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1. How many councils have you formally collaborated with on climate action initiatives in the past 12 months? There are 10 local authorities in the Devon Climate Emergency partnership, these are all the local authorities in the geographical county of Devon, including Plymouth and Torbay. We also collaborate with Cornwall Council and the Council of the Isles of Scilly through the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Climate Impacts Group. Minutes from the Response Group, Tactical Group and Climate Impacts Group can be found here: Impacts Group Minutes – Devon Climate Emergency . Further information about these groups and their terms of reference can be found on our website: About – Devon Climate Emergency. 2. Do you have a formal process for sharing information and best practices with other councils? If yes, please provide a link to the documentation outlining this process. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero funds regional Net Zero Hubs, we attend monthly online meetings through the SW Net Zero Hub, you can read more about the Hub here: swnetzerohub.org.uk. We are also a member of the South West Energy and Environment Group (SWEEG). 3. Do you have a dedicated team or individual responsible for monitoring climate action initiatives undertaken by other councils? All members of the Climate Team monitor climate action initiatives undertaken by other councils as far as capacity allows but especially when researching particular initiatives e.g. exploring the use of carbon offsets. 4. Do you subscribe to any databases, newsletters, or other resources that provide updates on other councils’ climate actions? If yes, please list them.
5. How many public consultations or surveys related to climate action have you conducted in the past 12 months? One, on the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Climate Adaptation Strategy. 6. What percentage of businesses in your jurisdiction have been formally engaged in your climate action plans? The percentage of businesses is unknown. However, businesses have been able to respond to public consultations on our climate strategies. Appendix 1 of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan Consultation Report lists the organisations that responded to the consultation, we estimate that 14 are businesses. A number of businesses were involved in the Thematic Hearings held to gather evidence for the Devon Carbon Plan, those who took part are listed here under the summary for each hearing: Thematic Hearings – Devon Climate Emergency . The Net Zero Task Force included representation from the South West Business Council, through Tim Jones: Current Members – Membership – South West Business Council. The Devon Climate Emergency Response Group has business representation through the National Farmers Union, The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, National Grid and South West Water. 7. Do you have a scoring or ranking system for prioritising climate actions? If yes, please provide a link to the documentation outlining this system. If no, how do you currently prioritise potential actions? The way in which priority actions were determined is explained in the Devon Carbon Plan: “Firstly, the Net Zero Task Force assessed each action’s potential to contribute to significant emissions reductions and the likelihood they can be implemented in a timely fashion. Secondly, some actions were highlighted as being important by the respondents to the public consultation.” The Net Zero Task Force were supported by the University of Exeter’s Centre for Energy and the Environment in assessing the prioritisation of actions. You can view all of the actions in the plan and their prioritisation scores here: Final Action Summary Tables – Devon Climate Emergency. 8. What are the most significant barriers you face in implementing climate action initiatives? Addressing climate change is multi-faceted, as are the barriers to action on climate change. Barriers to action on climate change were identified as part of the evidence gathering phase for the development of the Devon Carbon Plan and are documented in the write ups of the Thematic Hearings (Thematic Hearings – Devon Climate Emergency) as well as described in the Devon Carbon Plan itself, before we outline how these barriers can be overcome. The actions in the plan are intended to overcome the barriers. 9. Do you have a formal process for discovering, evaluating and adopting climate solutions from private sector suppliers? If yes, please provide a link to the documentation outlining this process. Yes, we acquire solutions from private sector suppliers through following our procurement processes: How to do business with Devon County Council – Economy and Enterprise . 10. How many people in the council have roles that focus on environmental issues? Please provide job titles and an indication of whether they are part or full time roles. If these could be listed in order of seniority it would also be helpful. Addressing environmental issues, including climate change, is one of the key strategic priorities for Devon County Council, meaning that all staff from the Chief Executive Officer downwards need to take account of this in the exercise of their duties. The degree of “focus” will vary from those who devote virtually none of their time to environmental issues through to those in fully dedicated roles. There are approximately 40 or so posts which make up the County Council’s Environmental Group (Names of the members of staff have been redacted from this information as this is personal information which is exempt from disclosure pursuant to Part 13 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004). However, beyond this there will be, at least, several hundred other staff who will spend a significant proportion of their time addressing environmental issues in one way or another, particularly those dealing with Planning, Transport Planning, Transport Coordination, Engineering Design, Highway Maintenance, Waste Management etc. Even certain ‘support staff’, such as Finance Officers, will devote significant time to handling environmental issues.
11. What percentage of your annual budget is specifically allocated for climate action initiatives? Only 0.09% of Devon County Councils entire Revenue budget is explicitly allocated to climate change initiatives. This includes staff whose roles are dedicated to working on the coordination and delivery of climate action initiatives, as well as environmental performance initiatives, research and evidence, communications, carbon reduction and offsetting and supply chain carbon reduction. However, this does not capture the significant sums spent in other areas of the authority which contribute to emissions reduction and climate adaptation. For instance, our engineers are establishing carbon accounting to facilitate emissions reductions on their schemes. Additionally, large amounts of money are spent on capital projects which deliver emissions reductions, such as the retrofitting of buildings, installation of renewables, transition to EVs in the fleet etc. However, capital spending is not part of the standard “annual budget” therefore falls outside of the scope of the question. 12. Do you have a sustainable procurement policy? If yes, please provide a link to the policy document. Our Procurement Strategy outlines how we consider sustainability, including Climate Change: Procurement Strategy 2021-2026 – Economy and Enterprise (devon.gov.uk) 13. Do you have any case studies highlighting successful climate action initiatives? If yes, please provide links. Yes, we regularly update case studies on our website here: Taking Action – Devon Climate Emergency.
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