SPC 4 - Minutes

Minutes of Strategic Policy Committee 4 - Climate Change Meeting held on Friday 10th December 2021 at 12.30pm in The Council Chamber, County Hall, Riverside, Sligo/Virtual Meeting Room


IN ATTENDANCE:

  • Councillor Sinéad Maguire (Chairperson)
  • Councillor Martin Connolly (Virtual Meeting Room)
  • Councillor Tom MacSharry (Virtual Meeting Room)
  • Councillor Dara Mulvey (Virtual Meeting Room)
  • Yvonne Lang, PPN Environment/Conservation Sector Representative
  • Lisa Moore, PPN Community and Voluntary Representative
  • E. Concannon, A/Director of Services, Sligo County Council
  • Pete Murtagh, Energy Efficiency & Climate Action Officer, Sligo County Council
  • Jane Golden, Staff Officer, Sligo County Council
  • Roisin Kirwan, Climate Action Graduate, Sligo County Council (Virtual Meeting Room)
  • Daniel Conway, Climate Action Graduate, Sligo County Council (Virtual Meeting Room)

 

APOLOGIES:

  • Bernard Finan, PPN Agriculture/Farming Sector Representative

 

The Chair, Councillor Maguire welcomed both Climate Action Graduates to the meeting.

 

1.  Minutes of meeting held on 29th September 2021

The minutes of the SPC 4 meeting held on 29th September 2021 were proposed by Councillor D. Mulvey and seconded by Councillor Sinead Maguire and agreed.

 

2.  Matters Arising

There were no matters arising.

 

3.  Update on Work Programme 2020/2021

Mr. Pete Murtagh, Energy Efficiency and Climate Action Officer, took committee members through the Work Programme which had been circulated in advance of the meeting. A discussion on each Work Programme Item followed with the main points highlighted as follows:

Climate Adaptation Strategy

CARO has conducted a review of the Climate Adaption Strategies for every Local Authority in the region which show that Sligo County Council has completed 50% of actions with the rest ongoing.  This report will be circulated to members when it is published.

The Climate Action Plan will be started during 2022 and will take 12 months to complete.  One of the first steps will be to carry out a Baseline Study of GHG Emissions throughout the county.

Internal Energy

The Climate Action Plan will cover Energy Management which will be a focus in 2022.

An Energy Audit of Sligo County Council will be carried out by a registered Energy Consultant in 2022.

The lighting replacement project is nearing completion within Sligo County Council’s buildings.  Follow on projects are being considered, which could include possibilities relating to the heating system at County Hall and the potential of the installation of solar PV panels at various locations.

Decarbonisation Zone

Sligo County Council is still awaiting a response to the proposal submission in relation the proposed decarbonisation zone.

Covenant of Mayors

The Climate Action Plan should also satisfy the requirements of the Covenant of Mayors.  An application for another EU mission is currently being prepared, this will relate to Sligo becoming a Climate Neutral City by 2030.

Support for local SEC’s

Strandhill SEC have identified a consultant to start work on their local Energy Masterplan.

EV Charging Points

The FASTER Project will see the installation of a number of rapid EV charging points.  Work is ongoing with project partners to identify sites, with sites being chosen by early 2022.  It is hoped to have four locations, to include Sligo Town, North Sligo, Tubbercurry and Enniscrone.  It was requested to renew the application for Strandhill to be included as a potential site given its prominence as a tourist location on the Wild Atlantic Way.

It was agreed that there would be an update given at the next meeting.

CNWPL Scheme

Guidelines issued by CARO are being considered, prior to a submission being made.  Sites currently under consideration includes Forthill and Finisklin with other areas to be identified over the coming years.

SCORE Project

A number of areas in the County have been identified as suitable sites, these include Streedagh, Dunmoran and Enniscrone beaches.  It is intended to work with existing coastal communities to identify concerns and how smart technology could be used to protect habitats.  The Climate graduates were thanked for work they carried out in the surveying of members of the public and visitors to these areas. 

Air Quality

The repositioning of the EPA AQ Monitoring unit on the Inner Relief Road is being considered.  It is intended to install additional AQ monitors received at national schools in Sligo Town.

Training

Training on Climate Awareness is ongoing with a module on Flood Risk Management being delivered to technical staff who work in areas that could be impacted by flooding events.

Smarter and Active Travel

Sligo County Council staff recently took part in a ‘Walktober Challenge’ which culminated in in staff waking a combined estimate of 1.4 million steps. Additional staff will soon be in place in the area of Active Travel.

Green Procurement

Guidelines regarding procurement from the EPA have been issued to all budget holders in Sligo County Council.  These guidelines will be followed when goods and services are being purchased.

 

4.  Report on Carbon Sinks

The restoration of bogs to allow them to return to their original state was highlighted as being one of the main ways to create carbon sinks e.g. the rewetting of bogs.  Implications for neighbouring residents to bogland areas was discussed as a consideration that can potentially complicate this process.

 

5.  Work Programme 2022

The 2022 work programme will follow on from the 2021 programme as actions continue to be delivered.  A draft programme will be circulated in due course.  It was reiterated that this programme of work will continue to be delivered in a partnership approach, which includes Sligo County Council, SPC 4 Climate Change, the Department and the local CARO office.

 

6.  Discussion on ‘Climate Conversations’ Report

Two key findings were highlighted as follows:

Communication

It was agreed that a Communication Policy would be designed in partnership with groups during January – March 2022, with Ms. Y. Lang agreeing to take the lead on this.  Once completed, this policy would be brought back to SPC 4 for review and consideration

SPC Representatives

A discussion regarding Climate Change/environmental issues being raised at other SPC meetings.  It was highlighted that the issue of Climate Change would be relevant to all SPC’s and it would be important to ensure that SPC 4 would not be overloaded.  It was suggested to involve the SPC Chairpersons in identifying which topics/issues should be presented at particular SPC meetings.

Members were informed that CARO provides information on regional case studies which may be useful points of reference for community groups on their website.

 

7.  Date of the next meeting

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 16th March 2022 at 11am.

 

8.  Any Other Business

The issue of accessibility to information regarding Climate Change was discussed, particularly information presented online and in relation to sign language.  It was agreed that this was a wider issue and a consideration for the future.

It was agreed to write to Sligo County Council’s Corporate Services Department and the Disability Consultative Forum to get an update on accessibility of content.

The Chair thanked everyone for their attendance.

 

The business of the meeting concluded at 13.10p.m.

 


Meeting Date 10/12/2021