Agenda and minutes

Councillor Christian Holliday and Jennifer Jordan submitted apologies for absence.

In accordance with Procedure Rule 23(j), Councillor Mike Piper attended as a substitute on behalf of Councillor Jennifer Jordan.

In accordance with the revised local Code of Conduct, a councillor is required to disclose at the meeting any Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (DPI) that they may have in respect of any matter for consideration on this agenda.  Any councillor with a DPI must not participate in any discussion or vote regarding that matter and they must withdraw from the meeting immediately before consideration of the matter.

If that DPI has not been registered, the councillor must notify the Monitoring Officer of the details of the DPI within 28 days of the date of the meeting.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest.

To confirm the minutes of the Executive Advisory Board meeting held on 13 July 2017.

The minutes of the meeting held on 13 July 2017 were confirmed as a correct record and were signed by the Chairman.

(Presentation)

The Facilities and Office Services Manager gave an overview of this Council’s approach to sustainability and renewable energy.

The Energy and Sustainability team was responsible for utilities management, and worked on various energy saving projects, for example Castle car park, where LED lighting had been installed to reduce electricity consumption. The team was also involved in walking and cycling initiatives, as well as transportation plans. In addition, team members visited schools to give presentations, produced “Environment Matters” newsletters for pupils to raise awareness around recycling, and arranged workshops at the Guildford Hydro Project. The Board asked that Councillors be included in the distribution list for future newsletters.

Since 2013, the Energy and Sustainability team had supported Action Surrey to help residents achieve combined annual savings of £55,000 by improving energy efficiency and cutting fuel bills. Projected lifetime savings were over £500,000, and for its work on this project, the team had reached the finals of the National Energy Efficiency and Healthy Homes Awards, and was presented with a certificate. The Facilities and Office Services Manager agreed to find out whether data was available on the amount of thermal units the project had saved.

The Board learned that two thermal imaging cameras were available for public loan, with training provided. The team supported the Guildford Repair Café, as well as the Guildford Fairtrade Steering Group. Ongoing projects included the management of the small hydropower station at Millmead, the Millmead biomass system, and solar installations across the council estate. Part of the role of the Energy and Sustainability team was to look at income generation; additional hydro-generation was being considered, and locations for additional solar panels were being identified. Biomass was difficult to retrofit, and was therefore more appropriate to new builds. The wood for Millmead’s biomass boiler had to be checked on delivery to ensure it was dry, and the Facilities and Office Services Manager agreed to source information on the calorific value of dry woodchip.

The Board heard that the team’s activities were underpinned by key documents including the Surrey Climate Change Strategy, the Carbon Management Plan, the Home Energy Conservation Act Report, the Sustainable Procurement Strategy, and the Corporate Plan. A renewable energy mapping study had also been produced, which illustrated locations where certain technologies could be considered.

The Facilities and Office Services Manager outlined current spending on utilities. The Board asked whether rainwater was recycled, and although there was no rainwater harvesting at Millmead, recycled water was used in parks and at the Stoke Park greenhouses. LASER, a public sector buying group, was used to procure and manage energy, as a way of reducing costs, minimising risk, and increasing efficiency. 

The Facilities and Office Services Manager provided details of expenditure on various projects, which to date had achieved gross savings of over £2 million, representing a 22% return on investment. Petrol and fuel accounted for 20% of this Council’s carbon consumption, and £40,000 had been spent trying to improve the fleet’s performance. No figures were available for voltage  ...  view the full minutes text for item S19

To consider and approve the EAB’s draft work programme.  Details of future Executive decisions are included.  

The work programme was noted by the Board.