New council climate change group launches

Six Argyll and Bute councillors have formed a working group to fight climate change.

The climate change and environmental action group, chaired by council leader Aileen Morton, will work on a programme of activities which will last until August 2020.

Also on the committee are councillors Rory Colville, South Kintyre; Bobby Good, Dunoon; Jim Findlay, Bute; Kieron Green, Oban North and Lorn; and Jim Lynch, Oban South and the Islands.

A report for the inaugural meeting by Douglas Hendry, executive director of commercial services, said: ‘Climate change and environmental topics can be wide-ranging and varied.

‘It is therefore important to harness resource of the short-life working group and supporting officers in an efficient and directed manner by focusing activity towards issues that are deemed to be most pertinent or relevant to our council area.

‘It is also necessary to consider what and in what ways the group can best influence and what engagement is required with our communities relating to climate change.’

The committee will be required to submit its plan of action to the council’s policy and resources committee, which is next scheduled to meet on Thursday December 12.

The general election may cause this date to change.

The report also highlights a number of positives for Argyll and Bute which are already in place when it comes to climate change.

Mr Hendry added: ‘Our council region, not just the activities of the council, has also been recognised recently as having the lowest net carbon footprint of any local authority area in the UK.

‘This is largely due to our low population, decarbonised electricity sources (wind farms/hydro), low numbers of heavy industry and large areas of forest and peat bogs which acts as an offset via carbon capture.’