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Introduction
Taking action to address the Climate and Ecological Emergency cannot be done solely by officers working from the centre. It will need a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing on skills and resources from across Dorset Council and with wider partners. It will need to be part of the way we do things and embedded in the way we deliver our services and will require significant investment at all levels of society.
After detailed evidence and information gathering exercises, led by the EAP and carried out by officer working groups, it has been recommended that the Council implement the following 28 actions.
Milestones have been identified for each action. This plan shows the immediate targets we will need to achieve by 2023 to keep us on track.
Objective 1
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ensure leadership & governance are in place to facilitate delivery of Climate and Ecological Emergency strategy |
Direct action Indirect action Partnership /influence action |
Low | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing |
Medium |
| Action | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-2023 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actively input into national forums and consultations to encourage policy development to tackle climate & ecological emergency |
Partnership /influence action | High | Improves ecology | None | Dorset Council representation on key national groups |
| Lobby government for additional resources and the national policy framework to support climate & ecological action in Dorset
|
Indirect action | High | Improves ecology Encourages economic sustainability |
None | Lobby paper presented to Government + Member attendance at policy discussion group |
| Review governance structures to ensure successful delivery of the Climate Strategy and ensure key decision-makers have a clear mandate for action. |
Direct action | High | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability |
None | Governance structure reviewed and agreed by March 2021 |
| Ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities in the delivery of actions, and that departments are linked at a strategic level (e.g. waste and planning). |
Direct action | High | Improves ecology | Medium | Internal communications plan developed & initiated |
| Ensure enough human resource is in place to drive forward action either through Council departments or involvement of wider partners |
Direct action | High | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing |
None | Costed plan finalised, & resources allocated by Cabinet Feb 2021 |
| Investigate decarbonising Dorset Council pension scheme |
Direct action | Low | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability |
None | Investigations carried out and reported to EAP by March 2021 |
Objective 2
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Encourage behaviour change | Indirect action | Medium | Improves ecology | None |
| Action | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-2023 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop a consistent brand for Climate plan initiatives |
Indirect action | Medium | Improves ecology | None | Branding agreed |
Objective 3
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raising awareness to support action and behaviour change |
Direct action Partnership /influence action |
Low | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing |
Medium |
| Action | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-2023 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improve the awareness, engagement and knowledge of our staff and service providers through staff awareness campaigns |
Direct action | Low | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing |
Medium | Communications plan developed & initiated by March 2021 |
| Organise targeted briefings and training sessions for officers, members and decision makers on the benefits and opportunities of tackling climate change - highlighting this contribution to other Council priorities. |
Direct action | Medium | Improves ecology Enhances health and wellbeing |
None | Internal Communication plan developed by March 2021 + |
| Provide more accessible and digestible information on climate change and ecology and the actions we can take through a range of channels |
Partnership /influence action | Medium | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing |
Medium | Communications plan developed & initiated and Web pages created & populated by March 2021 |
| Establish an internal climate change champions programme |
Direct action | Medium | Improves ecology Enhances health and wellbeing |
None | Climate change champions appointed |
Objective 4
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ensure Climate and ecological concerns are embedded at the heart of decision and plan making | Direct action | Medium | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability |
None |
| Action | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-2023 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ensure procurement processes and strategy embed climate and ecological concerns |
Direct action | Low | Improves ecology | None | Procurement strategy & standard project documents to include climate and social value requirements |
| Ensure climate change, climate resilience and ecological enhancement are embedded in our key strategies and plans, such as the developing Dorset Local Plan and our asset management plans. |
Direct action | Medium | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability |
None | Key policies identified and review programme developed by March 2021 |
| Ensure we fully understand the risks of climate change on our business and that it is appropriately addressed within our risk man-agreement and business continuity processes. |
Direct action | Low | Improves ecology Builds resilience |
None | Corporate Climate Risk assessment refreshed |
| Develop tools to undertake robust impact & policy appraisal to ensure climate change & ecological priorities and targets are considered in all key corporate projects, programmes and strategies |
Direct action | Medium | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing |
None | Decision making tool finalised and agreed by March 2021 |
Objective 5
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement with key stakeholders |
Partnership /influence action | Medium | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing |
None |
| Action | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-2023 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consult with residents and organisations on this strategy and plans as they develop |
Partnership /influence action | Medium | Improves ecology Encourages economic sustainability |
None | Public consultation on strategy completed by Dec 2020 |
| Build support from stakeholders and the wider public and develop partnership working on all aspects of climate change action |
Partnership /influence action | High | Improves ecology | None | Communications Plan developed & initiated by March 2021 |
| Develop a Dorset Climate Emergency partnership group with other key public, private, and third sector partners to deliver a carbon neutral county |
Partnership /influence action | High | Improves ecology | None | Options reviewed
|
Objective 6
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ensure robust Monitoring & Reporting of progress |
Direct action Indirect action Partnership /influence action |
Low | Improves ecology | Low |
| Action | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-2023 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop a robust baseline for Council and County carbon emissions and ecology |
Partnership /influence action | Medium | Improves ecology | None | Dorset Council baseline emissions identified & agreed |
| Consider monitoring & reporting wider emissions from Council activities (Scope 3) such as procurement |
Direct action | Low | Improves ecology | Low | Future targets beyond 2023 |
| Further explore the Dorset County footprint, beyond the data provided by Central Government, to provide a wider understanding of Dorset’s emissions e.g. agriculture |
Indirect action | Low | Improves ecology | Low | Review best practice & options |
| Monitor and report on actions and progress in achieving carbon reduction by producing an annual report of progress on climate change targets, budgets, and actions |
Direct action | Medium | Improves ecology | None | Monitoring & reporting framework in place and agreed by Cabinet Feb 2021 |
| Include climate and social value criteria in the South West audit partnership audit requirements |
Direct action | None | Improves ecology | None | Climate & social value criteria included in scope of SW audit marking criteria |
Objective 7
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supporting Community Action |
Partnership /influence action | Medium | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing |
High |
| Action | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-2023 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support Town and Parish Councils to develop and implement their organisation and area wide climate action plans and engage with residents to encourage community action |
Partnership /influence action | Medium | Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing |
Medium | Resources in place Approach developed with Town & Parish Councils by 2021 |
| Help to facilitate and support new and existing community-led projects and community organisations active in this area |
Partnership /influence action | Medium | Improves ecology Enhances health and wellbeing |
Medium | Additional staff resource in place |
Objective 8
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ensure adequate levels of resources are in place to ensure successful delivery |
Direct action Indirect action |
High | Improves ecology | None |
| Action | Action plan | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-2023 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work with partners to maximise opportunities for external funding from government and others, making sure Dorset gets its fair share |
Indirect action | High | Improves ecology | None | Ongoing from 2020 |
| Develop a finance strategy to enable us to deliver this climate emergency response. This includes establishing invest-to-save schemes, asset rationalisation, and building projects into our capital programme. |
Direct action | High | Improves ecology | High | Finance Strategy developed and agreed by Senior Leadership Team & Cabinet |
| Explore options to raise additional funds through borrowing, council tax, developer contributions, and business rates. |
Direct action | High | Improves ecology | None | Options explored and incorporated in finance strategy |