SC(3) CR-R19

Sustainability Committee

Inquiry into Carbon Reduction in Wales: Residential Carbon Reduction

Response from Wrexham Council

Submission to NAW Sustainability Committee

CO₂ consultation questions (Household Emissions)

1. The proposed 3% annual reduction target by 2011 is sufficient and crucial, as highlighted in the Welsh Local Government Association report ‘Action not Words’ (2006). This figure needs to be seen as a mandatory minimum for the Welsh public sector to achieve, rather than be allowed to fall short as has been the case with previous targets such as the 10 year reduction targets under the Home Energy Conservation Act (1995).

2. The emission target needs to be clearly achieved and widely reported so that Welsh local government leads the debate on carbon reduction, setting a regional best practice case study for the rest of the UK. The Welsh Assembly Government target for achieving zero carbon for public buildings by 2011 has generated considerable debate, but also uncertainty across Wales about whether the target is realistic and how it can actually be realised. Calculating embedding energy is a laudable aspiration, but without national guidance, resources and support it means that local authorities will struggle meeting or calculating carbon reduction in their localities

3. Wales has a high per capita rate of carbon dioxide emissions because of its large industrial base combined with a small population living in a high proportion of energy inefficient homes.

In Wrexham County Borough this is being tackled by a coordinated approach to diversify and modernise the employment base, and to promote household energy efficiency :

• Wrexham is currently overreliant on a high manufacturing base (28% of employment compared with 12% in neighbouring Chester). Stimulating the emergence of high gross value added businesses and activities in the local economy will tackle this, such as through the Western Gateway employment site, which will be an exemplar site in terms of sustainable construction, achieving a minimum of BREEAM excellent and hoping to attract high growth business, media, health and ICT.
• Continuing to enhance the service sector will help to diversify the employment mix. The 400,000 sq ft Eagles Meadow town centre development in Wrexham will massively improve the retail and leisure offer of north-east Wales.
• The £12m Warm Wales scheme is investing in energy efficiency measures in every household in order to tackle fuel poverty. This initiative should see a significant reduction in the annual greenhouse gas emissions for the County Borough.

4. There is a confusing variety of programmes, grants and other financial incentives available to reduce household CO₂ emissions across Wales. There needs to be a single, branded source of reliable and trusted information for consumers. The SustainWales.com website could be developed to meet this purpose, combining household energy efficiency advice available to households and businesses through the EST, Defra, DTI, Clearskies, local authorities and energy suppliers with general advice on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Cynnal Cymru is ideally placed to coordinate this initiative as part of its mission to boost participation levels in Welsh civil society.

As one of the four statutory strategies required by Making the Connections, the new Local Development Plan framework is an ideal opportunity for Welsh local government to work closely to develop a single, innovative approach to reduce household carbon emissions arising from new development. WAG needs to make leadership, guidance and support and available to ensure that this happens.

The WLGA is currently working with local authorities to help to deliver sustainable development through the planning system. The Welsh Assembly Government needs to make sure that the new toolkit is widely used to raise standards consistently, making resources available for training to improve levels of professional skills.  

5. The WAG – local authority policy agreements proved to be an effective mechanism to focus every local authority activities on carbon reduction, thereby achieving a step change in household emissions across Wales.  It would be useful if there was an evaluation of the three year policy agreements. If it was felt to be an effective policy instrument then further policy agreements could be targeted on a regional basis, aligned with the Spatial Plan areas to encourage local authorities and other partners to collaborate on carbon reduction from household emissions.

Local Authorities are investing considerable resources to bring their social housing up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2012, either in-house or through stock transfer. Local authorities in Wales fell considerably short in meeting the 30% target for reduction in greenhouse gases over ten years required under the Home Energy Conservation Act, due largely to the fact that local authorities have little control and influence over the private housing sector and it’s occupants. The majority of dwellings in Wales are older and energy inefficient and homes in the private rented sector are a particular problem, especially in Wrexham where there is a large rented/HMO sector due to a growing number of students, high inward migration and the affordability of newer homes.

The £12m Warm Wales scheme is investing in energy efficiency measures and advice in every household across Wrexham County Borough. Following evaluation of the impact of this best practice programme (and the programme run previously in Neath Port Talbot) it would be useful if WAG made financial support available for Welsh Local Authorities to carry out feasibility studies to determine whether their area would benefit from a similar approach to tackle fuel poverty and reduce household emissions, across all tenures.

6. A Merton style rule where a specified proportion of energy requirements of a new development has to be generated from renewable energy sources, so reducing rates of household emissions, could be introduced by local authorities under current powers.

Woking Council is a beacon local authority for it’s approach to sustainable energy, and Ray Morgan, Woking’s chief executive is currently working with the Sustainable Development Commission on key ways to improve Wales’ approach. The myriad of advice, guidance and consultation on microgeneration that has come from WAG in the last five years needs to be effectively coordinated and simplified.

The new Local Development Plan framework provides an excellent opportunity for local planning authorities to tackle household emissions . Local Planning Authorities in Wales are currently producing their Local Development Plans which will run until 2021, and this new planning framework will enable local authority areas to develop a requirement for renewable energy generation (microgeneration). There is a strong argument for a consistent minimum standard across Wales, and guidance would need to come from WAG. It would then be for local authorities to determine their own policies and whether they choose to define a higher minimum.

Welsh local authorities signed the WLGA Commitment on Climate Change in April 2006. Resource, support and guidance needs to be in place from WAG, perhaps through the new Local Service Boards and the new Community Strategies in 2008 so that strategies to tackle climate change can be progressed. The WLGA is developing guidance over the next three years under the Changing Climate: Changing Places programme.

7. Proposed moves for control over the building regulations to pass to the Welsh Assembly Government will further help reduce carbon dioxide emissions from new household developments, enabling local authorities to require higher standards of design and construction.

8. A requirement to calculate and measure carbon dioxide targets by sector could lead to resource and capacity issue for local authorities. If these targets are transparent, measured centrally and with a consistent methodology then it would be easier to reduce household emissions across Wales.

Michael Cantwell, Sustainable Development Officer
Wrexham County Borough Council
michael.cantwell@wrexham.gov.uk

01978 292255
5^th October 2007