Talking to council colleagues across the country at recent climate change conference it was obvious that appointing Cabinet and Officer climate change champions was not going to achieve more than a few soft options and the odd headline in the local media. It was essential to embed climate change policy in all council polices and business areas.
Following our declaration of a Climate Emergency we had set this organisational objective firmly in motion. We quickly held a meeting with our Assistant Directors for all business areas along with their respective Portfolio Holder requesting ideas relevant to their business areas. It was agreed the all-council policy documents should address the effect of climate change against our 2030 target of net Zero Carbon.
The result of these organisational initiatives was to spread both ownership and responsibility for climate change actions throughout the council. Enabling the core team to concentrate on strategy, monitoring yearly reduction levels in our carbon footprint and sharing best practice.
