Climate Emergency

Tuesday, 28 February, 6pm – 8.30pm Ellesmere Port Civic Hall

Please note: Registrations to attend the engagement session in person at Ellesmere Port Civic Hall are now closed as the venue is at full capacity. Residents can watch the session live on the evening via a webcast link. Please use the following link on the evening to access the online session: https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/whitby

For those attending the event, doors open at 5.15pm with the event starting at 6pm. Please allow plenty of time to arrive and take your seat. Pre-registration figures show that the venue is expected to be full. Entrance will be managed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Event details

Cheshire West and Chester Council is holding a public engagement session about the Whitby Hydrogen Village proposal on Tuesday, 28 February in Ellesmere Port Civic Hall.

This is an opportunity for residents in the Whitby area to have their say about the proposals and hear from various experts with a range of viewpoints.

The event is being chaired by Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council.

The experts attending the event include:

Professor Gordon E. Andrews, Professor of Combustion Engineering, School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds

Professor Andrews is an independent expert on hydrogen safety and low Nitrogen Oxides (NO_x) burner design for domestic and industrial applications. He has 52 years of experience in hydrogen combustion with 600+ total publications including 270 publications on explosion safety and low NO_x burner design. He was the technical lead of an industrial team led by Clean Burner Systems (CBS) developing three hydrogen fires under the BEIS Hy4Heat programme. Currently he is the technical lead on a BEIS project with CBS to decarbonise the Whisky distillery industry using a hydrogen/biowaste gasification technique. Professor Andrews was a member of the British Standards expert panel that wrote PAS4444 which is the hydrogen central heating boiler and fires safety testing protocol, that has to be complied with to get the ‘hydrogen ready’ approval, which requires hydrogen appliances meeting the same NO_x standard as NG appliances.

Tom Baxter, Chemical Engineering Consultant

Tom Baxter is a Chemical Engineer with 40 years working in the oil and gas industry. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and a founding member of The Hydrogen Science Coalition. He is a retired Senior Fellow in the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Aberdeen where he established a number of courses including Process Safety. Since 2003 he has been visiting Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Strathclyde. He is currently a Chemical Engineering consultant providing heat, power and greenhouse gas reduction expertise.

Dr Angie Needle, Director of Strategy at Cadent

Dr Angie Needle is Cadent’s Director of Strategy, the Vice President of Hydrogen UK, and Fellow of the Energy Institute. In her current role for Cadent Angie is responsible for driving the UK’s largest gas distribution network towards a net zero future, and spearheading all things hydrogen. Prior to joining Cadent in 2019, Angie held several senior roles at Centrica and Anglian Water, developing energy and customer services propositions and supporting both organisations on their moves towards cleaner energy, reduced carbon emissions and more sustainable business models.

David Cebon, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Cambridge, England

David Cebon is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in Cambridge University and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He is Director of the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight and leads Cambridge University Engineering Department’s Transport Research Group and the Department’s research theme ‘Energy, Transport and Urban Infrastructure’. Professor Cebon’s research covers the mechanical, civil, and materials aspects of road transport engineering. He has authored or co-authored more than 150 peer reviewed papers on the dynamics, safety, and environmental performance of heavy goods vehicles. He has a strong current focus on energy vectors.

Mark Neller, Director at Arup

Mark is Arup’s energy leader for the UKIMEA region, overseeing a number of growing industries and sectors whilst supporting a diverse range of clients.

Mark oversees a diverse portfolio of service offerings for clients across the energy system, including electric vehicles, offshore wind, hydrogen and low carbon building energy solutions. He has more than twenty years’ experience within the energy sector and has a background in engineering.

Mark been instrumental in developing Arup’s presence in the hydrogen market, supporting clients through this evolving sector within the UK.

Tom Collins, Product Owner Hydrogen UK

Tom Collins has spent over 15 years working in Research & Development on various new technologies to reduce carbon emissions from heating, including heat pump hybrid systems and district heating. He was also Bosch’s UK expert on building and heating system modelling. Since 2017, Tom has led Bosch’s team of engineers developing 100% hydrogen-ready boilers.

Michael Liebreich, Chairman and CEO of Liebreich Associates

Michael Liebreich is Chairman and CEO of Liebreich Associates, through which he provides advisory services and speaks on clean energy and transportation, smart infrastructure, technology, climate finance and sustainable development. In early 2019, Michael joined Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL) as a Senior Advisor and in September 2020, he became an official Advisor to the UK’s Board of Trade. Michael is a member of the Strategic Committee for the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions (Solar Impulse Foundation), a member of the selection committee for the Bloomberg New Energy Pioneers, a programme he created in 2008 and chaired until 2014 and recently became a member of the High-Level Observer Group for the Hydrogen Council and the UK Green Growth Fund. In April 2021 Michael became a member of World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Climate & Energy Advisory Council.

Andrew Lewis, Chief Executive of Cheshire West and Chester Council will also be on the panel.

Agenda

6pm – 6.05pm Welcome and Introductions Chair

6.05pm – 6.10pm Background to the Taskforce Chair

6.10pm – 6.20pm Overview of the session Chair

6.20pm – 7pm Individual Public Speakers (10 slots) Public speakers

7pm – 7.10pm Comfort Break

7.10pm – 8.15pm Panel Discussion / Q&A Expert speakers

8.15pm – 8.25pm Taskforce discussion/reflection period Chair

8.25pm – 8.30pm Conclusions Chair

How to ask a question and register for the event

Online registrations for the event are now closed as the venue is at capacity.

We will aim to get through as many questions submitted by residents as we can on the evening.

The third Monday in January is often billed as the most depressing day of the year, with Christmas festivities long-forgotten and the shine already wearing off New Year’s resolutions.

Rather than making life more of a struggle, there are five ways to lift your mood and improve your wellbeing, without having to make dramatic changes to your lifestyle.

Cheshire West and Chester Council and its partners in the borough, including Brio Leisure, Active Cheshire, have teamed up to share information and advice about the five ways to wellbeing with residents and help people through the winter.

The five ways to wellbeing are:

• Connect – with people around you, including friends, family, colleagues and neighbours. Good relationships give you a sense of belonging and self-worth, as well as providing emotional support.
• Be active – whether it is going for run or walk, gardening, playing a game or dancing around the kitchen, being active can raise your self-esteem, help you to set goals you can achieve and cause chemical changes in your brain that can positively change your mood.
• Take notice – savour the moment and make the effort to be more aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better.
• Learn – try something new or rediscover an old interest, which will help boost your self-confidence, give you a sense of purpose and help you connect with others.
• Give – do something nice for someone else, volunteer or say thank you. Acts of giving and kindness can create a sense of reward, give you a feeling of purpose and self-worth and help you connect with others.

Cllr Louise Gittins, the Council’s Leader and Cabinet Member for Poverty and Wellbeing, said: "It's traditional to make New Year's resolutions about losing weight or dropping a bad habit, but if that feels like it's adding pressure on yourself at a time when there are already a lot of worries, why not look to do something much more positive for yourself.

"The best thing about the five ways to wellbeing is that you can take the theme and make it fit your life. It gives you the chance to put your wellbeing first without adding to your stress.

"Whether you decide to learn how to cook a new tea, join a guided walk to be active and connect or give some of your time to volunteer, you can easily find your own five ways to wellbeing."

Cheshire West and Chester Council has received national recognition for its work to unlock a food revolution and tackle the climate emergency.

The Council has been listed as one of 21 top performing councils out of nearly 200 analysed by Sustain, a national alliance for better food and farming.

Sustain’s report ‘Every Mouthful Counts’, looks at how well councils in the UK are performing on issues of food and tackling climate change.

The borough has also joined the Sustainable Food Places Network following a successful application by Cheshire West Voluntary Action (CWVA) supported by the Council’s Public Health team.

Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Tackling the climate emergency has long been a major priority of the Council.

“We’ve been working with partners across the borough to address many of the issues leading to this emergency, with a sustainable and healthy food system high on the list.

“We want everyone to be able to eat healthily every day and we want farming and food production to have a positive impact on the climate and biodiversity. This can in turn help our local economy to thrive.

“It’s great to have our work recognised in the report by Sustain, and even better that our partnership’s application to become a Sustainable Food Place has been successful, opening up even more opportunities to make a real difference.”

CWVA leads the Food Strategy for west Cheshire and the West Cheshire Food Partnership, bringing organisations together to help make sure healthy food is available for everyone.

Stephanie Ellis, CWVA’s Food Strategy Lead, said: “We were really keen to become a Sustainable Food Place in recognition of the work we have done so far and to support us to achieve more.

“We have been working closely with the Council and other partners over many years to put together a coordinated approach to food support, with everyone working together towards the same goal.

“Through the links we have created in our communities, we have been able to map out all the food support available across west Cheshire on our live, interactive map on the Welcome Network website.

“This is even more important with the current cost of living challenges and we’ve been working with the Council and other partners on this to make sure people can access the support they need this winter and beyond.”

Partners from across the borough have been working together to achieve the Sustainable Food Place accreditation, and will continue to do so as the borough works towards its bronze accreditation. As well as CWVA and the Council, partners include: the Mersey Forest, The Welcome Network, Cheshire Waste Recycling, University of Chester, Chester Zoo, Tatton Group, The Sustainability Forum and Sustainable Cheshire.

For more information about Sustainable Food Places visit: www.sustainablefoodplaces.org.

For more information about the Sustain report visit: www.sustainweb.org and search for ‘Every Mouthful Counts’.

You can access the live, interactive map showing the food support available at: welcomenet.co.uk/get-support

For more information about cost of living support, visit: cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/costofliving

Cheshire West and Chester Council is progressing initiatives to improve bus services in the borough through its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

The National Bus Strategy for England published in 2021 formalised an expectation that local councils and bus operators should work in partnership to deliver better bus services in their area. An Enhanced Partnership agreement was set up in the borough to achieve this in April 2022.

Councillor Karen Shore, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, said: “Bus services, as well as active travel options in general, play a critical role in tackling the climate emergency and supporting our poverty declarations in the borough.

“Since our co-produced Bus Service Improvement Plan was submitted to the Department for Transport in October 2021, we have continued to work in collaboration with local bus operators to further develop plans through our Enhanced Partnership agreement.

“Unfortunately, though we were not one of the few authorities to receive funding, we still feel our BSIP was both robust and ambitious. We listened to feedback from the Department of Transport, so we’ve realigned our targets and prioritised initiatives to refresh our plan.”

Initiatives put into place by the Cheshire West Enhanced Partnership so far have included:

• Bus operators supporting Afghan and Ukraine guests by providing two months free travel.
• Allowing concessionary travellers to make bus journeys before 9.30am during school summer holiday this year, so those still nervous of travelling do so at different times to rebuild their confidence.
• Substantial promotion of the P&R service to ease congestion in the city centre, following the opening of Chester’s very popular new market and in the build up to Christmas.

Future schemes will include:

• Supporting the Government’s £2 fare initiative in the new year, encouraging all operators to take part to make bus travel a mode of choice for the many in the borough and not the few; for employment, education and leisure.
• The launch of a demand responsive rural mobility bus service in the early part of 2023. More details to follow soon.
• Taking part in the Transport Focus bus passenger satisfaction survey “Your Bus Journey”. The survey will be launched in January 2023 and will further shape our BSIP to help drive bus service improvements across the borough.

Councillor Shore added: “We are also looking for a pool of people to become part of our bus users group, representative of our communities across the borough. If you would like to be part of this journey and become a valued member of our planned bus group please contact: Ep@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk to register your interest. We’re looking forward to hearing from as many people as possible. Please get in touch.”

More information on the Council’s plans for bus services can be found on its website.