New Chair For Climate Change Working Group
Councillor Michael Foxley has been appointed as the new chairman of The Highland Council’s Climate Change Working Group. The group, made up of 15 cross party elected members, is overseeing the production and implementation of a climate strategy for the Highlands. Members are also responsible for the implementation of the Administration’s commitment to reduce the council’s own impact on the environment and the adaptation of services to cope with climate change.
The remit of the group will be further expanded due to changes arising from the Council’s new programme for 2009-11 which is being considered today at the full Council. A further review of the group’s work will take place later in the year to take into account the new national legislation on climate change including Scotland’s Climate Change Bill and the UK Government Carbon Reduction committment.
Chairman Councillor Michael Foxley said: “Climate Change is a massively important issue for the whole world and it is good to see Highland taking the lead in Scotland to put these important issues at the top of our agenda. We will be working on a wide range of practical measures which will save money and reduce our carbon output.”
One of the Council’s targets is to reduce CO2 emissions from staff travel by 2010. Scotland’s National Transport Strategy , published in 2006, set the target for all local authorities to have in place operational travel plans by the end of 2008. A paper presented to the Working Group today reported the findings of VIPRE Consultants who carried out a Green Travel Review for three Council Office sites – Headquarters, Kinmylies and Lochaber House. Their work was funded by the Energy Savings Trust and also included carrying out travel plan reviews at Charleston Academy in Inverness and Invergordon Academy.
Following their recommendations, the Working Group has agreed that site specific travel plans should be developed across all Highland Council properties. Twenty nine sites have already been identified and ranked in terms of staff size and will now be prioritised. The Group also approved the recommendation to the Resources Committee that a Travel Plan Co-ordinator be appointed to implement the Council’s Green travel Plan. This post will be funded from the savings made in Service travel budgets.
Members were also advised that an EU requirement has been introduced that all buildings of 1000m2 and over must have Energy Performance Certificates displayed by January 2009. In Highland a voluntary scheme of presenting energy ratings in Council buildings is already underway with 247 buildings registered, the largest number of any participating local authority in Europe. Members agreed to continue to show leadership by increasing the number of buildings displaying posters, including all Highland schools. This display campaign will complement with the mandatory Energy Performance Certificates and lead to a move towards high energy efficiency performance, lower CO2 emissions and improved water conservation.