Daventry District Council declares climate emergency
A climate emergency has been declared by Daventry District Council (DDC), with councillors agreeing a raft of measures in a bid to tackle the issue.
They include setting targets for the reduction of emissions and promoting the wide range of support and funding that is available to help residents and businesses be more environmentally friendly.
There are pledges to look at ways to further reduce the Council’s carbon emissions, as well as to work with other local councils to make improvements.
Other actions, such as requiring new-build homes to have heat pumps and/or solar panels, and making developers pay towards measures to offset carbon emissions, will also be explored.
The new West Northamptonshire Council will be urged to take up the mantle once DDC is abolished in April 2021.
A total of 20 measures were agreed at a meeting of Full Council on Thursday (20 February), following the findings of a cross-party task panel of councillors which was set up to explore the issue last summer.
The task panel, consisting of Councillors Ken Ritchie, Jonathan Harris and Rupert Frost, spoke to a range of experts and other councils during the course of their work, as well as taking into account the views of residents who attended a public meeting held in November or who contacted them with suggestions.
Councillor Jo Gilford, Environment Portfolio Holder on Daventry District Council, said: “Climate change is one of the most important issues we face, and councils have a crucial role to play when it comes to tackling it, so it is important that we join the growing list of bodies that have declared a climate emergency.
“I would like to thank the members of the task panel for their hard work on this project, as well as the officers, experts and residents who contributed towards their research. We must work together if we want to address the causes of climate change, and this project has been a great example of that.
“We have an ongoing commitment to environmental improvement, and have worked over a number of years to both minimise our impact on the environment, and support our communities to make greener choices. The new measures that have been agreed further extend that work, and we will do our upmost to ensure they are taken on by the new West Northamptonshire Council when it comes into being next year.”
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