The Environment Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to meet on 8 July 2025 to discuss climate change mitigation, local nature recovery, and infrastructure projects. The committee was also expected to review its work plan and receive updates on various initiatives.

Climate Leadership Gloucestershire

The committee was scheduled to receive an introduction to the work of Climate Leadership Gloucestershire (CLG), a partnership established in November 2021. According to the report pack, all members provide two representatives to the CLG, which is currently chaired by Councillor Cate Cody of Tewkesbury Borough Council, with Councillor Seb Field of Gloucester City Council as vice chair.

The CLG works to a shared plan, the Greener Gloucestershire Action Plan, and also pools funding via the Greener Gloucestershire Action Fund to fund countywide climate projects.

The committee was scheduled to discuss the scope of activity in place across 10 key workstreams:

• Adaptation
• Behaviour Change
• Biodiversity
• Economy
• Energy
• Food and Farming
• Planning
• Retrofit
• Transport
• Waste

The committee was also scheduled to discuss channels for further member involvement in the CLG, including sharing actions on climate change, advocating for organisational thematic leads, and joining CLG meetings.

Executive Director's Report: Economy, Environment & Infrastructure

The committee was scheduled to receive the Executive Director's Report: Economy, Environment & Infrastructure from Colin Chick, Executive Director: Economy, Environment and Infrastructure. The report provided information regarding progress and proposals for each of the areas within Economy, Environment and Infrastructure.

Items mentioned in the report included:

• Highways: Updates on the M5 Junction 10 and A417 Missing Link projects, as well as structural maintenance and street lighting contracts.
• Traffic and Transport: Updates on public and school transport, the corporate fleet unit, road safety, and electric vehicles.
• Economy and Environment: Updates on the City Region Board, Local Growth Plan, and Economic Growth Board.
• Planning and Economic Development: Updates on the M5 Junction 9 and A46 (Ashchurch), digital connectivity, and the Local Transport Plan.
• Libraries: Updates on the City Campus, Wotton Libraries refurbishment, and the Libraries Greener Together Climate strategy.
• Registration: Updates on the Stroud Registry Office refurbishment and the new white paper Data (use and Access) Bill.
• Waste Management: Updates on the Wingmoor Household Recycling Centre and sustainability/climate change initiatives.
• Growth and Enterprise: Updates on the Growth Hub, Made Smarter programme, Invest in Gloucestershire, and Made in Gloucestershire.
• Employment and Skills: Updates on the co-ordination of employment and skills priorities, careers support, and specific employment and skills initiatives.

Local Nature Recovery Strategy

The committee was scheduled to receive a presentation on the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). The LNRS is a requirement of the Environment Act 2021, which requires all local authorities to develop a strategy for enhancing biodiversity and ecological networks.

The presentation was scheduled to include a live tutorial of the draft mapping tool.

Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106

The committee was scheduled to review the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 agreements.

CIL is a planning charge on most new build developments levied through the planning application process. Section 106 agreements are the primary route for agreeing developer contributions and are still used today for some proposals.

The report pack noted that Gloucestershire County Council has a plethora of roles and responsibilities in relation to future infrastructure associated with new developments including highways, transport, flood alleviation, libraries, education, minerals and waste, fire service, etc. and therefore attempt to secure appropriate infrastructure to alleviate pressure from future development proposals.

The report pack also noted that devolution discussions would have a significant impact on the current arrangements and any challenges faced therefore were temporary.

Work Plan

The committee was scheduled to review its work plan and suggest items for consideration at future meetings.