Just when the rest of the country is stepping up efforts to go green, South Cambridgeshire District council has decided to do the opposite. At the annual full council meeting on 24 May 2013, the Conservative majority led authority voted to abolish the Sustainable Energy Committee, and “absorb” the work that the committee had been doing into the Leader’s portfolio.

This is an about-face for a council that in November 2012 become the eastern winner in the Community Footprint Awards where it  picked up a £2,000 cash reward for the work done by the Sustainable Parish Energy Partnership (SPEP), a project set up to help residents improve their homes by making them warmer and cheaper to run.

SPEP  was shortlisted as one of nine finalists after volunteers helped run a series of village energy days to provide communities with the knowledge they need to take action on energy issues.

 

What is the Sustainable Energy Committee (SEC)?

The committee was originally called the Climate Change Working Group (CCWG), established in 2007 at the request of the whole Council. It was originally chaired by Cllr Dr. Stephen Harangozo, a Lib Dem councillor and an eminent climatologist.

The CCWG was supported by one, and later two, expert Sustainability Officers. The committee was completely non-political and popular with all members including the cabinet.

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The committee was given the task of delivering a wide variety of sustainability focused projects as well as ensuring that Climate Change adaption was a key aim of the Council in all its activities and decision making.

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In 2010, the working group chair position was taken up by Cllr Peter Topping. In 2012, the against the wishes of some of the councillors, the CCWG changed its name to the Sustainable Energy Committee, (SEC), and responsibility for it went into the Leader’s portfolio.  The SEC continued to attract members of the highest calibre and to be aspirational in the work it undertook.

 

What did the Sustainable Energy Committee achieve?

Good question! Up until 2012 the CCWG (SEC) can be proud of quite a number of achievements, including but not limited to the following:

 

• Delivering against the Council’s commitment to the Nottingham Declaration on climate change.

• The establishment of the award winning Sustainable Parish Energy Partnership.  This hugely successful project now has 32 parishes enrolled in it and is recognised nationally as a great success and an exemplar of community led climate change adaption.

• Support for the establishment of the Cambourne Parish Energy Fund.  This project will deliver financial benefits to the community for the next 20 years.

• Support for the first Community Wind Turbine in South Cambridgeshire in Gamlingay.

• The delivery of a workable employees travel to work programme for South Cambs DC.

• Securing sustainable energy commitments in the development of Northstowe.

• The installation of a large scale photovoltaic array on South Cambs Hall.

• A review of initiatives to ‘green’ South Cambs Hall.

• The current Climate Change Action Plan

• Rampton Drift Retro-fit Project.  This attracted ministerial attention as an exemplar project that helped to inform the Green Deal model.

• Fen Drayton Former Land Settlement Association Estate Project. This involved the development of guidance in delivery of an exemplar sustainability vision for future development on this land and has achieved wide publicity.

• Cambourne Eco Village. It was the efforts of the sustainability officer that resulted in Taylor Wimpey building an Eco Village of show homes in Cambourne which are now attracting considerable interest regionally.

• Significant input into the regional plan for renewables led by Sheryl French of Horizons.

• Securing reward Grant Funding of £150 000 for community renewable project.

 

That’s quite a significant achievement, and it has not stopped there. According to Cllr Bridget Smith, there is ongoing work that the SEC is involved in, which is now in jeopardy. These include:

 

• Leading within the County on the Green Deal.  South Cambs were largely responsible for the award of a grant from Central Government to conduct a large number of free Green Deal Assessments in the County.

• Recommending signing up to Climate Local.

• delivering a South Cambridgeshire bulk energy purchase scheme.  Work on this is well underway and promises to deliver significant cost savings to residents as well as being an income generator for the Council.

• The continuation of SPEP and the highly successful programs of Village Energy Days throughout the district.

• The inclusion in the LDP of a requirement for additional sustainable energy options to be included in show homes in the District

 

Following the ammendment tabled by the Lib Dems to keep the SEC, there was quite some debate about the merits or otherwise of keeping the SEC. Cllr Bridget Smith, spoke quite eloquently about the past achievements, the current and ongoing work.

 

There is also work that the committee could still do, some of which are

• Concentrating on delivering project work in much the same way as Scrutiny and Overview Committee deliver Member Led Reviews (task and finish groups).  This will benefit from an expert officer giving support and the continuation of the cross party model which has been so effective to date.
  

• The design of further adaptations to South Cambs Hall to make it greener and more cost effective to run e.g. bio mass boiler.

• The promotion of community led renewable schemes which will deliver significant financial benefits to communities.

• The provision of direction and accountability in implementing policies for community renewables from off-site developer contributions when zero carbon homes become mandatory in 2016.

• The expansion of SPEP to include ALL our villages.

• Implementation of Climate Local.

• Informing the LDP to ensure that show homes promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.

• Informing the LDP and our own planning policy to ensure that new homes and existing properties are as energy efficient as possible.

• To monitor existing and future projects in order to provide evidence to feed into future plans.

Those opposed to keeping the committee argued that the sustainable energy work is now “embedded” in all the work of the council, and there was no need to have a separate committee dealing with it. This, in my view, is a short sighted approach to an issue of increasing significance to many in the district. 

 

What next for Sustainable energy work?

Following the vote which was carried by the Tory majority, the SEC has now been abolished, and the Leader will be responsible for all issues to do with sustainability. It is doubtful that without the energy and enthusiasm of people who are committed to sustainable energy, the council will continue to be at the forefront of this initiative.

 

Hopefully, the SPEP will continue to operate with vigour in the various 32 parishes in which it has been established. If you feel strongly about what the Council has done, then write to the leader, Cllr Ray Manning and tell him your views.

 

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