Meeting with South West RDA to discuss SWRDA response to ...

SOUTH WEST REGIONAL ASSEMBLY
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REGIONAL SCRUTINY AND REVIEW PANEL
23 May 2007
Sustainable Energy Regional Strategic Review:
Meeting with South West RDA to discuss South West RDA
response to Scrutiny Panel recommendations
1. Purpose of Report
1.1 To identify possible lines of enquiry for Members ahead of the meeting with the
South West RDA to discuss the RDA’s response to the Regional Strategic Review
on Sustainable Energy.
2. Recommendation
2.1 It is recommended that:
(i) Members note progress on the recommendations arising from the RDA’s
response to the Sustainable Energy review and pursue the suggested lines of
enquiry;
(ii) Members consider the best means of ensuring that the Panel’s experience
gained through the review process feeds into a plan of action for the
Assembly’s Energy Task and Finish Group or into the development of a
Climate Change Group if it is established.
3. Background
3.1 The report on Sustainable Energy was completed in the summer of 2006 and
formally endorsed by the Assembly’s Executive Committee in September 2006.
A Full Assembly debate was held on the issues raised in October 2006.
3.2 In November 2006 the secretariat formally submitted the report to the SWRDA
and requested comments in line with the Scrutiny and Strategic Review Protocol
2006-2008. The secretariat agreed with the SWRDA Executive that some
slippage was reasonable owing to the Christmas period and the scheduled dates
for SWRDA Board meetings. A draft response to the Panel’s report was
submitted to the SWRDA Board at their meeting on 22 nd January 2007.
3.3 Following initial consideration of the SWRDA response (Appendix 1) at the
Scrutiny Panel meeting on 28 th February 2007, Panel Members agreed that
senior officers and a SWRDA Board Member should be invited to the Panel’s
meeting on the 23 rd May 2007 to discuss their response in detail. This paper
sets out progress within the region on the sustainable energy agenda since the
publication of the Regional Strategic Review and the RDA’s response.

4. Progress on the Sustainable Energy Agenda
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4.1 There has been progress on energy issues in the region since the scrutiny report
was adopted by the Assembly in October 2006 and since the RDA responded in
February 2007. A summary of progress made by SWRA and SWLGA and other
regional partners follows:
• SWRA led a piece of work (part-funded by the South West RDA and
Government Office South West) on zero carbon developments, which is now
complete. As a result of the findings, development policy G proposed for the
draft RSS has been modified; it now details a staged move to zero carbon
residential developments and low carbon non-residential developments by
2016.
• Following the SWRA October 2006 Full Assembly meeting which focused on
energy, SWRA established a Members’ Task and Finish sub-group of the
Regional Futures Group to lead the work on developing a regional energy
action plan. The SWRA March 2007 Full Assembly meeting focused on
climate change and SWRA agreed to lead development of a regional Climate
Change Action Plan. In the light of this Assembly leadership role, an
Assembly Climate Change Group may be created, building on the
membership and remit of the existing Energy Task and Finish Group.
• The Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) study into tidal power
which was due to be published in March has been delayed until June.
• RegenSW, the region’s renewable energy agency, has been exploring
opportunities for widening its remit to become a regional sustainable energy
agency. Together with the SWLGA, RegenSW held a major regional
conference for local authority Members and officers on the 8 th March 2007.
The conference aimed to improve Member understanding of and
engagement with the sustainable energy agenda.
• The regional Climate Change Impacts Partnership (CCIP) and SWLGA held
an event in December 2006 to encourage local authorities to sign up to the
Nottingham Declaration on climate change. The Assembly signed the
declaration in March 2007. The RDA is currently undertaking a review of its
funding of external bodies and as a result there is no guarantee that its
funding of CCIP will continue past March 2008.
• The South West RDA announced in April that funding for the wavehub
project has been granted. The project will be part funded with ERDF
convergence funding.
5. Themes for discussion
5.1 In general, the South West RDA has agreed with the Scrutiny Panel
recommendations. The responses are positive and should be welcomed by
Members. However, within the response there is an overall lack of frameworks
and timelines for action and these should be given particular attention in the

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discussion in order to verify that the South West RDA’s commitment to the
sustainable energy agenda is action-led.
5.2 Four themes for Members enquiries emerge from the RDA’s responses to the
Panel’s recommendations:
• For recommendations that relate to RDA-led activity:
o Investigation of frameworks for delivery and timelines;
o Discussion of RDA assessment of the impact of its investments;
o Clarification of work and funding priorities.
• For recommendations that relate to partnership working between the RDA
and other regional stakeholders:
o Clarification of the RDA’s role as a regional partner.
6. Energy Task and Finish Group
6.1 Representatives of the Energy Task and Finish Group have been invited to
attend the Scrutiny Panel meeting on the 23 rd May 2007, as it presents an
opportunity for the Group to better understand the RDA’s role in the delivery of
the sustainable energy agenda. There is potential for the Scrutiny Panel to share
their experience and knowledge of the sustainable energy agenda with the
Energy Group in order to feed into their plan of action. Members should
consider the best means of ensuring this knowledge sharing occurs; potential
methods include an additional meeting with the Energy Group or a written
communication from the Panel.
7. Next Steps
7.1 Following discussions with the South West RDA representatives on their
intended programme of action, officers suggest the sustainable energy agenda
becomes a matter for ongoing monitoring and review in accordance with the
Scrutiny Protocol 2006-2009.
David Fletcher
Regional Policy Manager (Scrutiny and Sustainability)
Tel No: 01823 425248
email: david.fletcher@southwest-ra.gov.uk
Hazel Evans
Policy Assistant
Tel No: 01823 425268
Email: hazel.evans@southwest-ra.gov.uk