Council Watch September 2024
Climate Change Strategy Consultation
It won’t surprise anyone that CA-WN is pleased to see West Northamptonshire Council consulting on a Climate Change Strategy. Obviously we’d have liked to see it sooner but nevertheless it is very welcome.
This consultation is intended to influence development of the strategy – there will be a second consultation later this year on the actual draft strategy, which will then be finalised next year.
WNC needs to know that lots of people care very much about climate change and think it is important the council has an effective strategy that drives action. We will be voting in local council elections next year, so if there is a time when councillors looking to get re-elected ought to care what we think it is now.
The consultation doesn’t involve any reading, it just requires you to give your views in answer to two questions with free text responses and complete one exercise to list priorities in order of importance. CA-WN has submitted a response and it is shared below. Please feel free to use any of this that you want to, the key thing is to put in a response and let the council know that climate change is an important issue for you. And please get your friends and relatives to fill it in too.
The consultation closes on 29 September.
Climate Summit
More good news….WNC is collaborating with Northampton Town Council and others (including CA-WN) to put on a Climate Summit for Town and Parish Councils. It is on Wednesday 9th October at Delapre Abbey and lunch will be provided.
Invites have been sent out to all councils in West Northamptonshire – if you are a town or parish councillor, or a parish clerk, you can sign up for free here.
https://www.northantscalc.com/event/west-northants-area-climate-summit-2024-10-09-1185/register
CA-WN Climate Change Strategy Consultation Response
How important is the issue of tackling climate change and its impact on West Northamptonshire to you?
Very important
Please use the following space to set out why you have answered the above in the way that you have:
There is overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change is the result of human activity. Global temperatures are continuing to rise, as is use of fossil fuels, one of the primary causes of climate change.
Disruption to established weather patterns, more extreme and more damaging weather events, and significant sea level rises as a result of climate change are all now inevitable, and indeed already being experienced.
These in turn result in food insecurity, as growing conditions in the UK and elsewhere become more challenging, health impacts from heatwaves and the spread of disease-carrying organisms, and forced migration as large areas of the world become unhabitable. This is not a comprehensive list of the impacts of climate change.
Climate change is no longer a future risk but an event that is happening now. We therefore need to act as urgently as possible to limit the severity of climate change, and to make our communities resilient to its effects. Failure to do so will result in severe human suffering and damage to ecosystems on which we depend for survival.
It is also important to recognise that often when we address the challenges presented by climate change we simultaneously address other societal issues. For example, health issues related to air quality and lack of active travel infrastructure, energy independence and the cost of living, and the promotion of wellbeing as we seek to improve our living environments.
Authorities in the UK, including WNC, should not wait for others to act, but lead the way.
There is then a question that asks for priority areas to be ranked from 1 to 6, with 1 being most important. CA-WN ranked them as follows.
- Energy and buildings
- Transport
- Nature
- Economy
- Waste
- Future generations (the reason why this is last is explained in our comment below)
Is there anything you think we have missed, or any other priorities you would like to suggest?
1. Under Energy and Buildings, add ‘Use the planning system to ensure new commercial and residential developments are compatible with delivery of climate and sustainability goals’.
2. There needs to be clearer reference to the need for adaptation to the effects of climate change. This could either be included as a separate priority, such as ‘Take action to protect our residents, infrastructure and ecosystems from the effects of climate change’, or incorporated in the existing priorities, for example:
- Under Nature – ‘maximise the potential for natural carbon removals and resilience to climate change’. This means for example using wetlands for flood management and the cooling effects of trees in urban areas.
- Under Economy – ‘Support existing businesses to decarbonise and adapt to the effects of climate change’
3. The Future Generations priority is high level and very broad in comparison to the other 5 priorities. How will delivery and achievement of this be tracked? What actions will be taken to deliver it in addition to the actions required for the other priorities? This priority should either be removed or substantially reframed and clarified.