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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST FOR THIS ITEM:
 
None
 

RESOLVED:
 
That
Cabinet:

Approved the draft
‘Haringey Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Action
Plan’ to come into effect from January 2026 (Appendix A),
which would accompany Haringey’s Climate Change Action
Plan.

Noted the progress
that Haringey had made in tackling the climate emergency, as
detailed in the published Climate Change Action Plan and annual
carbon reports.

Noted the
Council’s varied and collaborative work consolidated by this
plan, driven by committed Council officers across departments,
which was either already underway or would be implemented through
the approval of this plan, aiming to deliver a borough that was
more resilient to the worsening effects of climate change. There
was, however, a need for further cross-sector collaboration moving
forward to ensure accountability and commitment to delivering
actions in the plan and to keep this issue a priority.

Noted that the
current available and agreed funding for adaptation and retrofit
projects to build the borough’s future resilience came from a
variety of funding streams/grants, including the Section 106 Carbon
Offsetting Fund (Haringey Community Carbon Fund, Overheating), UK
Shared Prosperity Funding, Major Works Fund, Capital Programme
Fund, Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, and Public
Health Grant.

Noted the still
significant cost of addressing climate change adaptation and
resilience, the even bigger cost of inaction, and the current
shortfall of available funding and resources to deliver climate
adaptation measures to effectively protect the borough and its
residents from climate-related impacts.

Reasons for
Decision
The National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), the London Climate
Resilience Review, and other national/regional initiatives
recommended that local authorities develop and implement adaptation
plans to respond to current and future climate risks and enhance
resilience.

Real and local events
involving flash flooding in 2021 and the effects of Summer 2022,
compiled in Haringey’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
chapter, highlighted the impact of a changing climate on residents
and recommended actions for the Council to take forward.
‘Flooding,’ ‘Drought,’ and
‘Heatwave’ risks were rated “Very High” on
the Haringey Borough Risk Register.

There were significant
costs associated with inaction, specifically due to economic losses
caused by extreme weather events. This included damage to
infrastructure requiring repairs, increased health and care costs,
and increased resources needed to respond to urgent events.
Furthermore, lost output from heat-related reductions in
productivity was already significant in London, valued at
£577 million per year. Proactive investment in climate
adaptation and resilience was significantly more cost-effective,
with every pound spent saving between two and ten pounds compared
to inaction.
The delivery of a
borough action plan to manage overheating risk was an activity in
Haringey’s Corporate Delivery Plan 2024–2026, as part
of the ‘Responding to the Climate Emergency’ theme.
This report and plan sought to complete this activity.

During ‘The
Great Big Green Week UK’ and London’s Climate Week in
2024, the Carbon Management Team, with support from Public Health,
the Greater London Authority (GLA), and Bloomberg Associates,
organised a workshop focused on ‘Adapting to a Changing
Climate,’ inviting local residents
and activists to share concerns and recommendations. One key
takeaway from this workshop was that residents recommended the
Council have a plan focused on adaptation.

Alternative Options
Considered
The impacts of climate change were happening, demonstrated by the
increased intensity and frequency of severe weather events.
Therefore, the Council needed to ensure residents, partners,
services, and staff were better prepared for and could respond
effectively to future events, which were inevitable. Not having a
dedicated plan would have put Haringey and its residents at further
risk.

Adopting an
overheating action plan, a required activity in the Council’s
Corporate Delivery Plan 2024–2026, would have supported
improvements in the borough’s preparedness and response to
heat but would have lacked focus on other climate-related impacts
such as flooding, which was already causing local incidents and
impacting infrastructure and residents’ health and
wellbeing.