Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Maureen Cummings, Sarah Ferriby, James Lewis and Andrew Cooper and Dr Alice Owen, Nevil Muncaster, William Firth and John Williams.

There were no pecuniary interests declared by members at the meeting.

There were no items on the agenda requiring exclusion of the press and public.

Resolved:     That the minutes of the Green Economy Panel held on 17 April 2018 be approved.

The Chair reminded the Panel of the requirement for meetings to be quorate and, for clarification, the membership and voting rights of the Panel members was outlined.

LEP Review

The Chair gave an update on the Leeds City Region Enterprise Board (LEP) Review and the discussions which had been held at the LEP Board. It was noted that a proposal that complied with the Government’s requirements had been submitted and a response was awaited.

The Panel was made aware that a report on Local Inclusive Industrial Strategy (LIIS) and the wider policy framework would be brought to the next meeting in January 2019.

Julie Haigh was introduced to the Panel and she outlined her role as liaison officer for the private members and as support for Roger Marsh, Chair of the LEP.

Proposal to Change Panel Name

It was noted that the Chair of Green Economy Panel felt that the term ‘Green’ may be viewed as outdated by some and that it may not reflect the Panel and it’s role. Members were asked to consider and feedback suggestions for an alternative name and this would be given further consideration at the next meeting.

The Panel considered a report which provided an update on the development of the Local Inclusive Industrial Strategy (LIIS), informed by the outcome of the LEP Board away day held on 20 September 2018.

The Panel discussed the draft Policy Framework and LIIS in detail and it was considered that it should be more ambitious in respect of de-carbonisation. Members also stressed the need for funding to fill gaps in vocational training for post-14 year old students and that fracking must not be part of the strategy.

The Panel was advised that there are existing ‘Re-100’ businesses based in the City Region who have a target to buy all their electricity from ‘green’ sources by 2030. It was suggested that the Combined Authority link up with these businesses to achieve shared goals.

Members were advised that work was being undertaken to revise the draft Policy Framework and LIIS, including decarbonisation of all the economy and contributing to national commitments to tackling climate change. This will be circulated to Panel members.

A progress report and revised draft strategy would be brought to the next meeting.

Resolved:    

(i)        That the update on the Local Inclusive Industrial Strategy (LIIS) and the key actions agreed by the LEP Board be noted.

(ii)       That the revised draft strategy be circulated to the Panel and a progress report brought to the next meeting.

Presented by : Simon Pringle

The Panel considered a report and received a presentation on the development of the Leeds City Region Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy and Delivery Plan.

Members were asked to endorse the Strategy and Delivery Plan and they were given the opportunity to comment and ask questions and a full and detailed discussion was held. This included:

·         The delivery of strategy which had been delayed due to resource constraints. It was stressed that appropriate resources must be provided.

·         The benefits of the plan which would have a correlation to public health.

·         It was recognised that transport programmes will play a key role in delivery.

·         To be mindful that Brexit may have an impact.

·         Effective monitoring and collation of a robust evidence base is also needed to show the impacts of the proposed work.

It was noted that further work would be undertaken to identify staffing and financial implications in order to deliver the projects identified in the Delivery Plan.

Resolved:     That the Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy and Delivery Plan be endorsed and recommended to the LEP Board and Combined Authority.

The Panel considered a report and received a presentation on the development of the Leeds City Region Energy Strategy and Delivery Plan (ESDP).

It was noted that the ESDP would contribute to achieving the key challenges of the Local Inclusion Industrial Strategy and was made up of the following four work packages:

·         Energy state of the Leeds City Region.

·         Technology Options Available.

·         Energy Opportunity Areas.

·         Delivery Plan.

A summary of each package was set out in the submitted report and Members discussed the headline outputs of the energy state of the Leeds City Region work packages and an overview of the key findings was attached at Appendix 2.

In respect of the science based targets, the paper proposed exploring and adopting a regional carbon reduction target in line with the Paris Climate Change Agreement of limiting temperature rises to below 2 degrees Celsius. Members supported the need to work towards setting regional carbon reduction target in line with the Paris Agreement. They acknowledged that might need to evolve as the science does. It was also noted that the current delivery mechanisms (i.e. Energy Accelerator, Energy Hub) alone will not enable the proposed targets to be fully achieved. Further work is now planned to help the LEP and Combined Authority consider adopting such a regional target, including stakeholder engagement and a possible City Region event next year.

Wallace Sampson, as the Chief Executive lead for Energy in the City Region, made the Panel aware of the work he is leading on for the Yorkshire and Humber Chief Executives. A paper was presented to their last meeting summarising current energy related work and future opportunities. The Chief Executives have agreed to develop a Yorkshire and Humber energy vision. This will be based on the results of the various LEP’s emerging Energy Strategies. Work will also be fully aligned with the new North East, Yorkshire and Humber Energy Hub and regional opportunities identified.

Resolved:

(i)     That the Energy Strategy and Delivery Plan be endorsed and recommended to the LEP Board and Combined Authority.

(ii)    That it is recommended that the LEP and Combined Authority explore and work towards setting a regional carbon reduction target in line with the Paris Agreement.

The Chair outlined that the Future Funding report was a paper which would regularly come back to the Panel to ensure major projects and new funding opportunities were regularly discussed at the meeting.

Resolved:

(i)            That the report be noted.

(ii)           That update reports be provided at future meetings.

The Panel considered a report which provided an update on progress against the following Green Economy Panel’s major projects and programmes:

·         Energy Accelerator.

·         Better Homes Yorkshire.

·         Warm Homes Fund Bid Round 2a.

·         Resource Efficiency Fund.

·         District Heat Network (DHN) Programme.

·         North East, Yorkshire and Humber Energy Hub.

·         Hydrogen 21 (H21).

·         Green GB Week.

·         Clean Air Strategy Consultation Response.

In preparation for the establishment of the Accelerator, a team of expert advisors have been procured by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (Combined Authority). They will provide three commercial sector leads and one cross sector technical lead to work on the Accelerator. They will be supported by a wide pool of experts that can be called upon depending on the projects in need of support through the Accelerator. A report will be brought to the next meeting on some proposed changes needed to the Accelerator’s Advisory Group.

In respect of Hydrogen 21 (H21), it was reported that a H21 Leaders Event  had been held in September. A booklet was circulated at the meeting for Member’s information. An update would be provided at the next meeting.

A new H21 North of England report is due to be launched on 23 November. The H21 North of England presents a detailed engineering solution for converting the gas networks across the North of England to hydrogen.

Members were advised that work continued to establish the new North East, Yorkshire and Humber Energy Hub and a new part time officer had been appointed to support the Hub projects within the Leeds City Region. It was suggested that they be invited to the next meeting.

Members requested further information in respect of the Resource Efficiency Fund (REF). Councillor Lynn also advised the meeting that there is a  new ERDF Priority Axis 4 (low carbon) call currently out.

Resolved:

(i)           That the progress against the Green Economy Panel’s major projects and programmes be noted.

29 January at 4pm in Committee Room A, Wellington House