Agenda item

6.1

The Committee received a report of the Director of Sustainable Development, on the Sheffield Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, with particular emphasis on managing risks and increasing resilience in the City.  This was supplemented by the showing of a short video presentation on climate change, its effects and adaptation measures, and a joint presentation given by Councillor Jack Scott, Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene, Bernd Hoermann, Sustainable Development Officer, and James Fletcher, Flood Risk Management Team.  Also in attendance for this item was Andy Nolan, Director of Sustainable Development.

6.2

In summary, Councillor Scott explained that the object of the presentation was to outline the issues relating to climate change, mitigation and adaptation, and consider the challenge to Sheffield and the City’s exposure.

6.3

Members made various comments and asked a number of questions in relation to the report and presentations, to which responses were provided as follows:-

·                The Flood Wardens’ role was about communication, with an important part of this being the keeping of records of those who were vulnerable.  They may also hold resources such as sandbags.

·                There were a large spectrum of views in the environmental lobby and it was hoped to encompass these in the Council’s planning policies.

·                It was important to remember that climate change was caused by individual acts and that the cumulative actions of individuals could contribute to mitigating this.

·                The sewerage and drainage system in the City had been developed over 100 years and there had been significant investment by Yorkshire Water in the 1980’s and 90’s.  The drainage system in the Don Valley had a large capacity and storm water overflowed into this.  This and the reservoirs above Sheffield were used to prevent the City flooding.  A water and 5 year asset management programme for the City had been approved by OFWAT (Water Services Regulation Authority).

·                It was felt that the utilities had now developed an increasing awareness of their vulnerability in relation to flooding.

·                The issues relating to the heating of the Town Hall were recognised.

·                The role for public agencies was to promote good environmental behaviour and the collective value of lots of small mitigating actions should be acknowledged.  The Council had opportunities available to it like no other organisation in that it could consider long term issues and the bigger picture, including complex land management issues.  Larger private sector organisations needed to develop their own strategies, but there was an accountability issue here.

·                The free insulation scheme was a good example of an action which the Council could take to mitigate climate change.

·                The Council was continuing to plant trees and was now maintaining them in a better manner.

·                In relation to district energy, the Council were working with Veolia and E-on and looking at the social housing stock to see what could be done.

·                It was acknowledged that better use needed to be made of the Peak Park in combating climate change.

·                It was necessary to adopt a more regional approach in relation to waste management and consideration was being given to the sharing opportunities provided by the energy recovery facility.

·                It was accepted that the submitted report did not include much on the social justice aspects regarding climate change.

·                Food planning needed to be more ambitious both in international terms and in relation to food banks. 

·                The Sustainable Development Team would now operate as a revamped function.

·                Work was being undertaken with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on the impacts of climate change on the vulnerable and it was hoped that a report on this would be produced within the next 2 months, which would then provide a platform for development work.  There was also a project being undertaken through the Core Cities group which used the Council’s data sets to focus on the vulnerable.  A report on this was expected in a months’ time, following which actions relating to Sheffield could be explored.

·                The possibility of climate change causing a serious high impact event provided a challenge to people’s way of life and to the City, so a unique and unified direction was required.  It should be borne in mind that actions today would have repercussions in the future but, nevertheless, people should be exhilarated and excited by the challenge presented.  It was estimated that the 2007 flood had cost £135m and evidence was still being gathered to properly assess this.  The Council was working with the Government in this regard and it was a challenge to argue the case for a fair share of the resources available.  The effect of a serious high impact event on those in poor health needed to be considered, as did the water system’s ability to deal with both flood and drought.

·                It was important to enable choices to make people more adaptable, for instance in terms of walking and using public transport.  Issues could arise if people were not presented with such alternatives.

·                Windmills were 30% more efficient than any other way of harnessing wind power.

6.4

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)

thanks Councillor Jack Scott, Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene, Andy Nolan, Bernd Hoermann and James Fletcher for their contribution to the meeting;

(b)

notes the contents of the report, presentations and responses to questions; and

(c)

requests that (i) the Director of Sustainable Development investigates what actions were being taken by the Local Enterprise Partnership and Local Authorities in the City Region to combat the effects of climate change and that the outcome of  these investigations be considered for inclusion in the Sheffield Climate Change Adaptation Strategy; and (ii) a further report on the Sheffield Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, to include the more human elements of the effects of climate change and the outcome of the work being undertaken by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on the impact of climate change on vulnerable individuals, be presented to a future meeting of the Committee.