Council commits £50m to going carbon neutral

Wokingham area: Plans include five solar farms and planting 250,000 trees

A £50million commitment has been made by Wokingham Borough Council as it bids to become carbon neutral by 2030.

A climate emergency initial action plan, which was approved at a full council meeting on Thursday night, looks towards achieving a zero carbon borough 20 years earlier than the Royal Borough’s commitment of 2050.

It outlines eight key priority areas including generating more renewable energy in the borough, engaging with younger people and supporting sustainable schools, reducing carbon dioxide emissions from transportation, and creating a local plan which

identifies net zero infrastructure and construction.

Plans include creating five solar farms, making the council’s property estate carbon neutral, planting 250,000 trees over five years and having more electric car charging points.

According to government data, the borough’s carbon footprint stands at 580.9 ktCO2e, but although it has been dropping since 2012, it is still set to stand at 274.6 ktCO2e by 2030.

But the council has identified areas where it can have the most impact in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

When asked if the 2030 target is ambitious in comparison to the Royal Borough’s 2050, Cllr Gregor Murray, the executive member for climate emergency, said: “Reaching carbon neutrality by any year by any definition is ambitious. It is hugely ambitious.

“It is the biggest programme, the biggest impact of anything the council can do in the next 10 years but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to do it by 2030.

“We are setting ourselves on a target to lead our residents and lead other councils in climate emergency, so if everybody wants to do it 30 years later let them follow. We are going to be at the forefront, we’re going to be in the lead.”

Cllr Donna Stimson, lead member for environmental services and climate change, sustainability, parks and countryside at the Royal Borough, said: “We voted on a motion to achieve it by 2050 and if we are going to get there by

2030, then that would be amazing but at the moment we are sticking to 2050, lets see how fast we can go.

“As we go forward we are going to measure year by year and we will see how we do.

“I don’t want to put something in that I can’t deliver, I don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver to our residents, that’s not fair.”

Speaking at the meeting prior to the approval,

Cllr Paul Fishwick raised concerns that the plan had been brought to the council ‘prematurely’ as ‘it is really an update, a work in progress’.

Initial plan seconder,

Cllr Laura Blumenthal, said: “This plan will bring a lot of positive environmental benefits to this borough and our residents so I’d ask you all to approve this initial plan.”

A progress report is set to be developed and brought before the council in July.