Quick Navigation
- Attendees
- 1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
- 2. Project Progress Report
- 3. Food, Land and Sea Progress Update
- 4. Feedback on Monitoring Indicator Webpages
- 5. Any Other Business
Attendees
- Emily Reed Devon Climate Emergency
- William Jackson-Nichols Devon Climate Emergency
- Mark Burton Southwest Net Zero Hub
- Aaron Harverson Active Devon
- Harry West Devon County Council
- Lucinda Brook Plymouth City Council
- Clare Jones Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust NHS
- John Amosford Public Health Devon
- Adam Williams South Hams and West Devon Councils
- Amy Brett-Schneider Exeter City Council
- Catherine Causley East Devon District Council
- Alice Gent Exeter City Council
- Collete Germon Devon Partnership NHS Trust
- Louise Sawyer Devon and Cornwall Police
1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Emily Reed ran through actions from the previous meeting. She thanked those who have shared figures on community funding they have distributed for climate action so this can be logged. Louise said she would circulate information on the anchor institution framework the Police are involved in after the meeting.
Mark Burton gave an update on the Devon Energy Planning Group and Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) in Doug’s absence. Mark reported that the focus has shifted to data collection and baseline establishment before further engagement.
Mark also updated on a forum he attended with the National Energy System Operator (NESO). He shared that NESO are very engaged in Devon in the LAEP development.
Emily Reed checked with others there were no points of accuracy to address from the previous meeting’s minutes, and they were accepted as accurate. A number of actions were carried over:
ACTION: Aaron Harverson to connect with James Wright about adult cycle confidence sessions in Princetown.
ACTION: Louise Sawyer to circulate information on the anchor institution framework.
ACTION: Emily to update the group when more is known about the procurement of a replacement to co-bikes.
2. Project Progress Report
Social media and Newsletter: Will’s efforts to reinvigorate social media and the newsletter have shown positive results, with the highest growth seen in the newsletter. Facebook and YouTube growth remain sluggish, and experimentation with distribution times continues.
ACTION: Will to continue experimenting with distribution times for social media and newsletter to optimise engagement.
Lucinda raised whether the South West Energy and Environment Group (SWEEG) could calculate the carbon impact of every person in Devon adopting a heat pump for instance, so we could have some Devon wide messages related to specific actions taken that might be in support of some collective communications and it could be a collective SWEEG member initiative then.
ACTION: Emily to raise the idea with SWEEG and other SWEEG members of coming up with some messaging around the amount of carbon that could be saved by actions taken in Devon e.g. if every person adopted a heat pump.
3. Food, Land and Sea Progress Update
Devon Food Partnership: Harry West reported on the progress of the Devon Food Partnership, two-years on from the launch of a Food Strategy for Devon with six themes, including sustainability and climate. The partnership is working on improving reporting and communication of activities.
Peninsula Food Plan: A collaborative project with Food Plymouth, Torbay Food Partnership, Sustainable Food Cornwall, and Food Exeter. The plan aims to grow the local food system sustainably. Initial findings show that Devon and Cornwall can sustainably feed themselves and have surplus for export.
Agricultural Support: Harry West noted the completion of various agricultural support programmes, including Future Farming Resilience and Agri-innovation. However, funding for new initiatives is uncertain. The DEFRA Adopt Fund for Agri-tech adoption was mentioned as a positive development.
ACTION: Harry West to monitor developments regarding DEFRA Adopt Fund and potential SPF funding for agricultural support.
Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS): Emily Reed mentioned that there will be a month of formal consultation with supporting authorities followed by a public consultation on the local nature recovery strategy, dates still to be confirmed. Further funding for work on the LNRS is expected to be confirmed post-consultation.
Land Use Framework Consultation: Emily Reed is working on internal Devon County Council coordination of a response to the national land use framework consultation, which aims to reconcile various land use demands. The importance of clarity from the government was emphasised.
ACTION: Emily to submit a response to the national land use framework consultation by April 25, 2025.
Clare from the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust shared that their Green Plan has a theme of Food and Nutrition. They have been working on a map of their food suppliers, 30% of which are local.
4. Feedback on Monitoring Indicator Webpages
Emily Reed acknowledged the challenge of presenting the Food, Land, and Sea theme data in an accessible way. Current indicators include the number of environmental management schemes, seagrass meadow extents, and carbon sequestration potential of various habitats. Efforts are ongoing to make this data more public-friendly.
ACTION: Emily to revisit the presentation of food, land, and sea data to ensure it is accessible and understandable to the public.
5. Any Other Business
Plant-Based Treaty: Amy Brett-Schneider raised a question about the Plant-Based Treaty. Emily Reed and others discussed the sensitivity of this topic in agricultural areas like Devon. Exmouth Town Council had signed up, but East Devon District Council rejected it due to concerns about its impact on local farmers.
