The Executive Director for Community Services submitted a report to the City Executive Board on15 December seeking approval for the publication and submission of Oxford’s sustainable energy action plan (‘Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’) to the EU Covenant of Mayors scheme.

The report is available on the agenda for that meeting and is not reproduced here.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.    Approve the ‘Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’ report and the accompanying Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the European Commission’s Covenant of Mayors initiative.

2.    Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Community Services to amend and agree the final text and design; and then submit the Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’ report and the accompanying Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the European Commission’s Covenant of Mayors initiative.

The Board Member for a Clean, Green Oxford will present the report.

Recommendations:

The City Executive Board recommends that Councilnotes that the submission of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the Covenant of Mayors fulfils the Council’s decision of 20 July 2015 to sign up to the Compact of Mayors as these two initiatives are merging into a single global initiative.

Council considered a report submitted to the City Executive Board on15 December seeking approval for the publication and submission of Oxford’s sustainable energy action plan (‘Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’) to the EU Covenant of Mayors scheme.

Council noted that the submission of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the Covenant of Mayors fulfils the Council’s decision of 20 July 2015 to sign up to the Compact of Mayors as these two initiatives are merging into a single global initiative.

The Executive Director for Community Services has submitted a report which seeks approval for the publication and submission of Oxford’s sustainable energy action plan (‘Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’) to the EU Covenant of Mayors scheme.

Recommendations: That the City Executive Board resolves to:

1.    Approve the ‘Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’ report and the accompanying Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the European Commission’s Covenant of Mayors initiative.

2.    Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Community Services to amend and agree the final text and design; and then submit the Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’ report and the accompanying Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the European Commission’s Covenant of Mayors initiative.

3.    Recommend that Council notes that the submission of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the Covenant of Mayors fulfils the Council’s decision of 20 July 2015 to sign up to the Compact of Mayors as these two initiatives are merging into a single global initiative.

The Executive Director for Community Services submitted a report which sought approval for the publication and submission of Oxford’s sustainable energy action plan (‘Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’) to the EU Covenant of Mayors scheme.

Cllr Tanner, Board member for a Clean Green Oxford presented the report. He explained that the Council is a member of the Covenant of Mayors, and is required to present them with this report on the city’s progress in reducing its carbon emissions.

He believed the Council’s target of 40% carbon reduction is in reach.   He thanked people, businesses and institutions in Oxford for  reducing their carbon emissions

Cllr Price asked if there are areas which could do more.

The Sustainable City Team Manager explained that the Council had done a good job of working with top employers of Oxford to reduce their carbon emissions. 

Cllr Price asked if there was more we could do to disseminating knowledge and share what works well and what doesn’t. He suggested promoting the Low Carbon Oxford website which includes a number of examples.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.    Approve the ‘Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’ report and the accompanying Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the European Commission’s Covenant of Mayors initiative.

2.    Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Community Services to amend and agree the final text and design; and then submit the Low Carbon Oxford: A Route Map to 2020’ report and the accompanying Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the European Commission’s Covenant of Mayors initiative.

3.    Recommend that Council notes that the submission of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan to the Covenant of Mayors fulfils the Council’s decision of 20 July 2015 to sign up to the Compact of Mayors as these two initiatives are merging into a single global initiative.

Councillor Tanner, Board member for a Clean, Green Oxford presented the report. He explained that the Council was a member of the Covenant of Mayors, which is a climate change mitigation initiative. Signatory cities have all pledged to reduce their emissions by at least 20% by 2020. The Council has pledged to reduce its emissions by 40% in total by 2020, which was equivalent to a 25% reduction in the Covenant of Mayors framework. The SEAP sets out how Council plans to reach this target. 

The Committee discussed the difference between the Covenant of Mayors and the Compact of Mayors and the different reporting requirements for each. The two programmes are merging in January 2017 and the methodology for the SEAP might change.

The Scrutiny Committee made the following suggestions:

That the recommendations are made clearer to say that the Council is only just signing up to the Covenant of Mayors.

That recommendation 3 is split into two to make it clearer to understand

That Council revisits the SEAP’s methodology in the new year to see that we still comply.