Your Waverley’s plan for tackling climate emergencies leads the way in Surrey and the country.
Because – there is No Planet B.
According to the data released by Climate Emergency UK in its Council Climate Plan Scorecards, Waverley Borough Council has developed the strongest plan for tackling the climate and ecological emergency of any council in Surrey.
The Council Climate Plan Scorecards showed our council scored 76%, the highest of any council in Surrey. This compares to an average score of 43% for English District Councils and 40% for County Councils.
In September 2019, councillors voted to adopt the Climate Emergency motion, which sets out the council’s aim to become carbon-neutral by 2030 with the action plan and strategy adopted by Full Council on 15 December 2020.
Climate Emergency UK (CE UK) used 28 questions to assess all UK councils Climate Action Plans published online before 20 September 2021 (and written after 2015). The questions included: whether the climate actions are costed; if the actions are assigned to specific teams; do the actions have a clear goal; are residents being engaged with climate action; does the plan include strategies to decarbonise waste, planning and homes or other services that councils are responsible; and does the plan cover areas such as re-skilling the workforce, climate education, governance and funding for climate action.
Councillor Steve Williams, who many believe has suffered more than his fair share of brickbats from the former Tory administration for his handling of the action plan, said:
” I am delighted that our action plan is recognised as being on the right track and recognised as the most developed in Surrey – and the fifth most developed in the country according to the highly detailed and carefully thought through checklist developed by Climate Emergency UK, in partnership with Friends of the Earth, Centre for Alternative Technology, Ashden and Apse Energy. It is a testimony to the way the council has put the response to our climate emergency at the centre of our corporate strategy and it is a testimony to the dedicated, hard work of our sustainability team.
“A robust plan is a precursor towards effective action on climate change, and I hope that we can continue to score well in assessments in future years as Climate Emergency UK assesses the actual steps taken by councils towards eliminating their climate emissions.”
Waverley has already set to cut back its carbon emissions and support the move towards a net-zero carbon borough by 2030. It has allocated £300,000 to launch action on the climate emergency. It is now building zero-carbon homes, developing plans to retrofit council homes to make them more energy-efficient, and making Waverley buildings more sustainable. The council is also supporting community energy hubs, promoting walking and cycling and sustainable transport, and harnessing solar energy in strategic locations.
You can read more on the council’s Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan at Waverley Borough Council – Climate change strategy and action plan.
What a lot of duplicitous nonsense, Waverley are building thousands of houses in the middle of nowhere increasing road journeys. In addition main roads have been shut for extended periods of time creating congestion and pollution ( run common road – 2 years !!!! )