Agenda item

The Committee received a report which appended the Carmarthenshire County Council’s Environment (Wales) Act Forward Plan 2020-23 for consideration.  The report presented by the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability outlined the progress the Council was making in delivering its legal obligation with reference to the Act.  The Plan covers the period January 2020 to December 2022.

In order to evidence delivery of this duty, under the Environment Act, all public bodies in Wales had a statutory duty to prepare and deliver its Section 6 Biodiversity Duty which is placed on it by this Act. The plan covers a period of three years.  In addition, it is a statutory requirement that every three years Carmarthenshire County Council reports on the delivery of its Environment Act Forward Plan to the Welsh Government with the next report due in December 2022.

Members noted that Carmarthenshire’s approach to developing and delivering its Forward Plan had involved engagement with officers in looking at their working practices, plans and projects whilst assisting them in identifying present opportunities for maintaining and enhancing biodiversity and promoting ecosystem resilience, alongside the delivery of their other obligations and objectives.

The report highlighted that the actions set out in the Forward Plan were linked to the Council’s Well-being Objectives (WBO10) and target dates for delivery of each action and the posts responsible were identified.

The following queries were raised in relation to the report:-

·       Reference was made to the ‘By When or EOY Target’ column.  An observation was raised regarding the inconsistent reporting in regard to the action targets.  Some had no targets, others had past dates further with some stating ongoing, it was raised that further clarity in regard to targets would be beneficial going forward.  The Head of ICT and Corporate Policy in explaining the description of the targets, acknowledged that it would be beneficial for the targets to be more descriptive in order to provide better clarity and understanding for the reader.  In addition, the Rural Conservation Manager provided a verbal update on the progress made in respect of section 3 of the plan.

·       In response to a query raised regarding the process to replace the Ash trees that have been removed due to being affected with the Ash Dieback disease, the Rural Conservation Manager explained that new tree planting was an integral part of the Ash Dieback plan stating last 2 winters 200+ new trees had been planted close to Parc Dewi Sant, Carmarthen with more going being planted this coming winter.  In addition, it had been identified that in regard to property that had been annually let for grazing, 3 sites had been identified for planting this winter with Glastir Woodland Creation grants from the Welsh Government.  It was reported that these grants took 2 years to be agreed and in that respect a programme of grant applications was in place following the identification of suitable land with no existing biodiversity value for the planting of new trees.  Members were informed that new areas for planting was being sought across the County under the strategic land review.

It was asked if the new trees planted on Local Authority land was fed into the Welsh Government existing targets in regard to the number of acres within a specific time period?  The Rural Conservation Manager stated that new tree planting was funded by the Glastir Woodland Creation Scheme which would then be counted towards the Welsh Government targets.

The Head of Place and Sustainability added that this year a tree strategy would be developed which would include how the Council invests and manages its tree portfolio across the County.  In addition, it was explained that in order to manage the Councils assets, a portal / management tool would be developed to assist with the management of Ash Dieback within the grounds of the Council.

In response to a further query on the replacement of the Ash trees, the Rural Conservation Manager stated that Ash trees were not being planted as nurseries were not producing the species.  Many other native species was being planted which included Oak, Aspen, Alder, Birch and Wild Cherry to name a few in order to make woodlands resilient to future challenges attributed to tree diseases.

The Rural Conservation Manager explained that the permanent post of a Tree Safety Officer was involved at a national level in Wales in regard to the Ash Dieback and reported that Carmarthenshire was leading the Local Authorities in Wales in respect to the management of the disease.

·       It was asked if any assistance was available for smaller projects within Town and Community Councils?  The Rural and Conservation Manager stated that links were in place through the Local Places for Nature grants and there are many other funding streams available to Town and Community Councils for tree planting such as the Woodland Trust.  Close links with One Voice Wales to provide information and where to access project funding was maintained. However, the Conservation and Biodiversity team would be happy to respond to requests for advice and ideas.

In addition, in commenting that there seemed to be limited support to Town and Community Councils, it was asked if there was any scope to provide assistance to help maintain assets in the longer term.  It was felt that local Community Councils were cautious in getting involved with small projects due to potential budget implications in the longer term.  The Rural Conservation Manager, in acknowledging the concern, agreed that there was no solution at present as a lot of the funding for Local Places for Nature is from capital budgets.  Emphasis on keeping future maintenance costs as low as possible from the design phase of a project was advised.

·       In response to a query raised in regard to the number of hectares the Council had planned for the new tree planting under Glastir Woodland Creation Scheme, the Rural Conservation Manager stated that this winter the plan was to plant circa 4.5 hectares with Glastir Woodland Creation Scheme and next year, subject to acceptance of the proposals a further 2.5 hectares was planned. 

·       In response to a query regarding the maintenance of trees through the period of growing, the Rural Conservation Manager explained that Glastir provided annual payments for the areas under that scheme. 

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability, subject to Committee approval, offered to collate the feedback obtained from the Climate Change Advisory Panel, officers and Members in respect of the actions related to the Carmarthenshire County Council’s Environment (Wales) Act Forward Plan and report to the Committee. This proactive approach would help inform and formulate the next 3-year plan.   In welcoming this approach, it was formally proposed that the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability Committee present the relevant feedback in respect of the actions within the Carmarthenshire County Council’s Environment (Wales) Act Forward Plan to the Committee.  This was duly seconded.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that:

7.1      the review of Carmarthenshire County Council Environment Act   Forward Plan 2020-2023 be received and

7.2      the progress the Council is making in delivering its January 2020         to December 2022 Environment Act Forward Plan and fulfilling its   legal obligation with reference to the Act be noted.

7.3      the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and       Sustainability provides the relevant feedback in respect of the     actions within the Carmarthenshire County Council’s     Environment (Wales) Act Forward Plan to the Committee.