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6.1     Action to
address the Climate Emergency
 
NOTED the deputation received
from Elaine Sheppard and Sylvia Gauthereau (representing Action for
the Climate Emergency in Brent) outlining concerns regarding the
urgency of the action being taken by the Council to address the
climate emergency and achieve the target of becoming a net carbon
zero borough by 2030.  Referring to the
coalition of groups represented by the newly established ACE Brent
(which included Brent Friends of the Earth, Brent Cycling Campaign,
Brent Parks Forum, Brent Pure Energy, Brent XR and Divest Brent)
members were also reminded of the recent correspondence outlining
the coalition’s detailed proposals along with the need to
increase the pace of action over the coming five-year
period.  Whilst recognising that the
government was not on track regarding the climate emergency, ACE
Brent felt that Brent as a borough could be.
 
Although recognising the
Council’s commitment towards achieving net zero (as outlined
within its Climate Emergency Strategy, Green Vision Planning
guidelines, Green Neighbourhood pilots and other initiatives) it
was not felt these were sufficiently urgent in nature as a response
or reflected (given the diversity within Brent) the global and
local social justice obligations which underpinned tackling the
climate emergency.  Whilst aware of the
financial pressures on the Council and impact of cost-of-living
crisis, it was felt that working together to focus on more
ambitious and urgent action did not mean having to spending more
money, with calls for a revamped Climate Plan to galvanise and
replace the current strategy that would bring together all current
strategies and initiatives to more clearly prioritise SMART and
costed actions that would deliver net zero and protect those
residents most at risk.  Prior to
handing over to Sylvia Gauthereau to continue, Elaine Sheppard
ended by expressing concern at the limited scope of the Climate
Strategy Delivery Plan 2022-24 in terms of the activities covered
and also at the recent decision to revise reporting on the climate
action from an annual to biannual basis, reiterating that this
decision negatively impacted the ability to effectively monitor
delivery of the Climate Strategy in advance of 2030.
 
Sylvia Gauthereau continued by
advising that ACE Brent had welcomed the agreement at a recent
Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee seeking a more
accessible accountability framework to monitor performance,
especially with regard to clearer measurement of emissions which it
was hoped was now in progress.  It was
also felt that the development of any new Plan should be initiated
and informed by a new Climate Assembly which would have regular
dialogue with, and report to, residents and
stakeholders.  In support of this
proposal, reference was made to the establishment of dedicated
Climate and Emergency Scrutiny Committees and Citizen Panels by
other local authorities.  As a result,
ACE Brent felt that in order to effectively support the move
towards net zero and ensure the necessary co-ordination and
oversight was provided, Brent should also consider establishing a
dedicated Climate and Ecological Emergency Scrutiny Committee which
met on a quarterly basis. To conclude, Sylvia Gauthereau outlined
the main areas ACE Brent were seeking to address as part of any new
Climate Plan which included enabling further choice for active
travel, implementing a major programme of insulation and
retrofitting within the housing stock, fully divesting
Brent’s Pension Fund from the top 200 publicly traded fossil
fuel emitters, ensuring the sustainability of new developments,
encouraging the installation of solar panels on all public
buildings in the borough and increasing the canopy cover and green
spaces in Brent.
 
In responding to the
deputation, Councillor Krupa Sheth, as Cabinet Member for
Environment, Infrastructure & Climate Action, welcomed ACE
Brent’s continued interest and contribution as it was deemed
crucial that residents and stakeholders supported the Council to
effectively tackle the climate emergency and meet the
Council’s ambitious target of net zero by 2030.  In recognising this was not something the Council
could deliver in isolation, the importance in ensuring all
residents and stakeholders were engaged was recognised, with
Councillor Krupa Sheth expressing her thanks for the work ACE Brent
were undertaking as both a coalition and individual organisations
in encouraging climate action.  In
expressing her pride at all those in the borough who were taking on
the challenge through practical action to reduce emissions or make
the borough greener, either as part of local initiatives or in
their day-to-day lives, Councillor Krupa Sheth also felt it was
important to recognise the local leadership role being played by
the Council in coordinating, convening and empowering local groups
to contribute through the Brent Environmental Network, the Faith
Climate Action Plan and the Together Towards Zero small grant
scheme.
 
In reminding members that
Brent’s Climate Strategy had been developed on a consensus
basis, with the themes mirroring those areas the Brent Climate
Assembly had viewed as being environmental priorities for the
borough, the importance in ensuring that the Strategy and Delivery
Plan remained adaptable had been recognised with work already being
undertaken to embed the actions in the Council’s Climate
Adaptation and Resilience Plan more prominently in future climate
delivery plans.  With communication
identified as key in order to maintain progress, the work being
undertaken to develop a data dashboard on a host of key climate
measures to demonstrate impact was also outlined, which it was
hoped to provide for the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny
Committee early in 2024. This was being designed to supplement and
provide greater transparency on existing progress reporting to
Cabinet and via existing communication channels.  In ending her response, Councillor Krupa Sheth
thanked Elaine Sheppard and Sylvia Gauthereau for the deputation
and reiterated that the Council was keen to continue working
constructively and collaborative with all sections of the community
and stakeholders on the climate agenda to make Brent a low carbon,
greener borough.
 

6.2    
Implementation and Operation of the Blue Bag Recycling Scheme for
paper and cardboard
 
NOTED the deputation received
from Sheila Darr (as a local resident) seeking to highlight a
number of practical implementation and operational concerns
relating to the recently introduced blue bag recycling scheme
across the borough.  In referring to
comments which had been highlighted on the Nextdoor app and also
various petitions in opposition to the blue bag recycling scheme,
she began by outlining health and safety concerns regarding blue
bags being blown onto the streets and not sufficiently holding
their contents, which it was reported had resulted in waste being
left on the street.  As a result,
queries were raised in relation to any risk assessment completed
regarding the danger that lost bags and loose waste posed to the
community.  Furthermore, in reiterating
the impact of the current housing crisis she pointed out concerns
had also been raised in relation to storage of the bags in homes,
given the limited space often available when they were full, and
queried why excess paper and card could not be placed in recycling
bins as residential blocks had continued to use these rather than
bags.  In addition, the difficulty in
keeping blue bags dry during wet weather and cold conditions was
highlighted, especially where collection timetables had been
altered causing bags to be left for a longer period of time,
leading to increased contamination.  In
discussing the impact of the blue bag recycling scheme on the
elderly within the borough, Sheila Darr highlighted how the elderly
might struggle with the weight of the bags and questioned whether
any risk assessment had also included the practical impact of the
scheme on the elderly.  Although
recognising that support could be requested on the Council’s
website, Sheila Darr reiterated that many elderly people struggled
with internet usage and therefore may not be receiving the support
they required.  In concluding, it was
felt further guidance was required with concerns highlighted in
relation to the impact of the scheme on the elderly, those whose
main language was not English and the extent of consultation
undertaken prior to the implementation of the scheme. In
highlighting the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the
health and well-being of local residents Sheila Darr ended by
calling on the Council to reconsider the implementation of the blue
bag scheme in order to avoid this compounding the challenges
already being faced by many residents across the
borough.
 
In response to the deputation,
Councillor Krupa Sheth, as Cabinet Member for Environment,
Infrastructure & Climate Action, felt it important to start by
highlighting that the changes made to recycling collections have
been designed to improve the amount and quality of recycling and
reduce levels of contamination in order to reduce the
borough’s impact on the environment and contribute towards
the goal of the Council becoming carbon neutral by 2030. These
changes had been predicted to save the Council £1.2m per
annum by 2024/25, the first full year of operation for the new
service, which she felt was also an important consideration to
recognise given the wider financial challenges being faced by the
Council as a result of the funding restrictions being imposed by
Central Government.
 
In terms of the consultation
process undertakenon the future waste collection and street
cleansing services, confirmation was provided that this had taken
place in Summer 2022 with the outcome supported by a successful
trial involving 5000 households in Autumn 2022 and reflected
similar schemes being successfully operated by other local
authorities.  In confirming that the
changes introduced had only been to street level properties and not
to flats in communal blocks, which continued to receive the same
comingled recycling collections as before, Councillor Krupa Sheth
felt it important to recognise the need for any major service
change, to fully bed in with the Council continuing to monitor the
roll out of the new service very closely.  Work was also being undertaken with the
contractor, Veolia, to address any operational issues and listen to
all feedback so that, where required, improvements could be
identified in order to make the service better for both residents
and the environment.  The opportunity
was also taken to highlight the positive impact of the scheme with
a continued rise in the amount of separated paper and card being
collected, mirroring the successful trial from last
year.  As an example, members were
advised that in the last two weeks of October, the Council had seen
a 50% increase in paper and cardboard collected in comparison to
the first fortnight and further increases at the start of November
with no reported issues in terms of either contamination or
moisture.
 
In addressing specific concerns
raised within the deputation, Councillor Krupa Sheth confirmed that
residents could choose whether to store their sack indoors or
outdoors, so long as they were presented at the kerbside on the
scheduled collection day. They could also order additional or
replacement sacks for free with those residents who required it,
also receiving extra assistance with their recycling arrangements,
as before.  In summing up, confirmation
was provided of the Council’s ongoing commitment, despite the
challenging nature of the budget pressures identified, towards the
provision of key services across the borough whilst also seeking to
protect the most vulnerable with Councillor Krupa Sheth advising
she would welcome further feedback on the blue bag scheme as it
continued to bed in across the borough.
 
Eligible for Call-In:
No