Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Martyn Holland, Geraint Lloyd-Williams, Bob Murray and David G Williams.

No personal or prejudicial interests in the business item under discussion were declared.

No personal or prejudicial interests in the business item under discussion were declared.

No urgent matters had been raised with the Chair prior to the meeting.

No urgent matters had been raised with the Chair prior to the meeting.

To consider a report by the Strategic Planning and Performance Officer (copy attached) which presents the Committee with the recommendations of the Use of Plastics Task and Finish Group in relation to Phase 2 of its work and the Group’s future.

Councillor Peter Scott proposed that the three recommendations formulated by the Task and Finish Group and outlined in the report, along with the fourth recommendation put forward by the Committee at the meeting should be approved.  Councillor Hugh Irving seconded Councillor Scott’s proposal. 

A formal vote was taken on the four recommendations en-bloc.  All Committee members present voted for the recommendations, no Committee member present indicated they wished to vote against or abstain from voting on any of the recommendations.  The Committee therefore unanimously:

Resolved: - having considered the information provided by the Task and Finish Group on its work thus far that –

(i)           given the current circumstances due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, that Phase 2 of the Group’s work should not proceed and that the Task and Finish Group be disbanded;

(ii)          opportunities to reduce the use of plastics in school catering and procurement, along with any future work on the avoidance and reduction of plastics in Denbighshire County Council (including its Alternative Delivery Models (ADMs) such as Denbighshire Leisure Limited (DLL) be co-ordinated under the proposed Climate and Ecological Change Strategy;

(iii)        having agreed the above recommendations they be submitted to County Council for approval; and

(iv)        the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group (SCVCG) be requested to determine the most effective forum for monitoring the implementation and delivery of reducing the use of plastics within Denbighshire County Council and the Council’s wider Ecological and Climate Change Strategy.  

Councillor Emrys Wynne, Chair of Use of Plastics Members’ Task & Finish Group, introduced the Avoidance and Reduction of Plastics in Denbighshire County Council report (previously circulated).

Full Council, at the end of January 2020, approved the recommendations included in the Task and Finish Group’s initial action plan to reduce the use of plastics in civic offices (Phase 1).  Full Council also agreed to the Group’s request to continue its work for a further 12 months with a view to devising methods for reducing the use of plastics in two specific areas, namely school catering and procurement (Phase 2).

Within a matter of weeks of the above decision being taken the COVID-19 pandemic struck and the country went into lockdown. 

The report outlined the proposed recommendations following the recent meeting of the Use of Plastics Members’ Task & Finish Group where the group acknowledged the achievement of Phase 1 in reducing the use of plastics in civic offices and considered a way forward in relation to the work it had been tasked to undertake, but were unable to progress Phase 2 (School Catering and Procurement) due to the pandemic.

Officers involved with the Climate and Ecological Change Strategy – suggested that recommendation (ii) included the following words highlighted in bold text `Opportunities to reduce the use of plastics in school catering and procurement for the benefit of reducing carbon emissions, along with any future work on the avoidance and reduction of plastics in Denbighshire County Council (including its Alternative Delivery Models (ADMs) e.g. Denbighshire Leisure Limited (DLL) be co-ordinated under the proposed Climate and Ecological Change Strategy. 

The Task and Finish Group was of the view that the proposal for the work to be co-ordinated under the proposed Climate and Ecological Change Strategy demonstrated a sustainable approach to the environment and contributed positively overall to the well-being goals.

During discussions, it was suggested and agreed that an additional recommendation be included for approval as follows:

“the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group (SCVCG) be requested to determine the most effective forum for monitoring the implementation and delivery of reducing the use of plastics within Denbighshire County Council and the Council’s wider Ecological and Climate Change Strategy”. 

Councillor Peter Scott proposed that the three recommendations formulated by the Task and Finish Group and outlined in the report, along with the fourth recommendation put forward by the Committee at the meeting should be approved.  Councillor Hugh Irving seconded Councillor Scott’s proposal. 

A formal vote was taken on the four recommendations en-bloc.  All Committee members present voted for the recommendations, no Committee member present indicated they wished to vote against or abstain from voting on any of the recommendations.  The Committee therefore unanimously:

Resolved: - having considered the information provided by the Task and Finish Group on its work thus far that –

(i)           given the current circumstances due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, that Phase 2 of the Group’s work should not proceed and that the Task and Finish Group be disbanded;

(ii)          opportunities to reduce the use of plastics in school catering and procurement, along with any future work on the avoidance and reduction of plastics in Denbighshire County Council (including its Alternative Delivery Models (ADMs) such as Denbighshire Leisure Limited (DLL) be co-ordinated under the proposed Climate and Ecological Change Strategy;

(iii)        having agreed the above recommendations, they be submitted to County Council for approval; and

(iv)        the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group (SCVCG) be requested to determine the most effective forum for monitoring the implementation and delivery of reducing the use of plastics within Denbighshire County Council and the Council’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

THE MEETING CONCLUDED AT 10:05 A.M.