“Is the County Council investing in Human Resources to help in the climate emergency? i.e.
Minutes:
“Is the County Council investing in Human Resources to help in the climate emergency? i.e.
Response by Councillor David Jenkins, Executive Board Member for Resources:-
“The first thing I’ll say is that although we passed a Notice of Motion back in County Hall here a year ago to do with achieving zero carbon for 2030, we had already been working towards a net zero carbon, as set by the Welsh Government, for 2050. So what we’ve done is we have brought the timescale forward, so that work has been going on for some time. To answer your question specifically, the simple answer is yes and we have been doing so for several years. The Authority’s Transform, Innovate and Challenge (TIC) team, have been looking at a number of initiatives to reduce the dependency on incurring mileage wherever possible. To this end, I can confirm that 81% of our office-based staff are now equipped with laptops which enable them to work in an agile way and we are looking to promote further use of technology such as Skype for example. To deliver on this agenda, we have been able to second a number of officers into the TIC team, who have the right skills to help us respond to this very challenging agenda.
All our main administrative buildings are now equipped with hot-desking facilities which will assist with reducing the need to travel, which by default, will reduce CO2 emissions. Linked to this, we have undertaken a comprehensive Agile Working Development Programme to assist managers and staff with the transition to agile working.
These initiatives have seen a significant reduction in mileage of over one hundred thousand miles over the last year alone. Whilst this is a good result, we are not complacent and as an Authority we are looking to introduce more electric/hybrid cars to supplement our existing fleet of electric cars that we have at both Parc Myrddin and Parc Dewi Sant. So this year you will see these electric/hybrid vehicles not just in Carmarthen, but in Ammanford and Llanelli too.
These are just a small number of examples of what we are doing as part of our strategic approach to Climate Change and we recognise that we are uniquely placed to lead and mobilise action to address Climate Change and make a difference through our own activities and through leading partnerships.
We have been committed for a number of years to reduce energy in our own buildings, schools and Council managed social housing stock by supporting low carbon and renewable energy sources and by providing more sustainable transport options and perhaps more importantly, by raising awareness amongst the public and providing advice on what people can do. To this end, we have created a post of Carbon Reduction Officer who will promote corporate projects to assist with the Council’s response to Climate Change, such as energy efficiency and renewable energy schemes.
Since the Notice of Motion was passed last year we have, as promised, developed a Net Zero Carbon Plan that sets out a clear route to us becoming a net zero carbon Authority by 2030.
Mr Bizzell-Browning asked the following supplementary question:-
“What percentage of Council employees have the facility to work from home?”
Councillor Jenkins responded as follows:-
“I did say in my report that 81% of our office based staff are now equipped with laptops to enable them to work in an agile manner, so they can work from home or wherever, as appropriate.”