sea ice, among other worrying changes;

(c)        notes that this Administration has previously categorised climate change as the biggest social justice issue of this century which requires bold, radical action, and last year implemented the Green City Strategy - setting the goal of becoming a zero carbon city by 2050, showing our city’s commitment towards making our contribution towards the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement;

(d)       recognises the critical role that cities have to play in delivering a zero carbon future and that whilst the present Government have, in this Council’s opinion, been woefully inadequate at rising to the scale of the climate change challenge, city leaders can take innovative solutions to address many of the causes and impact of climate change on a systemic level;

(e)       recalls that the city has already undertaken a number of innovative and bold initiatives that are aimed at reducing our impact on the climate and reducing our city’s carbon emissions, but recognises that limiting global warming cannot be achieved by a single organisation or a technological silver bullet, and requires changes to how we all live, work and play and believes every citizen has a role to play in securing a climate safe future;

(f)        further notes that, in recognition of this, the Administration established a Green City Partnership Board, with representation from key city stakeholders including our universities, the private sector and community and voluntary organisations, including the Sheffield Climate Alliance, with the agreed purpose of ensuring that Sheffield can achieve the Green City Strategy objectives and deliver a low carbon, resilient and sustainable city;

(g)       notes that, over the period 2013/14 to 2016/17, the Council has reduced its annual CO2 emissions by 19%, and that this Administration has also initiated schemes to reduce carbon emissions throughout the city, such as:-

(i)         as a landlord with over 40,000 homes, Sheffield City Council has invested in improving the fabric and insulation of our homes and installed high-efficiency gas central heating boilers in the majority of homes, and as a result, our homes have increased their SAP11 (Standard Assessment Procedure) energy rating from 64 out of 100 in 2005 to 71 in 2016-17;

(ii)        use of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles as part of its vehicle fleet since 2017, noting that the vehicles use the wind powered mini-grid hydrogen refuelling station at the Advanced Manufacturing Park;

(iii)       continued development of the district heat network, turning local waste into electricity and heat for the city, with up to 45MW of heat produced and supplied to over 140 buildings connected to the District Energy Network; in addition, the facility generates up to 21 MW of electricity to the National Grid, which is enough to power 25,000 homes;

(iv)       using new technology where available, including 66,800 new LED streetlights;

(v)        our Ethical Procurement approach ensures that the Council’s suppliers do everything they can to reduce their carbon footprint;

(vi)       as well as reducing carbon, we are committed to improving the city’s air – we are looking at implementing a Clean Air Zone in the city centre, tackling the most polluting vehicles, and we are the first large city to introduce anti-idling measures to stop people leaving their engines running outside schools; and

(vii)      our transport strategy is seeking to make sustainable modes of transport the number one choice for people in Sheffield;

(h)       notes that the IPCC report identifies cities as one of four critical global systems that can accelerate and upscale climate action, but recognises this will require major transitions in how both mitigation and adaptation are undertaken and, therefore, we need to consider the opportunities the city has to deliver on a revised commitment, as there is only a limited advantage to be gained in setting a target without clear deliverable actions that will enable us as a city to achieve this;

(i)         believes that, as a city, we have made considerable progress in carbon reduction but we need to go further still in light of the IPCC’s special report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, published in October 2018, which confirmed the catastrophic consequences of manmade climate change and urgent need to act;

(j)         therefore declares unequivocally that our city, country and planet are facing a CLIMATE EMERGENCY;

(k)        notes that as a result of this call for action, the Green City Partnership Board will be exploring how Sheffield should respond to the IPCC report, both in terms of actions as well as reviewing our existing commitment to become a zero carbon city by 2050; and

(l)         supports this Administration’s commitment to report back to Full Council within 6 months, with a more ambitious date for the city to become zero carbon, accompanied by an action plan setting out the required work to deliver a new goal through all relevant strategies and plans, and would entirely and actively welcome the involvement of the cross-party scrutiny system in shaping and overseeing this vital work.

4.3

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Andrew Sangar, seconded by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the addition of the following words at the end of paragraph (g)(vii) as follows:-

“; and believes a comprehensive, efficient, affordable, integrated, reliable, expanding and low-carbon bus service is a necessary condition to tackling the climate emergency, and such a service must integrate fully with tram and train services”;

2.         the addition of new paragraphs (h) to (k) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraphs (h) to (j) as new paragraphs (l) to (n):-

(h)       notes the Liberal Democrat commitments to legislate with:-

(i)         a Zero Carbon Act which would commit Britain to be a net zero carbon emitter;

(ii)        a Green Transport Act to tackle the public health crisis of air pollution;

(iii)       a Green Buildings Act to introduce a zero carbon homes standard and tackle fuel poverty;

(iv)       a Nature Act in order to protect and restore bio-diversity, and pay farmers public money for public goods; and

(v)        a  Zero Waste Act to introduce legally binding targets for cutting waste;

(i)         notes that 1.5°C of warming is most likely to occur around 2040 and therefore believes we need to take radical action to decarbonise well before this time at local, national and global levels of governance;

(j)         notes that, for Sheffield to be carbon neutral by 2030, it will require broad political consensus and public support for radical policymaking proposals;

(k)        believes that citizen involvement should be central to climate action decision-making in order to demonstrate consensus and community support, and that the zero carbon Sheffield by 2030 target also requires an evidence-based approach that is informed by experts;

3.         the deletion of original paragraphs (k) and (l) and the addition of new paragraphs (o) to (t) as follows:-

(o)       requests the Administration to make plans for a Citizen’s Assembly to inform Sheffield City Council (SCC) policymaking on Council-wide decarbonisation plans, and for the Citizen’s Assembly to have an explicit agenda to explore the achievable pathways (set of policies) to zero carbon by 2030 and inform SCC of the preferred pathway(s), decided by consensus;

(p)       directs the Chief Executive to report back within one month with a proposed timetable, independent discussion facilitators and experts to help lead evidence-based and unbiased dialogue among Citizen’s Assembly participants; and that SCC should decide how the Citizen’s Assembly will interact with the Green City Partnership Board;

(q)       notes the concerns raised across the country into the exploration of shale gas and recent earthquakes attributed to fracking across the UK;

(r)        notes that the ten local authorities that make up Greater Manchester will write into their planning policies a ‘presumption’ against any request to drill for shale gas and that the Greater Manchester Region have adopted a region-wide policy of opposition to fracking;

(s)        calls for Sheffield City Council to write into its planning policies a ‘presumption’ against any request to drill for shale gas; and

(t)         calls for all local authorities in the Sheffield City Region to commit to a policy of opposition to fracking.

4.4

It was then moved by Councillor Martin Phipps, seconded by Councillor Alison Teal, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraph (l) and the addition of new paragraphs (l) and (m) as follows:-

(l)         supports this Administration’s commitment to report back to Full Council within 6 months, pledging to make plans to bring forward the Council’s existing target to be a zero carbon city from 2050 to 2030 at the latest, setting out the actions the Council needs to take to meet this revised target, and entirely and actively welcoming the involvement of the cross-party scrutiny system in shaping and overseeing this vital work; and

(m)      asks this Administration to make an immediate decisive contribution towards this vital target by ensuring that the forthcoming procurement of the Council’s electricity supply is entirely drawn from renewable sources.

4.5

After contributions from five other Members, with Councillor Jack Scott having foregone his right of reply in order to allow a contribution from the fifth speaker, the amendment moved by Councillor Andrew Sangar was put to the vote and was carried, except for paragraph (h) of part 2 of the amendment and paragraphs (o) and (p) of part 3 of the amendment, which were negatived.  Furthermore, the new paragraphs were carried on the basis that they were to be additional to the motion and that the original paragraphs (k) and (l) were not to be deleted, as had been proposed within part 3 of the amendment.

4.5.1

The votes on the amendment moved by Councillor Andrew Sangar were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-

4.6

The amendment moved by Councillor Martin Phipps was then put to the vote and was negatived.

4.7

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       believes that climate change and sustainability are amongst the biggest issues of the 21st century and the effects of manmade and dangerous climate change are already manifestly occurring;

(b)       notes that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) detail that we are already seeing the consequences of a 1°C of global warming through more extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic sea ice, among other worrying changes;

(c)        notes that this Administration has previously categorised climate change as the biggest social justice issue of this century which requires bold, radical action, and last year implemented the Green City Strategy - setting the goal of becoming a zero carbon city by 2050, showing our city’s commitment towards making our contribution towards the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement;

(d)       recognises the critical role that cities have to play in delivering a zero carbon future and that whilst the present Government have, in this Council’s opinion, been woefully inadequate at rising to the scale of the climate change challenge, city leaders can take innovative solutions to address many of the causes and impact of climate change on a systemic level;

(e)       recalls that the city has already undertaken a number of innovative and bold initiatives that are aimed at reducing our impact on the climate and reducing our city’s carbon emissions, but recognises that limiting global warming cannot be achieved by a single organisation or a technological silver bullet, and requires changes to how we all live, work and play and believes every citizen has a role to play in securing a climate safe future;

(f)        further notes that, in recognition of this, the Administration established a Green City Partnership Board, with representation from key city stakeholders including our universities, the private sector and community and voluntary organisations, including the Sheffield Climate Alliance, with the agreed purpose of ensuring that Sheffield can achieve the Green City Strategy objectives and deliver a low carbon, resilient and sustainable city;

(g)       notes that, over the period 2013/14 to 2016/17, the Council has reduced its annual CO2 emissions by 19%, and that this Administration has also initiated schemes to reduce carbon emissions throughout the city, such as:-

(i)         as a landlord with over 40,000 homes, Sheffield City Council has invested in improving the fabric and insulation of our homes and installed high-efficiency gas central heating boilers in the majority of homes, and as a result, our homes have increased their SAP11 (Standard Assessment Procedure) energy rating from 64 out of 100 in 2005 to 71 in 2016-17;

(ii)        use of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles as part of its vehicle fleet since 2017, noting that the vehicles use the wind powered mini-grid hydrogen refuelling station at the Advanced Manufacturing Park;

(iii)       continued development of the district heat network, turning local waste into electricity and heat for the city, with up to 45MW of heat produced and supplied to over 140 buildings connected to the District Energy Network; in addition, the facility generates up to 21 MW of electricity to the National Grid, which is enough to power 25,000 homes;

(iv)       using new technology where available, including 66,800 new LED streetlights;

(v)        our Ethical Procurement approach ensures that the Council’s suppliers do everything they can to reduce their carbon footprint;

(vi)       as well as reducing carbon, we are committed to improving the city’s air – we are looking at implementing a Clean Air Zone in the city centre, tackling the most polluting vehicles, and we are the first large city to introduce anti-idling measures to stop people leaving their engines running outside schools; and

(vii)      our transport strategy is seeking to make sustainable modes of transport the number one choice for people in Sheffield; and believes a comprehensive, efficient, affordable, integrated, reliable, expanding and low-carbon bus service is a necessary condition to tackling the climate emergency, and such a service must integrate fully with tram and train services;

(h)       notes that the IPCC report identifies cities as one of four critical global systems that can accelerate and upscale climate action, but recognises this will require major transitions in how both mitigation and adaptation are undertaken and, therefore, we need to consider the opportunities the city has to deliver on a revised commitment, as there is only a limited advantage to be gained in setting a target without clear deliverable actions that will enable us as a city to achieve this;

(i)         believes that, as a city, we have made considerable progress in carbon reduction but we need to go further still in light of the IPCC’s special report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, published in October 2018, which confirmed the catastrophic consequences of manmade climate change and urgent need to act;

(j)         therefore declares unequivocally that our city, country and planet are facing a CLIMATE EMERGENCY;

(k)        notes that as a result of this call for action, the Green City Partnership Board will be exploring how Sheffield should respond to the IPCC report, both in terms of actions as well as reviewing our existing commitment to become a zero carbon city by 2050;

(l)         supports this Administration’s commitment to report back to Full Council within 6 months, with a more ambitious date for the city to become zero carbon, accompanied by an action plan setting out the required work to deliver a new goal through all relevant strategies and plans, and would entirely and actively welcome the involvement of the cross-party scrutiny system in shaping and overseeing this vital work;

(m)      notes that 1.5°C of warming is most likely to occur around 2040 and therefore believes we need to take radical action to decarbonise well before this time at local, national and global levels of governance;

(n)       notes that, for Sheffield to be carbon neutral by 2030, it will require broad political consensus and public support for radical policymaking proposals;

(o)       believes that citizen involvement should be central to climate action decision-making in order to demonstrate consensus and community support, and that the zero carbon Sheffield by 2030 target also requires an evidence-based approach that is informed by experts:

(p)       notes the concerns raised across the country into the exploration of shale gas and recent earthquakes attributed to fracking across the UK;

(q)       notes that the ten local authorities that make up Greater Manchester will write into their planning policies a ‘presumption’ against any request to drill for shale gas and that the Greater Manchester Region have adopted a region-wide policy of opposition to fracking;

(r)        calls for Sheffield City Council to write into its planning policies a ‘presumption’ against any request to drill for shale gas; and

(s)        calls for all local authorities in the Sheffield City Region to commit to a policy of opposition to fracking.

4.7.1

(NOTE: 1. Councillors Simon Clement-Jones, Bob Pullin, Richard Shaw, Mohammed Mahroof, Joe Otten, Martin Smith, Shaffaq Mohammed, Paul Scriven, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Gail Smith, David Baker, Penny Baker, Vickie Priestley and Mike Levery voted for paragraphs (a) to (e), (g) to (k) and (m) to (s), and abstained from voting on paragraphs (f) and (l) of the Substantive Motion, and asked for this to be recorded;

2. Councillors Kaltum Rivers, Douglas Johnson, Robert Murphy, Martin Phipps and Alison Teal voted for paragraphs (a) to (d), (i), (j) and (m) to (s), voted against paragraph (h), and abstained from voting on paragraphs (e), (f), (g), (k) and (l) of the Substantive Motion, and asked for this to be recorded; and

3. Councillor John Booker voted for paragraphs (f), (g)(i) to (g)(iv), (g)(vi), (g)(vii), (h) and (q) to (s), and voted against paragraphs (a) to (e), (g)(v) and (i) to (p) of the Substantive Motion, and asked for this to be recorded.)