Derbyshire County Council

"Council, therefore RESOLVES to:1. Support the creation of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy that sits within the national Nature Recovery Network and underpins all planning, development and land management decisions. As part of this, we will:1.1 Improve the landscape’s resilience to climate change, providing natural solutions to reduce carbon and manage flood risk, and sustaining vital ecosystems;1.2 Prioritise Nature Based Solutions to flooding and extreme weather mitigation including use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), woodlands and wetlands to create nature rich habitat and connections;1.3 Adopt a peat-free policy for all council contracts and supplies and support the restoration and protection of Derbyshire’s peatlands, including taking measures to reduce the likelihood and severity of wildfires;1.4 Support the restoration of tree cover in Derbyshire to 20% by 2040 across suitable locations, particularly the planting of street trees within our towns, cities and villages;1.5 Manage at least 30% of council-owned land for the benefit of wildlife by 2030 (in line with Government commitments), including where we work with others (such as in and around care homes and on road verges);1.6 Introduce a 20% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) commitment across all council-owned land;1.7 Map and gather data on ecological networks and habitat opportunities within the region and prioritise sites within the ecological network for Biodiversity Net Gain projects (sometimes known as Nature Recovery Network mapping);1.8 Bring forward a commitment for 10% Biodiversity Net Gain on all new developments now, rather than waiting for 2023, with the selection of sites for offsite mitigation based on the priorities identified by Nature Recovery Network mapping;1.9 Support the restoration of 75% of sites managed for nature to favourable condition by 2030;2. Improve access to nature by following the Natural England ‘Nature Nearby’ guidance. Particular regard will be given to:2.1 Areas with high levels of physical health problems;2.2 Areas with high levels of mental health problems;2.3 Areas where the amount and quality of accessible natural greenspace is below Natural England’s targets.3. Demonstrate leadership by educating and supporting businesses, communities and the wider public to take action.4. Recognise the role of education in engendering pro-environmental behaviour change, by supporting schools and adult education programmes which value nature.5. Acknowledge the impact of food production and food waste on the current nature and climate crisis:5.1 By assessing the environmental impact of the food that is purchased for schools and care homes, including ensuring the provision of plant-based foods;5.2 Supporting the production of food locally, including promoting the provision of allotments across the county;5.3 Encouraging residents of our community to minimise food waste and ensuring that no food waste goes to landfill.6. Request that the Leader appoints a member of the Cabinet as the designated lead for tackling nature’s recovery.7. Request that the Head of Paid Service designates a council employee as the designated lead for coordinating council operations in relation to nature’s recovery.8. Request that Cabinet integrate the targets, objectives and outcomes of this motion with those outlined in the existing Carbon Reduction Plan to ensure measuresto tackle climate issues do not contravene the principles of enhancing biodiversity9. Supports the development of an evidence-based action plan including short and long-term targets for putting nature into recovery by 2030, and look to embed nature’s recovery into all strategic plans and policy areas, not just those directly related to the environment. Areas of focus will include:• Land management;• Biodiversity;• Roads and highways;• Planning and development;• Air quality;• Transforming urban spaces;• Health and wellbeing;• People and communities;• Education and awareness.10. Provide training and resources for councillors and council employees about the nature emergency.11. Form a steering and monitoring group to focus on achieving the targets and objectives outlined in this motion. This group will be comprised of politically balanced cross-party representatives, council staff, and it will call upon relevant experts from external organisations. This group will monitor progress, identify opportunities for improvement and report back to the designated Cabinet member.12. Reinvigorate the Local Nature Partnerships to ensure the Nature Recovery Strategy is well understood and complements other relevant plans and strategies.13. Publish interim reports on the progress made with regards to the abovementioned action-plan.14. Issue a declaration of compatibility alongside all future council motions and policy to ensure that any conflicts with nature’s recovery are made apparent."Full meeting minutes:https://democracy.derbyshire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=174&MId=966&Ver=4full minutes text for item 10/22:https://democracy.derbyshire.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=10178Motion as PDFhttps://democracy.derbyshire.gov.uk/documents/s12549/Notice%20of%20Motion%20-%20Cllr%20W%20Major.pdf

— Full Council (Source)