Allerdale climate change action plan
On 25 September 2019, Allerdale Borough Council agreed a motion relating to climate change and made a specific commitment to reducing carbon emissions.
On 4 March 2020 the council agreed an initial action plan for tackling climate change with the plan a result of work involving local groups, experts and people from all ages coordinated by the cross-party Climate Change Task and Finish Group.
Further, more detailed, work has taken place since to progress the action plan and develop a number of actions for how the council can help address climate change within its services, as well as make positive impacts through the quality of the environment, housing, planning decisions, choice of transport use, energy savings and reducing carbon emissions.
The council continues to work alongside a number of stakeholder groups to develop this plan.
You can download a draft version of the action plan below or read the different sections in the drop-down boxes.
Climate Change Action Plan document
Climate Change Action Plan 154.9 KB
You can also read each section via the links below.
Climate Change Action Plan Update - March 2023
The final summary report for Allerdale Bororugh Council's Action Plan to Address Climate Change can be found below:
Download the Climate Change Action Plan Update - March 2023
Introduction to Allerdale Borough Council Climate Change Action Plan
In March 2020, Allerdale Borough Council established a Climate Change Working Group with a series of tasks to address, including the development of a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan.
The target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 is very challenging. While we recommend it should be retained as a target and used to keep up the pressure on central Government to support our work, it is more important that the Council focuses on developing and delivering a viable, sustainable response to the challenge of climate change, rather than risk becoming distracted by and disheartened by, a deadline. The 2030 date should be kept under review and could possibly be revised as our understanding of what is possible improves.
The Council has a vision for a low carbon future and is seeking to address climate change concerns within all key Council services. The Council can make positive impacts through the quality of the environment, housing, planning decisions, choice of transport use, energy savings and reducing carbon emissions. Local authorities generally represent around 2 – 5% of local emissions through their own activities, resulting directly from energy used in council operations, vehicle fleet, buildings, and electricity purchased. Importantly, Local Authorities can also potentially influence around a third of an area’s emissions through place shaping, partnerships and leadership (‘So you’ve declared a climate emergency: what next?’ APSE)
This Council’s Climate Change Action Plan is broadly grouped into the headers proposed in the recommendations of ‘A blueprint for accelerating climate action and a green recovery at the local level’ (ADEPT and partners January 2021).
- Growing the Zero and Low Carbon Economy
- Retrofitting homes and buildings to reduce consumption and emissions
- Decarbonising transport
- Planning to deliver Zero Carbon development that protects and enhances nature
- Reducing waste and encouraging sustainable consumption
- Restoring nature for all
- Developing local authority funding, governance and accounting systems that are fit for purpose
This action plan is intended as a living document which will be annually reviewed and updated by this Council’s Climate Change Working Group. The Council intends to set specific targets for carbon emission reductions, but we are constrained by the lack of consistent information available to us. Further Government direction and work is needed to carry out detailed appraisals of baseline data and data collection guidelines. Some of our actions and targets
will change in line with the Bills currently going through Parliament. These are the Environment Bill, the Decarbonisation and Economic Strategy Bill and the Climate and Ecology Bill. Added to these, the Glasgow COP26 in November this year, will bring new ambitions which will be reflected in future revisions of this action plan.
Other sections in the Action Plan
- Climate change action plan: the global implications
- Climate change action plan: the local impacts
- Climate change action plan: current council actions
- Climate change action plan: baseline data
- Climate change action plan: in summary
- Climate change action plan: activity list
- Allerdale Borough Council Climate Change Action Plan
