Members updated on the scale and extensive range of work scheduled to take place in addressing the climate and ecological emergency

Members of the Highland Council’s Recovery, Improvement & Transformation Board – who met last week (24 May 2021) – were provided with an update on the Council’s Climate Change project, which sits as part of a wider Transformation Programme, and asked to note the scale and extensive range of work scheduled to take place in respect of addressing the climate and ecological emergency.

The immediate priorities for the Climate Change project – as agreed by the Economy & Infrastructure Committee on 5 May 2021 – are:

• The development of an articulated & resourced programme of operational activity to help reduce corporate carbon emissions;
• Setting a target date for net zero emissions from Council operations;
• Development of service-level plans relevant to specific functions to provide focus and clarity on emissions reductions activity / securing external funding;
• Establishing dedicated low carbon project & funding staff resource to develop projects, funding applications, identified aftercare/maintenance requirements etc.;
• Better utilisation of existing expertise (e.g. Mechanical Design Engineers) by removing the requirement to re-charge time to specific projects.

The report presented to the Board outlined major investment from the Scottish Government which has enabled the development of a publicly accessible EV Infrastructure network across the Highlands (with projects still underway and more planned) and continued work to improve the active travel routes through Inverness City Active Travel Network.

In future, it is expected that there will be more funding available for low carbon, green initiatives, and the Council intends to submit bids aligned with the principles of the Just Transition to ensure that it can reach its target for a carbon neutral region by 2025.

Members of the Climate Change Working Group which subsequently met on Friday (28 May 2021), discussed and noted a report on the Just Transition towards net zero and provided ideas on how the local authority could go about achieving these objectives in terms of resource, staffing, agriculture and transport.  During this meeting, members were also able to begin taking forward the recommendation from the Recovery, Improvement & Transformation Board to have timescales and ownership considered and attached to each of the key priorities.

Councillor Margaret Davidson, Leader of Highland Council, said:  “As an organisation, along with our partners, it is critical that we move at pace with progressing this project in order to achieve our ambitious goals offsetting climate change within Highland.  The time to act is now.”

Councillor Alasdair Christie, Depute Leader of the Highland Council and Chair of the Recovery, Improvement and Transformation Board, said:  “We recognise that elements of Highland Council’s budget will need to be directed towards the delivery of the outcomes needed, particularly to meet the agreed timescales.  Adequate financial and staff resource will play a key role and put us on a much more solid footing in respect of the net zero agenda”.

ENDS