Climate and nature area of focus proposal
Decided: The Committee accepted the report and endorsed four approaches.
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Councils reported on climate and nature plans this month, including net zero reports in Carmarthenshire and Powys and nature plans in Neath Port Talbot, Caerphilly and Bridgend. Planning committees also dealt with carbon capture, flood-related and biodiversity matters.[4][14][2][12][5][1]
Written in November 2026 from council records since 20 September 2026, open consultations and official sources. Written automatically, then checked: every point names its sources and every figure appears in them. Follow the links to check anything before relying on it.
Every Welsh council has declared or responded to the climate emergency and has plans to cut its own emissions, from buildings, vehicles and the things it buys. Councils also manage flood risk on local rivers and streams.
The Cabinet agrees climate plans; scrutiny committees check progress.
Ask your councillors how the council is doing against its own targets, and respond to its consultations on plans.
| Council | Items | With a decision |
|---|---|---|
| Vale of Glamorgan | 138 | 16 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 55 | 52 |
| Gwynedd | 55 | 52 |
| Pembrokeshire | 43 | 36 |
| Carmarthenshire | 41 | 39 |
| Swansea | 40 | 31 |
| Powys | 40 | 29 |
| Monmouthshire | 38 | 9 |
| Wrexham | 27 | 27 |
| Cardiff | 27 | 24 |
| Conwy | 27 | 24 |
| Denbighshire | 22 | 17 |
| Flintshire | 21 | 11 |
| Newport | 21 | 10 |
| Blaenau Gwent | 17 | 17 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 16 | 9 |
| Caerphilly | 16 | 0 |
| Ceredigion | 9 | 8 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 8 | 7 |
| Torfaen | 7 | 6 |
| Bridgend | 5 | 0 |
Decided: The Committee accepted the report and endorsed four approaches.
Decided: The Committee agreed the minutes of its meeting on 18 March 2026 as a true record. It noted the updates on earlier actions.
Decided: The Committee noted the end-of-year position on corporate risks and the Strategic Leadership Team's response to its Quarter 3 comments. It asked Cabinet to approve delegated authority for the Director of Corporate Resources to update the Risk Management Policy, and to consider the Committee's comments. It asked for more information on the scrutiny review (a review by councillors of a council service) into Additional Learning Needs resource bases, and for a review of the risk score for Climate Change.
RESOLVED: a) That Councillor Chris Hughes be allowed to speak with officers and write to officers and/ or the Council regarding all issues relating to climate, nature and biodiversity, including land use relating to land on which the Colwyn Bay Conservation and Environment Federation might have an interest for a period of 12 months. b) That Councilor Chris Hughes be allowed to speak and take part in debates and answer questions in Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Cabinet and Council relating to climate, nature and biodiversity, including land use relating to land on which the Colwyn Bay Conservation and Environment Federation might have an interest for a period of 12 months. c) That the dispensations above be granted under paragraphs 2 (d) and (f), respectively, of the Standards Committee (Grant of Dispensations) (Wales) Regulations 2001.
RESOLVED to approve the Outline Business Case (OBC) of the Green Futures Innovation Park submitted by Prifysgol Aberystwyth University.
Decided: Cabinet approved starting a competitive tender for Phase 1a, to be bought through the South East Wales Highway Framework, a pre-approved list of suppliers (Lot 9). Cabinet also approved evaluation criteria of 60% cost, 30% quality and 10% social value. Cabinet delegated power to award the contract and mobilise the scheme to the Assistant Director of Planning and Transport, in consultation with the cabinet member, the council's Section 151 Officer (chief finance officer) and the Director of Governance and Legal Services, and noted that the Assistant Director will be the senior responsible owner (SRO), accountable for delivery.
Decided: Members resolved that they were minded to refuse planning permission, with the loss of the hedgerow added to the reasons. They authorised the Development and Building Control Manager to issue the decision under delegated powers, meaning officers issue it without a further committee vote.
RESOLVED that the Fund’s Equity Carbon Intensity Analysis be noted.
Decided: The Sub Committee refused the application for a premises licence to provide late night refreshment (hot food and drink sold indoors) from 11pm to 3am, every day.
Decided: The Committee approved the proposed governance changes, with its own amendments. The main points are: (1) Applications to vary conditions, make small changes, discharge conditions or approve reserved matters (details left for later) will be decided by officers, unless the Committee formally asks for one to come back to it. (2) Applications go to Committee if they are for 250 or more homes, more than 2,500 square metres of commercial floorspace, sites over 10 hectares, or major developments with an Environmental Impact Statement. (3) Requests from members to refer an application will be decided by the Chair, who must keep a record of decisions and reasons and report it regularly to the Committee. (4) The Chair can ask for an application to come to Committee. (5) The Chair will be consulted where five or more objections come from five or more households. (6) All applications from officers in the Planning Service who make planning decisions will go to Committee. Each speaker gets 4 minutes, and more than one ward member may speak at the Chair's discretion. (10) An updated Members' Planning Code of Good Practice and a single Planning Guide will be prepared. On petitions, the Committee voted to recommend to Cabinet that petitions with 50 or more signatures no longer automatically send an application to Committee. These would instead go to the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Chair, and the Petition Scheme would exclude subsequent or technical applications. Officers were given delegated authority to finalise the Constitution amendments, which go to the Constitution Committee and then full Council. The Petition Scheme changes go to the Constitution Committee and then Cabinet. The Head of Planning was given authority to finalise the other procedure notes and protocols. Confirmation of the final arrangements will be sent to all members.
Decided: The committee agreed to note the forward work programme, subject to three points: a visit to Food Centre Wales, Horeb in September; a report on council car park income for 2024-25 and 2025-26, including Aberystwyth Promenade, for the December meeting; and a Task and Finish Group, a small time-limited group, to discuss ideas for a possible Parking Strategy.
Decided: Members resolved to scrutinise the progress report and the two-year review in Appendix 1. They also resolved to give comments to help draft the updated 2026-28 Flood Action Plan.
Decided: The Panel resolved to recommend that Council approve its recommendations to appoint people to a list of current vacancies at Cardiff schools. It also resolved to recommend that Council appoint people to a list of future vacancies, some of them re-appointments and some new applications. The minute records these as recommendations to Council, so the appointments are not final until Council approves them.
Decided: The committee approved the application, against officers' advice. Conditions include a five-year time limit, an archive record of the old house before it is demolished, and biodiversity improvements.
Decided: The committee agreed to give officers delegated powers to approve the application, which means officers issue the decision rather than the committee. Conditions include ending operations by 31 December 2028, a limit of 50,000 tonnes of waste a year and no more than 20,000 tonnes stored on site at any time.
Decided: The committee approved the application with conditions. These limit the site to 25 touring caravans and 10 tents, allow holiday use only with a register kept, permit use only from 1 March to 31 October, ban storing caravans on site, and require a lighting plan to protect bats.
Decided: Consent granted for the three holiday lodges, a sewage treatment plant, a car park, improved access and associated works, subject to the conditions in the report. Members asked that Condition 8 be strengthened so that any passing bays are built to an adoptable standard, meaning a standard the council would take on as a public road.
Decided: Consent granted, subject to the conditions in the report and a Section 106 legal agreement to secure off-site compensatory planting, meaning replacement trees planted elsewhere. Authority delegated to the Chair and Vice-Chair, with the Lead Professional, to determine the application once the agreement has been drafted, consulted on and signed.
Decided: The Committee requested that Heads of Service attend the next meeting if outstanding actions have no response before then. It also asked for more information to make actions clearer to members of the public before a response is received. The Scrutiny Adviser said an extra meeting on 3 December was needed for the new Climate Change Plan. The Committee asked whether that item could go to the October meeting with the Climate Change Annual Report, and the Scrutiny Adviser agreed to confer with the Head of Service.
Decided: Nine other roles were kept.