• Introduction
  • Background 
  • Scope
  • Carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutral by 2030 
  • Highlights
• Carbon Neutral Council Action Plan 2022 - 2024
• Other Actions
• Funding the transition 
• Monitoring progress 
• Appendix 1

Background

We want to create a thriving Torbay and one that is tackling climate change locally. We have committed to becoming a carbon neutral council and to working with others to create a carbon neutral Torbay by 2030.

Our operations and services are directly, and indirectly, responsible for a range of impacts on our natural environment. From the power we use in our offices, to the fuel powering our refuse vehicles, they all have a negative impact on the environment and are responsible for emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases absorb heat and release it gradually over time. Without this natural greenhouse effect the Earth’s average annual temperature would be below freezing. However, through human activity such as burning fossil fuels to heat and power our homes, we have put more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than natural processes can remove. This means that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are forming a 'blanket' around the planet. This blanket traps the heat from the sun and causes the earth to heat up. Our climate is changing, and the world is now about 1.2 degree Celsius warmer than it was in the 19th Century. We are seeing the catastrophic consequences of this warming across the world, and these include floods, heat waves, fires, drought and crop failure. We are also seeing impacts locally, such as more severe storms and flooding, which are occurring more frequently.

It has been predicted that due to the climate change we will see over the next 100 years the sea level rise in Torbay by over one metre. Over the next 100 years the frequency and impact of water coming over the top of the sea walls will increase, resulting in more infrastructure and properties being affected by flooding. On top of that, more intense rainfall will increase the risk of localised flooding and erosion.

To avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change, globally, Governments are now trying to keep warming to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial times by the end of the century. Delaying action and not dramatically decreasing carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases will lead to more catastrophic consequences. At the recent COP261 Conference in Glasgow research released during the conference showed that the plans countries have laid out so far for reducing emissions still add up to 2.4 degree Celsius temperature rise by end of the century.

So, we all need to take rapid action now, and this includes Torbay Council.

In 2019 we declared a climate emergency2 and adopted tackling climate change as one of its four key visions as outlined in the Community and Corporate Plan (2019-2023).
Therefore, as a council we need to change how we work, develop new actions and ways of working that will help to minimise the impact the Council has on the natural environment and play our part in tackling the climate emergency locally.

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Scope

This Carbon Neutral Council Action Plan outlines the actions the Council will take to reduce direct3 and indirect4 carbon emissions across its own estate, operations and services. It also includes some Council services delivered by the Council’s two wholly owned companies - SWISCo and TDA.

It commits the Council to a series of actions it will take from January 2022 up to April 2024.

The primary focus of this Action Plan is on actions relating directly to Council operations. It also covers actions where the Council can use its influence to reduce carbon emissions across Torbay. However, a more detailed Carbon Neutral Torbay Action Plan will be developed in 2022 by the Torbay Climate Partnership covering how partners (including the Council), businesses and communities will take action and collectively play their part in tackling the climate emergency locally.

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Carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutral by 2030

We are responsible for emissions that arise from the operations and services within their direct control or where they have financial responsibility. In 2021 we started to calculate its direct and indirect carbon emissions, also known as a carbon footprint. It is made up of emissions that arise from a range of assets and activities across the Council, including:

• All council buildings (including offices, maintained schools, other)
• Street lighting
• Council fleet
• School travel
• Staff travel (including staff using their personal cars for Council business (grey fleet)), rail,
  taxi and other forms of travel i.e., hire cars)
• Others (including outsourced services delivered for the Council by wholly owned companies - TDA and SWISCo)

The data required from these activities includes gas, electricity, water and waste consumption data as well as mileage data broken down into vehicle type. Currently this data is not readily available in a consistent and standardised format nor is it available in one place. Over 20+ officers so far have been involved in trying to collate this data including SWISCo and TDA colleagues delivering services for us.

In 2019-2020 the Council was responsible for an estimated 5400 tCO2e. The largest sources of emissions arose from the electricity we used to power our buildings, fuel used to power our fleet and gas used to heat our buildings. These made up over 85% of the Council’s footprint.

Given the current difficulties collating the carbon footprint, some direct emissions and indirect emissions that relate to council operations or the things we buy, or commission are not currently included. This data does not currently exist or will take time to collate it. We will explore how to include these emissions in 2022. Additional resources are being created to support the development of a robust carbon footprint. As it stands the above figure is just an initial estimate only. 

We commit to become a carbon neutral Council by 2030 and we will establish a robust carbon baseline to measure progress against.

We will also set some interim targets once the baseline is established.

To become a carbon neutral Council by 2030 we will need to rapidly, over the next 8 years, reduce carbon emissions by as much as we possibly can. By 2030 we will need to offset any remaining emissions through credible local/national or international carbon offset initiatives. The aim is to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

For this first action plan we have focussed on the areas where we estimate the greatest amounts of carbon emissions arise and the council can directly control. These include the operation of our estate, fleet and business travel. We have also focussed on corporate processes such as decision making and procurement.

We are therefore responsible for just over 1% of Torbay’s total carbon emissions. Whilst primarily focussing on the Council’s operations and services, this Carbon Neutral Council Action
Plan also includes actions to be carried out by the TDA and SWISCo and where the Council can use its influence to help reduce carbon emissions across the wider Torbay. These influencing actions will be covered later in this action plan.

SWISCo and the TDA are also developing their own plans to reduce environmental impacts and reduce carbon emissions across their own operations.

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Highlights

This action plan is the first of its kind for us. However, work to reduce our impact on the environment and to reduce carbon emissions have been ongoing for a number of
years. Recent actions include:

• Commenced the development of two solar farms in Torbay
• Installation of solar PV panels, electric forklift trucks and LED lighting across the Council estate
• Delivered a range of energy efficiency and low carbon heating installations across the estate and local schools
• Installed efficient energy saving LED streetlights
• Upgraded some of the fleet to be more fuel efficient and less polluting
• Embedded carbon neutral considerations in all major decision-making reports and service planning processes
• Developed a Carbon Neutral Impact Assessment Tool to help staff consider reducing carbon emissions and wider negative environmental impacts in all major decision-making reports
• Integrated climate change considerations into the new Social Value Policy to ensure all procurements and commissions reduce their climate and wider environmental impacts. Where
  negative carbon impacts are likely it will be mandatory requirement to address these
• To support Torbay to reduce carbon emissions the Council, with partners, have started to deliver a Carbon Neutral Torbay - Initial Action Plan (2021-2022). This plan, adopted in March 2021, will deliver immediate action to tackle the climate emergency across Torbay. The Initial Action Plan is here. This is an example of how the Council is using its influence across Torbay to support and accelerate action to tackle climate change locally
• Established a new Torbay Climate Partnership to strategically coordinate and accelerate climate action across Torbay
• Held the third Torbay Community Conference. The theme was tackling climate change. It was held during the international COP26 Conference in November 2021. Full details are available here. A series of climate conversations to help shape future actions were also held during the conference

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Carbon Neutral Council Action Plan 2022 - 2024

In 2021 we established an internal officers’ group to oversee the development of this first Carbon Neutral Council Action Plan.

The Action Plan focusses on the areas of the Council where the most carbon emissions arise from. These include the operation of our estate, fleet and business travel. As wholly owned
companies of the Council who deliver a range of services for the Council, actions that relate to our services delivered by the TDA and SWISCo are also included in this action plan.

Council estate, energy and streetlighting

In some cases, the energy (gas and electricity) use in council buildings can make up 70% of a council’s direct carbon emissions. Over the next 8 years we will work towards decarbonising the estate, starting with understanding and improving the worst performing buildings.

Over the next two years we will:

• Provide additional resources to understand better the estate’s energy, water, waste consumption and determine an annual robust carbon footprint for the Council
• Commission a minimum of 13 decarbonisation plans for key buildings in 2022, including 6 decarbonisation plans by March 2022. These plans will inform a pipeline of decarbonisation projects and allow the Council to start to understand how much carbon can be saved across the estate (this data is currently unavailable)
• Working with Parkwood Leisure, decarbonise Torbay Leisure Centre and save over 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2) per annum through installing energy efficiency measures, low carbon heat pumps and solar panels.
• Spend at least £225,000 on energy efficiency projects through the existing Salix Recycling Fund.
• Subject to public consultation and Cabinet approval, spend £1m on projects to decarbonise our estate and fleet.
• Bid for national decarbonisation funds such as Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and Low Carbon Skills Fund
• Upgrade Torre Abbey’s Arid House boilers to low carbon heat pumps
• Install solar panels on Tor Hill House
• Complete the development of 2 solar farms in Torbay
• Review the corporate energy contract in 2023 and procure greener energy from 2024
• Explore the development of a sustainable design and construction policy for all new buildings/infrastructure projects built by/on the behalf of the Council
• Upgrade remaining streetlighting (~30-35%) to new LED lighting and investigate ways to further reduce consumption and improve efficiency across traffic signals and other highways
  assets

Travel

Staff travel and journeys made by our fleet are responsible for the production of carbon emissions and other harmful pollutants (including staff using their personal cars for Council business, travel by bus, rail, taxi and other forms of travel i.e., hire cars). Over the next 8 years we will work towards decarbonising the fleet and staff travel through reducing the demand for travel, prioritising active, sustainable modes of transport and where journeys need to be made, make them in ultra low/electric vehicles/car clubs where possible.

Over the next two years we will:

• Complete the Council’s Green Travel Plan which will recommend ways to promote active, sustainable ways to travel to work and for work purposes
• Complete a council-wide Green Fleet Review to understand how to transition the fleet (including the SWISCo/TDA fleet) to carbon neutral by 2030
• Subject to resources and based on the Green Fleet Review, pilot an electric vehicles (EV) trial within the fleet
• To commence the transition of the fleet, where appropriate, to electric vehicles, install electric charging points at the Aspen Way Depot and/or other suitable sites
• Based on the Green Fleet Review, identify an annual capital budget to start to replace the fleet with EV/ultra low emission vehicles
• Explore resources to lead on and coordinate corporate staff travel related work
• Subject to additional resources, refresh the Corporate Travel Policy (and associated policies) and carry out a full audit of all related staff travel policies, incentives and facilities to better support sustainable staff travel
• Carry out the Hire Car Review and explore Ultra Low Emission Vehicle alternatives/EV/car club alternatives
• Based on the Green Travel Plan, Green Fleet Review and Hire Car Review, develop a pipeline of investment ready low/zero carbon business travel projects
• Seek internal and external funding annually to deliver actions

Corporate services and processes

The way we makes decisions about what we do can help reduce environmental impacts and carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. We can reduce the environmental
impacts of the things we build and buy, along with the services we commission, through understanding the likely negative impacts and making more sustainable, environmentally friendly,
low/zero carbon choices.

Over the next two years we will:

• Continue to integrate climate asks into all procurement and commissioning processes
• Review current utilities contracts (energy and water) and explore and begin to transition to green low carbon energy from 2024
• Hold specific training on carbon literacy for all procurement and commissioning staff by April 2022
• Develop and adopt by March 2022 a new corporate Environmental and Carbon Neutral Policy.
• This policy will be for all staff to use and outlines a series of aims and principles to follow for all Council related work.
• Create a mandatory climate change I-learn module for all staff and councillors
• Building on the senior leadership Carbon Literacy training carried out in 2021, begin to roll out carbon literacy training to all staff
• Roll out an internal communication campaign on the new Carbon Neutral Impact Assessment Tool designed to help officers consider carbon neutral issues in new projects/programmes/policies
• Public Health Team to pilot carrying out a carbon neutral review of all their services. If successful, this will be rolled out to all services over the next 2 years
• Develop a comprehensive carbon neutral staff behavioural change campaign

Climate Adaptation and Resilience

In addition to reducing our emissions, we will also need to ensure that all its operations and services are resilient to a changing climate. We will need to understand where we are
currently vulnerable to weather events and where we will be vulnerable in the future as our climate continues to change and warm.

Over the next two years we will:

• Use the results of the forthcoming Adaptation Plan for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Sicily to ensure Torbay Council understands current and future vulnerability to a changing climate and takes actions to reduce any current risks and strengthen service’s resilience.

Appendix 1 contains the estimated delivery dates for the actions above.

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Other Actions

In addition to delivering the actions outlined above, this Action Plan also includes actions where we can use its influence with partners, businesses, and communities to reduce carbon
emissions across the wider Torbay area.

We will work with others to create a carbon neutral Torbay by 2030

In 2019 over 442,000 tCO2 arose from Torbay’s businesses, buildings, transport, land use and agricultural sectors. In 2020 the University of Exeter were commissioned to create a Net Zero Torbay report. This report provided a series of recommendations on the key actions needed to create a net zero Torbay by 2030 (and 2050). It identified the essential role of existing and future government policies in achieving these targets. It also included a range of priority actions to accelerate. The full report is available here. A summary is available here.

Based on some of the priority actions identified in the report, over the next two years we will use its influence to work with partners, businesses, and communities to reduce Torbay-wide carbon emission. We will prioritise the decarbonisation of actions within the building (domestic and commercial) and transport and business sectors. We also want to maximise the economic, social and health benefits that tackling climate change can bring, including new skilled jobs, training and new business opportunities.

Working with partners and our communities, over the next two years
we will:

Housing

• As part of Heat Devon, support up to 230 properties to improve the energy efficiency of their homes
• As part of the Devon-wide Sustainable Warmth programme support homes in Torbay to improve the energy efficiency of their homes
• Secure additional resources to deliver more decarbonisation plans across homes in Torbay
• Continue to work with Exeter Community Energy to provide local energy saving practical support and advice
• Continue to work with Registered Providers of housing to share best practice and opportunities to work together
• Revise the Housing Strategy for Torbay and Action Plan and develop actions to help work towards delivering Torbay's carbon neutral target by 2030 and in line with the Net Zero Torbay report.
• Work with TorVista a subsidiary company of the TDA, who are a wholly owned company of the Council, to explore high standards of low carbon, sustainable design and construction for future homes and apartments built.

Planning

• Issue a guidance document setting out how the Local Plan for Torbay's current climate change related policies should be met
• Refresh the Healthy Torbay Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and include climate change policy guidance

Transport

• Deliver electric charging points at 10 - 12 public car parks across Torbay
• Deliver 5 active travel projects as outlined in the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) and Local Transport Action Plan
• Finalise an electric charging infrastructure strategy for Torbay and scale up delivery of public charging points across Torbay
• Subject to funding, implement the Bus Service Improvement Plan which includes a fleet of electric buses and associated infrastructure
• Subject to a successful public consultation, phase out petrol and diesel taxis by 2026
• Deliver Edginswell Station, a new railway station in the Torquay Gateway
• Review the current transport strategy in line with the carbon neutral 2030 target and develop actions to work towards this target

Renewable energy

• Based on the work of the Devon Carbon Plan (see below), update assessments of Renewable Energy resource available in Torbay

Economic Development

• Embed carbon neutral principles and clean growth into the refresh of Torbay's Economic Strategy
• Explore the development of a Small to Medium sized Enterprise (SME) 1:1 Resource Efficiency/Carbon Neutral Business Support Programme
• Hold two business events to promote resource efficiency and working towards carbon neutral businesses
• Develop a sustainable events charter to make sure large council run events work towards meeting Torbay's carbon neutral 2030 target.

Land-use and nature-based solutions

Nature based solutions such as tree planting and rewilding areas of land can store carbon emissions. Nature based solutions can also help alleviate flood risk and help reduce summertime temperatures/localised heat island effects. We will:

• Continue to deliver effective tree planting schemes as part of the three-year funded i-tree 2 initiative, including planting over 350 trees by 2023.
• Develop a new Tree Planting Strategy for Torbay
• Refresh the Tree and Woodland Framework Strategy which aims to ensure the safety of Council-owned trees; increase levels of planting as part of a wider strategy to combat climate change; maintain and encourage biodiversity; maintain and improve landscape quality
• Explore supporting partners to help protect and where appropriate enhance Torbay's sea grass habitats
• Through the Devon Flood Coastal Risk Innovation Programme create 2 micro forest to reduce flood risk in Torbay

Waste Minimisation

• Recycling Support Co-ordinators to help residents to reduce waste and recycle more of their waste, focussing initially on their food waste. A range of other actions to reduce waste are outlined in Torbay's Resource and Waste Management Strategy.

Education

• Through the Government's Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, teachers will be supported to deliver climate change education through a model science curriculum and explore a 1- year climate change schools engagement programme.

Carbon Neutral Torbay and Devon

Tackling climate change is not the role of a few organisations or people. It requires everyone to take action. We will:

• With the Torbay Climate Partnership and our businesses and communities, review our Energy and Climate Change Strategy 2014 - 2019 and co-design a new Carbon Neutral Torbay Action Plan (CNTAP) in 2022
• To inform the development of the new CNTAP hold a series of climate conversations and a public consultation with our businesses and communities in 2022
• Work with the Devon Climate Emergency Partnership and play our part in helping Devon tackling the Climate Emergency locally. This will include supporting the development of the draft Devon Interim Carbon Plan
• Once adopted, embed relevant actions from the Devon Carbon Plan into this Council Action Plan and the CNTAP

Climate Adaptation and Resilience

We will also prepare and adapt for a changing climate. We will:

• Continue to consult and co-design with our communities a flood defence/alleviation solution for Paignton and Preston Sea fronts
• Take part in the EU ARSINOE Project. This project will work with the University of Exeter to model flood risk and predicted future changes in climate to develop actions that will increase Torbay's resilience to a changing climate (including impacts on health and critical infrastructure)
• Use the results of the forthcoming Adaptation Plan for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Sicily to ensure Torbay understands current and future vulnerability to a changing climate and takes actions to strengthen its resilience.

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Funding the transition

We already spend a significant amount of money on improving the environment i.e., LED streetlighting projects. Some of the work outlined in this action plan can be delivered through  existing budgets. We recognise that transitioning to carbon neutral will require significant additional capital and revenue funding but that delivering this ambition is essential and the
real/social cost of not doing so would be far greater.

In 2021/22 the Council had 3 dedicated climate change funding pots, with a combined value of just under £340,000. These will help to fund a range of projects within this action plan:

• Rooftop solar feasibility study – Tor Hill House
• New low carbon heating system for the Arid House, Torre Abbey
• Green Fleet Review and development of a pilot EV project
• Decarbonisation Plans for the worst performing buildings
• Carbon Literacy Training
• Procurement and Commissioning Training
• Green Fleet Review
• 1 x Community Conference – Climate Conversations
• 6 x Community climate conversations in 2022 + public consultation
• Staff travel initiatives
• Initial installation of electric vehicle charging point(s) to aid fleet transition
• 3 x Rewilding projects
• Match funding for forthcoming Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding bids

Additional staff are required to deliver some of the actions in this plan, including the need for a new energy contract officer, energy officer (including decarbonisation of the estate), climate
emergency support officer. Changes, to better reflect the need for proactive energy and water management of estate and clear decarbonisation plans, in line with the 2030 carbon neutral target, need to be added to the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between the Council and TDA/SWISCo.

It is also recommended that capital funding will be required annually to transition the estate and fleet to carbon neutral by 2030, as too will funding be required to build new construction projects to higher low carbon standards. The Cabinet’s budget recommendations for 2022/23 supports this need for capital funding with proposals to borrow £1m to support delivery of the Action Plan. The proposed £1m funding, if approved, would be spent on:

• Implementing the recommendations of the Decarbonisation Plans carried out on councilmaintained schools and the worst energy performing council buildings (see para 3.4). This
  is likely to include funding measures to improve the building fabric and building management systems and installing solar panels and replacing gas boilers with low carbon
  alternatives such as heat pumps.
• Implementing the recommendations of the Green Fleet Review including funding electric vehicle pilots and associated recharging infrastructure.

We will update this Action Plan with further details on this funding and how it will be spent.

There are external funds that may also support delivering this Action Plan. Although capacity to develop such bids, particularly for public buildings and domestic properties is currently an issue. External funds include but are not limited to the following:

• Low Carbon Skills Fund
• Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme
• Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
• Homes Upgrade Grant/Sustainable Warmth Fund/Local Authority Delivery Scheme
• Clean Heat Grant
• Workplace Charging Scheme
• Chargepoint authorisation
• On-street Residential Charge point Scheme
• Ultra Low Emission Taxi Infrastructure Scheme
• Bus Improvement Plan

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Monitoring progress

Appendix 1 outlines the estimated delivery dates for the actions within this plan.

The implementation of this action plan will be overseen by the Council’s Carbon Neutral Council Officers’ Group on a quarterly basis.
Half yearly progress reports will be compiled by the Officers’ Group and presented to the Council’s Senior Leadership Team and the Council’s Cabinet and Overview and Scrutiny Board.

Please note that this action plan does not currently include estimated carbon savings to made. Without an accurate and complete carbon footprint to act as a baseline for this plan, and without the results of key reports such as the 13 decarbonisation plans for the estate and the Green Fleet Review, any estimated savings would be widely inaccurate. Once these outstanding pieces of work are in place, we will work with the University of Exeter (or similar body) to understand the carbon saving potential of this plan. We will also work with them in preparation of the next action plan for 2024 onwards. This action plan will include a carbon reduction progress report for 2022 – 2024 as well as recommendations for 2024 – 2026 Council actions in line with the 2030 carbon neutral council target.

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Appendix 1

Estimated timescales for delivery of actions

Council estate, energy and streetlighting

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
Bid for national decarbonisation funds such as Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and Low Carbon Skills Fund	*	*	*
Commission a minimum of 13 decarbonisation plans for key buildings in 2022, including 6 decarbonisation plans by March 2022. These plans will inform a pipeline of decarbonisation projects and allow the Council to start to understand how much carbon can be saved across the estate (this data is currently unavailable)	*
Complete the development of 2 solar farms in Torbay	*	*
Explore the development of a sustainable design and construction policy for all new buildings/infrastructure projects built by/on the behalf of the Council		*
Install solar panels on Tor Hill House	*	*
Provide additional resources to understand better the estate’s energy, water, waste consumption and determine an annual robust carbon footprint for the Council	*
Review the corporate energy contract in 2023 and procure greener energy from 2024		*	*
Spend at least £225,000 on energy efficiency projects through the existing Salix Recycling Fund.	*	*	*
Spend £1m on projects to decarbonise our estate and fleet/other.	*	*	*
Upgrade remaining streetlighting (~30-35%) to new LED lighting and investigate ways to further reduce consumption and improve efficiency across traffic signals and other highways assets	*	*	*
Upgrade Torre Abbey’s Arid House boilers to low carbon heat pumps	*
Working with Parkwood Leisure, decarbonise Torbay Leisure Centre and save over 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2) per annum through installing energy efficiency measures, low carbon heat pumps and solar panels.	*

Travel

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
Based on the Green Fleet Review, identify an annual capital budget to start to replace the fleet with EV/ultra low emission vehicles	*	*	*
Based on the Green Travel Plan, Green Fleet Review and Hire Car Review, develop a pipeline of investment ready low/zero carbon business travel projects	*	*
Carry out the Hire Car Review and explore Ultra Low Emission Vehicle alternatives/EV/car club alternatives	*
Complete a council-wide Green Fleet Review to understand how to transition the fleet (including the SWISCo/TDA fleet) to carbon neutral by 2030	*
Complete the Council’s Green Travel Plan which will recommend ways to promote active, sustainable ways to travel to work and for work purposes	*
Explore resources to lead on and coordinate corporate staff travel related work	*
Seek internal and external funding annually to deliver actions	*	*	*
Subject to additional resources, refresh the Corporate Travel Policy (and associated policies) and carry out a full audit of all related staff travel policies, incentives and facilities to better support sustainable staff travel	*	*
Subject to resources and based on the Green Fleet Review, pilot an electric vehicles (EV) trial within the fleet	*
To commence the transition of the fleet, where appropriate, to electric vehicles, install electric charging points	*	*	*

Corporate services and processes

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
Building on the senior leadership Carbon Literacy training carried out in 2021, begin to roll out carbon literacy training to all staff	*	*	*
Continue to integrate climate asks into all procurement and commissioning processes	*
Create a mandatory climate change I-learn module for all staff and councillors		*
Develop a comprehensive carbon neutral staff behavioural change campaign	*	*	*
Develop and adopt by March 2022 a new corporate Environmental and Carbon Neutral Policy. This policy will be for all staff to use and outlines a series of aims and principles to follow for all Council related work.	*
Hold specific training on carbon literacy for all procurement and commissioning staff by April 2022	*	*	*
Public Health Team to pilot carrying out a carbon neutral review of all their services. If successful, this will be rolled out to all services over the next 2 years	*
Review current utilities contracts (energy and water) and explore and begin to transition to green low carbon energy from 2024		*	*
Roll out an internal communication campaign on the new Carbon Neutral Impact Assessment Tool designed to help officers consider carbon neutral issues in new projects/programmes/policies	*

Climate adaptation and resilience

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
Use the results of the forthcoming Adaptation Plan for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Sicily to ensure Torbay Council understands current and future vulnerability to a changing climate and takes actions to reduce any current risks and strengthen service’s resilience

Housing

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
As part of Heat Devon, support up to 230 properties to improve the energy efficiency of their homes	*
As part of the Devon-wide Sustainable Warmth programme support homes in Torbay to improve the energy efficiency of their homes	*
Continue to work with Exeter Community Energy to provide local energy saving practical support and advice	*	*	*
Continue to work with Registered Providers of housing to share best practice and opportunities to work together	*	*	*
Revise the Housing Strategy for Torbay and Action Plan and develop actions to help work towards delivering Torbay's carbon neutral target by 2030 and in line with the Net Zero Torbay report.	*	*
Secure additional resources to deliver more decarbonisation plans across homes in Torbay	*	*	*

Transport

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
Deliver 5 active travel projects as outlined in the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) and Local Transport Action Plan	*
Deliver Edginswell Station, a new railway station in the Torquay Gateway			2024
Deliver electric charging points at 10 - 12 public car parks across Torbay	*
Finalise an electric charging infrastructure strategy for Torbay and scale up delivery of public charging points across Torbay	*
Review the current transport strategy in line with the carbon neutral 2030 target and develop actions to work towards this target		*
Subject to a successful public consultation, phase out petrol and diesel taxis by 2026			2026
Subject to funding, implement the Bus Service Improvement Plan which includes a fleet of electric buses and associated infrastructure		*	*

Renewable Energy

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
Based on the work of the Devon Carbon Plan (see below), update assessments of Renewable Energy resource available in Torbay		*

Economic Development

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
Develop a sustainable events charter to make sure large council run events work towards meeting Torbay's carbon neutral 2030 target	*	*
Embed carbon neutral principles and clean growth into the refresh of Torbay's Economic Strategy	*
Explore the development of a Small to Medium sized Enterprise (SME) 1:1 Resource Efficiency/Carbon Neutral Business Support Programme	*	*
Hold two business events to promote resource efficiency and working towards carbon neutral businesses	*

Land-use and nature-based solutions

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale 2024
Continue to deliver effective tree planting schemes as part of the three-year funded itree 2 initiative, including planting over 350 trees by 2023.	*	*
Develop a new Tree Planting Strategy for Torbay	*	*
Refresh the Tree and Woodland Framework Strategy which aims to ensure the safety of Council-owned trees; increase levels of planting as part of a wider strategy to combat climate change; maintain and encourage biodiversity; maintain and improve landscape quality	*	*
Through the Devon Flood, Coastal Risk Innovation Programme create 2 micro forest to reduce flood risk in Torbay	*	*	up to 2027
Work with the Nature Recovery Network of joined-up places, on land and at sea, created from maps that identify opportunities for the protection, restoration, and creation of habitats that increase Carbon Sequestration and storage alongside bringing benefits for nature and people	*	*	*

Waste minimisation

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale 2024
Recycling Support Co-ordinators to help residents to reduce waste and recycle more of their waste, focussing initially on their food waste. A range of other actions to reduce waste are outlined in Torbay's Resource and Waste Management Strategy.	*	*	*

Carbon Neutral Torbay and Devon

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
Once adopted, embed relevant actions from the Devon Carbon Plan into this Council Action Plan and the CNTAP	*	*
To inform the development of the new CNTAP hold a series of climate conversations and a public consultation with our businesses and communities in 2022	*
With the Torbay Climate Partnership and our businesses and communities, review our Energy and Climate Change Strategy 2014 - 2019 and co-design a new Carbon Neutral Torbay Action Plan (CNTAP) in 2022	*	*
Work with the Devon Climate Emergency Partnership and play our part in helping Devon tackling the Climate Emergency locally. This will include supporting the development of the draft Devon Interim Carbon Plan	*	*	*

Climate Adaptation and Resilience

Action	Timescale 2022	Timescale 2023	Timescale April 2024
Take part in the EU ARSINOE Project. This project will work with the University of Exeter to model flood risk and predicted future changes in climate to develop actions that will increase Torbay's resilience to a changing climate (including impacts on health and critical infrastructure)	*	*	up to 2025
Use the results of the forthcoming Adaptation Plan for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Sicily to ensure Torbay understands current and future vulnerability to a changing climate and takes actions to strengthen its resilience.	*	*
We will continue to consult and co-design with our communities a flood defence/alleviation solution for Paignton and Preston Sea fronts	*

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