Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence has been received from Councillors Ross Melton

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.

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

RESOLVED:

The minutes of the meeting held on 18^th July 2023 were agreed as an accurate record.

The committee is invited to discuss and comment on an overview of the circular economy strategy outline and an introduction to food waste recycling and wheeled bins.

Laura Humphreys (Climate Alliance and Sustainability Lead) provided a presentation on the Council’s circular economy strategy. This covered the approaches which aimed to keep materials in use through improved product design, repair, reuse, sharing and recycling, to reduce the borough’s reliance onextraction of new materials. She outlined the Council’s ambitious plan and objectives to scale-up what was already being delivered to create conditions for low-carbon living in the borough and improve the way the Council managed its own own procurement, purchasing and resource use. She also updated members on how the Council was already embedding circularity as an organisation and delivering it within the borough. This included examples of future projects and initiatives that could be implemented within the Council to embed circular economy principles.

Councillor Stala Antoniades thanked Laura Humphreys for her presentation. She asked what measures were in place to effectively convey this message across to residents. In response Laura Humphreys noted that Officers would continue to promote what the Council was already offering, including the monthly repair events held within the borough. In addition, residents would be encouraged to participate in workshops and survey, providing feedback in the overall design of the circular economy strategy and how its delivered.

In relation to construction and the amount of carbon emissions emitted, Councillor Stala Antoniades enquired in Planning terms, if there was any scope to condition the materials which could be used by developers on new builds. In response Jim Cunningham (Climate Change Strategy and Policy Lead) noted that currently under the London Plan, only operational carbon emissions were regulated, although embodied emissions were now being reported for major developments referable to the mayor, building an evidence base on embodied emissions had an impact. In the longer-term, he expected that the intention would be to move towards regulating embodied carbon within the construction phase.

Councillor Stala Antoniades asked if there was any opportunity to select cork and dry materials to eliminate environmental issues such a damp and mould within the social housing sector. Jim Cunningham explained that whilst there was some opportunity to use lower carbon materials across the borough, this was currently not regulated under the London plan, but Officers expected to see some progress on this in the future.

Relating to community engagement, Councillor Laura Janes enquired what work was currently being carried out to enable residents to support the objectives of the circular economy initiatives. In response Laura Humphreys noted that one of the key elements of the strategy was to reduce the borough’s consumption of new materials and lead a more sustainable life by repair, reuse, and recycling. This could be achieved through initiatives already in place such as the ‘library of things’ and monthly electrical repair events.

In relation to the built environment settings, Councillor Jose Afonso asked if there was any opportunity to use porus asphalt as a suitable material in the parks within the borough. Bram Kainth (Strategic Director of Environment) explained that the Council was already actively exploring these  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To note the dates of future meetings:

·       6 February 2024

·       23 April 2024

The next meeting will take place on 6^th Feb 2023

The Chair noted that at the next meeting an update would be provided on the Council’s budget and flood mitigation and sustainable drainage systems.