The Strategic Scrutiny Committee of Exeter City Council met on 11 September 2025 to discuss a range of issues, including reports from Councillor Matthew Vizard, Portfolio Holder for Climate, Ecological Change and Communities, on the council's carbon footprint projections and city-wide net zero initiatives. Also on the agenda was the committee's work plan for the coming months.

Here's a summary of the topics that were scheduled for discussion:

Exeter City Council's Costed Organisational Carbon Footprint Projections to 2030

The committee was scheduled to receive a report on Exeter City Council's Costed Organisational Carbon Footprint Projections to 2030. The report summarised a study produced by the Centre for Energy and Environment (CEE) at the University of Exeter, which included estimates of the capital and operational costs associated with decarbonisation from 2023/24 to 2030/31. The study assessed potential measures using a theoretical model based on three different scenarios:

• Business as Usual (BAU): activity already planned or committed to by the council.
• Mid-Term: an escalation of activity beyond the BAU scenario.
• Max Net Zero: a theoretical maximum level of uptake of measures.

These scenarios covered five sectors of the City Council's operations, to reduce corporate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, and included GHG emissions from Scope 1¹ (direct use of fossil fuels) and Scope 2² activities (indirect emissions from purchased electricity), plus the additional Scope 3³ emissions associated with these activities.

The report stated that the scenarios would allow the City Council to prioritise measures for GHG emission reduction, but would not commit the City Council to achieving them. It also noted that the ability of the City Council to successfully deliver measures under the different scenarios was largely dependent on securing external funding.

The report also included the council’s most up-to-date organisational GHG emissions inventory for 2023/24.

The Strategic Director for Place and a representative from the Centre for Energy and the Environment were scheduled to be present.

City Wide Net Zero

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on city-wide net zero activity from January to August 2025, and to hear about work planned for September 2025 to February 2026.

The report noted that in 2019, Exeter City Council declared a climate emergency and pledged to work towards net zero by 2030. The council's new Corporate Plan for 2025 to 2028 prioritises delivery in four key areas: local economy, homes, people, and sustainable environment. City Wide Net Zero is a cross-cutting theme linking to all four priorities, with a particular focus on the Sustainable Environment priority.

The report also provided updates on a number of projects and ongoing activities, including:

• Electric buses in Exeter
• Exeter Energy Grants
• Warm Home Discount and Warm Up Grant
• Energy Saving Devon
• Exeter Energy Network/District Heat programme
• Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding
• Bike Hubs
• Green Skills Advisory Panel (GSAP)
• Doughnut Economics
• Plant Based Treaty
• Newtown community active travel project
• GWR/Green Circle project
• Nature Towns and Cities accreditation

Portfolio Holder Report

Councillor Matthew Vizard, Portfolio Holder for Climate, Ecological Change and Communities, was scheduled to present a report to the committee. The report covered issues relating to achieving the council's published priorities, including:

• Local Economy: A new City Centre Vision & Strategy is being developed with a focus on connectivity, sustainable transport, and city centre living.
• People: The Net Zero team attends the Devon, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Climate Impacts Group, where adaptation measures and progress are discussed.
• Homes: The City Council continues to focus on retrofitting homes, with 920 homes retrofitted to date.
• Sustainable Environment: A comprehensive update was to be provided in Section 2 of the report.

The report also provided an update on major ongoing programmes of work, including:

• Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS)
• South West Energy and Environment Group (SWEEG)
• Costed Organisation Carbon Footprint Report
• Photo Voltaic (PV) Feasibility Study
• PV Solar
• Regional Energy Strategic Plan
• Carbon Literacy
• Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding
• Housing warm home grants

The report also highlighted work being done across the city to implement the Net Zero Road Map 2030, including the establishment of a Climate and Nature Group as part of The Exeter Partnership, and the CUA Sustainability Advisory Group.

Finally, the report noted a number of issues that may impact service delivery, financial performance, and future budget requirements, including the government's decision not to hold further rounds of PSDS funding.

Scrutiny Work Plan

The committee was scheduled to consider its forward plan of business and scrutiny work plan. The draft work plan included items on:

• Portfolio Holder Updates
• Performance and Service Provided to Customers and Stakeholders of Stagecoach South West in Exeter
• Air Quality Performance
• Progress Report Shared Prosperity Fund - Update
• Live and Move Programme Update

The committee was also scheduled to timetable an item on the Air Quality Action Plan.