| Attendees | |
| Mark Rice | Environment Agency (Chair) |
| Doug Eltham | Devon County Council (Natural Environment) |
| Claire Below | Cornwall Council |
| Emily Reed | Devon Climate Emergency |
| Richard Sweatman | DCIoS Local Resilience Forum |
| Jess Pryer | Met Office |
| Paul Minshull | Cornwall Council |
| Louise Sawyer | Devon and Cornwall Police |
| Sara Gibbs | Public Health Devon |
| Elliot Batty | Public Health Devon |
| Emma Bland | University of Exeter |
| Alex Rainbow | Cornwall Council |
| Rebecca Williams | Isles of Scilly |
| Apologies: | |
| Nick Paling | South West Water |
| Kathryn Deeney | Plymouth City Council |
| Nathan Streetley | DCIoS Local Resilience Forum |
| John Amosford | Public Health Devon |
| Carolyn Cadman | South West Water |
| Paul Lunt | University of Plymouth |
| Maria Van Hove | Public Health, Exeter University and Torbay Council |
| Zoe Sydenham | Plymouth City Council |
| Penny Tranter | Met Office |
| George Arnison | Environment Agency |
| Tom Dauben | Environment Agency |
| Donna Sibley | Torridge and North Devon Councils |
| Sophie Goodall-Smith | Environment Agency |
| Laurence Couldrick | Westcountry Rivers Trust |
| Liza Oxford | Plymouth City Council |
| Rhys Hobbs | Cornwall Council |
| Victoria Hatfield | Exeter City Council |
Minutes of the previous meeting
The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as an accurate record.
Update on the Local Climate Adaptation Tool (Emma Bland)
Emma Bland, Associate Professor of Practice, Environment, Health and Wellbeing at the
University of Exeter presented an update on the Local Climate Adaptation Tool (LCAT).
LCAT is a co-designed product, produced in close collaboration with Cornwall Council and over 50 other stakeholders. It is based on an evidence review of the impacts of climate change on communities including health, with links to the evidence provided on the webpages of the tool.
The LCAT website has an introduction to local climate adaptation. Whilst the LCAT tool itself allows you to select the geography you wish to consider to explore how local climates will change, what health and community impacts may occur as a result, who will be most vulnerable and why and adaptations to consider.
Emma demonstrated system maps of impacts included in the tool and the ability to view the maps in various ways. In future, there will be the ability to download the report.
Claire Below shared that Cornwall Council have been doing workshops with each service area and referring teams to LCAT to explore what they can do to adapt their service.
ACTION: Members of meeting to share the LCAT tool with their network.
Review of Risks CIG20 – CIG24
Four risks from the Infrastructure section of the regional Climate Adaptation Strategy were scheduled for review at today’s meeting. These are the risks with identification codes CIG20 – CIG24. [Every risk in the Strategy is scheduled for review once a year].
The meeting discussed the risks. It was noted by a number of attendees that finance is more readily available for new flood defence schemes than revenue funding to maintain schemes. This results in a reluctance of organisations to take ownership of assets, due to the future burden of maintenance costs.
Claire highlighted recent issues in Cornwall of failures of retaining walls from damage associated with repeated wetting and drying. Complex scenarios of residential properties being conjoined with sea walls have occurred a number of times.
Richard shared that the Local Resilience Forum is awaiting further guidance from government on managing chronic risk, which climate change is, he will keep the group updated.
No changes were required to the risk ratings.
ACTION: Emily to connect Mark Rice with Paula Hewitt, the Chair of the South West Infrastructure Partnership.
Review of Cross Cutting Actions
Three actions in the Action Plan (Appendix 6) for the Cross Cutting sector were reviewed at this meeting: CCA2, CCA3, CCC1. Ahead of the meeting, Emily circulated a table that has collated local activity that is helping to implement each action. Comments on this were requested.
CCA–2 – Define a regional approach (e.‘. 'One Health') to prevent the emergence of zoonotic diseases (infectious diseases transmitted between animals and people).
Emily shared an update on action CCA-2, highlighting that there was a SW Zoonotic disease CPD day on 20th March 2024 that the SW UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) ran to consider what is needed, and to share resources on how, to prevent the emergence of zoonotic disease.
The DCIoS Health Protection Committee, chaired by Devon’s Director of Public Health, now has a standing agenda item on climate adaptation and the Committee has been asked to give assurance on those actions in the DCIoS Climate Adaptation plan that relate to human health protection. This can then be fed into the DCIoS climate adaptation reporting cycle.
CCA–3 – Raise awareness on the impacts of anti-microbial resistance and prevention measures (e.g. reducing antibiotics use in livestock).
Emily shared an update on action CCA-3. The Peninsula Antimicrobial Resistance Group (PARG) has recently been reestablished. A draft Terms of Reference was discussed in their 2nd meeting, April 2024. The remit of the group is being expanded to ensure a One Health approach is taken to AMR locally. Devon has undertaken a review of all AMR work in relation to human health and Cornwall are doing the same. The new 5 year national action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2024-2029, published May 2024, will be considered at the next meeting of the group.
CCC–1 – Work with partners, including universities, to examine the effects of climate change on crime rates and the potential for civil disorder.
Louise informed the group that she has reached out to an academic who works in this area to ask for information regarding the above action.
ACTION: Emily to put time on the June meeting to discuss ideas for collaboration on projects by the CIG.
Feedback from the Climate Impacts Group to Devon and Cornwall climate partnerships
The group agreed to highlight concerns regarding the availability of revenue to maintain flood protection assets to the partnerships.
ACTION: Raise concerns regarding revenue funding for flood protection asset maintenance with the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly climate partnerships and consider opportunities to raise these concerns with government.
Consideration of new risks and vulnerabilities
Doug shared that Devon County Council’s Highways team are experiencing more bridge strikes from trees. They are using drones and AI to develop 3D models of the bridges, to shape more proactive maintenance approaches. Rob Richards is leading this work. The steel and concrete bridges require the most maintenance compared with stones bridges.
AOB
Claire alerted the group that ADEPT want local communities to partner with to develop adaptation pathways.
Mark Rice proposed an in person meeting to explore how we collaborate more as a partnership. Par and Bude were suggested as possibilities.
ACTION: Emily to plan an in-person meeting to explore collaboration, somewhere with public transport links.
