Climate Policies in North Yorkshire to Be Discussed this Week

Climate policies in North Yorkshire will be discussed at a council meeting on Wednesday 12th October 2022.

The Five ‘Ps’

Zero Carbon Harrogate say that current local climate projects and programmes are good, but they need to be joined up by five ‘ps’. The five ‘ps’ are:

• pathways to demonstrate the correct scale of activity each year
• procurement – pushing suppliers sufficiently
• policy for the new Western Arc housing developments, including heating and building standards
• public engagement – a communication plan to encourage the general public to come on board and understand the co-benefits of reducing emissions
• publicity of the good work being undertaken by councils and local businesses

Report of the Climate Change Sub-Group

At the council meeting this week the Climate Change Sub-Group, chaired by Green Councillor Arnold Warneken, is to report on a recent sub-group meeting.

At that sub-group meeting Zero Carbon Harrogate made a presentation, which included the five ‘ps’. Notes about their presentation, and other matters discussed at the sub-group meeting, are contained in a report.

The report mentions the York & N Yorkshire Routemap to Carbon Negative, and says it is a key document at sub-regional level.

Local government reorganisation (the creation of a new North Yorkshire Council and the abolition of lower-tier councils like Harrogate Borough Council) is one of two ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunities’, according to the report. The reorganisation will take place in April 2023.

The other opportunity is devolution: a combined York & N Yorkshire authority is to be set up, with a Mayor elected in May 2024.

‘The vision is for North Yorkshire and York to become England’s first carbon negative economy. The Devolution Deal has the York and North Yorkshire Routemap to Carbon Negative at its core, with many references to the ambition.’

part of para 4.5 of the climate change sub-group report

North Yorkshire Council Climate Change Strategy

A North Yorkshire Council Climate Change Strategy is being prepared.

Previously, it was due to be ready for a consultation in Summer 2022; now that has slipped to publication of the draft in December 2022, and consultation from January to March 2023.

There’s also to be a North Yorkshire Climate Change Action Plan.

Pathways

Perhaps the most important of the five ‘ps’ is pathways.

As well as showing the correct scale of activity year by year, pathways should assess progress each year to see if progress is being made.

For example, the Routemap to Carbon Negative sets the goal of a 48% reduction in vehicle miles travelled from 2020 to 2030. In the first year, vehicle miles travelled (in York, N Yorkshire and the East Riding) went up by 10%.

Obviously, that metric is going in the wrong direction. The more car use increases now, the harder it will be to achieve what is already an ambitious target in the next few years.

Zero Carbon Harrogate are to do their presentation to the council meeting on Wednesday.