The Climate Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to meet to discuss the council's air quality, climate action within procurement, and a review of the Enjoy Waltham Forest scheme. The committee was also expected to review action and recommendation trackers from previous meetings. This was scheduled to be the final meeting for the municipal year.

Enjoy Waltham Forest Review

The committee was scheduled to review a report on the sustainable transport infrastructure schemes and behaviour change initiatives delivered through the 10 Years of the Enjoy Waltham Forest Programme, and the outcomes and benefits realised to date.

The Enjoy Waltham Forest programme was initially funded in 2014 with a £27 million grant from Transport for London (TfL). According to the report pack, the programme aimed to encourage residents and businesses to use more sustainable modes of transport and reduce dependency on private vehicles.

The report pack noted that over the past 10 years, the following infrastructure had been introduced across the borough:

• Over 55km of protected and semi-protected cycle routes
• Over 85 modal filters on residential streets to remove through-traffic
• 180 new or improved crossings
• Over 900 trees
• Over 55 public spaces
• Over 45 new pocket parks and parklets
• 11 Cycle Hubs at Overground and Underground stations with 764 spaces in total.

The report pack also stated that 900 Bikehangars had been installed on residential streets across Waltham Forest since 2015, providing secure and convenient cycle parking spaces for 5,400 residents at a cost of £39 per year.

The report pack stated that future infrastructure schemes for 2025 and beyond include the introduction of protected cycle lanes on Forest Road between The Bell Junction and Woodford New Road, on Whipps Cross Road and High Road Leytonstone.

The report pack stated that key targets for the upcoming financial year include introducing a further 300 Bikehangars, bringing the total in the borough to 1,200, and having 2,500 EV charging points by spring 2026.

Climate Action within Procurement

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report setting out the steps the council is taking to embed climate considerations in procurement processes and decisions across the organisation.

The report pack stated that the council's Climate Action Plan commits to:

“placing climate action at the heart of everything we buy and undergo a culture shift in our procurement”.

The report pack stated that the largest share of the council’s carbon footprint are indirect emissions, which are those generated by the council’s supply chain and purchased energy.

The report pack stated that to gain traction with these aims, the Climate and Procurement teams work together to put in place opportunities to review significant proposed contracts, and engage with purchasers to consider relevant climate considerations at early stages.

The report pack stated that the Climate Emergency (CE) team has been a member of the Strategic Commissioning Board (SCB) since December 2022 and that CE officers had reviewed 155 cases at SCB totalling £495m as of early March 2025.

The report pack stated that an internal CE Procurement Working group has been established and that the Procurement team attend LRPN (London Responsible Procurement Network), have held Lead Member briefings, and established matrix working across council departments and teams focussing on climate action initiatives.

The report pack stated that training materials have been produced and sessions held with key Capital and Revenue commissioners / purchasers and that The Hive environmental education centre is now an accredited Carbon Literacy (CL) provider and CL training sessions have been held with senior managers and Councillors.

Air Quality Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on air quality in the borough.

The report pack stated that Waltham Forest designated the whole borough as an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in 2001 because of exceedances of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Particulate Matter (PM10) air quality objectives.

The report pack stated that in 2023 there was no exceedance of the legal limits, for the first time since measurements began.

The report pack stated that according to current monitoring and modelling data, wood burning has been identified as the second largest emission source of PM2.5 in the borough and across London, behind road transport.

The report pack stated that two new School Street schemes were introduced in September 2024, at Walthamstow School for Girls and Eden Girls’ School, bringing the total number of schemes in the borough to 24 (covering 26 schools).

The report pack stated that 379 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging sockets were installed in 2024, bringing the total number of sockets in the borough to 1,079 and that 134 Bikehangars were installed in 2024, bringing the total number in the borough to 897.

The report pack stated that the council has agreed to participate into a dissertation project, which will be delivered by University College London (UCL) and London Clean Air (LCA) to gather air quality data (mainly PM2.5) a number of London restaurants and commercial kitchens.

The Scrutiny Report

The committee was scheduled to review the action and recommendation trackers and suggest any items for the 2025/26 draft work programme for the incoming committee.

The report pack included a draft summary of committee activity for the 24/25 municipal year, a draft forward plan, an action tracker, a recommendation tracker, and action and recommendation responses.

The draft summary of committee activity for the 24/25 municipal year included a summary of the committee's discussions on the operational readiness, communications and engagement approach and the behaviour change work for the implementation of a separate food waste collection service as part of the Council’s Recycling Strategy, the progress by the council as a Lead Local Flood Authority, the North London Waste Authority Joint Waste Strategy, the new mission led approach to climate action, changes to parking in the borough, and biodiversity and nature networks in the borough.