Quick Navigation
- Attendees
- 1. Review of April Minutes
- 2. Network Rail’s Collaboration with Connecting the Culm
- 3. Update on Forum for the Future Workshop on Developing an Engagement Strategy for the Business Sector
- 4. Recommendations Arising to Feedback to the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Climate Partnerships
- 5. Any Other Business (AOB)
Attendees
- Emily Reed Devon Climate Emergency Secretariat (Chair)
- Doug Eltham Devon County Council (Environment)
- William Jackson-Nichols Devon Climate Emergency Secretariat
- Rhys Hobbs Cornwall Council
- George Arnison Environment Agency
- Richard Sweatman Local Resilience Forum
- Liza Oxford Plymouth City Council
- Deborah Jones Public Health Devon
- John Amosford Public Health Devon
- Mark Rice Environment Agency
- Tom Dauben Environment Agency
- Julie Gregory Network Rail
- Amy Brett-Schneider Exeter City Council
- Victoria Hatfield Exeter City Council
1. Review of April Minutes
Emily Reed began by summarising the previous meeting, which featured a presentation by Rhys Hobbs on the Future Bude Coastal Project. Rhys had been asked to share a briefing note and supporting documentation with the group. He confirmed during this meeting that the materials were now ready to be shared, as they had not yet been released to the local community at the time of the last meeting.
Emily also noted that there was strong interest in the community engagement aspects of the project, and she committed to scheduling time at a future meeting to explore this further. She clarified that she had informed Forum for the Future about the group’s specific geographic focus—Devon, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly—since the term “Southwest” can be interpreted broadly. Additionally, she had followed up with Forum on the scope of their work, confirming that it would address resilience more broadly, not just extreme weather.
With these updates and Rhys’s forthcoming documentation, there were no outstanding actions remaining from the April meeting.
ACTION: Emily Reed to schedule a future session on community engagement approaches.
2. Network Rail’s Collaboration with Connecting the Culm
Ryan Barrett from Network Rail was scheduled to present on their collaboration with the Connecting the Culm project. However, he sent last-minute apologies due to being called into another meeting. Julie Gregory offered to provide an overview, but it was agreed that the full presentation would be postponed until a future meeting.
ACTION: Reschedule Ryan Barrett’s presentation on Connecting the Culm to a future meeting.
3. Update on Forum for the Future Workshop on Developing an Engagement Strategy for the Business Sector
Emily Reed provided an update on the recent workshop hosted by Forum for the Future, which focused on developing a strategy for engaging the business sector in climate resilience. She thanked attendees for their participation and explained that the session built on previous discussions within the group. Participants were divided into breakout groups to explore the scope of the work and to consider effective engagement methods.
Forum for the Future is currently processing the input from the workshop to finalise the scope of their work. This will guide their approach to conducting up to ten interviews with organisations that have experience engaging businesses on climate resilience. Emily invited group members to suggest organisations that should be included in the interview shortlist. She mentioned that the Southwest Business Council and the Cornwall Business Hub had already been identified as potential candidates.
Rhys Hobbs emphasised the importance of ensuring a diverse and representative sample of organisations to avoid biased results. He noted that the engagement strategy should reflect a range of perspectives, including both large and small businesses, and not be overly shaped by statutory bodies. Julie Gregory echoed this concern, pointing out that the scope of the project could become too broad and that it was important to clarify the specific risks being addressed—whether economic, logistical, or otherwise.
Emily acknowledged these points and confirmed that she would review the shortlist of organisations with Forum for the Future to ensure it reflects the group’s feedback. She also noted that the final engagement plan would be brought back to the group for further discussion and refinement.
ACTION: All members to send Emily suggestions for organisations to be interviewed.
ACTION: Emily Reed to review and provide feedback on Forum’s shortlist of interviewees.
4. Recommendations Arising to Feedback to the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Climate Partnerships
Emily Reed suggested that the group continue to keep the Devon, Cornwall, and Isles of Scilly climate partnerships informed about the ongoing work on business engagement. There were no additional recommendations at this time.
Doug Eltham proposed that the group consider sharing an update on the current weather and water resource situation with the climate partnerships, as it might be of interest. Mark Rice agreed and offered to prepare a note summarising the current water resource conditions. Rhys Hobbs raised a related point about the need to coordinate messaging between strategic and emergency planning teams to avoid duplication or confusion. Mark agreed to investigate how such information is currently being circulated and to identify where the group could add value.
ACTION: Mark Rice to prepare a note on the current water resource situation for climate partnerships.
ACTION: Mark Rice to assess how drought-related messaging is currently being circulated and identify where the group can add value.
5. Any Other Business (AOB)
Rhys Hobbs announced that Cornwall is beginning to develop its Adaptation Strategy. A working group is being formed, and the first meeting will take place later in the week to establish terms of reference and review representation. Rhys offered to share more details at the next meeting.
Tom Dauben shared that a film related to climate adaptation techniques is being released soon. He provided a trailer and mentioned that a more generic version of the film would be made available for wider use.
Emily Reed reported that the Devon Resilience Innovation Project had a successful and engaging presence at the Devon County Show. She also shared links to upcoming webinars hosted by the National Consortium for Societal Resilience, which may be of interest to the group.
Julie Gregory informed the group that Network Rail recently held a Climate Adaptation Pathways Workshop for Cornwall, which was well attended and productive. She noted that a similar workshop for Devon is planned for September, and she will share the date once it is confirmed.
ACTION: Rhys Hobbs to share the composition and progress of the Cornwall Adaptation Strategy working group at the next meeting.
ACTION: Tom Dauben to share the full version of the climate adaptation film when available.
ACTION: Julie Gregory to confirm and share the date for the Devon adaptation pathways workshop.
