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Rosie Welch, Air Quality and Community Engagement Officer, attended the meeting
to provide the Panel with an update on the air quality work which had been
undertaken. The Panel heard that in 2019 funding had been received from the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair (DEFRA) to fund a behaviour
change project which aimed to reduce pollution in Colchester to make the air cleaner
and healthier, with a focus on the Air Quality Management areas of the town. The
project had four main objectives;
1. Raise awareness of air pollution and its health impacts
2. Encourage the widespread adoption of switching off the engine when parked
at junctions and level crossings
3. To work with four schools and a resident community to encourage walking
and cycling for short journeys
4. To build the capacity of local volunteer group Clean Air Colchester, by
identifying community champions to ensure the project continues once the
funding had finished.
Over 3,000 residents, schools and businesses had been consulted about pollution
and the impact of air quality on health, and the findings from this consultation had
been used to shape the project leading to three main areas of focus including
roadside signage, working with residents and schools and the Council’s ‘no idling’
campaign.
Roadside signage had been installed in Brook Street and at East Gates inviting
motorists to turn off their engines while waiting, and data had been recorded over the
past few months to monitor how many car engines were switched off. Over 69,000
vehicles had been counted and a 9% increase in engine switch offs had been
recorded. The signage had been removed for a couple of weeks to allow the
effectiveness of the signs to be measured, and monitoring was ongoing. The Signs
would be replaced in January 2022 and would stay in place until September 2022.
The Council’s ‘CAReless’ campaign had been launched in October 2020 to
encourage drivers to switch off their engines, particularly outside schools and in the
Air Quality Management Area. Of key importance to the project was community
work, and working with businesses had been focussed on over the past year, with
help offered in implementing ‘no idling’ policies, the provision of campaign materials
and the erection of suitable signage on private land such as car parks.
Engagement with local schools had proved slightly more challenging over the past
year due to Coronavirus restrictions and school closures, but a ‘schools toolkit’ had
nonetheless been launched in March with four schools close to the Air Quality
Management area. Using feedback from these schools, the kit was adapted and sent
to all schools in the borough. Some schools had been provided with promotional
materials and equipment such as air quality monitoring devices, and it was felt that
school engagement was now very positive now that the schools had been able to reopen.
Of key importance to the project was providing communities with the resources
needed to be able to take their own action on pollution, and this was what was
required to make the campaign sustainable in the long term. A campaign advisory
group had been set up consisting of local residents and groups, which had advised
on promotional materials and events, and a network of over 50 stakeholders had
offered assistance with sharing materials and messages to amplify the campaign.
Local suppliers had been used for every element of the project, and there had been
a focus on embedding the campaign into local communities. The campaign had
attracted significant media coverage both nationally and locally.
The campaign had launched in October 2020, and had been evaluated in September
and October 2021, and in that time there had been a 6% increase in awareness
levels of the impacts of air pollution. Of those residents who had been the subject of
an on street survey, there had been a 53% increase of residents reporting that they
turned off their engine more than they had done a year ago, and 63% of drivers
outside schools reported that they switched off their engines more than they did a
year ago. The levels of increased engine switch-offs had been consistent even when
the signage had been removed from areas, evidencing the effectiveness of the
campaign. It had, however, not been possible to evidence any reduction in actual
pollution levels, as the lockdown response to the pandemic had resulted in no
comparable data being available at this time as far fewer journeys had been
undertaken. Essex County Council, had made a successful bid to DEFRA for funding
for 9 modern pollution monitors which provided live data from the Air Quality
Management area which would be invaluable for future monitoring. The CAReless
Pollution Campaign had been nominated for a national award, and the results were
expected in February 2022. A ‘Home Burning’ awareness campaign was to run
between November 2021 and February 2022 targeting particulate matter pollution
from open fires and log burners in the home, to encourage people to burn better,
cleaner fuels.
Councillor Cory wondered whether there had been a noted seasonal difference in
people switching off their engines, noting that in the winter months people may be
more reluctant to go without their car heaters. He also wondered whether there was
anything different that could be done, for example supplying bicycles to enable
people to swap a car journey for a bicycle journey to remove that element of pollution
altogether. The Panel was advised that the initial year of the campaign had been
focussed on raising community awareness of the issues, and the coming year would
be more concerned with addressing some of the misconceptions that were held, for
example if a vehicle engine was switched off in traffic the fan would continue to
provide hot air for up to half an hour. It was intended to introduce sustainable
transport hubs to Colchester which would include electric bikes, e-cargo bikes and
push bikes which could be used by the public on a pay-per-use basis.
Councillor Scordis was pleased to see the improvement in engine switch-offs, and
wondered whether bus companies has been contacted, as he felt that busses were
potentially poor at switching off their engines. He also wondered whether there was
any possibility to move the signage to other areas which may suffer from air
pollution. By way of response, the Panel heard that all local bus companies had
been contacted, but the past year had been difficult for them and their attention had
possibly been focussed on Covid-19 recovery. Work with the companies would
continue in the future. It had always been an ambition that the signage would be
expanded to other areas, and different messages had been trialled to determine
what achieved the biggest impact before signs were deployed to other areas. A
suggestion that turning off a vehicle engine would also result in a petrol saving would
be included in communications messages in the future.
Councillor Chillingworth felt that it was important to trace the effects of all campaigns,
and considered that the Council should be concerned with informing Colchester
residents of what it was doing, and Councillors should be acting as leaders and
exemplars to ensure that the desired message was reaching residents. Rosie
confirmed to the Panel that a communications plan was being drafted, with a focus
on peer-to-peer networks including more information about actions that the Council
was taking.
Councillor Young called on Councillors to take a pledge to politely challenge
motorists with idling engines, supporting Councillor Chillingworth’s view of
Councillors as exemplars. It was clear that the Council could not achieve its goals
alone, and needed the active support and assistance of schools. She noted that
although there had been positive feedback from some schools in relation to the
campaign, this needed to be translated into equally positive action to stop vehicle
idling outside schools when pupils were dropped off.
Maggie Ibrahim, Sustainability and Climate Change Manager, addressed the Panel
and confirmed that it was hoped that the Council would be delivering layered
messages as part of the ongoing communications campaign, which was something
which would be picked up on again at the Panel’s meeting in February 2022.
Councillor King requested some more information about the locations of the new
pollution monitoring devices, and asked that Councillors be included in the
distribution of any promotional images relating to the project in order that they could
further support the message. With regard to tree planting, he wondered whether
there was any specific planting which could be undertaken which served to directly
reduce airborne pollution. It was confirmed that the new monitoring devices were
located in the town centre, and did not replace the current network but were adding
to this. The Panel also heard that the primary cause of the pollution in the Air Quality
Management Area was vehicle pollution, and it was essential to address this.
Councillor Young indicated that she would be able to share some information on
plants which could be used to combat air pollution with Officers outside of the
meeting.
Councillor Chillingworth requested some clarity on the degree of harm that was
caused by wood burning stoves, commenting that he believed that using an
appropriate wood burning stove to supplement a heat pump was an environmentally
healthy thing to do. It was confirmed that there was no campaign against wood
burning stoves, but the intention was to raise awareness and discourage people from
burning inappropriate, polluting, items.
Ben Plummer, Climate Emergency Project Officer, attended the meeting to present
the report and assist the Panel with its enquiries. The Panel heard that following a
request from Councillor King, additional information in relation to single use plastics
had been provided. The Council was running an energy efficient grant scheme which
had been publicised already and would be promoted further in January, and the
assistance of Councillors in promoting the scheme would be appreciated, as grant
funding could be provided to certain households whose homes had a low energy
efficiency rating.
Councillor Scordis enquired whether a target date had been set to eliminate single
use plastics, and wondered whether it was possible for the Council to become a
base for recycling some kinds of plastic which was not collected as part of normal
waste collection. Ben confirmed that no date had been set for the elimination of
single use plastics, and advice would be sought from Officers about the possibility of
making provisions for the recycling of non-standard plastics such as Tetra Packs.
The Panel were advised that En-Form were still collecting these plastics.
Councillor Cory highlighted the difficulties with recycling Tetra Pak packaging, and
considered that it should be made as easy as possible to recycle this packaging. He
further encouraged the continued use and promotion of the Council’s e-cargo bike
scheme, offering any support that he could give. Maggie Ibrahim reminded the Panel
that it was due to consider the draft Waste Strategy at its meeting in February 2022,
which would be an opportunity to receive a more detailed update on recycling issues
and provide comments and feedback at this stage. An update would also be
provided on sustainable modes of transport at the February meeting, and updates
could be shared via email if this was appropriate.
Councillor Young drew the attention of the Panel to the Council’s Asset Management
Strategy, and the cost of £120m for the Council’s housing stock to reach net zero
carbon emissions by 2030. She considered that assistance from central government
would be needed if this target were to be reached. Councillor King requested some
more detailed information in respect of the work that was needed and the cost
associated with elements of the project, noting that careful resourcing decisions
would need to be made.
Lindsay Barker, Strategic Director of Policy and Place, assured the Panel that a lot of
work had been undertaken in respect of the housing space, through work on the
Asset Management Strategy, the housing investment programme and the new HRA
business plan which would be referred to Cabinet and Council in the new year. The
position was very challenging, as the Council was required to carry out compliance
work alongside the sustainability work. The Panel heard that the Council’s housing
stock was in a relatively good position compared to that of some local authorities, but
although but funding was being sought wherever this was available, the reality was
that changes were not able to me made at the pace that the Council would like.
Councillor Chillingworth considered that the biggest obstacle that was faced in the
challenge to reduce the use of fossil fuels was outdated housing stock. He
considered that there was little point in appealing to central government directly in
relation to this issue, but rather approach the Local Government Association (LGA)
to act as the voice of local authorities in an appeal for financial assistance. Councillor
Young noted that the Council’s housing stock was in a better position than some
other local authorities and for this reason suggested that Colchester Borough
Council may be less likely to receive supporting funding than other authorities. She
suggested that the Portfolio Holder for the Environment be requested to lobby the
LGA on behalf of the Council. Councillor Cory supported this approach and
suggested that reference also be made to the amount of work that the Council had
already undertaken to improve its housing stock, reasoning that it would be helpful
that government was reminded what could be achieved if support were offered.
RESOLVED that the contents of the report be noted, and that the Portfolio Holder for
Environment be requested to lobby the Local Government Association to request
funding for housing stock improvements from central government.