a)    By Councillor Stimson

This Council, in acknowledging the work that is being done across the borough by the council and residents alike to mitigate against climate change and encourage sustainability, and to increase the participation of businesses, civic society and residents alike, agrees to hold a Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead COP26 online Summit during the UN COP event in Glasgow.  This will highlight the work that has been done, and is currently ongoing within the borough in the areas of climate change and sustainability.

(A maximum period of 30 minutes will be allowed for each Motion to be moved, seconded and debated, including dealing with any amendments.  At the expiry of the 30-minute period debate will cease immediately, the mover of the Motion or amendment will have the right of reply before the Motion or amendment is put to the vote).

Motion a)

Councillor Stimson introduced her motion. She stated that the council faced significant resource challenges with tackling environment and climate change and sustainability efforts.  Those involved knew the council needed to go faster and involve more groups, more businesses, and more individuals. 

The 6^th Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released in August 2021 confirmed that the world was warming faster than previously predicted, and that humans were causing it, without question.  Added to that the pandemic of the past 20 months had created heartache for many, increased mental health issues, and the need for everyone to be able to get to a green space, and safely. 

However the pandemic had also created an opportunity to reset, and to no longer do things the same way simply because they had always been done that way.   From a climate change and sustainability perspective there was a need to break free from the current constraints, engage businesses, civic society, and resident groups.   On 30 September 2021 she would present to Cabinet a proposal for a climate partnership.  The council and officers would continue to deliver the actions of the environment and climate strategy related to the council. 

Councillor Stimson explained that it was in this context that she was proposing her motion.  During the past year, whilst wrestling with how to reach net zero as a borough, the officers and resident groups had been doing some incredible work. Over the next two months, the council planned to showcase that work to coincide with the UNITED Nations Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow between 1 and 12 November 2021.

The plan was to organise a Local COP26 Environment & Climate online series of podcasts for residents of the Royal Borough.  There was so much to celebrate, and the event would help with building the Climate Partnership.  The CEC were also organising ‘COPtober’, and the council hoped to work together with them.

There would be a virtual event consisting of a series of pre-recorded panel events on key COP26-aligned themes and topics, that were also aligned with the climate strategy. In the last few days a shop in the Maidenhead area and one in Windsor had been offered for use as Climate Hubs to be staffed by volunteers to improve public engagement. 

Councillor Stimson highlighted a number of issues that could be celebrated:

·         LED lights in school buildings

·         500,000 Local Authority Delivery Scheme home efficiency grants

·         A heat decarbonisation feasibility funding to the remainder of schools, libraries and the town hall

·         Carbon literacy training for officers, residents and members

·         Maidenergy, Draftbusters

·         A Panel to advice on how residents could contribute to tackling climate change: Filling Good, the Repair Cafe, Windsor and Maidenhead Plastic Free, the Good Gym, The Thames Hospice

·      A Panel of schools and young people: RBWM’s youth parliament, a representative from Eton, Altwood and All Saints on their sustainable projects, BCA and Windsor schools’ Green Skills College, Cumberland Lodge, Berkshire Schools EcoNetwork

·      A Panel on Sustainable Transport: Maidenhead and Windsor Cycling Hubs, Hitachi on the latest in sustainable travel,

·      Maidenhead waterways, Heal Rewilding, The Wilds Green earth plan

There was a very active group of residents who were determined to work towards reaching net zero.  Now that the council had a sustainable community officer, and a great team, Councillor Stimson felt it was time to celebrate what everyone was doing to support the climate agenda.

Councillor Davies stated that she would vote for the motion because it was good to take advantage of any opportunity to raise awareness of the climate and environmental emergency and the great work being done by local climate groups. The key was to extend this awareness beyond the usual suspects. Councillor Davies felt that a town centre presence would be very helpful and she asked how the podcasts would be marketed to ensure the online element would not simply be an echo chamber.

However, as she and Councillor Bond had identified in their response to the draft corporate plan, more was needed to promote awareness. There was a need to ensure all decisions made improved, maintained, and thereby created a clean, low carbon, sustainable, and biodiverse environment. She would be keen for any events held in the Borough during COP26 to do a lot more than highlight the work that had been done and was ongoing. She would like them to be ambitious in challenging others and the council in what still needed to be done in order to meet the stated target of achieving net zero carbon well before 2050.

Councillor Davies felt it was disappointing that Members were debating the motion, worthy as it was, when there was a much more significant report on establishing a local Climate Partnership which was coming to Cabinet on Thursday and not being debated by all Members at full Council.

Councillor Davies concluded that she would vote for the motion, but she would like reassurance that the content of any events would have a robust focus on what still needed to be done.

Councillor Larcombe highlighted the Maidenhead Waterways Project which had cost millions of pounds. He had read a newspaper report that said 30 tonnes of weed had had to be removed to make the channel viable. He questioned why there was an issue with weed and algae in a new facility. It would be there forever if changes were not made.

Councillor Hill stated that it was a good motion that he would support. However he felt he needed to raise the very real concern that the administration said one thing but did another. He referenced the destruction of 132 acres of virgin countryside on the golf course site. The members of the club had decided to take the offer as a result of what had been described as bullying tactics. The proposals for the site would kill countless species, cut down hundreds of trees, and generate more traffic.

Councillor Taylor voiced her support for the motion; she felt it was one of the areas the council did well cross-party. She echoed the comments from Councillor Davies and was keen to ensure the housing associations were involved.

Councillor Price welcomed the motion but asked what resources and budget would be required to deliver it to the high standard that was desired.

Councillor Coppinger commented that he was concerned with earlier comments by Councillor Hill. There was a need to build houses including affordable homes. The golf course site chosen was the best in terms of climate change and the effect upon it. The alternative would be to build the same number of houses across the borough on green belt land without the benefits of being able to walk everywhere, meaning far more car journeys and pollution.

Councillor Hill requested a personal explanation. He stated that it was a deception to suggest that affordable housing could not be built elsewhere on brownfield sites, and it would not generate more car journeys.

Councillor Knowles commented that the motion built on cross-party support for the timetable to get to carbon neutral. He hoped all would be willing to be open and honest about what still needed to be done. The borough did not have an environmentally friendly public transport system. There were not enough electric charging points, particularly on the Windsor side.

Councillor Johnson commented that he was cognisant that there would be a debate on the Climate Partnership at Cabinet later in the week. In relation to the golf club, he stated that a fair and reasonable offer of £16m and a two-year extension had been made. The offer had been accepted by a margin of 246 to 46. The council was not the only party developing in southwest Maidenhead. The club itself had a development interest on the wider AL13 site allocation. Of the 2000 new homes on the site 40% would be affordable housing. The suggestion that 2000 homes should be crammed onto brownfield sites would just lead to over-densification, particularly in Maidenhead. If the development did not go ahead all sites previously put forward and withdrawn would be back in play.

Councillor Johnson agreed that it would be a good idea to include the housing associations who were key partners given the housing stock they held. Private landlords also had a role to play along with the owner-occupier sector.  He looked forward to eco-homes that were truly affordable coming forward in the Maidenhead area.

Councillor Davey commented that he was pleased to hear about the shop units. Podcasts would be pre-recorded therefore they would have a set agenda whereas face to face interaction allowed for questions and answers. Councillor Davey highlighted that the introduction of 5G would require more masts and more computers. He also referenced the issues with changes to bin collections and that recycling levels were at 44% when the target for 2025 was 50%. The target could have been reached if the council had stuck to its guns. He would like to see more resident engagement including meetings arranged on specific topics.

Councillor Werner commented that he felt the motion was virtue-signalling and did not talk of the future or how to speed up the efforts. Eco-houses had been mentioned but the Borough Local Plan barely even acknowledged climate change. The Corporate Plan also lacked focus on the issue. There were fine words but no action other than by community groups.

Councillor del Campo highlighted that she had previously brought a motion to full council bring 730 empty homes back into use which had been unanimously rejected by the administration. There had been little action on the issue other than a tacit nod in the Housing Strategy.

Councillor McWilliams highlighted actions by the housing team to take forward the climate change strategy. Under the housing strategy, the council worked with providers to retrofit stock. A joint bid was being put together with Abri and Housing Solutions to the social housing decarbonisation fund, to focus on properties with the lowest EPC ratings.

Councillor Carroll commented that climate change and the environment was an important consideration across his portfolio. Lots of initiatives were underway with local schools. The Health and Wellbeing Board had placed climate change and the environment as one if its key considerations in the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The NHS was one of the largest partners and had made a substantial commitment to the agenda and to work collaboratively.

Councillor Rayner highlighted the Surfers Against Sewage Award Windsor had received in January 2021.

Councillor Singh commented that he had read in the press that all options were open in relation to the future of the town hall. He referred to an e-petition that had so far gathered 1309 signatures calling for a debate and discussion. He hoped the issue would be debated at the climate summit.

Councillor Sharpe commented the combination of audio and real-life activities proposed in the motion would help people in the borough to engage.

Councillor Stimson concluded the debate. She confirmed that the council was already working with the housing associations on decarbonisation. The town hall was the subject of a heat decarbonisation and feasibility study which would also look at the remainder of schools and libraries to identify the best way forward.  The Empty Homes Action Plan was currently being refreshed. Councillor Stimson confirmed that there was no budget for the activities planned although £1500 had been raised through sponsorship. She would continue to raise funds to allow it to happen. She looked forward to sharing details of the Climate Partnership.

It was proposed by Councillor Stimson, seconded by Councillor Sharpe, and:

RESOLVED: That this Council, in acknowledging the work that is being done across the borough by the council and residents alike to mitigate against climate change and encourage sustainability, and to increase the participation of businesses, civic society and residents alike, agrees to hold a Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead COP26 online Summit during the UN COP event in Glasgow. This will highlight the work that has been done, and is currently ongoing within the borough in the areas of climate change and sustainability.

The vote was taken by a show of hands. 33 Councillors voted for the motion. 1 Councillor abstained.