Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Trey-Campbell-Simon and Omid Miri

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest received.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting and note any outstanding actions.

The Chair thanked the previous members for their contributions for the 2024/25 municipal year and welcomed the new members to the Committee.

The Chair noted that the Climate Emergency UK’s Action Scorecard for 2025 had ranked the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF) as second best in the country. The Council had improved its score in every assessed category. She thanked the Climate Champions, the volunteer Climate and Ecological Emergency Commission, council officers and all residents who were doing their bit to improve the local environment and tackle the Climate and Ecological Emergency, noting that this was a great achievement. In addition, she also acknowledged the excellent work undertaken by the team at LBHF in support of London Climate Action Week, which brought a wide range of events and initiatives to the forefront.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 7^th May 2025 were approved.

This report and accompanying presentation provide an overview of the Council’s numerous workstreams aimed at improving air quality across the borough.

Adam Webber (Air Quality Strategy and Policy Lead) gave a presentation on Air Quality in Hammersmith & Fulham. He showed slides that highlighted the following key aspects:

• Air pollution in context including the health impacts of pollution.
• Pollution as an inequalities issue - Air pollution particularly affected the most vulnerable in society: children and older people, and those with pre-existing conditions. 
• Synergies with the wider climate emergency work - Climate change may make air pollution worse.
• Air Quality Action Plan 2025-30 - The council’s Air Quality Action Plan contains a range of actions that would be delivered by the council over the next five years.
• Principles and partnership objectives - Partnership objectives look to tackle the impacts of poor air quality within the borough through both behaviour change, and systems change.
• Workstreams and priorities - Building emissions, transport emissions, indoor air quality and behaviour change.

Councillor Amanda Lloyd-Harris thanked the team for their constructive presentation. She enquired about the enforcement of bylaws. Particularly regarding the burning of garden waste. Adam Webber acknowledged that enforcing such bylaws had been challenging. However. He noted that progress on the national governments White Paper on the Evolution Bill could make it easier for councils to introduce bylaws. Regarding enforcement, he explained that the Council already had teams in place to respond to and investigate smoke related complaints. He highlighted the importance of clear communication with residents, informing them of what was and isn’t permitted, and engaging them in discussion about wood more broadly.

Councillor Amanda Lloyd-Harris asked for clarification to be provided on the exact location of where the monitoring of the river walk was carried out. Adam Webber confirmed that this took place on the top corner of Frank Banfield Park. Additionally, it was noted that there were 6 different monitoring sites across the borough placed in strategic locations as pollution shifted.

Councillor Amanda Lloyd-Harris asked whether emissions from development sites were being monitored. In response Adam Webber noted that developments were taking place throughout the borough, often in areas close to communities from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. There were extensive regulations requiring developers to engage with local communities and provide updates in ongoing construction work to manage their sites in ways that minimised dust exposure. He also emphasised the importance of ensuring that the Council’s Air Quality Policy was being effectively implemented in practice.

The Chair requested further clarification regarding the heat maps for roads, specifically, whether they included construction areas and vehicle idling. She also asked if the data available could be presented in a more accessible format. Adam Webber responded that development often occurred near busier roads, which tend to be more polluted areas. He acknowledged that concerns had been raised about vehicle idling but suggested that while it was largely unnecessary, it contributed minimally to the Council’s overall emissions. Nevertheless, further community work was needed on this issue.

Adam Webber also noted that although the data was publicly available through open sources it was not always easy to interpret. The Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To note the dates of future meetings:

·       24^th September 2025

·       2^nd February 2025

·       21^st April 2025

The next meeting will take place on 24^th September 2025.

The Committee is asked to consider items for inclusion in its work

programme.

The Chair requested that any suggestions for future agenda items to submitted to her directly.