Council declares Climate Emergency following Cabinet recommendation

Council chiefs have declared a climate emergency in West Suffolk in addition to a taskforce set up to help take further action to tackle the issue.

The declaration of a climate change emergency was recommended by Cabinet to West Suffolk Council which was agreed by councillors at their meeting last night (September 19).

Leader of the council, John Griffiths, who introduced the recommendation, had already in his first speech of the new council in May set up an Environment and Climate Change Taskforce.

The taskforce, which is already driving forward with ideas, aims to build on the good work already carried out in West Suffolk and recommend practical and deliverable actions to tackle climate change and support the environment.

At the meeting a motion was also heard to also declare an environmental emergency and this will also be looked at by the taskforce.

The taskforce will build on the work already going on in West Suffolk and how the council can play its part in the climate emergency that has been announced for Suffolk. This includes various proposals from practical solutions, use of investment and looking what actions the council would have to take to be net-zero carbon by 2030.

Mr Griffiths said: “I am glad council backed Cabinet’s recommendation to declare a Climate Change Emergency. I believe we can all act quickly to help protect our environment which is why one of my first priorities was to set up an Environment and Climate Change Taskforce. This, with our partners and others, will help find further actions we can take building on our existing initiatives and achievements.

“West Suffolk already has a good reputation for protecting the environment and reducing our impact on climate change. We have for example the largest solar farm of its kind owned by a council in the UK and are a national leader in helping businesses reduce their carbon impact by installing solar panels on their roofs as well as on our own premises. The steps we have already taken have had a purpose, been practical and have had meaningful benefits. The taskforce is building on this excellent work.”

A significant amount of West Suffolk Council’s activities already actively protect and enhance the environment. It has one of the largest solar farms of its kind in the UK and up to the end of last year the Community Energy Plan (CEP) alone has invested £1.48 million into renewable energy projects across West Suffolk.

The council is delivering a strong pipeline of roof mounted solar PV installation projects, including working with local businesses, generating carbon dioxide savings of around 1,000 tonnes.

The council buildings are environmentally friendly, for example using rain water and solar panels. The Western Way Development plans to recycle the steel frame of the existing depot building.

The council’s dedication to innovative ways of reducing climate change and helping the environment was recognised In December 2018 when the authority was granted an EU Interreg award for an Energy Demonstrator project. It is a four-year project to the value of £355,000 funded by the EU. There is matched funding in the form of officer time and existing capital budget for energy investment from council giving the project an overall budget of £2m.

The project involves piloting smart energy solutions to develop a local smart grid. With peer-to-peer trading alongside improvements to energy efficiency, renewable energy, grid capacity constraints and balancing.

The project targets are to:

Engage with up to 50 businesses;

Use the proposed battery storage capacity from the Mildenhall hub-project and council funded solar PV generated electricity for additional storage in the local network;

Save 600,000 kWh and 250 tonnes CO2 annually due to the project;

15% energy efficiency improvement across participating businesses; and

Assess the potential to upscale across the Eastern Power Network.