Attendees
| Emily Reed | Devon Climate Emergency |
| John Amosford | Public Health Devon |
| Michelle Lane | National Trust |
| Jacqui Warren | Torbay Council |
| William Jackson-Nichols | Devon Climate Emergency |
| Mark Burton | Southwest Net Zero Hub |
| Lucinda Brook | Plymouth City Council |
| Andy Seaman | University of Exeter |
| James Wright | Dartmoor National Park Authority |
| Catherine Causley | East Devon District Council |
| Alice Gent | Exeter City Council |
| Adam Williams | South Hams and West Devon Councils |
| Aaron Harverson | Active Devon |
| Louise Sawyer | Devon and Cornwall Police |
| Donna Sibley | North Devon and Torridge District Councils |
| Amy Brett-Schneider | Exeter City Council |
1. Welcome and Introductions
Emily Reed welcomed attendees and introduced new members: James Wright, who was standing in for Jen Manning, and Michelle Lane from the National Trust in North Devon. James Wright and Michelle Lane briefly introduced themselves and their roles.
2. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Emily Reed asked for any points of accuracy regarding the previous minutes. No corrections were noted, and the minutes were accepted.
3. Action Points from Previous Meeting
Emily Reed updated the group on the action to collate funding partners’ have distributed to community groups for climate action. She requested additional figures from attendees. Emily Reed clarified the government guidance on residual waste collection, noting that local authorities can decide the frequency. Louise Sawyer was to circulate information on the new anchor institution framework. Emily Reed also shared the link to the climate ambassador’s scheme.
ACTION: Partners to share figures on community funding for climate action they have distributed for Emily Reed to collate.
ACTION: Louise Sawyer to circulate information on the anchor institution framework.
4. Project Progress Report
Emily Reed briefly reviewed the overall project progress report, highlighting increased followers and actions through communication channels. Updates on transport-related actions included East Devon District Council adding two electric recycling lorries, Libraries Unlimited offering free cycle training sessions, Devon County Council allocating £7.1 million for active travel schemes, and Peninsula Transport launching a consultation on their strategic implementation plan.
5. Transport Progress Updates
Emily Reed reviewed the Transport monitoring indicators. Those on track included the rollout of superfast broadband and EV charging stations. Off-track indicators included shifts to active travel, public transport, low emission buses, the phase-out of internal combustion engine cars and vans, and a 15% emission reduction from HGVs.
Alice Gent shared updates on cargo bikes used by environmental health teams. Adam Williams discussed car share schemes, improved cycle facilities, new EV chargers, and new electric work boats. Aaron Harverson mentioned adult cycle confidence sessions and challenges in Torbay. Jacqui Warren highlighted walking and cycling investment plans and new electric vans for Torbay Council’s fleet. Lucinda Brook provided updates from Plymouth, including adaptive bike schemes, community engagement events, and bus service improvements.
Updates on action T14 (Support car clubs) included legal agreements for a new car club provider. Action T15 (Promote car sharing) would see upcoming communications to reinvigorate interest in the car share Devon platform. The action T17 (Enhance bus priority measures) was suggested to be amber from green.
ACTION: Emily Reed to update on the procurement of a replacement to Co bikes.
ACTION: Doug to prepare information for senior officers regarding Local Area Energy Plans.
ACTION: Aaron Harverson to connect with James Wright about adult cycle confidence sessions in Princetown.
6. Task Force Feedback
Emily Reed discussed the Task Force’s feedback on transport actions. The action T8 (Community bike rental schemes) was marked as amber and suggested to be red due to issues in Exeter. The action T11 (Reallocate road capacity to sustainable modes) was also suggested to be red.
7. Any Other Business
Jacqui Warren shared that they were unsuccessful in their bid for the National Lottery Climate Action Fund. Mark Burton requested information on renewable energy sites for the Southwest Net Zero hub. James Wright updated on Dartmoor National Park’s active travel plan and public transport connectivity. William Jackson-Nichols reminded attendees to arrange recurring one-to-one meetings.
ACTION: Mark Burton to report back from the forum on 25th March.
Appendix 1 – Project Progress Report
Period: February to March 2025
Partnership Update
General Communications
The overall number of followers increased in February by 0.58%. In relation to growth, all channels were positive (Newsletter: +0.74%; Instagram: +0.5%; Facebook: +0.17%; LinkedIn: +1.03%; YouTube: +0%) with the highest being on LinkedIn and the lowest on YouTube. The newsletter saw a decline in unique opens from 47% in January to 43% in February; experimentation will continue with what day/time is best to distribute to maximise unique opens. The website saw double the number of total users in February (3513) compared to January (1577).
Partners’ Notable Activity
Activity is recorded centrally on the Taking Action pages of the Devon Climate Emergency website.
- East Devon District Council (EDDC) has added two electric recycling lorries to its fleet to help achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, with trials in Cranbrook, Tithebarn, and West Clyst, emphasising health and environmental benefits and setting an example for other councils.
- Active Devon and Libraries Unlimited are offering free cycle training sessions at Tavistock and Honiton libraries starting February 2025 to boost road confidence, reduce carbon emissions, and promote healthy, eco-friendly transportation for adults of all skill levels.
- The South West of England will receive £23.1 million in government funding for active travel schemes to improve health and reduce carbon emissions, supporting new cycle tracks, footpaths, safer crossings, and road junctions, with £7.1 million allocated for Devon, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly.
- Peninsula Transport has launched a consultation on their Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) to enhance connectivity, resilience, and sustainability by improving transport networks, promoting electric vehicles, and supporting economic growth through better digital and physical connectivity.
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 this year.
Oversight of the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Climate Adaptation Strategy
The Climate Impacts Group is reviewing its approach to monitoring all the risks and near-term actions each year and how the group collaborates on implementation. No change to the RAG ratings this month.
Feedback from the Climate Task Force
The Devon Climate Task Force held its latest quarterly meeting in December and made the following recommendations to the Response Group:
- Use the Local Resilience Forum emergency response trigger to ensure sufficiently senior leaders, as well as personnel who will implement actions, attend the Carbon Trust workshop.
- Ensure the workshop focuses on practical, high-impact actions, and addressing barriers to success.
- Ensure the Carbon Trust workshop includes a focus on broadening outreach to businesses and community groups.
- Secure or provide funding to research business resilience and understand what businesses are doing around climate resilience.
- Develop a project to capture and share peer-to-peer learning about climate adaptation through resilience stories from businesses.
- Engage with Defra regarding options for environmental management and regulatory issues affecting farmers’ adaptation efforts e.g. water abstraction licencing.
Devolution Update
The Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority (CCA) has officially been established, allowing local decision-makers to take control over key issues such as housing, jobs, skills, transport, and the economy. This follows the signing of the necessary legislation by the Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jim McMahon, under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023. The inaugural meeting of the CCA members, which include representatives from Devon County Council, Torbay Council, Devon’s District/City/Borough Councils, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the business community, will take place on 19 March 2025. A CCA Climate Change Board is also being set up.
In addition, the Government’s Devolution White Paper has introduced a programme for local government reorganisation in two-tier areas, inviting councils to propose new unitary councils. This reorganisation is expected to have significant implications for local authorities in Devon, creating uncertainty and potentially reducing the capacity of partner organisations. The risk register has been updated to reflect these risks as the transition to unitary status progresses.
