Issue details

Thanet District Council called a Climate Emergency on 11th July 2019. Officer and cross party councillor working groups were formed to create and initiate actions on a first environmental action plan. All of the actions within that action plan were completed and in December 2021, the councillor working group was changed to the Climate Change Cabinet Advisory Group to produce this strategy and action plan, focussed specifically on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

An updated TDC pledge which includes actions to address District wide emissions is recommended to the Cabinet by the Climate Change Cabinet Advisory Group. This net zero pledge is as follows:

To do what is within our powers and resources to:

·  make Thanet District Council net zero by 2030 in our core carbon footprint (this includes emissions we have direct control over e.g. the estates and activities that we own and manage)

·  address emissions that TDC has partial control over (those outside of the core carbon footprint e.g. projects, procurement and social housing) as soon as possible, and by 2050 at the latest.

·  support KCC, the Government, business, industry and the community to make Thanet as a whole net zero by 2050.

In order to make these targets possible we will:

·  call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the targets possible;

·  continue to work with partners across the county and region to deliver this new goal through all relevant strategies;

·  investigate all possible sources of external funding and match funding to support this commitment

The strategy shows how we will meet our net zero pledge and is split into addressing emissions in TDC’s core carbon footprint, wider TDC emissions and Thanet wide emissions.

The data for TDC’s core carbon footprint and Thanet wide emissions has been calculated and 12 priorities to address these emissions have been agreed.

Each of the 12 priorities are described in the strategy document and then specific, immediate actions to 2024 are set out. The actions have been agreed with the relevant TDC directors and officers across the council and the action plan will be monitored monthly by the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services & Special Projects, the Director of Finance and Climate Change Officer, and every two months by the Climate Change Cabinet Advisory Group. It will also be externally audited, the report submitted to the OSP and cabinet on an annual basis.