Attendees
| Catherine Causley | East Devon District Council |
| John Amosford | Public Health Devon |
| Louise Sawyer | Devon and Cornwall Police |
| Lucinda Brook | Plymouth City Council |
| Clare Jones | Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust |
| William Elliott | Teignbridge District Council |
| Donna Sibley | North Devon and Torridge District Councils |
| Adam Williams | South Hams and West Devon Councils |
| Jacqui Warren | Torbay Council |
| Emily Reed | Devon Climate Emergency |
| Doug Eltham | Devon County Council |
| Mark Burton | Southwest Net Zero Hub |
1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Doug led the review, noting one action from the previous minutes: all to send updates to Emily regarding energy and cross cutting themes actions.
The minutes were accepted without amendments or clarifications.
2.Project Progress Report
The progress reported appended to these minutes was considered. Emily updated the group that they are in the process of rehiring a Climate Emergency Support Officer, with the successful candidate expected to be in post early next year.
She noted that growth on some social media channels has slowed, particularly on Instagram, Facebook, and X, and suggested a decision regarding the approach to X was needed.
Emily also shared recent developments not yet in the progress report, including a productive in-person meeting of the Climate Impacts Group, which recommended working with the university on monitoring indicators for the adaptation strategy, mapping key stakeholders, and developing a communications plan.
The Climate Task Force also met and recommended ensuring senior representation at an upcoming workshop hosted by the Carbon Trust.
The discussion also touched on the implications of local government reorganization and devolution, with a focus on maintaining alignment and addressing uncertainties.
3. Adaptation Action Plan Progress Update
Emily led the discussion, highlighting these points:
Emily Reed reported that the Water Resources Management Plan is pending the publication of the West Country Water Resources Regional Plan, which is awaiting approval from Ofwat.
Joint strategies with Southwest Water and catchment partnerships are progressing but face challenges such as data sharing and funding. Engagement actions, including climate change awareness campaigns and providing localized information, require further development.
Adam Williams shared updates on South Ham’s adaptation projects, emphasizing community involvement and learning journeys. The Bioregional Learning Centre has prepared a draft paper reflecting the learning journeys they held earlier in the year.
The learning journeys took Members and representatives from community groups and parish councils to look at various different climate adaptation projects around Devon, mostly around South Hams, but also Dartmoor.
The group discussed the need for better understanding of community preparedness and resilience planning.
ACTION: Adam to share the Bioregional Learning Centre paper on adaptation.
Doug Eltham suggested a shift in the Climate Impacts Group’s focus to identify gaps in action against priority areas, proposing thematic deep dives in future meetings to enhance understanding and reporting. The importance of senior leadership engagement and strategic oversight was also emphasized, with plans to address these in upcoming workshops and meetings.
4. A 2025 Adaptation Communications Calendar
Emily Reed introduced the adaptation communications calendar, which aims to improve public communication on climate adaptation actions. The calendar aligns themes from the Climate Adaptation Strategy, such as rainwater harvesting and coastal erosion, with relevant times of the year, like awareness weeks. It includes key messages from expert sources and an example graphic.
Emily sought feedback on the calendar’s usefulness and the tone of the messages. Doug Eltham emphasized the importance of coordinated messaging across organizations to maximize impact.
Participants discussed the feasibility of their organizations engaging with the calendar, with some noting internal challenges and the need for coordination. The discussion also highlighted the importance of localizing messages and integrating them with existing campaigns.
Emily and the new Climate Emergency Support Officer will work on alerting relevant stakeholders and confirming messaging before release. The group agreed to consider how they can support the promotion of these topics throughout the year.
ACTION: All participants will consider how they can support and promote the adaptation communications calendar topics throughout the year, coordinating their efforts for greater impact.
The conversation concluded with a brief discussion on the environmental responsibilities outlined in the English Devolution White Paper, seeking clarification on certain points.
5. Any Other Business
Mark introduced himself as a new member of the Southwest Net Zero Hub’s project development team, covering Devon and Somerset. He highlighted the Hub’s role in supporting public sector energy projects and mentioned that he would reach out to discuss potential projects with senior leadership buy-in.
Claire from the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust shared her experience visiting Exeter City Council’s EV charging infrastructure and raised the issue of internal resistance to collaborative working on EV infrastructure. Louise suggested looking at successful collaborations in Manchester as a model.
ACTION: Louise will contact her colleague in Manchester to gather information on their successful EV infrastructure collaboration, which can be used as a case study to encourage similar efforts in Devon.
Lucinda asked about the Solar Together scheme and thermal imaging cameras, with Adam providing details on a successful thermal imaging camera loan scheme in West Devon. The key was to provide support for interpreting the results of the thermal imaging cameras.
Emily discussed the benefits of telematic trackers for vehicles and shared information on an electric vehicle evaluation tool. Doug noted that Devon County Council faced union resistance to vehicle tracking. The meeting concluded with updates on various initiatives and a reminder to consider collaborative efforts for future projects.
ACTION: Emily will share information about the electric vehicle evaluation tool and telematic trackers with the group, highlighting their benefits and procurement options.
Appendix 1 – Project Progress Report
Period: November to December 2024
1. Partnership Update
1.1 General Communications
Follower numbers grew by 3.3% for Linked In during November. Instagram and Facebook saw growth of less than 1% and You Tube saw no growth. However, the newsletter and X saw slight declines in following. Newsletter subscribers are still higher than at the at beginning of October though. The reduced capacity of the team following the resignation of the Climate Emergency Support Officer is impacting on channel growth, though for X it is compounded by challenges around changes to the culture of the channel. Recruitment is underway for a new Climate Emergency Support Officer.
1.2 Partners’ Notable Activity
Activity is recorded centrally on the Taking Action pages of the Devon Climate Emergency website.
- A £16 million pound cash injection to provide more green jobs, as well as affordable homes, sheltered accommodation and business growth in Devon and Torbay has been confirmed by Government.
- Devon County Council and Torbay Council consult on Local Transport Plan and Devon Countywide Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.
- £1.8m Green Impact Fund for local businesses and community organisation offered and oversubscribed.
2. Oversight of the Devon Carbon Plan
The Progress Reports detailing known activity against each action are on the website. A summary of the number of actions categorised by each RAG status is provided below, split by theme.
Note that each theme of the carbon plan is reviewed every 6 months, which means the RAG status will not change significantly within the monthly periods of this progress report.
Blue = Completed
Green = Generally progressing well
Amber = Progressing but geography or scope is limited
Red = Not started or activity significantly limited
Grey = Not yet assessed
Built Environment
Common Issues:
- Finance required to expand geography
- Finance required for more people resource, particularly spatial planning
- Uncertainty regarding the implications of a written ministerial statement on Local Plans.
Economy and Resources
Common Issues:
- Clearer guidance from government on aspects of waste management needed
- Finance required for more people resource
Energy Supply
Common Issues:
- Availability of capital finance
Food, Land and Sea
Common Issues:
- Complexity of agendas, e.g. Land Use Framework and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
- Finance required to expand geography and scope
Transport
Common Issues:
- Public concern about EVs and reallocating highway space for sustainable modes
- Grid capacity
- Availability of capital finance
Cross-Cutting Themes
Common Issues:
- Finance required for more people resource, particularly spatial planning
- Finance required to expand geography
The first phase of monitoring indicators are online. The University of Exeter has helped to expand the indicator set, which will be added to the web page early in the new year.
3. Oversight of the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Climate Adaptation Strategy
The Climate Impacts Group is continuing its programme to review all the risks and near-term actions each year. No change to the RAG ratings this month.
4. Feedback from the Climate Task Force
The Devon Climate Task Force held its latest quarterly meeting in September. The meeting discussed the importance of the Partnership focussing its efforts onto issues that are underperforming and over which local actors have influence. Ian Hutchcroft and Ashish Ghadiali represented the Task Force’s views at the Response Group meeting on November 7th . They acknowledged the progress the partnership has made to date and highlighted the need for a reassessment of priorities and implementation strategies to accelerate progress towards the Devon carbon plan’s goals.
5. Devolution Update
As part of Devon County Council and Torbay Council’s devolution deal, £16 million pounds of capital funding has been agreed by Government. The cash injection will provide more green jobs, as well as affordable homes, sheltered accommodation and business growth in Devon and Torbay.
The devolution deal funding for Devon and Torbay includes support for significant sustainability initiatives around green jobs and skills, energy efficiency and renewable energy and sustainable business and innovation. You can read about the specific initiatives being funded here: Devolution deal capital funding supports affordable homes, green jobs and economic growth – Devon and Torbay Devolution Deal.
