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Climate Change Partnership terms of reference

 

In March 2019, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets declared a climate emergency, committing to reduce emission levels. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) has pledged to become a Net Zero carbon Council by 2025 and a net zero carbon borough by 2045 or sooner.

  • Tower Hamlets produces the 4th highest level of carbon emissions in London.
  • Industrial and commercial emissions for the borough is the 3rd highest in London.
  • Tower Hamlets’ location on the Thames and its densely populated landscape means that the risks of flooding and overheating are greater than in many other parts of London.

The Tower Hamlets Climate Change Partnership established to work across the Council, with partners and residents to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (carbon emissions). As well as deliver on the borough Net Zero Carbon commitment made, reporting into the Partnership Executive Group. Through strategic leadership, co-ordination and collaboration, the Climate Partnership will:

  • deliver the Partnership Action Plan for Net Zero and
  • develop and implement a Borough Net Zero Carbon Action Plan.

Climate Partnership aim, objectives and outcomes

Aim

Working collaboratively to achieve net zero by 2045.

Objectives and outcomes

  • Promote and encourage leadership on climate action and policy, identify feasible interventions to be carried out by residents, council, and partners to tackle the climate emergency and reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2045 or sooner.
  • Provide strategic Leadership, co-ordinate, develop and implement (through subgroups) Partnership/Borough Action Plans, identifying costed delivery plans, seeking funding (incl. bids) and sponsorship opportunities.
  • Tackle the big emitting elements of the borough and create thought leadership and research on suitable solutions through collaboration to support climate mitigation and adaptation and identify high impact opportunities that deliver co-benefits.
  • Share data, expertise, knowledge, information, and resources and identify good practice, and opportunities to achieve systematic and transformative change, environmental sustainability, and support a fair and just transition to net zero.
  • Develop a net zero carbon communications campaign and map existing initiatives, campaigns and communicate these.
  • Work in partnership locally, regionally, and nationally to deliver policies and frameworks to achieve net zero.
  • Identify a suitable operating model for the Borough Climate Alliance and guide its activities.

Role

  • The ‘Climate Partnership’ will act as a core strategic group to deliver the Borough’s Net Zero ambitions and lead and direct the activities of the sub-groups to achieve this.
  • Through collaboration, leadership, and facilitation the ‘Climate Partnership’ will co-ordinate delivery of the Net Zero Carbon Partnership Action Plan and develop and implement a Borough Net Zero Carbon Action Plan. The Borough Net Zero Carbon Action Plan will supersede the Net Zero Carbon Partnership Action Plan.
  • A Chair and Vice Chair will be appointed biennially, from the ‘Climate Partnership’ Membership and by ‘Climate Partnership’ members.
  • The Chair of the ‘Climate Partnership’ will provide strategic leadership and direction, promote engagement and collaborative working amongst members. They will facilitate delivery of ‘Climate Partnership’ outcomes, engaging members of the group and experts, stakeholders and partners as required. They will report progress to the Partnership Executive Group and will also Chair meetings of the Borough Climate Alliance.
  • The Chair working with the LBTH Head of Sustainability will co-ordinate the activities of the ‘Climate Partnership’ to support delivery of identified priorities, Action Plan(s) and outcomes. The LBTH Strategy and Policy service will provide strategic advice to the LBTH Head of Sustainability, as required.
  • The LBTH Director for Public Realm will participate in meetings of the ‘Climate Partnership’ and Borough Climate Alliance.

Membership

Membership of the ‘Climate Partnership’ will include representation from:

  • the Council,
  • the Partnership Executive Group and
  • other key stakeholders as agreed by the Chair of the ‘Climate Partnership’.

Members

Chair

There is a co-chair arrangement for this partnership:

  • Mark Bagnall, Group Director of Estates and Facilities Management, Barts Health NHS Trust (co-Chair)
  • Councillor Kabir Hussain, Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency (co-Chair)

Tower Hamlets Council

  • Director, Public Realm
  • Head of Sustainability

Invited representatives from the Partnership Executive Group

  • Business: Canary Wharf Group and East London Business Alliance
  • Education: School representative, New City College and Queen Mary University
  • Community and Voluntary Sector: Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Service
  • Faith: Inter Faith Forum and East London Mosque / Mariam Centre
  • Health: Barts Health NHS Trust, Clinical Commissioning Group, East London Foundation Trust
  • Housing: Tower Hamlets Housing Forum, Poplar HARCA
  • Emergency Services: London Fire Brigade

Other invited borough Representatives

  • Youth: Spotlight and Young Mayor
  • Disability: Disability Network, Toynbee Hall
  • BAME: BAME Network
  • Older people: Older People’s Reference Group
  • East London Business Place
  • Other Community Groups and Organisations: Friends of the Earth - Tower Hamlets, Women’s Environmental Network, Toynbee Hall (tackling poverty and injustice), Bromley by Bow Centre

Expectations

Members of the ‘Climate Partnership’ will be expected to:

  • Represent their organisation, industry and/or the Partnership Executive Group on the activities of the ‘Climate Partnership’ and the Borough Climate Alliance when established.
  • Champion climate change in their industry, secure engagement, work out a consensus.
  • Contribute industry and subject matter expertise, skills and experiences. Including leadership, communications, intelligence sharing, research, and innovation.
  • Where a member of the ‘Climate Partnership’ choses to end their membership or leaves the organisation they are representing, they will need to inform the Chair and identify a replacement.

Frequency of meetings

  • The ‘Climate Partnership’ will meet at least once every 3 months. These meetings will be held during working hours but may change, if the members agree.
  • The Chair/s working with the Head of Sustainability will schedule the meetings and communicate the agenda. A nominated representative of the Council will take notes at each Climate Partnership meeting.
  • Work coming out of the ‘Climate Partnership’ can be done outside of the formal meetings via e-mail, collaborative meetings and through the subgroups.

Monitoring and reporting

The ‘Climate Partnership’ will monitor delivery of the Net Zero Carbon Action Plans, reporting progress to the PEG.

Climate Partnership subgroups

The ‘Climate Partnership’ will have number of sub-groups covering the following areas:

  • Innovation and Leadership
  • Research, Data and Intelligence
  • Greening, Growing and Biodiversity (this theme will be delivered by the Tower Habitats partnership group Tower Habitats — Wildlife for People

Education and communication

Education and communications will be covered within each of the sub-groups. For time and people resource efficiency, some sub-groups will cover more than one theme. The coverage of the sub-groups will be subject to review and change where appropriate. With the agreement of board members.

Collaboration

Members of the subgroups will collaborate to deliver ‘Climate Partnership’ outcomes and the identified ‘Action Plans’. The agreed Lead Co-ordinators will manage the net zero activities of subgroups and organise for notes to be taken at meetings. Lead Co-ordinators for each subgroup will provide updates at each scheduled ‘Climate Partnership’ meeting and/or at a frequency identified by ‘Climate Partnership’ Chair.

Terms of Reference

Each Subgroup will agree its own Terms of Reference and will seek sign off by the Chair of the ‘Climate Partnership’. The Sub-groups will meet every 3 months, and at least one month before each ‘Climate Partnership’ meeting. Work arising out of the subgroups will also need to be done outside of the formal meetings via e-mail, collaborative meetings.

Communications

The ‘Climate Partnership ‘will lead on a communications campaign for the borough (via the Borough Climate Alliance) to engage stakeholders and enable participation to tackle the climate emergency. The ‘Climate Partnership’ will produce regular progress updates on its activities to the wider community. Progress will also feature in the PEG’s annual report.

Relationship with other groups

This ‘Climate Partnership’ is a working party of the Partnership Executive Group. It will report progress on the Net Zero Carbon Action Plans and activities into the Partnership Executive Group for update and agreement as required.

‘Climate Partnership’ Members that sit on other Partnership Executive Group Boards or similar are expected to champion the Climate Change Agenda on these Boards/Groups to secure agreement and deliver joint priorities, whilst tackling any challenges or conflicts of interests.