Public questions – Bromley Council Environment Committee, 21 March 2022

Questions from the Public for Written Response:

1) Could the Chair identify the legislation (law, section, para) which controls the placement of distribution bins (e.g. for free newspapers) on the pavement.

The placement of any infrastructure on the highway including bins is restricted by section 137 of the Highways Act 1980, which ensures that there is no wilful obstructions to pedestrians on footways and highways across the borough. Further powers are contained within section 143 HA. This section provides the “Power to remove structures from the Highway”, and a notice would be issued with a 1-month time frame for compliance. Also section 149 HA “Removal of things so deposited on highways as to be a nuisance etc”. This section is normally used when the placement of an item constitutes a danger and allows removal forthwith.

The Environmental Protection Act, Section 89 also places a duty on local authorities in respect of all other publicly maintainable highways in their area, to ensure that the highway or road is, so far as is practicable, kept clean. (this Act does not however have any specific requirements in relation to the placement of bins).

2) The council has a 4 year tree planting plan. What are the projected figures for the amount of CO2 removal for the newly planted trees over the next 5, 10 and 20 years if they all survive. What percentage of the total emissions of the borough do these figures represent?

It is very difficult at this stage to accurately calculate the carbon sequestration figures from tree planting due to variables such as the selected species, the age they are planted, the environment they are placed and the inconsistency of the literature on species sequestration rates. However, we estimate cumulative emissions captured by the newly planted trees, together with the percentage compared to borough-wide cumulative emissions (in brackets). This of course is in addition to the substantially larger carbon sequestration of our significantly more mature street trees and woodlands and the foresight of our predecessors on the Council and the Council’s concentration on the green environment over many decades. Mature trees sequestrate substantially more carbon than young trees.
10 years: 383 tCO2 (0.004%)
20 years: 1,174 tCO2 (0.006%)
30 years: 2,317 tCO2 (0.008%)

The Council’s emissions only account for a very small proportion of the borough’s emissions and we would expect that residents will also be planting trees as we all play our part. Tree planting is just one part of the Council’s strategy for net-zero since where possible it is better to avoid the emissions in the first place.

Note that these figures are based on the borough’s total emissions remaining constant over time, which will not be the case – in reality, they will hopefully reduce which would result in the carbon captured by the new trees forming a higher percentage compared to total borough emissions.

2) In the Net Zero Action Plan you state that you will “continue to guide residents, businesses and communities” to reduce their emissions. In what specific ways have you enacted this commitment and what measurable success have you have had in emissions reduction? Please provide evidence.

The Carbon Management Team will also be presenting a report at the ECS PDS meeting in June 2022, specifically about signposting residents, businesses and community groups to various grants, services and other initiatives aimed at energy savings and reducing CO2 emissions.

One example of a measurable success is the increased use of the public EV charge points we have installed. We know that many homes and new developments have also installed private EV points.

4) What steps have the council taken to identify the opportunities, barriers and solutions to driving a transition to a circular economy in Bromley?

Transitioning to a sustainable economy is key to delivering Bromley’s Green Recovery Programme. As such, the Carbon Management Team are in the process of setting up a working group comprised of officers from across the Council to consider and implement actions to reduce consumption emissions. Through a workshop led by ReLondon earlier this year, Senior Managers have begun an initial exercise considering opportunities, their barriers and actions the Council can take to move sustainable economy principles forward.

Bromley Council has worked to create a new sustainable procurement policy that incorporates sustainable economy principles. With an aim to ensure that contracts for products and services consider and embrace sustainable economy opportunities, this policy is already being embedded within the Council’s procurement processes.

5) In the NZAP (p45) the council says it will be mapping out a strategy to reduce borough-wide emissions before 2050. What progress has been made on this strategy and in view of the latest IPCC report will the council consider bringing this target date forward?

Reducing emissions will be a nationwide endeavour as we will not change the future environmental projections if we just transfer the emissions from one area to another. National, regional and local Government plus every resident will have to make changes to achieve the ambitions of COP26. The Government is best placed to design and organise national initiatives to tackle the issues, a myriad of local schemes would be likely to have higher costs and cause confusion. The Council sees one of its roles as providing information and signposting to residents to help residents make their own choices and determine their priorities for action to reduce their carbon emissions. Local initiatives will be appropriate in certain cases.

The Council is participating in the Local Authority Delivery scheme which aims to address energy efficiency of low income households. Approximately £920,000 has been allocated to improve the energy efficiency of approximately 130 homes, the delegated contractors are currently signing up Bromley households and residents.. The Council also provides a domestic energy efficiency advice service, funded by the GLA, to reach vulnerable residents across the borough in providing free advice and small energy saving measures to save money on energy bills and therefore reduce emissions.

6) In the NZAP (p45) the council says it will be placing, “…emphasis on partnerships and collaboration between all stakeholders in Bromley and beyond…” with the goal of achieving net zero borough-wide emissions before 2050. What plans do the council have to actively involve citizens with emphasis on young people, women, and BAME communities in that collaboration process?

7) Please could you let me know what sort of on-going road maintenance costs are involved for the following roads: Foxgrove Road, Crab Hill, Ravensbourne Avenue, Farnaby Road, Bromley Avenue.

Regular condition surveys are undertaken of all roads in the borough with any necessary repairs being funded from the Council’s reactive and planned maintenance budgets, which would include Foxgrove Road, Crab Hill, Ravensbourne Avenue, Farnaby Road, Bromley Avenue. Details of proposed planned maintenance are considered as part of this agenda.

8) Please could you consider the idea of a special cycle lane on the section of road going up Crab Hill from the junction with Ravensbourne Avenue? The problem here is that this is an extremely steep section of road. Therefore, when cycling up it, cyclists inevitably cycle very slowly, and it feels very unsafe to have impatient vehicle drivers tailgating you and itching to take over even allowing very an unsafe margin to the right of the cyclist. Some drivers drive safely with consideration. But many do not.

I am aware that this section of Crab Hill is on a well-used cycle route, so your feedback is useful and I will ask the Traffic team to look for some simple changes that might help at this location on the uphill section.

9) How successful has the council been in implementing the Government’s food waste hierarchy in the borough?

Reducing waste and recycling as much as possible are two of the key objectives within the Council’s Environment and Community Services Portfolio Plan. The Council has been running the ‘Food for Thought’ campaign for several years now to encourage residents both to minimise avoidable food waste and to recycle or compost unavoidable food waste like vegetable peelings.

It is difficult to provide a measure of success for food waste reduction as we are unable to easily ascertain how much food waste is placed in general refuse and home compost bins. However, the table below indicates that the Council has been successful in increasing food waste recycling; with the tonnes of food waste collected for recycling increasing over the last three years.

Year	2020-21	2019-20	2018-19
Food waste recycled (tonnes)	11,504	9,831	9,272

10) In the Alternative Technologies section of Bromley’s NZAP it says the council is conducting feasibility studies on the suitability of renewable opportunities within the borough. Please provide more details of the likely opportunities. Will this include community ownership of installations such as mini-turbines and solar panels on village halls?

The Carbon Management Team (CMT) continues to assess a range of renewable initiatives across the borough. They have accessed the Mayor’s London Community Energy Fund, which provides several types of funding for decarbonisation feasibility studies for community endeavours. Energy appraisals have been undertaken at several schools, churches and leisure centres, with some promising results requiring further investigation. There will be another round of funding released in due course and residents are encouraged to approach the CMT with ideas and for assistance in their application. Permitted technologies much demonstrate carbon and energy savings, and all installations will require adherence to the local planning criteria.

11) The latest IPCC report indicates we urgently need to create spaces where people choose to visit, supporting local businesses plus reducing need to travel further afield for leisure and shopping, which increases congestion, air pollution and emissions. Shortlands Friendly Village scheme could do this. Surely Bromley Council has the money?

The Shortlands Friendly Village scheme is a great opportunity for Bromley to make the changes that you are referring to, with plans to make improvement to the public space to enhance the area, supporting walking, cycling and the local economy. However, due to the pandemic and related income shortage that TfL faces, funding for the Shortlands Friendly Village Scheme is currently suspended. I hope that the funding will resume once TfL is on more of a sound footing.

12) Responding to previous questions on climate change, the Portfolio Holder asserted that Bromley believes in “actions not words.” Other London councils have targets for borough-wide net-zero emissions: Greenwich chose 2030, Westminster chose 2040. Will Bromley commit to drafting a plan to reach net-zero emissions for all activities across the borough?

The Government is best placed to design and organise national initiatives to tackle the issues, a myriad of local schemes would be likely to have higher costs and cause confusion. The Council sees one of its roles as providing information and signposting to residents to help residents make their own choices and determine their priorities for action to reduce their carbon emissions. Local initiatives will be appropriate in certain cases.

The Carbon Management Team will be presenting a report at the ECS PDS meeting in June 2022, specifically about signposting residents, businesses and community groups to various grants, services and other initiatives aimed at energy savings and reducing CO2 emissions. In addition, the Carbon Management Team are represented at several London Councils Climate Change Steering/Working Groups to help develop a London-wide plan for achieving net zero emissions by 2030 through cross-borough working – the output will help inform and support the Council to address emissions at a borough-wide level.

13) According to https://carboncopy.eco/local-climate-action/bromley, Bromley Council has not yet published its climate action plan. If this is correct, when does the council plan to publish it?

The website referred to contains several inaccuracies. For clear and up to date information, residents are encouraged to read the Council’s sustainability reports on its website, which will detail over 10 years of our Carbon Management Plan and borough wide emissions reporting. We have also published our Organisational Net Zero Action Plan alongside a Year 2 progress report, which again can be found on the Council’s website. The website referred to also notes that our action plan is borough-wide and that the council has declared a climate emergency, in both cases this is incorrect. Furthermore, in recognising Bromley’s ambition to rapidly decarbonise as an organisation, members have recently moved the target date forward from 2029 to 2027.

14) Flooding in the crays during 2021.
Can the Council identify the following?
1. The roads and locations where flooding occurred?
2. The number and types of buildings which experienced Internal flooding?
3. The number of residents affected.
4. How many of these required temporary relocations, where, and for how long?
5. What types of assistance have residents and businesses been offered?

1. Station Road SMC, Leesons Hill Primary School, Kynaston Road Orp, Edmund Road Orp, Hockenden Lane, Blacksmiths Lane SMC, High Street SMC, Chelsfield Lane, Clarendon Grove, Elmcroft Road Orp, Somerden Road, Cockmannings Road, Hodson Crescent, Rookery Gardens, Sholden Gardens.

2. The number of residential buildings internally flooded is unknown. One school was reported to LBB as internally flooded.

3. Unknown

4. Overall unknown. Following the flooding in Hodson Cres / Sholden Gardens some housing association residents there were temporarily rehoused but LBB does not have details as local housing associations generally took responsibility for their displaced tenants. Other residents may have resorted to their insurers LBB does not hold any details in this regard.

5. Advice such as to sign up for flood warning alerts and consider Property Level Flood Protection measures.

15) Flooding in the crays during 2021:
Has the Council, as a Flood Risk Management Authority:-
(i) carried out an investigation, with its partner agencies, into the types and causes of the flooding, and
(ii) prepared a detailed map and a report to Committee?
(b) What are the mechanisms to warn residents, businesses, and
public service providers of the risks of local flooding?

(i) No, the two major flood events in 2021 were surface water ‘Exceedance’ rainfall events in which the volume of water produced by the intense storm exceeds the capacity of surface water drainage infrastructure. On 20th October 2021 the Environment Agency Orpington rain gauge shows us that 26mm of rain fell in a 90 minute period and that 74 mm fell between 1930hrs and 0100hrs. Under these circumstances surface water will flow overland often as predicted by the Updated Flood Map for Surface Water.
(ii) No
(b) Bromley Council website, Flood Risk Management web page directs customers to Environment Agency Flood Warnings page where they can sign up for alerts and also provides a link to another EA web page that allows residents to view their address on the Updated Flood Map for Surface water ((uFMfSW).

16) The latest IPCC report highlights the key role of urban areas that have opportunities to reduce emissions. Evidence shows climate change will have a major impact on Bromley residents’ quality of life. Will Bromley Council acknowledge the scale of the crisis and come up with a plan to address it?

Climate Change Steering/Working Groups to help develop a London-wide plan for achieving net zero emissions by 2030 through cross-borough working – the output will help inform and support the Council to address emissions at a borough-wide level.

17) A MyLondon article published in December 2021 reports that Bromley Council has invested and loaned out £427 million, including investments to banks in the Middle East. Why doesn’t the Council invest some of this in action to reduce borough-wide carbon emissions, e.g. through infrastructure improvements to enable walking and cycling?

From its total investment portfolio of approximately £440m, the Council currently has £15m invested in a Middle East bank and a further £50m in the UK division of two Middle East banks. These investments are selected in line with strict criteria and in line with professional advice to maximise the return available to the Council, that is used to fund local services. The Council has implemented a number of walking and cycling schemes over recent years including projects such Crofton Road walking and cycling scheme and a new pedestrian crossing over the last couple of years.

18) In September 2021 local newspapers reported a pedestrian (a man in his 80s) was rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition after being hit by a car outside Tesco Superstore in Elmer’s End. Is Bromley Council exploring options to improve road safety at this location?

The Council has a successful record in reducing the number and severity of injuries on our roads over many years. This has been achieved by rigorously targeting funding at those locations where the funding will make most difference and trying to improve the standard of driving and cycling through education. The practice of the Council for many years has been to investigate all locations where there have been 5 or more injury collisions over a period of 36 months. The locations are all investigated to look at the severity of the injuries and whether there is a pattern to the collisions. At sites where the collisions are of particular concern and appear to be treatable, the cost of making improvements is estimated and the benefit-cost ratio is calculated. The locations which represent the best value for action, in terms of the potential injuries saved per pound spent, are promoted to the top of the list. Funding is then sought to treat as many locations as possible.

The method above usually leads to an analysis of getting on for 100 sites, with subsequent detailed examination being undertaken on about 30 of those sites. It would not be feasible to investigate the site of every injury collision and if there are fewer than about 5 collisions then it is very hard to establish a pattern / common cause and therefore develop a treatment.

There needs to be a threshold for intervention, as (i) funding for improvements is not infinite and (ii) there is no point trying to make improvements to a location when you cannot establish what the common cause and therefore treatment might be.

The treatment for a casualty site can range from a change to the signs and road markings, through to a complete change to a junction design, with the design being based on what will save most casualties per pound spent. Where speeding is identified, it is for the Police to enforce, as they alone have the powers to do so. The section of highway outside the Elmer’s End Tesco is not, thankfully, a cluster suite, so there is no plan to take action at this site at present.

19) The “15-minute city” is an urban concept in which most daily necessities can be accomplished by either walking or cycling from residents’ homes. This concept has potential to help Bromley residents reduce emissions/pollution by reducing the need to drive. Is Bromley Council considering this concept in the Beckenham Sainsburys Re-development?

The Council does not have any plans to redevelop the Beckenham Sainsbury’s site.

20) At the London Councils Borough Climate Conference in October 2021 Kingston and Westminster councils put forward the Low Carbon Transport Programme whose ambition is to halve petrol and diesel road journeys between 2020-2030. What is the council’s view of this initiative?

Although not involved in this proposal, Council officers have taken part in early stage Pan London discussions relating to this scheme. The considered view from Bromley officers is that this target could potentially be met by a combination of increased EV usage and active modes, but this needs to be decided upon as they are very different issues. Whether electric vehicles are low carbon depends on whether the energy residents procure is green energy. Regional differences across London would also need to be taken into account, as the scope for increased public transport is obviously much greater in Westminster than it is in Kingston or would be in Bromley.

Officers also felt that significant lobbying would be required to acquire the necessary funding and statutory powers likely to be needed to meet such a challenging target. Comprehensive and frequent data collection is also vital. Bromley is also one of the largest London boroughs and with a hilly terrain, so there would be a different emphasis in Bromley.

21) The NZAP (p45) says the Council will develop a strategy to reduce borough-wide emissions before 2050. In light of the comment by Sir David King, Chair of CCAG, that, “Achieving net zero by 2050 is no longer enough to ensure a safe future for humanity;” and the urgency expressed in the latest IPCC report, will the council bring forward the target date?

The Council acknowledges the seriousness and impact of climate change, and the need for everyone to play an important part in reducing their emissions, including residents, businesses, and community groups. Reducing emissions will be a nationwide endeavour as we will not change the future environmental projections if we just transfer the emissions from one area to another. National, regional and local Government, plus every resident will have to make changes to achieve the ambitions of COP26. The Government is best placed to design and organize national initiatives to tackle the issues, a myriad of local schemes would be likely to have higher costs and cause confusion. The Council sees one of its roles as providing information and signposting to residents to help residents make their own choices and determine their priorities for action to reduce their carbon emissions. Local initiatives will be appropriate in certain cases.

The Council is participating in the Local Authority Delivery scheme which aims to address energy efficiency of low-income households. Approximately £920,000 has been allocated to improve the energy efficiency of approximately 130 homes; the delegated contractors are currently signing up Bromley households and residents. The Council also provides a domestic energy efficiency advice service, funded by the GLA, to reach vulnerable residents across the borough in providing free advice and small energy saving measures to save money on energy bills and therefore reduce emissions.

The Council is already moving forward its work to tackle borough-wide emissions (as and when appropriate funding is made available). A Carbon Management progress report setting out what has already been done (or is currently in progress) was presented at the ECS PDS committee meeting in January 2022 and can be accessed via the Council’s website. The Carbon Management Team will be presenting a report at the ECS PDS meeting in June 2022, specifically about signposting residents, businesses and community groups to various grants, services and other initiatives aimed at energy savings and reducing CO2 emissions. In addition, the Carbon Management Team are represented at several London Councils Climate Change Steering/Working Groups to help develop a London-wide plan for achieving net zero emissions by 2030 through cross-borough working – the output will help inform and support the Council to address emissions at a borough-wide level.

22) Is there a ban on single-use plastics in council offices? If not, what is the council’s view on introducing one?

The Council already has some measures in place to reduce single use plastic within Council offices and plans to conduct further publicity to encourage staff to not use single-use plastics. Once this has been completed, the Council will consider further actions. The Council is aware that it needs to consider any unintended environmental impacts of alternatives to plastic.

23) Has the council considered introducing a workplace car parking levy or similar initiative to encourage car commuters to consider other modes of transport, and to provide a sustained funding source to implement sustainable transport measures?

When the Council’s transport strategy document “Bromley’s Transport for the Future” was put together in 2019, consideration was given to the introduction of a workplace parking levy, but it was concluded that because of the nature of the Borough, this would not be beneficial in driving change towards sustainable transport but would instead become more like a tax on local businesses. Businesses in Bromley Town Centre already were assessing the cost of providing commuter parking spaces for staff and seeing the cost reducing the ability of staff to use spaces or charging them for their use. Businesses outside of the Town Centres do not have the same options for public transport. It was not therefore included among the various measures that the Borough is taking forward to help promote more sustainable modes of transport, which can be read here: Local Implementation Plan (LIP3) | London Borough of Bromley.

24) What actions are the council taking to inform its residents of the seriousness of the climate crisis and the urgency of the mitigation measures required with the aim of inspiring the individual to take action, which the council believes is needed to “… to achieve the climate target” as stated in the answer to written question 47 from the ECS PDS committee meeting dated 17 Nov 21?

25) In the NZAP (p41) the council has said that “green deals” have been made available by Government to accelerate de-carbonization. Please clarify what new deals are available and which ones the council has applied for and for what purpose?

There are many available grants and schemes, too many to include in this answer, but the Carbon Management Team maintains a list of current and potential funding opportunities. Some schemes the Council has applied for:
The London Community Energy Grant – for energy efficiency appraisals at schools and community sites (Financed by the GLA)
Local Authority Delivery Scheme 2 – for domestic household retrofit projects for low-income households (Financed by the Government)
The Warmer Homes Advice Service – as part of a consortium of South London boroughs for energy advice services (financed by the GLA)
Sustainable Warmth Fund – domestic household retrofits for low-income households

26) How will Bromley’s emissions reach net zero in around 10.5 years without further Council action?

The Council acknowledges the seriousness and impact of climate change, and the need for everyone to play an important part in reducing their emissions, including residents, businesses, and community groups. Reducing emissions will be a nationwide endeavour as we will not change the future environmental projections if we just transfer the emissions from one area to another. National, regional and local Government plus every resident will have to make changes to achieve the ambitions of COP26. The Government is best placed to design and organise national initiatives to tackle the issues, a myriad of local schemes would be likely to have higher costs and cause confusion. The Council sees one of its roles as providing information and signposting to residents to help residents make their own choices and determine their priorities for action to reduce their carbon emissions. Local initiatives will be appropriate in certain cases.

In our role as community leaders we have recently announced that the Council aims to become net-zero in 5 years in 2027. We have and will continue to highlight to residents the actions and investments the Council is making to achieve that ambition to demonstrate worked examples for residents to consider. We have already facilitated the provision of a number of fast and rapid EV points on the boroughs roads and tonight’s agenda includes the updated EV strategy as transport currently has the highest emissions in borough. The Council is participating in the Local Authority Delivery scheme which aims to address energy efficiency of low income households. Approximately £920,000 has been allocated to improve the energy efficiency of approximately 130 homes, the delegated contractors are currently signing up Bromley households and residents.. The Council also provides a domestic energy efficiency advice service, funded by the GLA, to reach vulnerable residents across the borough in providing free advice and small energy saving measures to save money on energy bills and therefore reduce emissions.

The Council is already moving forward its work to tackle borough-wide emissions (as and when appropriate funding is made available). A Carbon Management progress report setting out what has already been done (or is currently in progress) was presented at the ECS PDS committee meeting in January 2022 and can be accessed via the Council’s website. The Carbon Management Team will be presenting a report at the ECS PDS meeting in June 2022, specifically about signposting residents, businesses and community groups to various grants, services and other initiatives aimed at energy savings and reducing CO2 emissions.
In addition, the Carbon Management Team are represented at several London Councils Climate Change Steering/Working Groups to help develop a London-wide plan for achieving net zero emissions by 2030 through cross-borough working – the output will help inform and support the Council to address emissions at a borough-wide level.

27) Will the Council take proportionate action to assist in limiting global warming to 1.5˚C and secure a livable future?

Please refer to the response to Question 26.

28) Has the Council received (or applied for) any external funding or made available internal funds for climate mitigation measures specifically directed towards low-income households, vulnerable residents and those most at risk from extreme weather?

The Council is participating in the Local Authority Delivery scheme which aims to address exactly these problems. Approximately £920,000 has been allocated to improve the energy efficiency of approximately 130 homes, the delegated contractors are currently signing up Bromley households and residents.. The Council also provides a domestic energy efficiency advice service, funded by the GLA, to reach vulnerable residents across the borough in providing free advice and small energy saving measures to save money on energy bills and keep homes warmer.

29) For the most recent 12-month period for which information is available, what volumes and brands of glyphosate-based herbicide were used by or on behalf of the Council on land owned by, managed by or under the control of the Council?

Gallup Biograde Amenity: 195.5l
Lockstar Pre-Emergent Total Herbicide: 560g
Paradise Long Lasting Weed Control: 350g
With respect to our street cleansing operations, for the purpose of weed spraying, our service provider Veolia use the brand Trustee Amenity glyphosate at the below quantities for 2021.

Spray	Highway	Housing	Recycling
1st	535.7	49.1	1.5
2nd	685.8	50.5	2
3rd	602.9	93.5	1.5
Totals	1824.4	193.1	5

30) What requirements are there in place to require Veolia operatives collecting recyclable and non- recyclable waste to pick up material that they drop or fail to correctly transfer to the collection vehicle. How is this monitored, and what sanctions exist to encourage operatives not to leave a mass of litter in the streets after the collection round.
Are time restraints on operatives by Veolia preventing any dropped material being picked up? If the current contract does not address these issues can it be amended to include this in future?

The Council requires residents present their recycling and waste in a secure manner to avoid it being distributed by foxes and/or the wind. So it is important to differentiate between items not presented securely and items dropped by the waste operatives. The Waste Collection contract specification requires that waste operatives ensure that items dropped during collection are picked up. There are a number of ways in which this requirement is monitored, with both Veolia’s Environment Managers and Council Officers visiting crews on a regular but ad hoc basis during the working day to ensure that all collection standards are met.

In addition, residents are encouraged to report issues with their collection including dropped rubbish through the Council’s online reporting tool. Reports from residents and Council Officers directly feed into the contract performance management framework.
Where an acceptable level of performance is not met e.g. a high number of reported incidents of operatives dropping litter, there are appropriate sanctions and measures in place to get performance back to an acceptable level. There are no time restraints placed on operatives that would prevent them from clearing any dropped waste and crews should ensure wherever possible ensure that litter they have caused is picked up. The street cleaning schedule was also designed so that street cleaning would follow the normal collection day, though not all streets have a weekly street cleaning visit.

31) There is evidence that driving at lower speeds reduces air pollution and congestion. What is the Council’s view on introducing a 20-mph speed limit in urban areas?

The Energy Saving Trust says that the most efficient speed you can travel in a car in terms of achieving the best fuel economy is 55-65mph. Other studies have suggested that speeds between 40 and 60mph are most economical, depending on the type of vehicle and the load carried. In an urban environment 30mph is often the highest safe and legal speed, but drivers should put safety first and travel at a speed suitable for the road conditions. Advanced driving skills can help drivers to improve the smoothness of their driving by teaching better anticipation of hazards, leading to less acceleration and braking, which as well as being a safer and more comfortable drive, also saves fuel and reduces emissions.
In regard to 20mph limits, the experience the Council has from the various parts of the Borough where area-wide 20mph limits have been installed in the past is that we receive very many complaints about speeding, despite the lower limit. Research commissioned by the DfT showed that following the introduction of signed-only 20mph limits the median speed fell by just under 1mph and found no significant change in collisions and casualties.
The study was focussed primarily on safety and not pollution, and in light of the lack of evidence that introducing widespread 20mph limits is the most effective approach, Bromley has no plans to introduce such area-wide 20mph zones. However, in light of evidence that drivers respond better to warnings or regulations where they can see the reason for them, part time advisory 20 limits are being introduced around schools in the Borough, on a case-by-case basis.

32) Does the council agree that the world is in the midst of a climate emergency? (The Oxford Dictionary defines climate emergency as “a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it.”

The Council acknowledges the seriousness and impact of climate change, and the need for everyone to play an important part in reducing their emissions, including residents, businesses, and community groups. To illustrate the importance of this, the Council has just reduced it’s own net-zero target to 2027 just 5 years away. We hope that the publicity around this will highlight the importance of emissions to residents so they will also take action.

33) How many electric vehicle charging points have been installed in the borough and what targets have been set for increasing the provision?

42 on public land. The Residential EV Pilot Scheme discussed at this meeting is intended to begin shortly and during its 12 month duration the aim is for 46 on street charge points and 14 resident cable gullies to be installed.
Charge points in other publicly available areas (retail outlets, private car parks, leisure sites and filling station forecourts) are also increasing and are expected to continue to do so.

34) In the Net Zero Plan, you refer to the Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency Plan (MEEF) as a source of external funding. Has the Council applied for funding and, if so, how much has been obtained and what projects is it being directed to?

The Council has not yet applied for funding from the MEEF. However, it remains an option for a potential project that is being assessed.

35) LITTER – Every week countless residents spend innumerable hours litter picking in our borough. How much would you estimate this volunteer work force saves the Council and its contractors per year; what initiatives to reduce casual littering has the Council introduced during the current election cycle 2018-22; and why does the Council not acknowledge the scale of the problem?

A significant number of Bromley residents are successfully working to improve their neighborhoods and help build an even better Bromley by registering as Street Friends; and our purple sack scheme allows registered Street Friends to dispose of litter and leaves that they have collected from public pavements and public footpaths. The council provides the purple sacks, which when full can be left on the pavement where they are collected by our street cleansing service provider, Veolia. The scheme should not be viewed as a saving initiative, as there is a cost in supplying equipment and sacks, but overall, we collect 11 tons of purple sack waste per year, which is approximately 1833 bags per year.

In 2019 a new contract for street environment commenced between the council and Veolia. New fleet, logistics technology and a re-aligned sweeping schedule have made significant improvements in the cleanliness of the borough’s streets, and we have seen an overall reduction in litter being reported. The Fix My Street reporting system is available for residents to log street cleanliness issues at any time of the day or night. Street litter patrols have been reintroduced following the pandemic, and our Neighbourhood Management enforcement team regularly undertake investigations and follow ups where evidence is available.

36) LEGACY – How have you improved LB Bromley’s Environment and Community Services during your time as Portfolio Holder, and what achievements would you most like to be remembered for?

I have been a member of the Environment PDS committee since I joined the Council 16 years ago and I was Chairman of the committee from 2008 until I was appointed Portfolio Holder in 2017. In my time as Chairman of the PDS I put great emphasis on policy development, proposing a number of policies to the then PH to improve the remit of Environmental Services. It was not only during my terms as PH that I have improved the LBB’s Environment. To list a few headlines.
– The Carbon Management Plans since 2008 that have significantly reduced the Councils Carbon footprint resulting in the Council setting a 2027 net-zero target and as part of that completing the rollout of LED lighting.
– Recycling: Developing the design and supporting the food waste recycling service, so Bromley has been one of the highest performing boroughs on recycling for many years.
– Proposing Bromley adopt the extremely successful Green Garden Waste Wheelie bin service and design the proposed service.
– Moving to zero waste to landfill.
– Improvements in all modes of transport for residents to support them being able to choose their preferred mode: from reducing congestion pinch points and coordinating traffic lights e.g. the A224; to walking and cycling schemes.
– Continuing the downward trend of KSIs on Bromley’s managed roads.
– Scrutinising and then managing our contractors so they deliver excellent and value for money services.
– As we have to deal with the issues that arise on our watch, managing a reducing budget for Environmental Services whilst maintaining extremely high public satisfaction survey results across the department for the services we deliver. Dealing with the day-to-day issues of delivering frontline Environmental Services during 2 years of a pandemic.
– Supporting the network or Friends Groups and Volunteers in our Park and Greenspaces.

37) Last week it was revealed that the percentage of Bromley’s NOx emissions from road transport went up by 10% between 2013 and 2019, from 42% to 52%. What action is planned to address this increase in emissions?

Table 2 from the link provided shows the ‘Percentage of road transport NOx emissions from diesel and petrol cars in 2013, 2016 and 2019’. Whilst this is interesting information it does not necessarily mean that NOx levels in Bromley have increased over this time. The figures are a reference to the proportion of NOx that is a result of road transport emissions. From the information cited, it cannot necessarily be concluded that there has been an increase in road transport emissions. It could be that there has been a decrease in other sources of NOx which have resulted in a proportional rise in the percentage of transport emissions as one of the sources of NOx. The Council is hoping to continue with its educational programmes that encourage behaviour change to more active modes of travel. This is however somewhat dependent on the continuation of funding streams that have been hindered dramatically by factors stemming from the Covid pandemic.

The Council has facilitated the rollout of fast and rapid EV charge points on borough roads. The Council has also recently established an electric vehicle charging strategy, an update on which will be provided during this meeting. The aim of this strategy is to increase, by way of a pilot scheme, the number of electric vehicle charging facilities in the Borough on roads without off-street parking, helping residents switch to electric vehicles. The London Borough of Bromley’s Annual Status Report for Air Quality for the year 2020 contains information on the measured levels of NO2 in the borough. It generally demonstrates a gradual decline in measured NO2 levels in the borough year on year since 2014 (see Table D). The trend of gradual reduction in pollution levels is mirrored in local authority air quality monitoring results across London. Measures that are being taken by the Council, to improve local air quality, including road transport related actions, are detailed in the Council’s Air Quality Action Plan 2020-2025.

38) Bromley has 3 School Streets, yet other outer London Conservative boroughs have more: Harrow with 7, Barnet with 11. Neighbouring borough Croydon has 26. School Streets improve road safety, air pollution levels and learning outcomes. Please can you explain what the Council will do to increase numbers of School Streets?

The Council is actively investigating the impact of School Streets and has implemented a number where the school involved was keen to see one trialled. Bromley currently has 4 school streets being trialled. There were 4 further previous School Streets in the Borough, but these were not found to be a good use of resources and have ceased to operate. A report will be brought to this Committee later this year, presenting evidence in regard to the current and recent School Streets in the Borough and making recommendations for their future use. School Streets are a useful tool to support sustainable travel and safety around schools, but they are certainly not suitable in all locations and their overall value remains to be seen. Some neighbouring boroughs have also suspended or stopped some School Streets, so it appears they are not always suitable elsewhere either.

39) On 4 March, My London reported the share of nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel and petrol cars has risen in every borough except City of London, with Bromley the worst borough, where diesel and petrol cars represent 52% of all nitrogen emissions (10% increase since 2013). What will Bromley Council do?

The Council is hoping to continue with its educational programmes that encourage behaviour change to more active modes of travel. This is however somewhat dependent on the continuation of funding streams that have been hindered dramatically by factors stemming from the Covid pandemic. The Council has facilitated the rollout of fast and rapid EV charge points on borough roads. The Council has also recently established an electric vehicle charging strategy, an update on which will be provided during this meeting. The aim of this strategy is to increase, by way of a pilot scheme, the number of electric vehicle charging facilities in the Borough on roads without off-street parking, helping residents switch to electric vehicles.

The London Borough of Bromley’s Annual Status Report for Air Quality for the year 2020 contains information on the measured levels of NO2 in the borough. It generally demonstrates a gradual decline in measured NO2 levels in the borough year on year since 2014 (see Table D). The trend of gradual reduction in pollution levels is mirrored in local authority air quality monitoring results across London. Measures that are being taken by the Council, to improve local air quality, including road transport related actions, are detailed in the Council’s Air Quality Action Plan 2020-2025.

40) Climate change requires that we make local high streets the go-to place for people to meet every day needs. This requires investment in high streets, which in turn means we need to increase the number of people who live within walking distance. Would you agree this means we must build higher?

The Bromley Local Plan generally supports development in town centres, however any tall buildings would need to comply with other relevant planning policies governing development including those in the London Plan so it is not possible to provide a generalised answer to this question. Additionally more intensive residential development does not necessarily require higher buildings. It is also important to distinguish between higher and high buildings and the definition of high does depend on the context. Every planning application is considered on its merits and conformance with the Bromley Local Plan.

41) In the carbon emissions section in the draft budget the council said that there may be an expectation in the future to address borough-wide carbon emissions. Polling by London Councils in October 2021 shows that 82% of Londoners are concerned about climate change now. Will the council act urgently for its residents?

The Council acknowledges the seriousness and impact of climate change, and the need for everyone to play an important part in reducing their emissions, including residents, businesses, and community groups. Reducing emissions will be a nationwide endeavour as we will not change the future environmental projections if we just transfer the emissions from one area to another. National, regional and local Government plus every resident will have to make changes to achieve the ambitions of COP26. The Government is best placed to design and organize national initiatives to tackle the issues, a myriad of local schemes would be likely to have higher costs and cause confusion. The Council sees one of its roles as providing information and signposting to residents to help residents make their own choices and determine their priorities for action to reduce their carbon emissions. Local initiatives will be appropriate in certain cases.

In our role as community leaders, we have recently announced that the Council aims to become net-zero in 5 years in 2027. We have and will continue to highlight to residents the actions and investments the Council is making to achieve that ambition to demonstrate worked examples for residents to consider. We have already facilitated the provision of a number of fast and rapid EV points on the boroughs roads and tonight’s agenda includes the updated EV strategy as transport currently has the highest emissions in borough. The Council is participating in the Local Authority Delivery scheme which aims to address energy efficiency of low-income households. Approximately £920,000 has been allocated to improve the energy efficiency of approximately 130 homes, the delegated contractors are currently signing up Bromley households and residents.. The Council also provides a domestic energy efficiency advice service, funded by the GLA, to reach vulnerable residents across the borough in providing free advice and small energy saving measures to save money on energy bills and therefore reduce emissions.

The Council is already moving forward its work to tackle borough-wide emissions (as and when appropriate funding is made available). A Carbon Management progress report setting out what has already been done (or is currently in progress) was presented at the ECS PDS committee meeting in January 2022 and can be accessed via the Council’s website.
The Carbon Management Team will be presenting a report at the ECS PDS meeting in June 2022, specifically about signposting residents, businesses and community groups to various grants, services and other initiatives aimed at energy savings and reducing CO2 emissions.
In addition, the Carbon Management Team are represented at several London Councils Climate Change Steering/Working Groups to help develop a London-wide plan for achieving net zero emissions by 2030 through cross-borough working – the output will help inform and support the Council to address emissions at a borough-wide level.

42) In the NZAP (p41) the council refers to “green deals” being made available by Government to accelerate de-carbonization. What steps have the council taken to push the relevant Government departments for generous green deal options for residents (tenants and owner-occupiers) and businesses? For example, for building insulation and green energy grants.

The Council is represented at London Councils which lobbies on behalf of all 32 London boroughs on issues such as this. The Council is currently participating in the Local Authority Delivery scheme which will address domestic sector emissions for all occupancy types. There is further funding being released nationally for similar schemes – albeit with a focus on hard to treat homes in the domestic sector. The government has also released £5bn of funding for businesses, with six such schemes available now. Please contact the Carbon Management Team for a link to these schemes.

43) On 17 February, Planning Committee approved felling three mature trees at South Eden Park Road, which had been identified as potential roosts for bats and were covered by a TPO. As Portfolio Holder for Environment, what powers do you have to enforce the Council’s “biodiversity species action plan” for bats?

The Bromley Biodiversity Action Plan does not afford any species statutory protection, however legislation exists to protect UK bat species. All bats and their roosts are protected by Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and also under Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations (2017) Schedule 2 (as amended). It is an offence intentionally or recklessly to disturb, damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place that a wild bat uses for shelter or protection, to possess or advertise, sell or exchange a bat or part of a bat, and for any person intentionally to kill, injure or take any wild bat. Any activities which are likely to impact bats or their roosts are fully assessed and their presence considered before any works are undertaken. Any breaches under this legislation would be enforced by the Police Wildlife Crimes Officer.

44) How many traffic lights at junctions in Bromley have no phasing for pedestrians?

I have asked Officers to collate this information and will supply it to you as soon as it is available.

45) Why isn’t phasing for pedestrians a priority particularly at junctions with large numbers of pedestrians crossing on the way to schools?

Making improvements for pedestrians is a priority for the Council, with 12 new controlled crossing being installed in the last couple of years, including zebra, tiger and toucan crossings, plus some refuges. Each location is considered on a case-by-case basis and at some locations adding a green-man phase is not appropriate, owing to the congestion it will cause. Congestion in turn that will lead to drivers rat-running along nearby residential streets and past local schools, along with additional air pollution from queuing traffic. There is not one answer for each location so the Council will always try to do what is best and avoid making hasty changes that might lead to an overall decrease in road safety. The Council will continue to try and identify options for pedestrians where roads present significant barrier to walking, but as above if initial options are found to have significant undesirable consequences, further options will be explored.

46) Speeding issues on Beckenham Road / South Eden Park Road; 30mph awareness signs have been placed at intervals along the South Eden Park stretch of this road but nothing along the Beckenham Road stretch which sees increased pedestrian footfall at school times. Could these signs be extended along Beckenham Road please?

I have asked Officers to add Beckenham Road to the list for future rotations of these temporary road safety posters.

47) ECS Risk Register item 13 Climate Change: one of the further actions required is the detailed climate action plan for net zero organizational emissions. There’s no mention of a detailed plan to reduce emissions borough-wide, which are 99% of the borough’s total, and if unmitigated could lead to a “failure to adapt the borough….to our changing climate”. Your comments would be appreciated.

The Council acknowledges the seriousness and impact of climate change, and the need for everyone to play an important part in reducing their emissions, including residents, businesses, and community groups. Reducing emissions will be a nationwide endeavour as we will not change the future environmental projections if we just transfer the emissions from one area to another. National, regional and local Government plus every resident will have to make changes to achieve the ambitions of COP26. The Government is best placed to design and organise national initiatives to tackle the issues, a myriad of local schemes would be likely to have higher costs and cause confusion. The Council sees one of its roles as providing information and signposting to residents to help residents make their own choices and determine their priorities for action to reduce their carbon emissions. Local initiatives will be appropriate in certain cases.

The Council is already moving forward its work to tackle borough-wide emissions (as and when appropriate funding is made available). A Carbon Management progress report setting out what has already been done (or is currently in progress) was presented at the ECS PDS committee meeting in January 2022 and can be accessed via the Council’s website.
The Carbon Management Team will be presenting a report at the ECS PDS meeting in June 2022, specifically about signposting residents, businesses and community groups to various grants, services and other initiatives aimed at energy savings and reducing CO2 emissions.
In addition, the Carbon Management Team are represented at several London Councils Climate Change Steering/Working Groups to help develop a London-wide plan for achieving net zero emissions by 2030 through cross-borough working – the output will help inform and support the Council to address emissions at a borough-wide level.

48) Bromley’s traffic experts agree pedestrian crossings on South Eden Park Rd need improving, but funding / prioritisation is unclear. Will council commit to installing electronic signs at St David’s crossing point in 2022 – and, if TfL zebra funding isn’t secured, to implementing parking restrictions to finally stop vehicles parking alongside it and restricting visibility?

The installation of electronic signs near to St David’s School on SEPR / Bromley Road is currently being investigated by Officers. If suitable locations can be found, the signs will be installed later in 2022. I have also asked Officers to look at the use of parking controls to help improve safety for pedestrians crossing the A214 at this location.

49) I note the 85th percentile speeds, but please confirm the maximum speeds recorded at each measurement point during the 7-day study period. Please also provide average (mean) speeds recorded at each point during off-peak hours only i.e., 10am-2pm and 8pm-7am.

The 85th percentile speed is the nationally recognised best measure of speed for any road. The use of this measure excludes any bias created by slow moving traffic during congested periods of the day and also by the “outliers” – the drivers who speed and who are not considered to be influenced by anything that a highway authority or Police force can sensibly implement. Another reason that this measure is used is that there will be no bias from the impact of the very high speeds sometimes attained by the blue-light services, especially on routes much used by the emergency services. It is likely that the higher speeds are those of police vehicles responding to emergencies. I do not have the average figures available or if they can be identified for the periods you request.

Please see below the maximum speeds recorded in South Eden Park Road below, as requested, they are most likely to be blue light services:
South Eden Park Road/Beckenham Road/St David’s Close:
– Max speed (during 7 day study period): 80-85mph
South Eden Park Road/: Hawksbrook Lane:
– Max speed (during 7 day study period): 100+mph
South Eden Park Road/Oakfield Garden
– Max speed (during 7 day study period): 95-100mph
South Eden Park Road/: Creswell Drive
– Max speed (during 7 day study period): 70-75mph

50) In the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting of 22nd September 21 (item 297) “re SEN FREE SCHOOL INCLUDING ASSOCIATED PROPERTY TRANSACTION Report CEF 21037 The Executive considered a report proposing that the Council enters into agreements for the property transactions and operating costs for a new special school in Chislehurst at a site off Bushell Way that had been identified for a 420-place primary school in the Local Plan. The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Services, Councillor William Huntington-Thresher, confirmed that the proposals were not in conflict with the borough’s Open Space Strategy, and would preserve the open space. “
Can the portfolio holder please advise how the taking of two additional parcels of land in Walden Woods without consultation, which are NOT included in the Local Plan, and which sustain local biodiversity, is not in conflict with the Council’s Open Space strategy?

It is important not to take comments out of context. The Open Space Strategy is an Environmental Services strategy on the management of our open and green spaces for the benefit of our residents and biodiversity. However Environmental Services is a part of the
Council and on occasion one resident priority will require a compromise between that and other resident priorities. For example, protecting the bio-diversity of some areas such as SSSIs might be best achieved by excluding public access; but public access helps environmental education and supports residents being active for many reasons including physical and mental health.

In the case of the school the land will only be moved inside of the fence if the maximum cohort of the SEN is given planning permission and built-out. If the cohort is smaller the parcels of land will remain publicly accessible. The land would not be built upon it would still be open space, but there wouldn’t be public access as it would be inside the fence. The information provided by Education was that the biodiversity of the parcels of land would be maintained, just that it would be inside of a fence. In addition, as the building of the SEN school would move pupils from an out-of-borough to and in-borough setting the transport miles for the students would be reduced with the environmental benefits that would bring including increased time for the pupils with their families. Hopefully the planning process will ensure that the fence maintains a feel of openness and blends into the landscape.

51) On page 6 of the Draft Portfolio Plan it is said that “(PCNs) have been steadily issued over the year” Could you please clarify what this actually means and how many PCNs have indeed been issued?

Considering seasonal fluctuations and Pandemic, Penalty Charge Notice figures have been similar to previous years/months prior to the start of the Pandemic.

Year/Month	PCNs issued
2018/2019	74,125
2019/2020	78,466
2020/2021	56,962
Apr-21	6,060
May-21	6,643
Jun-21	6,440
Jul-21	6,557
Aug-21	6,805
Sep-21	6,701
Oct-21	7,227
Nov-21	7,989
Dec-21	6,977
Jan-22	6,144
Feb-22	6,207
2021/2022 11 months	73,750

52) The Draft Plan also notes that rising numbers of cars leads to congestion and a reduction in air quality. Given this, why is one of the actions points to make parking “readily available across the borough”? How will this reduce congestion and encourage active travel?

The Council’s approach to travel is to make all modes of transport as useable as possible,
including active travel modes and cars. Residents will continue to need to park, even as more drivers move to electric vehicles. Managing parking effectively can contribute to ensuring that residents have somewhere to park when they visit shops, travel to work etc. Whilst not actually encouraging the use of cars when alternative modes of transport are equally viable.

Limiting parking can have the undesirable consequences that cars drive around for longer looking for a parking space increasing pollution or that residents drive to more distant locations increasing emissions and congestion whilst reducing income to local shops potentially affecting their viability. If they were to close more residents would then have to drive. At most destinations in the borough there is a charge for parking whereas walking to them does not incur a charge. There is therefore some discouragement to car use, though the reason for charging is to manage the road space.

More schools in Bromley have Gold standard Travel Plans than in other London boroughs, which is a reflection of the effort put in by Bromley is encouraging schools to adopt policies to encourage active travel, as many home to school trips are switchable to active travel modes.

53) Residents of Beckenham/South Eden Park Road remain concerned about the speed on the road, raising the issue multiple times. You monitored when temporary traffic lights were used, and only a limited section of the road. Could speed be monitored at various times at different points in the road for a more accurate picture?

A number of speed surveys were placed on the route and operated over a 24/7 period for a full week. The measure used to analyse the higher speeds that drivers choose to travel is the 85th percentile. The use of this measure excludes any bias created by slow moving traffic during congested periods of the day and also by the “outliers” – the drivers who speed and who are not considered to be influenced by anything that a highway authority or Police force can sensibly implement. I am confident that the surveys recently undertaken are an accurate measure of speeds in South Eden Park Road and Beckenham Road.

54) Could you elaborate on the lower cost interim measures referred to bottom of pg. 1. Is there a list? If not, when will one be developed?

This is currently being looked at and will be developed as funding becomes available. The main consideration is the utilisation of part-time 20mph flashing signs outside schools for use at school arrival and departure times.

55) Please confirm the detailed results of the research or formal consultation used in January 2022 to justify the costly removal of segregated cycle lanes and reintroduction of two-way traffic on Albemarle Rd, contrary to the results of the two previous public consultations in favour of keeping the scheme.

Please see the linked report that was presented to the ECS PDS Committee in January:
Enc. 2 for Albemarle Road and Bromley Road Cycle Schemes.pdf

56) Please detail cycle parking made available over past year, and numbers of cycle parking
hangars to be installed this year particularly for those in multiple occupancy dwellings.

There were 2 bike hangars installed last year. It is hoped to install at least 6 more this year funding permitting.

57) Will the Council take action to deal with the smelly male toilet at Kelsey Park and explain what improvements are planned to update this dated facility? Is the council deliberately running down this facility?

Routine cleansing is contracted to take place twice per day at the Kelsey Park toilets. Condition surveys of the Borough’s toilet facilities have been requested and are being undertaken by our Property Colleagues. A formal assessment will follow.

58) What investment is planned for Kelsey Park and how will the public be able to influence investment for this park?

Kelsey Park has been identified as a location for improvement within the Open Space Strategy. Suggestions can be made to enhance and improve Bromley’s Parks through idverde’s Community Managers for the area: Penelope.read@idverde.co.uk (Bromley West).

59) What holistic Strategy and written Plan does the LBB Carbon Management Team have in place (or imminently planned) for addressing the three main sources of carbon emissions in the borough (IE domestic, transport and consumption emissions), beyond the proposed signposting initiative for reducing domestic emissions. Is a 360′ strategy for our borough’s emissions a risk management priority?

The Council is already moving forward its work to tackle borough-wide emissions (as and when appropriate funding is made available). A Carbon Management progress report setting out what has already been done (or is currently in progress) was presented at the ECS PDS committee meeting in January 2022 and can be accessed via the Council’s website. In addition, the Carbon Management Team are represented at several London Councils Climate Change Steering/Working Groups to help develop a London-wide plan for achieving net zero emissions by 2030 through cross-borough working – the output will help inform and support the Council to address emissions at a borough-wide level.

Bromley does not exist in isolation and as you highlight consumption emissions may actually be emitted elsewhere in the country or London but still affect our climate. That is why our strategy involves signposting and educating residents and business on the choices they can make and supporting the strategy the Government set out at COP26 as a start to moving the Country to a sustainable carbon footing.

60) Please confirm when a comprehensive “borough wide” LBB Green Recovery Plan will be published by the Council and how they will support residents to get involved with local green jobs and halving emissions by 2030 (ideally a wide range of community groups, stakeholders and residents are consulted e.g. citizens assembly).

This is not within the remit of Environmental Services, though we are playing our part by signposting and educating residents on this subject so there will be a demand for a ‘green’ industry locally, e.g. green retrofits. Green jobs following from the presence of a local need to be satisfied.

Public questions – Bromley Council Environment Committee, 21 March 2022

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