Agenda and minutes

1.1

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mazher Iqbal and Chris Rosling-Josephs.

2.1

No items were identified where resolutions may be moved to exclude the public and press.

3.1

Councillor Paul Turpin declared a personal interest in item 6 of the agenda ‘Climate Change Action Plan - Domestic Retrofit’ by virtue of him being a Director of an insulation company.

4.1

There were no public questions or petitions received from members of the public.

5.1

The Committee received a presentation from Mark Whitworth (Sustainability and Climate Change Service Manager) on ‘Introduction to Domestic Retrofit’.

5.2

The Committee received a presentation from Mark Whitworth (Sustainability and Climate Change Service Manager) on ‘Introduction to Domestic Retrofit’.

5.3

Also in attendance for this item were Janet Sharpe (Director of Housing Services) and Laura Chippendale (Sustainability Programme Officer).

5.4

Mark explained that this session followed the update given at the Climate Change, Economy and Development Transitional Committee meeting held 10 November, 2021. At that meeting, as part of the conversation on the Draft 10-point for Climate Change Action, it had been agreed that further information be provided to this Committee on delivering the retrofitting of homes equitably.

5.5

He confirmed that the objectives of this session were detailed within the report ‘Domestic Retrofit Working Group’ (attached in the agenda pack for this meeting) and the aim was to increase the Committee’s understanding of the benefits and challenges of retrofit. Maximising social justice had been noted as a clear priority and today’s session would recommend the next steps to be taken.

5.6

A ‘Domestic Retrofit’ evidence gathering session had been organised for Committee members and would take place on 24 February. This session would involve representatives from other organisations who had offered to share their experiences.

5.7

Mark explained what was meant by domestic refit and outlined the three main approaches: an ‘incremental’ approach, a ‘fabric first’ approach and a ‘whole house’ approach. He also explained what a ‘Net Zero Retrofit’ might look like and outlined the benefits of this to the city, the Council and to residents.

5.8

There were a number of barriers which were not considered to be insurmountable, but it was important to be clear about challenges and to work with other cities and organisations to overcome them.

5.9

Challenges were also faced around social justice. Those who were already suffering disadvantages were expected to be the most likely to be impacted by energy price increases and fuel poverty. It was hoped that this agenda would help to address these challenges.

5.10

The risks of not acting were fairly apparent. These risks included an increased risk of fuel poverty, social and health impacts, economic issues re property values, attractiveness of the city, and missed opportunities around funding and grants. Efforts were being made to secure all available funding, but this did not scratch the surface on what was required.

5.11

Mark explained the broader issues around national policy and the challenge of meeting the UK target of Net Zero. Changes to SAP10 would also have a major impact on any decisions made and current local policies would also influence this.

5.12

Members of the Committee raised questions and the following responses were provided:-

• A comment was made that open discussions were as much an important part of the process as costings, and a question was asked about when conversations could be started with residents to arm them with the information they needed.
• With regard to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.