Agenda item

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 8, to allow members of the public to ask questions about the Council’s activities.  The following question was received:

a)     Question submitted by Mr N Clarke to the Portfolio Holder for the Environment

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 8, Members of the Public were able to ask questions to an Executive Member about the Council’s activities.  The following question was submitted by Mr N Clarke:

(1)  Question submitted by Mr N Clarke to the Portfolio Holder for Environment:

“In 2020 Councillors and Officers of BDC met with representatives of the Woodland Trust to negotiate funding for a tree planting project across the district of Bolsover.

Funding of £250,000 was secured and with additional council funding a plan to plant a million trees over a 15 year period was made. Initial planting took place in 2021.

I understand that according to the Portfolio Holder for the Environment that the tree planting programme no longer exists. He has stated:

          "That there is no district council tree planting programme. We don't actually have a woodland strategy. In the past there was a temporary tree planting programme which was funded by a grant from the Woodland Trust. This grant has now been spent."

I would want to know why was this decision not made public?

I would also like to like to know why has the tree planting programme been discontinued when it is widely known that trees are a vital component in protecting against flooding and soil erosion and as we are experiencing climate change with ever increasing extreme weather events, the planting of trees are a major tool to combat the effects of climate change.

Therefore, my question is “Will the Council make genuine commitment to reintroducing the tree planting programme and provide additional funding to support the protection of the environment in the district of Bolsover?”

Councillor Hiney-Saunders provided the following response:

“Tree planting can be an effective tool in the fight against climate change whilst improving our local environment. However, it’s very important that we weigh up the costs and benefits against our other environmental commitments - like emptying the bins, fighting fly-tipping, maintaining our existing tree coverage etc.

As far as I am aware this council has never passed a resolution to permanently allocate funds to tree planting. The council did however have an ambition of planting up to one million trees. No permanent resources were allocated to turn this ambition into a programme. 

What the council has done - and should be really proud of - is set up a vehicle called the Bolsover Community Woodlands project to spend a grant of £270k from the Woodland Trust received in 2021 to plant over 25,000 trees in the last four years. Trees have been planted in areas such Elmton-with-Creswell, Old Bolsover, Whitwell, Clowne (namely the Queen’s Green Canopy Orchard outside this building at the Arc), South Normanton, Langwith and Shirebrook.

However, at more than £10 a tree it’s going to cost the district over £10 million to deliver an ambition of planting 1 million trees, and which at that rate of progress will take 160 years. I have my doubts that that is the basis of a realistic programme. I’ve also not been able to locate the plan you refer to in your preamble showing how this could have been achieved in 15 years but if there were such a document I’m sure the previous leadership would have called out that it was so badly off track.

So there has been no decision to halt any sort of permanently resourced programme. Temporary funding allocated to local tree planting has simply been spent.

Nevertheless, following the completion of the work funded by the Woodland Trust we have asked officers to prepare a realistic Tree and Woodland Strategy to carry forward the legacy of our positive work with the Bolsover Community Woodlands project. This preparation work has involved engagement with a number of external stakeholders, including our network of Parish and Town Councils, as we have sought to set an ambitious strategy that will continue the great work of the Bolsover Community Woodlands project and see further opportunities for tree planting across our District.

And I’m pleased to have the opportunity to announce to fellow Members that I’ll be bringing a proposed Consultation Draft Tree and Woodland Strategy to our Executive meeting next month (3^rd November 2025) for approval to go out to public consultation for a period of four weeks.

It is planned that the outcome of this consultation exercise and a final Tree and Woodland Strategy with realistic resourcing will be reported to Executive in January 2026 for approval and implementation.

So to answer your question with one word - maybe. You should know one way or the other when we vote on the issue at Executive early in the new year.

The leadership of the council won’t be paying lip service to environmental issues. Nor will it be writing blank cheques with local people’s money.”

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 8.8 Mr N Clarke put the following supplementary question:

          “I am not sure if you have grasped the urgency of climate change and the effects it will have on the environment and subsequently the population of not only the district of Bolsover, but the rest of the country and wider world.

          “it is absolutely vital that local authorities including BDC fully understand the urgency before it’s too late and implement policies to address the effects caused by climate change, which is probably the most important issue facing the world today.

          Tree planting is just one aspect that will help combat the impacts of climate change but planning policies need to be reviewed and co-ordinated with central government to ensure that future developments are compliant with the needs of the environment and ecosystems.  Environmentally solutions need to be enforced and avaricious and unscrupulous developers need to be made aware in no uncertain terms that mass production developments can no longer be justified or tolerated.  Unfettered construction is one of the biggest drivers of climate change and local authorities need to take action against harmful developments.  If developers aren’t prepared to implement meaningful measures to help combat the effects of their construction on the environment, such as additional tree and hedgerow planting to compensate for any loss of trees and hedgerows, they need to be informed that planning permission is not a given  They need to be aware that they have also a responsibility to the public, the environment and wildlife ecosystems and that the Council is not there to make their projects financially viable and if they try to argue that the costs will be prohibitive then they should be informed , that is tough!

          BDC could also do more to alleviate the effects of climate change, one example would be the covering of car parks not only at the Arc, but throughout the district with solar panels.  This was suggested by the Climate Change Scrutiny Committee over two years ago but it appears that no action has been taken as yet to implement this proposal.

“Will the Council therefore commit to taking steps to reduce greenhouse gases and budget not only for tree planting but also the meaningful reduction of carbon emissions throughout the District and not just offsetting?”

Councillor Hiney-Saunders confirmed that a written response would be provided to the supplementary question.