Climate Change

Creating Capacity to Address Climate Change Targets 

 

Overview

Sustainability and positive action to reduce CO2 emissions are priorities for many Councils in Surrey and across the South East. This project looks to establish what joint working can be achieved, what best practice can be shared throughout the region and how a Surrey wide approach can lead to improvement and efficiency; and offer a better experience for residents. The project seeks to help local authorities build capacity to deal with targets related to climate change in the Surrey Local Area Agreement (LAA) and through joint work, promotion and mentoring to build capacity across the South East. The project will also positively contribute to the Climate Change Act targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through domestic and international action by 80 per cent by 2050 against a 1990 baseline.  

Targets

The project will build capacity in order to contribute to regional targets such as:

  • South East Renewable Energy Target within the South East Plan - 10% by 2010.
  • Regional Economic Strategy.

By recognising regional targets and working together to align working practices and methodologies, Surrey and regional local authorities can work together to help realise progress against these targets. 

Local Priorities

This project will deliver against the following key Surrey priorities:

NI 185 - CO2 reduction from local authority operations: The project will see Surrey local authorities working together to adopt a joint Climate Change Strategy. This will include a core strategy outlining common objectives and targets, particularly around carbon reduction. The Surrey Climate Change Partnership will work to deliver consistent reporting on NI185 across the county. Work is currently underway to establish responsibilities and existing data in each authority. Formal reporting on NI185 will commence in July 2009 but work will precede this in terms of gathering and recording data across Surrey.

NI 186 - per capita reduction in CO2 emissions in the local authority area: The core strategy will seek to include a common position on reducing emissions in each local authority area in Surrey. This will involve a stated objective to engage residents and businesses in helping to reduce emissions.

NI 187 - Tackling fuel poverty - people receiving income based benefits living in homes with a low energy efficiency rating: The core strategy should include a common objective to work together across Surrey to tackle fuel poverty. By pooling together data and good practice across the county, local authorities will be better placed to identify those suffering fuel poverty in their local areas and will be able to target help and support. This would not necessarily require additional resources but would be a case of using existing data and targeting existing campaigns and support to the people that need it most.

NI 188 - Adapting to climate change: The core strategy should include a common objectives to work together across Surrey to adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change. By learning from existing good practice across Surrey, successful adaptation projects can be rolled out and applied in other local authority areas. A sub group of the Surrey Climate Change Partnership will be created to identify existing good practice and identify willing participatory authorities in taking up projects in their local areas. 

Local climate change strategies and objectives will also benefit. The project will bring about an enhanced capacity and improved efficiency in local authority resources for tackling climate change. The benefits experienced initially by Surrey authorities will be disseminated across the region in order to widen good practice learning.

Regional Benefits

The project will also help to address and add value in the context of Re-Energising the South East, an action plan to reduce carbon emissions, increase renewables and alleviate fuel poverty between 2008 and 2011. SEEDA, GOSE, SEERA, Energy Saving Trust and Climate South East have contributed to this action plan which is designed to deliver against seven themes covering areas including stimulating investment in renewables; procurement and green business; and retrofit of energy measures. The project will also benefit from and build on experiences from existing regional initiatives such as the North West Climate Change Local Area Support Programme (CLASP).  Improvement and Efficiency South East (IESE) states in the South East Regional Improvement and Efficiency Strategy that it will support work on carbon footprint reduction strategies to help authorities lead the way on climate change. This project aligns with the IESE strategy, supports the delivery of the Surrey LAA and meets the vast majority of the key IESE project criteria. The project will deliver against the following IESE priorities:

  • Overarching priorities: Ensuring improved performance
  • Overarching Priorities: Achieving successful LAAs
  • Sustainable Communities Strategy Theme: (a) Pilot comprehensive measurement of authorities’ carbon footprint and development of strategies and action plans to reduce each council’s overall impact; (b) Align climate change actions to Sustainable Community Strategies and LAAs; (c) Motivate and gain commitment from LAs, partners and citizens to combat climate change
  • LAAs and LSPs Strategy Theme
  • Capacity Building Strategy Theme

The project will deliver against the following regional priorities:

  • Regional capacity building for work on NI 185, NI 186, NI 187 and NI 188 through regional services and mentoring;
  • Re-Energising the South East through practical delivery mechanisms, vehicles and programmes aligned to the Action Plan.