Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       To highlight the information that will be submitted onto the DAERA Public Body Reporting platform by 31st October 2025.

2.0            Recommendations

                                         I.    To approve the short-term actions to be reported to DAERA as the required ‘proposals and policies’ to mitigate against the effects of climate change.

                                       II.    To approve the amounts and sources of the council’s greenhouse gas emissions to be reported to DAERA for the past 3 years.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Section 42 of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 requires DAERA to make new Regulations, which will place climate change reporting duties on specified public bodies. The regulations came into operation in early May 2024, 21 days after they are laid in the Assembly. The first report required under the regulations, is the mitigation report which must be submitted by 31st October 2025.

3.2       What will be required?

            There are two types of reports which we will be required to provide under the reporting duties set by the Regulations: 1) ‘climate change mitigation’ reports; and 2) ‘climate change adaptation’ reports. The mitigation report is due by 31st October 2025 and is outlined below.

3.3       Climate change mitigation reports must include:

·        a statement, in respect of each of the three preceding financial years, of the amounts and the sources of the council’s greenhouse gas emissions;

·        a statement of the council’s proposals and policies for reducing those amounts and otherwise for mitigating the effects of climate change in the exercise of its functions;

·        a statement of the time-scales (this will be our short, medium and long-term actions) for implementing those proposals and policies; and

·        an assessment of the progress made towards implementing the proposals and policies set out in any previous climate change mitigation report (we will add this – however this will become more important in future years submissions).

3.4       Greenhouse gas figures

            The amount of greenhouse gases that the council emits annually is calculated using meter readings from our, gas and electricity usage. These figures then have a carbon factor applied to them to create an estimate for our greenhouse gas equivalent (CO2e). The new DAERA reporting platform will require Public Bodies to input their raw data – for example KWh used of electricity. It will then apply a carbon figure to this within their system. We have mirrored this process using already published Welsh and Scottish models (DAERA have not published their model yet), and emission factors from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to obtain the Council’s scope 1 and 2 emissions figures.

3.5       The estimated scope 1 and 2 emission figures are shown in the chart below. These figures may change depending on the finalised requirements from DAERA and any updated emission factors from Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

3.7

            Proposals and policies for reduction

            The Climate Action Plan (CAP) is a combined mitigation and adaptation plan. For the purpose of public body reporting, the short-term mitigation actions will be submitted to DAERA as our proposals and policies for carbon reduction. The short-term actions are listed below. Note that the short-term adaptation actions have been removed as they will form part of the adaptation report that is due to be submitted to DAERA in March 2026.

3.8

·        Develop and launch an accessible climate data platform to track progress on delivering climate adaptation and mitigation actions (1.7)

·        Develop a sustainable/ low carbon procurement policy and supplier guidance documents to support a transition to an inclusive, net zero and resilient future (1.12) 

·        Develop a sustainable food policy for the Council that addresses waste, sourcing, packaging, emissions measurement and an events protocol (1.14)

·        Complete a second phase of building energy audits - (Andersonstown LC, Lisnasharragh LC, Templemore Av LC, Brook LC) and the Waterfront Hall (3.4)

·        Develop the integration of whole life carbon assessments as standard practice in the Capital Programme (3.8)

·        Launch a phased metering and retrofitting programme across BCC’s top energy users based on the findings of the building level audits of Adelaide, Cecil Ward, City Hall and Duncrue (3.11)

·        Scope out a strategy to increase renewable and low-carbon energy use through corporate power purchase agreements (3.15)

·        Review the Business Travel Policy and develop the Sustainable Staff Travel Plan to encourage modal shift, active travel and more fuel-efficient driving for Council staff (4.1)

·        Through sustainable procurement, aim to use local suppliers to the Council to reduce miles travelled within the confines of procurement legislation and Local Govt Act restrictions (4.4)

·        Conduct a commercial assessment of Council land suitable for installing low emission vehicle (LEV) charging points (4.9)

·        Commence work on repurposing staff parking spaces for cycle racks and integrate appropriate facilities to support active travel e.g. shower and changing facilities (4.10)

·        Initiate an internal Council-level Waste Management Plan which aligns with the Waste Management Hierarchy and with an emphasis on green waste (5.3)

·        Continue to progress the proposal for a single use plastics policy for the Council (5.4)

·        Develop a mechanism to track and report on internal Council generated waste (5.7)

3.9       Internally, actions will be monitored and reported to the Climate Programme Board. Although the next mitigation report will not be required until 2028, a progress report will be developed for CMT and the Climate and City Resilience Committee on an annual basis to report on progress against each action, and the Council’s emissions figures. Information collected will all be available on the Data Platform.

4.0       Financial & Resource Implications

4.1       There are no financial and resource implications.

5.0       Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Implications

5.1       Any good relations or equality implications will be identified as part of the Council’s screening process.

6.0       Appendices

1.      The list of 40 public bodies that are required to report under the Act. 

2.      Climate change Act 2022 (section 42)”

            The Committee adopted the recommendations within the report.