The Transition Director has submitted a report to which outlines how the Council will meet its goal to become a Zero Carbon Council by 2030 or sooner. This route map supports the Council’s  Zero Carbon City goal by demonstrating bold action and leadership within the city on climate change.

Recommendations: That Cabinet resolves to:

1.    Adopt the Zero Carbon Council by 2030: 4th Carbon Management Plan, 2021/22 to 2029/30 at Appendix 1, which outlines how the Council will achieve its goal of zero carbon emissions across its estate and operations by 2030. This is in line with the commitment made by the Cabinet on 19 December 2019 in response to Oxford’s Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change;

2.    Note the anticipated shortfall in funding and resources to deliver the Carbon Council by 2030: 4th Carbon Management Plan, 2021/22 to 2029/30, in the context of the challenging financial situation the Council faces due to COVID-19. The Council will need to make bids for external capital funding, additional match funding and support/grants to fund carbon reduction measures across its estate and operation;

3.    Note that many of the “easy to achieve” carbon reduction measures have now been delivered, with a focus now needed on addressing difficult areas of decarbonisation such as of heat, particularly in relation to leisure centres; and

4.    Note that every Council service area, all council members, teams, and members of staff have an active role to play in delivering the Zero Carbon Council by 2030: 4th Carbon Management Plan, 2021/22 to 2029/30.

The Transition Director had submitted a report to which outlines how the Council will meet its goal to become a Zero Carbon Council by 2030 or sooner. This route map supports the Council’s  Zero Carbon City goal by demonstrating bold action and leadership within the city on climate change.

Councillor Tom Hayes, Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, introduced the report. The title of plan before Cabinet didn’t perhaps reflect the significant change from the aspiration of previous iterations of the plan to manage carbon emissions to the elimination of it. The purpose of this report and plan were to meet expectations flowing from the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency and the subsequent Citizen’s Assembly which gave the clear message that the Council should proceed further and faster than Government requirements in relation to carbon reduction.  Officers had worked hard in recent months to produce the robust and credible plan now before Cabinet.  Achievement of the ambition would be challenging, not least because of a significant funding gap in the proposals.  There was however confidence in being able to attract sufficient external funding over the life of the plan. The plan represented a significant increase in the Council’s ambition, seeking to reduce carbon emissions by 10% per annum compared with the current target of 5%. The previous week’s Zero Carbon Summit mentioned earlier in the meeting had demonstrated the Council’s capacity to influence and lead by example. The Council was responsible for just 1% of carbon emissions in the City but that was too much and the plan was the response to that.

The Chair welcomed the report which addressed such a significant issue of relevance to everyone.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Adopt the Zero Carbon Council by 2030: 4th Carbon Management Plan, 2021/22 to 2029/30 at Appendix 1, which outlines how the Council will achieve its goal of zero carbon emissions across its estate and operations by 2030. This is in line with the commitment made by the Cabinet on 19 December 2019 in response to Oxford’s Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change;

2.    Note the anticipated shortfall in funding and resources to deliver the Carbon Council by 2030: 4th Carbon Management Plan, 2021/22 to 2029/30, in the context of the challenging financial situation the Council faces due to COVID-19. The Council will need to make bids for external capital funding, additional match funding and support/grants to fund carbon reduction measures across its estate and operation;

3.    Note that many of the “easy to achieve” carbon reduction measures have now been delivered, with a focus now needed on addressing difficult areas of decarbonisation such as of heat, particularly in relation to leisure centres; and

4.    Note that every Council service area, all council members, teams, and members of staff have an active role to play in delivering the Zero Carbon Council by 2030: 4th Carbon Management Plan, 2021/22 to 2029/30.