The Director of Law, HR and Asset Management provided an update on the work of the Wirral Climate Change Group during 2011; and sought endorsement of the development of a replacement Wirral Climate Change Strategy.

He commented that the Council’s early commitment to action on climate change, which resulted in the adoption of a climate change strategy in 2007, had heralded more concerted, co-ordinated action on carbon reduction and energy efficiency. This was now reflected as a corporate priority to reduce the Council’s carbon footprint and it had also led to some initial work on local adaptation to expected changes in the climate. However, the Council could not respond adequately to the climate agenda alone and the Wirral Climate Change Group had been developed into a local partnership with representation from various organisations from different sectors. The group maintained a rolling Wirral-wide carbon reduction programme which details the actions of partner organisations. It met on a regular basis and progress had been reported through this Committee and through the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP).

The Director reported that the Climate Change Strategy from 2007 was now due to be updated. Many of the actions associated with it had now been implemented and the agenda had moved forward and the context changed. Therefore, the Wirral Climate Change Group proposed to initiate a consultation process leading to the development of a new replacement strategy. Although its production was not a statutory obligation, he indicated that since the adoption of Wirral’s first strategy, a variety of legal changes and policy instruments had been introduced by government to drive climate-related actions which did demand action. The strategy was therefore envisaged to act in part as a co-ordinating framework for such action.

Resolved –

(1)  That the activity of the Wirral Climate Change Group from 2011 and the actions of partner organisations contained in the Wirral-wide Carbon Reduction Programme be noted.

(2)  That the partnership’s proposed work to develop a replacement climate change strategy for Wirral be endorsed.