Council Watch April 2025 - new Climate Change and Tree Strategies

This article has been written by Sienna Mahoney, a Journalism student at the University of Northampton.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) have published aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions in Northampton. In early 2022, the council committed to deliver net zero as an organisation by 2030 and for the wider area of West Northants by 2045.

Cllr Rebecca Breese, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling, and Waste, said:

“We need the support of residents and businesses to achieve our goal of becoming net zero by 2045.”

With help from their partners, some of the council's aims include to improve air quality, develop active travel routes, support local food production, and improve energy efficiency in homes. 

WNC's Climate Change Strategy was approved by the council on Tuesday March 4. The council used the help of stakeholders, residents, and businesses to shape the strategy. They intend to use the help of residents living in Northamptonshire to put the strategy into action by placing people at the heart of the response. 

School children planted trees to help improve flood defences as a part of another environment oriented strategy. West Northamptonshire Council have rolled out a Tree and Woods Strategy.

The key commitment in this strategy is to increase canopy cover across West Northants from 9% to 20%. This aims to increase biodiversity and wildlife across West Northants.

Along with this, more trees in Northampton would help to improve people’s health and wellbeing, help flood management, carbon sequestration, and have a cooling effect of shade within the summer. “Nature”, including trees, means having a healthy ecosystem which humans are a part of, as well as being desirable for its own sake. 

Those that attended the strategy launch event on Tuesday March 4 also helped plant trees in Wootton Brook to start off the project.

The trees used were funded by the Resilience and Innovation Northants (RAIN) project. The RAIN project itself is funded by the Government as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes managed by the Environment Agency. Cllr Rebecca Breese again:

“Tree planting aids biodiversity so it is great news that we’ve been able to plant these trees in Wootton with the help of the important RAIN project, and that a further 700 trees were planted recently in Parklands open space.”