The Sustainable Development Select Committee met to review the council's climate emergency response and discuss ecological governance. Key decisions included recommending a stronger focus on Lewisham's role as a convener for borough-wide emissions, identifying heat decarbonisation as a strategic priority, and emphasising adaptation and resilience in the refreshed climate strategy. The committee also agreed to note a report on ecological governance and participatory budgeting, and to review the committee's work programme.

Climate Emergency Response

The committee reviewed the council's progress on its Climate Action Plan and discussed the development of a new Climate Strategy for 2027-2031. Martin O'Brien, Head of Climate Resilience, presented the report, highlighting strong progress in areas such as housing retrofit, school street initiatives, and community energy projects. However, he also acknowledged significant challenges, including the high costs of decarbonisation, the need for infrastructure investment, limitations on council control over borough-wide emissions, and capacity constraints within the council.

Giovanna Especial from South East London Community Energy (CELSE) spoke about the opportunities for community-led energy initiatives, emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency and advice services for vulnerable residents. She also highlighted the challenges of scaling up heat decarbonisation and retrofit, particularly for the missing middle households who do not qualify for grants and face high upfront costs.

Councillor Susanna Clarke raised concerns about the changing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the report and the difficulty in assessing progress. Councillor Gavin Moore questioned the council's target for completing the conversion of street lighting to LED and the colouration of the LEDs to minimise impact on wildlife. Councillor Laura Sessions asked about the council's approach to overheating in major regeneration schemes and how future climate resilience is influencing design decisions.

Following extensive discussion, the committee proposed several recommendations to Mayor and Cabinet for the refreshed Climate Strategy:

• Strengthening accountability through smart targets and more regular reporting to the committee.
• Placing a greater emphasis on Lewisham's role as a convener for addressing borough-wide emissions.
• Identifying heat decarbonisation as a strategic priority in its own right, coordinating action across housing, schools, and the corporate estate.
• Placing greater emphasis on adaptation and resilience in light of recent heatwaves and the evolving climate emergency.
• Clearly outlining how major programmes will be delivered in the context of declining funding streams and identifying innovative routes to investment.

Ecological Governance and Participatory Budgeting

The committee received a report on ecological governance, participatory budgeting, and the concept of Rights for Nature. Esther Wainwright-Deri, Ecological Regeneration Manager, and Vince Buchanan, Head of Parks and Open Spaces, introduced the report, which detailed the council's existing framework for considering biodiversity in decision-making, key challenges, and opportunities.

The report highlighted that biodiversity is embedded across Lewisham's strategies, policies, and land management. However, challenges include limited influence over privately owned land, balancing growth with nature recovery, shared river governance responsibilities, competitive funding, and the impacts of climate change and invasive species. Opportunities were identified in exploring developer contributions for biodiversity, strengthening local protection and enforcement, improving public awareness, increasing community participation, and considering participatory budgeting for environmental action.

Jez Hall from Shared Future CIC provided expert insight into participatory budgeting, emphasizing its potential for shifting power and fostering community engagement. He advised councils to focus on longevity, cultural change, and effective communication when implementing participatory budgeting. Councillor Nadja Penfold asked about common mistakes councils make with participatory budgeting, to which Mr. Hall responded that these include focusing on pilots that don't become programmes, viewing it solely as consultation rather than a power shift, and poor communication and leadership. Councillor Eva Stamirowski inquired about the scale of participatory budgeting and what meaningful scale looks like. Councillor Robin McGhee asked about specific aspects of climate, nature, and environment that work well for participatory budgeting. Councillor Suzannah Clarke raised questions about officer time, cost implications, achieving a cross-section of society, and tracking the effectiveness of money use.

Councillor Rudy Schmidt, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Economic Development, discussed the potential for using funds like the £840,000 Nature Towns and Cities Fund for participatory budgeting. He also noted the limitations, suggesting that fast-paced decisions involving vulnerable people or large capital infrastructure projects might not be suitable for this approach. Vince Buchanan elaborated on the Nature Towns and Cities funding, explaining it is revenue spend intended to build capacity for community engagement and micro-grants. He also highlighted the challenge of ensuring diverse participation, noting the gap between the users of parks and the members of friends groups. Councillor McGhee also raised questions about the Rights for Nature framework and its practical implications for council decision-making, referencing examples from other councils.

The committee agreed to note the report on Ecological Governance and Participatory Budgeting.

Select Committee Work Programme

The committee reviewed its work programme for the municipal year. Councillor Gavin Moore reiterated his request for the regeneration of Catford Town Centre to be included, which was confirmed by the Chair to be discussed with officers. The committee agreed to the work programme as presented. The next meeting was scheduled for 5 November 2026.