Annual Environmental Performance Report

Transcription

1 Annual Environmental Performance Report

2 Contents Foreword 3 Background 4-5 About Leicestershire County Council 4 Environmental Strategy and Policy 4 Governance 4 Staff Engagement 5 Our Environmental Performance 6 Summary 6 Carbon Emissions 7-9 Energy Efficiency Air Quality 12 Business Mileage 13 Adapting to Climate Change Office Waste Environmental Procurement Water Consumption 22 Environmental Risk Management 23 Site and Ecology Management Staff Engagement 26-27

3 Annual Environmental Performance Report Foreword In March 2009 Leicestershire County Council adopted a new Environment Strategy and Action Plan (reviewed March 2010). This set out the Council s vision to become one of the best performing county councils in England on the environment. The focus of the strategy is to reduce the environmental impact of delivering services to communities in Leicestershire. Climate change has become the most talked about environmental issue in recent years, so perhaps it is no surprise that one of the headline targets for the Council is to reduce its carbon emissions by 30% between 2008/09 and 2013/2014. This will achieved by being more efficient with the use of energy in buildings and in the lighting of streets and signs and by reducing business travel. The added advantage of tackling our use of energy is that success will also contribute to the financial savings that we need to make. As well as reducing its carbon emissions the Council has also taken a lead in planning for the impact of climate changes that are already being predicted. By 2020 it is anticipated that we will experience warmer and wetter winters, and hotter and drier summer. Our services are assessing the implications of these changes and making plans to adapt to them. However, improving our environmental performance is not just about climate change. We have set targets for; reducing the waste arising from our offices while increasing the amount we are able to re-use, recycle and compost; reducing the amount of paper that we purchase; reducing the level of nitrous oxides and particulates we emit into the air; assessing how effectively we manage green space and biodiversity; and a number of other issues. Meeting these targets will be challenging and one of the keys to success will be the level of support and engagement we are able to engender with our staff. We have therefore included targets in relation to the attitude of council staff. In this, our first Annual Environmental Performance Report, we have set out the progress we have made in meeting these targets and the actions we have, and will, take to realise our vision of being one of the best performing county councils in England on the environment. In some areas it has been easier to identify and collect data than in others and there are gaps in our ability to measure progress. These gaps have been addressed and improved data will be available in future. While this report focuses on our own internal environmental performance, I also want to take the opportunity to reflect on some of the other environmental work undertaken by the Council. Leicestershire County Council has an excellent track record in supporting local people in making their own contribution to environmental protection. Working with the District and Borough Councils in the Leicestershire Waste Partnership, Leicestershire was able to re-use, recycle or compost 52.6% of all household waste in 2009/2010. This is the highest level of any county partnership in England. Together with our partners we engage, encourage and support communities to take action to mitigate climate change. In 2009/2010 we extended our work under Climate Change Communities by establishing a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with De Montfort University and the Rural Community Council so that we are now working with 10 Leicestershire Communities to address carbon emissions. Working with District Councils, Leicester City Council and Rutland County Council we are partners in the BIG Switch Off, which in 2009/2010 encouraged schools, business and individuals to reduce electricity consumption in the County by 0.5%. The County Council also established the Community Climate Change Grant which supports community organisations in taking steps to address climate change through practical measures in their buildings or by supporting education and promotion. This fund helped 17 community organisations in 2009/2010 to take steps to improve their energy efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We also maintain over 3,000km of public rights of way and 20 country parks which help residents and visitors to access and enjoy Leicestershire s excellent countryside. Through the Stepping Stones Project we support communities to improve local green space, and during this year worked with local authorities across the region in developing an award winning strategic approach to developing green infrastructure. We have also won a number of awards related to environmental good practice. For example the Enderby Park and Ride facility developed in partnership with Leicester City Council won the Environmental Transport Award at the Government Business Awards. The Council was also assessed for its use of Natural Resources through the Comprehensive Area Assessment. The authority received a level 3 rating which places the Council in a small group of the highest rated county councils. Many environmental challenges lie ahead, but Leicestershire County Council is determined to be a green council, and to support the Coalition Government s objective of being Britain s greenest ever government. Professor Mike Preston Lead Member for Climate Action

4 4 Annual Environmental Performance Report Background About Leicestershire County Council Leicestershire County Council is the upper tier authority for Leicestershire and works closely with seven District and Borough Councils, other public sector organisations, the private and voluntary sectors through Leicestershire Together (The Local Strategic Partnership for Leicestershire) to provide services for 645,000 residents. Leicestershire County Council employs 8,400 staff excluding teaching and school staff. In all, the Council has nearly 1,000 property assets (buildings and parcels of land) including 295 schools. The Council s land holdings include three areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The Council has 5 departments, each led by a Director. These departments are Chief Executives, Corporate Resources, Children and Young People s Services, Adults and Communities, and Environment and Transport. The Directors, together with the Director of Public Health, form the Corporate Management Team for the Council. The Council is led by a Cabinet. Environmental Strategy and Policy Leicestershire County Council adopted its current Environment Strategy and Action Plan in March The strategy includes the Council s Environment Policy. The strategy and policy are reviewed and updated regularly. The most recent revisions were made in March The Council s current Environment Strategy and Action Plan are available on the Council s website ( The Council s vision as set out in the Environment Strategy is; to be one of the best (performing) county council s in England on the environment by The strategy details the Council s environmental objectives in relation to its own environmental performance. For each objective targets have been agreed for 2010, 2015 and Environmental Governance Oversight of the Council s environmental performance is provided through quarterly reporting of progress to the Cabinet. This is done in line with all other performance reporting in the Council. Quarterly reports are prepared and considered by the Corporate Management Team, the Budget and Performance Scrutiny Committee and then Cabinet. At each of these stages there is a particular focus in addressing what needs to be done to address any area of performance that is or in danger of not meeting its target. A cabinet member (Professor Mike Preston) was appointed in May 2009 as the Lead Member for Climate Action. The principal responsibility of the Lead Member is to champion and have political oversight of the Corporate Environment Strategy and Action Plan and its implementation. The responsibility for ensuring the delivery of the Environment Strategy and securing the targets within it lies with the Environment and Transport Department. Specific day to day responsibility rests with the Climate Action Team. The Lead Member meets regularly with the Director of Environment and Transport and officers from the Climate Action Team to review progress and consider options for improving performance.

5 Annual Environmental Performance Report While responsibility for implementing the Strategy and delivering the performance improvements is held within the Environment and Transport Department, it is recognised that success can only be achieved if action to support the Strategy and Action plan is taken across all of the Council s departments. To facilitate engagement and action with all departments in the Council and to provide strategic oversight, an Environment Strategy Board was established in 2008 which meets quarterly. The Strategy Board is led by the Director of Environment and Transport and includes a Department Environment Lead from each Department Management Team. In addition the Board includes the Head of Corporate Finance, the Energy Services Manager, Head of Performance Management and the Head of Property Services. Figure 1: Governance Structure for the Environment Budget and Performance Scrutiny Committee CABINET Lead Member Climate Action Corporate Management Team Environment Strategy Board Staff Engagement Action to deliver the Council s environmental objectives are being taken at all levels; corporately, in departments and at an operational level. However, the day to day practices of staff are critical to success. Therefore the Council launched a programme of staff engagement on the environment under the banner Go Green. The programme promotes 7 Ways to Go Green to staff and is developing a network of Go Green Champions across the organisation to support the initiative. The Champions are a key part of communicating the desired behaviour of staff in relation to business travel, the management and minimisation of office waste, the use of paper, being efficient with the use of electricity, greening what the council buys and challenging the Council and individual staff to improve their performance. The programme was launched in June 2009 and will be developed during 2010/2011.

6 6 Annual Environmental Performance Report Our Environmental Performance Summary In Leicestershire County Council s Environment Strategy and Action Plan 11 objectives are identified. For each of these, high level targets have been agreed for 2010/2011, 2015 and Since the strategy was agreed a Performance Management Framework has been developed that includes these high level targets but has expanded the number of indicators that will be used to measure our success delivering environmental performance improvement. In all there are now 25 separate measures used to assess progress. Progress against the targets in 2009/2010 for each objective are summarised in Table 1: Environmental Performance. Detailed information about all the measures under each objective are covered in the sections following the summary. Progress against each of the objectives within the Environment Strategy is rated according to how well we are progressing, both in terms of if we are meeting our targets and whether we are making progress towards achieving these. The number of objectives relating to each theme is shown in brackets Table 1: Environmental Performance Theme Carbon emissions (6) Energy efficiency (2) Air quality (2) Business mileage (1) Adapting to climate change (1) Office waste (2) Water (1) Environmental Procurement (3) Site and ecology management (3) Staff engagement on the environment (3) The target is being met Progress has been made but the target has not been met There has been little or no progress Environmental risk management (1) Rating our progress

7 Annual Environmental Performance Report Carbon Emissions Context There is broad scientific consensus that the earth s climate is changing due to human activity. Carbon emissions from human activity, along with other greenhouse gas emissions such as methane, are considered to be significant contributors to this. Despite the uncertainties linked to modelling the likely climate impacts, there is now also a political consensus in Europe that action needs to be taken to reduce carbon emissions to limit climate change in the future. The European Union has set targets to reduce carbon emissions to 20% of 1990 levels by The UK government has set a target to reduce carbon emissions to 34% of 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80% by The UK government passed legislation (The Climate Change Act 2008) that means that the UK is the first government in the world to have set legally binding carbon reduction targets. The legislation requires Leicestershire County Council, to participate in the Carbon Reduction Commitment (Energy Efficiency Scheme). This places an obligation on the Council to purchase carbon allowances annually, for emissions from its stationary sources (buildings, {including schools}, street lighting and road signs). This brings additional costs to energy consumption, at a time when energy prices are expected to continue to rise. What we measure We measure the direct carbon emissions arising from the Council s use of all energy (gas, electricity, coal, oil, liquid gas, petrol and diesel) from the following sources: Council buildings Schools Street lighting and illuminated highway signs Council business travel (business miles claimed, air, and train) Council fleet vehicles The conversion factors used for each source are taken from the National Indicator 185 toolkit provided by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and from a number of other sources where this information is not available through DECC. The figure does not include carbon emissions of external suppliers and contractors. Targets and performance Leicestershire County Council s target is to reduce direct carbon emissions from its operations to 30% of 2008/2009 level by 2013/2014. Interim targets are to reduce carbon emissions by 4% by 2009/2010 and 7.8% by 2010/2011. The baseline figure for 2008/2009 (April to March)has been revised since it was first calculated and published in July 2009 as the result of more accurate figures being available for previously estimated energy bills and due to errors identified in the carbon emissions from fleet vehicles during the calculation of the 2009/2010 figure.

8 8 Annual Environmental Performance Report Overall the Council s carbon emissions fell by 2.7% from 81,200 tonnes in 2008/2009 to 78,997 tonnes in 2009/2010. Figure 2 shows a comparison between carbon emissions by each source for 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. The data is provided in Table 2. F igure 3: Carbon emissions by source 2008/ /2010 Figure 2: Carbon emissions by source 2008/ / ,000 Tonnes 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 LCC Council B uildings Buildings S Schools chools S Street treetlighting lighting Business B usiness travel Fleet Fleet Travel Source S ource Table 2: Carbon emissions by source 2008/ / / / / /2010 % change Council Buildings 12,944 12, % Schools 44,000 41, % Street lighting 16,428 16, % Business Travel 3,390 3, % Fleet 4,437 4, % TOTAL 81,200 78, % There has been significant progress in reducing carbon emissions from schools and some progress with reducing emissions from business travel and Council buildings. Carbon emissions have risen from street lighting as the result of more lighting being adopted from new developments, however, a programme of dimming, part-night lighting and turning some street lights off began in 2010/2011 that will reverse this trend. Emissions from the fleet are likely to fall in the coming year as the result of some vehicle replacement and fleet reductions as part of Transforming Highways Works (the direct service related to highways maintenance and improvement). It is anticipated that progress will accelerate during 2010/2011 as the full benefit of projects completed or initiated in 2009/2010 are realised and further projects are commissioned.

9 Annual Environmental Performance Report Action taken During 2008 the Council joined the Carbon Trust Carbon Management Programme. This required the Council to develop a clear plan identifying specific projects and activities to reduce carbon emissions. The plan was submitted to the Cabinet, adopted in April 2009, and reviewed in July The implementation of the plan was supported by the establishment of an invest to save finance fund of 1.3 million ( 650,000 as match funding from SALIX, a fund offering matched funding to support investment in carbon reduction initiatives). By March 2010 projects to the value of 56,000 had been commissioned (a further 210,000 of projects were commissioned between April and September 2010). These projects included: Installation of voltage optimisation technology at County Hall and Snibston Discovery Park A number of lighting schemes in schools A PC Power down project not yet completely rolled out. Accommodation strategy - vacating a number of buildings, improving access to mobile and flexible working, and refurbishing its main offices with more efficient lighting and improved insulation. Print rationalisation project initiated but not yet fully rolled out Business Mileage Reduction Project begun in February Rolling programme of boiler and double glazing replacement Future Action During 2010/2011 a range of projects identified in 2009/2010 will be commissioned. The accommodation strategy will continue to be rolled out and the Business Mileage Project will be completed. Strategies to reduce carbon emissions through environmental procurement will also be undertaken. During 2010/2011 a review of the Carbon Management Programme will be undertaken and a refreshed Carbon Management Plan prepared aimed at securing the 30% target by 2013/2014. This will include workshops to identify further opportunities for action. The Council will invest in Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology across its estate. AMR improves the accuracy of energy usage data and is a critical energy management tool that allows energy consumption data to be viewed in real time and enables action to be taken immediately where opportunities for improvement are revealed. The Council s ability to accelerate progress will be affected by the financial position which may limit major capital investment. In addition, departments have undertaken activities and projects that will contribute to carbon emissions reductions.

10 10 Annual Environmental Performance Report Energy Efficiency Context Improving the energy efficiency of Council and school buildings is related both to the physical capability of buildings and the way in which they are used. Improving energy efficiency is delivered by many of the same actions being taken to support reduced carbon emissions. It is included as a separate measure within the Performance Framework to ensure that the Council s buildings become more energy efficient and that carbon emission reductions are not simply achieved by reducing the size of the council. What we measure Energy efficiency is defined as the energy consumption from all sources per square metre per year of all Council buildings and schools. Where a building ceases to be included in the assets during the calculation period it is removed entirely from the calculation. If a building is replaced the average efficiency of the two buildings is used. Targets and performance Leicestershire County Council has established a target of improving energy efficiency by 30% by 2013/2014 compared to 2008/2009. The interim target for 2009/2010 was to improve energy efficiency by 4%. In line with the reduction of carbon emissions from schools and Council buildings there has been good progress on this measure with energy efficiency improving overall by 9%. The bulk of this achievement came from schools achieving well beyond the target and Council buildings showing a reduction at a lower rate. Figure 3 below shows the energy efficiency of Council buildings, schools and the overall figure in kwh/ m2 for 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. The data is provided in Table 3.

11 Annual Environmental Performance Report Figure 3: Energy efficiency of Buildings E nergy effic ienc y of s c hools and c orproate buildings Energy efficiency of schools and corporate buildings kwh/m / / /2010 target 0 Council C orporate Buildings SSchools All All Buildings s ites S ource Table 3: Energy efficiency data for buildings 2008/ 2009 Kwh/m2 2009/ / 2010 target Corporate Buildings Schools All buildings The difference in the energy efficiency performance between Council buildings and schools is related to the types of buildings in each set. Action taken The actions taken to deliver improved energy efficiency in 2009/2010 were the ones identified in the section on Carbon Emissions above. The accommodation strategy has targeted removing the least energy efficient buildings from use. Future Action The actions to be taken in 2010/2011 to deliver the energy efficiency improvement are those identified in the section on Carbon Emissions above.

12 12 Annual Environmental Performance Report Air Quality Context A number of objectives have been established in relation to air quality at both the European and the UK level (emanating from the 1996 EC Directive). This includes setting targets for reducing emissions of specific pollutants to minimise negative impacts on health. The Environment Act (1995) introduced a new system for strategically reviewing and assessing air quality. The Government produced a series of National Air Quality Strategies (NAQS) and set objectives for eight pollutants to protect human health. Leicestershire County Council activities result in emission of a range of pollutants to the atmosphere. While these are not significant compared to emissions from other sources in the county, the Council is committed to reducing them from its own activities. What we measure Leicestershire County Council measures its emissions of two of the pollutants identified in the directive; nitrous oxides (NOx) and particulates (PM10) which arise principally from burning fuels in buildings and vehicles. The figures for these are based on the use of the Department of Energy and Climate Change NI185 and NI194 template which is used to record all energy use by the Council and to convert this into carbon emissions and emissions of NOx and PM10. Targets and Performance The target for 2009/2010 was to reduce emissions of NOx and PM10 by 4% compared to the levels a baseline year of 2008/2009 and by 30% by 2013/2014. In 2009/2010 NOx emissions fell by 0.1% and PM10 emissions rose by 0.2%. These changes are smaller than the margins of error for the data collected and are therefore effectively static and the target was missed. The calculated emissions are shown in Table 4 below. Table 4: Emissions of NOx and PM10 in (tonnes) Emissions 2008/ /2010 Change NO x % PM % Action taken The actions to address emissions of NOx and PM10 are those related to reducing carbon emissions (see above). In addition a Fleet Vehicle Review was launched to identify ways to improve the efficiency of the use of the Council s fleet vehicles, its size and mix, and to develop a vehicle replacement strategy that will include procurement decisions taking due consideration of the emissions profiles of vehicles. Future action In 2010/2011 the Council will undertake actions described in the section on Carbon Emissions (See above) to reduce emissions.

13 Annual Environmental Performance Report Business Mileage Context Business mileage is undertaken by staff and Members in their own or leased vehicles for which they receive re-imbursement at an agreed rate. The cost to the Council of paying business mileage claims is significant and management procedures are in place to ensure that this cost is appropriately monitored and managed. For most purposes, the Council considers that staff and Members using their own vehicles is the most cost effective option to enable services to be delivered effectively. Where this is not the case, staff use vehicles from the Council s fleet. In the main this is where there are specific needs that are not met by the type of vehicle typically owned by staff and Members such as vans, lorries and mini-buses. Business mileage accounts for 4% of all the Council s carbon emissions and contributes to the Council s emissions of nitrous oxides and particulates with its associated impact on air quality and public health. While these are not significant in relation to total emissions across the county, the Council is nevertheless committed to minimising these emissions (See the section on Air Quality). What we measure This measure records all claims for travel expenses by staff owned vehicles (including leased vehicles). Targets and performance Leicestershire County Council s target is to reduce business mileage by 5% in 2009/2010 compared to 2008/2009 on the way to achieving a 10% reduction by 2013/2014. Progress towards this target is set out in Table 5. Table 5: Business mileage claims 2008/ /2010 Business miles claimed % change (millions of miles) 2008 / / % Progress has been made to reduce business miles in 2009/2010 but insufficient to meet the target. Action taken The main action taken to address this measure in 2009/2010 was the development of Mobile and Flexible working. Through the Accommodation Strategy areas have been set aside in buildings across the county that enable staff to access the Council s computer network remotely and therefore reduce the need for staff to return to their base when it would be more efficient (in time and travel) to make use of space available in a closer location. In addition, the programme has enabled staff that do not always need to be in their principal office on a daily basis to work from home. In all 185 staff have joined the mobile and flexible working scheme and this has resulted in a reduction of 9.2% of miles from these participants. More generally all staff and managers have received information on the continuing need to be prudent with business mileage and to encourage practices that will lead to reduction. Future action In February 2010 a Business Mileage Project was established to develop tools and approaches to reduce business mileage across the Council. The project is intended to be completed by March 2011 with many of the tools and practices made available to staff and managers. The Mobile and Flexible Working Programme will continue to be developed enabling more staff to make use of the facilities provided and new facilities, in particular video conferencing, will be installed to reduce the need to travel.

14 14 Annual Environmental Performance Report Adapting to Climate Change Context There is a broad scientific consensus that the earth s climate is changing due to human activity. The United Kingdom Climate Projections 2009 (UK CP09) predicts that in the coming years we will experience warmer drier summers and warmer wetter winters. Extreme events such as intense rainfall and heat waves are projected to increase, while there are likely to be less intense, less frequent occurrences of very cold weather and snow, frost, or ice events in winter. There are no projections for changes in storms and wind speed. Table 6 details these projections for the 2020s and 2050s. The changes are against a baseline of the observed average climate over the period , using CP09 s medium greenhouse gas emissions scenario. The main figures given (in larger text) are central estimates, while the figures in brackets are 10th and 90th percentiles values (for example, there is only a 10% probability that summer mean temperature will increase by less than 0.5ºC by the 2020s, and only a 10% probability that it will increase by more than 2.5ºC.)

15 Annual Environmental Performance Report Table 6: Projected changes in climatic variables for the 2020s and 2050s (Summary based on UKCP09 data) Changes compared to averages 2020s 2050s Hotter summers Summer mean temperature is projected to increase by: The mean daily maximum temperature (i.e. the temperature in the hottest part of the day) is projected to increase more significantly than the mean temperature. As such, the likelihood and severity of hot summer temperatures and heat waves is projected to increase Drier summers Summer mean precipitation (rainfall) is projected to decrease by: Droughts are therefore likely to become more frequent in summer. Warmer winters Winter mean temperature is projected to increase by: As such, the likelihood and severity of severe winter cold spells is projected to decrease. Wetter winters Winter mean precipitation is projected to increase by: It should be noted that although winter precipitation is likely to increase, less of this will fall as snow, and more as rain, than is currently the case, as a result of increased temperatures. +1.4ºC (0.5 to 2.5) +1.9ºC (0.5 to 3.4) -6% (-22 to 12) +1.3ºC (0.6 to 2.1) +5% (-2 to 16) +2.5ºC (1.2 to 4.2) +3.3ºC (1.3 to 5.9) -15% (-35 to 6) +2.2ºC (1.1 to 3.4) +14% (2 to 29) Number of heavy rain days/yr in winter Number of heavy rain days in summer To increase by a factor of between 2 and 3.5 To increase by a factor of between 1 to 2 In the face of these predicted changes Leicestershire County Council is committed to taking steps to adapt the way services are delivered to minimise the impact of climate change on service users. Local authorities were given the duty in the Climate Change Act 2008 to ensure that they and their partners take appropriate action to minimise the impact of climate. What we measure As yet no suitable outcome indicators have been identified. Therefore for the time being we only report on progress with the process of adapting. This is defined in National Indicator 188 as progress to achieving different levels of preparedness as described in Table 7 overleaf.

16 16 Annual Environmental Performance Report Table 7: Levels of readiness for adapting to climate change Level Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Requirement Getting started The Authority has begun the process of assessing the potential threats and opportunities across its estate and services and has identified and agreed the next steps to build on that assessment in a systematic and coordinated way. Public commitment and impacts assessment; Assembling and evidence base The Authority has made a public commitment to identify and manage climate related risk. It has undertaken a local risk based assessment of significant vulnerabilities and opportunities to weather and climate, both now and in the future. It has communicated these potential vulnerabilities and opportunities to department/service heads and other local partners and has set out the next steps in addressing them. Comprehensive risk assessment (with prioritised action in some areas) The Authority has undertaken a comprehensive risk based assessment of vulnerabilities to weather and climate, both now and in the future, and has identified priority risks for its services. It has identified the most effective adaptive responses and has started incorporating these in council strategies, plans, partnerships and operations. It has begun implementing appropriate adaptive responses in some priority areas. In its role as a community leader the council has started working with its partners encouraging identification of major weather and climate vulnerabilities and opportunities. Comprehensive action plan (and prioritised action in priority areas) The Authority has embedded climate impacts and risks across council decision making. It has developed a comprehensive adaptation action plan to deliver the necessary steps to achieve the existing objectives set out in council strategies, plans, investment decisions and partnership arrangements in light of projected climate change and is implementing appropriate adaptive responses in all priority areas. Implementation, monitoring and continuous review The Authority and its partners are implementing the comprehensive adaptation action plan across the local authority area, and there is a robust process for regular and continual monitoring and review to ensure progress with each measure and updating of objectives. Targets and Performance The County Council has agreed a target of achieving Level 2 by 2009/2010 and Level 4 by 2013/14. The County Council achieved Level 2 in 2009/2010 and worked together with District Councils to do the same.

17 Annual Environmental Performance Report Action taken In 2008/2009 Leicestershire County Council, together with Leicester City Council, carried out a study to identify how Council services have been affected by weather events in the past to gain an understanding of how vulnerable these are. A review of key strategies and policies identified a gap in appreciation of how predicted changes to the climate are likely to affect the delivery of services. The results were used to gain Strategic Partnership and Corporate commitments to addressing the potential impacts of predicted changes to the climate. Resilience to Climate Change was adopted as a Sustainable Community Strategy Outcome and also became a key objective of the Council s Environment Strategy. Following this Leicestershire County Council approved funding for additional highway drainage works to alleviate flood risk and set up a multi-agency Strategic Flood Risk Management Board. At the same time, Leicestershire County Council s Highways Department commissioned, together with the Midlands Highways Alliance, a detailed study of the risks to highways infrastructure from projected climate change. In 2009/2010 the Council worked with Climate East Midlands and other local authorities in the East Midlands in a programme called Planning to Adapt. The programme undertook risk assessments of all local authority activities to bring together a comprehensive risk assessment of climate change to services. The risk assessment was shared with key staff within the County Council and within the District Councils in Leicestershire. Future action The 2009 Flood Regulations placed a new statutory requirement on the County Council to act as the Lead Authority for surface water flood risk management in Leicestershire. Actions for 2010/11 include a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment to identify areas at significant flood risk and the development of a Surface Water Management Plan for Loughborough, the area already known to be most at risk, Work on highway drainage improvements and an asset management system on highways drainage and flood risk structures will be progressed. 2010/11 will see the embedding of climate change risk assessments and action planning into Council decision making and service planning processes. This will ensure that services: review their resilience arrangements to ensure that they are prepared for coping with the weather events associated with predicted climate change; and begin to adapt infrastructure such as buildings, roads and landscapes to reduce the risks of adverse effects of climate change and to make the most of opportunities presented by a warmer climate. Leicestershire County Council will also continue to provide assistance to Leicestershire District Councils with their programmes. Together with Leicester City Council and Leicestershire District Councils, the County Council will engage with Strategic Partners to provide leadership and support for the development of risk based approaches to managing their own weather and climate vulnerabilities/opportunities. The County Council will also develop an Area-wide Action Plan which will include actions that require partnership working to reducing climate risks to the achievement of the Sustainable Community Strategy outcomes.

18 18 Annual Environmental Performance Report Office Waste Context The County Council and its partners in the Leicestershire Waste Strategy have an excellent record in relation to reducing household waste and increasing the reuse, recycling and composting of that household waste. There are national requirements relating to the processes and systems of data collection that enable comparisons to be made across all authorities. A similar regime in relation to waste arising from the Council s own activities does not exist. Council waste as a proportion of household waste is very small. Nevertheless, the Council considers that it is good practice to know about its waste and is therefore putting in place a mechanism to measure and manage waste and recycling in the future. Reducing the total waste produced reduces the cost of waste management both for collection and disposal. It also reduces the amount of waste being disposed of in landfill with its associated costs, environmental impacts, including the release of harmful greenhouse gases, and increases resource efficiency. What we measure We measure the office waste leaving all County Council premises, including the amount that is recycled, re-used or composted, based on a contract for collection provided by an external contractor. Where other recycling, reuse or composting activity is in place separate from these collections, the figures are included.

19 Annual Environmental Performance Report This information is used to provide data for two measures: Total waste - The total of all waste from Leicestershire County Council Offices as recorded by the County Council s waste management provider and from other waste management processes conducted directly by the Council. Recycling rate - The percentage of waste arising from Leicestershire County Council re-used, recycled, or composted as recorded by the Council s waste management provider and from other waste management processes conducted directly by the Council In 2009/2010 no additional waste management processes were included. In 2010/2011 the following additional processes are intended to be developed and included: CD/DVD collections for recycling; Goods exchanged by the Council with other organisations through its Recycle LA project; Printer cartridge recycle and reuse contract; and Office waste collected for on-site composting through Go Green Champions Targets and performance The target for 2009/2010 was to establish a baseline for both measures. However, the roll-out of a new Facilities Management Waste Contract did not begin until October 2009 (see Action taken ) and will not be completed until the end of 2010/2011. Therefore no overall 2009/2010 figure is available for total waste arising from Leicestershire County Council Offices. It has also only been possible to estimate the recycling rate based on limited data from the premises joining the new Facilities Management Waste Contract. Some offices are now included in the scheme for their residual waste, with materials for recycling managed outside the contract and not recordable. As a result the performance figures are an estimate only, and are likely to under estimate the current recycling rate. With these caveats the 2009/2010 recycling rate is estimated as 26%. The target is to achieve a 50% recycling rate by 2013/2014. Action taken The establishment of a new Facilities Management Waste Contract and the beginning of the roll out was the main action during 2009/2010. This has included establishing facilities to segregate waste in the Council s offices to maximise the value of the recycled material and removing desk side bins and introduce desk top recyclers that encourage and enable staff to take much greater responsibility for managing the waste produced. In addition communication to staff through Go Green was launched and planning for new areas of collection undertaken. Future action The continued roll out of the Facilties Management Waste Contract and investment in internal waste infrastructure will be the focus of action in 2010/2011. This will include the continued use of desk side bins and the inclusion of separate waste facilities for different waste streams in all offices and premises. In addition new recycling streams will be introduced including CD/DVD recycling, green waste composting, and printer cartridge re-use.

20 20 Annual Environmental Performance Report Environmental Procurement Context The Council spent 285 million on goods and services in 2009/2010. This includes contracts to deliver outsourced services. The environmental impacts associated with this spending are considerable. Measuring these impacts provides a considerable challenge and to do so with any accuracy would cost a significant amount. Therefore, the council has adopted practices to ensure that consideration of the environment is a key aspect of procurement decisions and established policies to support these decisions. What we measure We currently measure 3 aspects of environmental procurement: The percentage of goods bought through our main purchasing organisation (ESPO) that are identified from their green range (these are items that demonstrate high levels of recycled content, achieve recognised environmental standards or have a low energy consumption compared to alternatives); The total purchase of office paper; and The number of procurements that include a 15% weighting on environmental aspects of the procurement in their evaluation. Targets and Performance Each of the measures is described briefly below. Percentage of goods bought through ESPO identified as green No target has been established for this measure. However, part of the Environmental Procurement Delivery plan is to develop additional outcome related indicators for this objective and a target will be established in the next revision of the

21 Annual Environmental Performance Report Environment Strategy. The current performance is provided in Table 8. Table 8: % of total purchase value of purchases through the ESPO catalogue that are identified as green Action taken In 2009/2010 a delivery plan was agreed to ensure the continued improvement of the consideration of the environment in procurement % 23% 30% Total Purchase of office paper In 2009/2010 a baseline has been established for the purchase of all office paper (this does not include specialist paper or paper for printing publications). The total paper purchased was 23.8 million A4 equivalent sheets. The target is to reduce this by 10% by 2010/2011 and by 20% by 2013/2014. Procurements with a 15% environmental weighting in evaluation Our procedures for ensuring environmental consideration in procurement requires that every procurement above 50,000 is risk assessed using a simple matrix to establish the potential level of risk to the environment. Every procurement that is identified as being high environmental risk then includes a 15% weighting in the evaluation methodology to award the contract. Future action In 2010/2011 the key actions will be the development of processes to ensure that environmental considerations are at the heart of procurement decisions. This will include: The development of a Procurement Environmental Implications Tool for use by all procuring officers; Establishing minimum standards for the procurement of timber and wood derived products, stationery items, and cleaning products; Establishing a carbon clause for inclusion in contracts; Revision of the Council s environmental purchasing policy; Rationalisation of the stationery items catalogue available to staff; and Establishing further indicators to measure outcomes in relation to environmental procurement. In 2009/ procurements required a 15% weighting as part of the evaluation of tender methodology.

22 22 Annual Environmental Performance Report Water Consumption Context The delivery of clean water has a significant cost both financially and in terms of the carbon used to undertake the activities that ensure that the water received is of the necessary standard. It is estimated that the embedded carbon in providing water in the UK represents approximately 1% of all UK s carbon emissions. Rising population and changes in the pattern and volume of precipitation in the UK as the result of Climate Change is also likely to place increasing pressure on water resources nationally. This may have a negative impact on river habitats and increase the need to develop further reservoirs with consequent loss of land. Therefore the Council considers reducing its water consumption as an important objective. What we measure We measure the consumption of potable water from all premises and schools. Action taken During 2009/2010 Leicestershire County Council supported Severn Trent Water to work in 150 schools. Severn Trent Water undertook 150 water audits and commissioned 112 projects in schools to reduce their water consumption Future action During 2010/2011 the County Council will assess the business case for introducing automatic meter reading of water across the whole of its estate, including schools. The results of this business case will lead to an agreed approach to measuring water consumption and the development of an action plan to address reduction of consumption. Targets and Performance The Environment Strategy includes a target to reduce potable water consumption by 15% by 2015 compared to 2008/2009. Unfortunately there have been significant difficulties in establishing a baseline for water consumption. This is due to: Some premises having no water meters (water is paid against rateable value); and Many properties only receiving estimated bills and the meter being read once every 2 years. As a result there is currently no information on progress towards this objective.

23 Annual Environmental Performance Report Environmental Risk Management Context The Council has agreed to establish an Environmental Management System (EMS) to ensure that the environment is considered in all aspects of its operations. An EMS includes processes and systems to ensure that environmental risks are managed and reduced. There are a number of recognised Environmental Management Standards and the Council has decided to develop its EMS in line with the ISO14001 standard. What we measure Ultimately, the measurement of performance in relation to the EMS is to receive accreditation. However, a decision as to whether the Council will seek formal accreditation for achieving an EMS standard either for the whole of its operation or for selected services has not yet been made. Therefore, we currently only measure the completion of key processes on the route to achieving an EMS that we believe meets the standard. Action taken Environmental risk registers for all activities considered to pose a high risk were completed during the year. The development and maintenance of environmental risk registers for all activities undertaken by the council will underpin the Environmental Management System. Future action During 2010/2011 Leicestershire County Council will develop and implement the completion of environmental risk registers across the organisation and will also develop tools to support consideration of environmental risks in all major project and business change activities where these are not already required.

24 24 Annual Environmental Performance Report Site and Ecology Management Context Biodiversity is a particular issue in Leicestershire. Due to development and changes in agricultural practices over the past 100 years Leicestershire is one of the counties with the poorest levels of biodiversity in England (based on the percentage of land with a recognised national designation such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and on the loss of species). Land owned by Leicestershire County Council includes 3 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (Beacon Hill and Jubilee Woods Country Park, Sheet Hedges Wood and Misterton Marshes). In addition, the Council owns or manages a number of Wildlife Sites (formerly known as Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation) and a range of other land holdings, including the ownership and management of 20 country parks. What we measure It would be extremely costly to regularly measure the actual biodiversity of the estate owned or managed by the County Council. Therefore, the Council has decided to measure its performance indirectly through the following measures: The percentage of land designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and owned or managed by Leicestershire County Council that is in the target condition as agreed with Natural England; The percentage of local wildlife sites and Regionally Important geological sites in Leicestershire County Council ownership to have a management plan for their long term survival; and The percentage of green space in our ownership or management to have a statement of aims of how geodiversity and biodiversity can be enhanced and carbon captured.

25 Annual Environmental Performance Report Targets and Performance Leicestershire County Council has achieved its target in relation to one of these indicators (related to SSSIs) but has not met its targets in relation to the other two measures (see Figure 4). Maintaining the target standard for the SSSIs is a priority for the Council and resources have been directed to this accordingly. Some progress has been made during the year to ensure that management plans and statements of aims have been developed for local wildlife sites and other green spaces but progress towards achieving the target has been slower than desired. Action taken % In relation to its SSSIs, the Council has received support from Natural England for a programme of works and management programmes that have improved the biodiversity status of these sites. At Beacon Hill this has included the removal of trees and the introduction of grazing animals (Longhorn cattle, Manx Loughtan and Hebridean Sheep with Alpacas as guardians ) to help re-establish the heathland plant communities. At Jubilee Wood, a twenty year programme of felling and replacement planting with native trees is successfully underway. At Sheet Hedges Wood, a programme of coppicing and sycamore removal is underway and at Misterton Marshes, works to restore the wetland value of the site, by blocking drains and removal of conifers, has commenced P erformanc e agains t B iodivers ity T argets Figure 4: Progress against targets for biodiversity. % of of SSSSI S Sin I in target target condition condition % of local wildlife wildlife sites s ites with management plans with management plans Specific Targets S pe cific T a rge ts % of of Green G reeen space with S pace a statement with a of aims s tatement of aims The Council owns or manages some 46 Local Wildlife Sites, varying in scale from single trees up to whole Country Parks. This figure is likely to rise as continued site surveying and review adds to the number of designated sites. The bulk of the land area is now covered by Management Plans but some of the smaller sites, particularly where management is secure and settled, have been given lower priority for completion of Management Plans. These however are underway and it is anticipated that the 2015 target will be achieved. The Greenspace sites have been prioritised into a range of generic habitat types. Prioritisation has been based on the potential biodiversity and geodiversity contributions from the sites. 2009/ /201 Future actions The continuation of the current regime of management on SSSIs will ensure continued good performance on the SSSI indicator. The Local Wildlife Sites measure will be achieved through a scheme of prioritised Management Plans. The Greenspace Generic Management Plans will be prepared in order and will ensure achievement of the 2015 target.