Council to issue alert on climate
JONATHAN GRIEVE
HYNDBURN is set to become the latest East Lancashire local authority to declare a climate emergency.
Councillor Glen Harrison has proposed a motion, due to go before a full council meeting on Thursday this week, asking his fellow members to commit to being more green in a bid to tackle climate change.
If approved, they will join Blackburn and Burnley, who both declared climate emergencies earlier this year.
Coun Harrison is asking the council to set up a Climate Change Partnership group, involving councillors, residents, young citizens, climate science and solutions experts, businesses, Citizens Assembly representatives and other relevant parties.
If the motion passes, the group will consider strategies and actions being developed by the council and other partner organisations over the following 12 months and develop a strategy in line with a target of net zero emissions by 2030.
It will also recommend ways to maximise local benefits of these actions in other sectors such as employment, health, agriculture, transport and the economy.
Coun Harrison wants the council to achieve 100 per cent clean energy use across its full range of functions by 2030 and ensure that all strategic decisions, budgets and approaches to planning decisions are in line with a shift to zero carbon by 2030.
If passed, the motion will help ensure that all reports in preparation for the 2020/21 budget cycle and investment strategy will take into account the actions the council will take to address this emergency.
Other actions proposed include: renewable energy generation and storage; providing electric vehicle infrastructure and encouraging alternatives to private car use; increasing the efficiency of buildings; proactively using local planning powers to accelerate the delivery of net carbon new developments and communities; and coordinating a series of information and training events to raise awareness and share good practice could be adopted.