Voting record

2.        That the Executive recommends to Council that:

i)       Waverley Borough Council declares a ‘Climate Emergency’ requiring urgent action.

ii)      Officers be instructed to provide to the Council’s Executive, within six months of the date of this decision, a report setting out:

·         clearly defined baseline data to demonstrate the scale of the Council’s current carbon footprint and against which progress can be measured;

·         the earliest achievable and realistic date that this Council’s operations can be conducted on a carbon-neutral basis;

·         the actions that the Council can take to approach carbon neutrality, together with an action plan, specifying year on year milestones and metrics to show progress towards achieving the goal; and

·         the costs associated with achieving carbon neutrality and the impact that the plan of action will have on other Council services.

iii)     Subject to the findings of the above report, Waverley Borough Council aims to become carbon neutral at the earliest achievable and realistic date, taking into account both production and consumption emissions.

iv)     In addition to seeking to achieve carbon neutrality for its own operations, the Council will also take a leadership role in the pursuit of carbon neutrality across the borough, including the promotion of awareness amongst residents and by working with other councils, including town and parish councils within the borough.

Waverley Borough Council recognises that the achievement of the target it agrees to set will require central government to provide the powers, funding and other resources, and therefore calls on the government to provide such powers, funding and other resources as appropriate to facilitate working towards the agreed target.

v) Waverley Borough Council recognising the need to lead by example, will with immediate effect list all meetings to be held during the working day, thereby avoiding the need to heat and light the civic building outside normal working hours, and allowing members and staff to utilise public transport avoiding the need for multi car use.

(i)            Waverley Borough Council declares a ‘Climate Emergency’ requiring urgent action.

ii)            Waverley Borough Council aims to become carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions, and takes a leadership role to achieve this working with other councils, including town and parish councils with the borough.

iii)          Waverley Borough Council recognises that the achievement of the target will require central government to provide the powers, funding and other resources to achieve the target and therefore calls on the government to provide such powers, funding and other resources as appropriate to facilitate achieving the 2030 target.

iv)          Officers be instructed to provide to the Council’s Executive, within six months of the date of this decision, a report on the actions the Council and the local community can take to address these issues together with an action plan, specifying year on year milestones and metrics to show progress towards achieving the goal of carbon neutrality by 2030 noting any additional costs that might be involved.

That the Waverley Borough Council Corporate Strategy 2019-2023, as amended to include reference to ‘religion’ in the 3^rd bullet point, be adopted.