Council pledges to put climate change at heart of plans for Nottinghamshire

Declaring a climate emergency and putting the environment at the heart of strategic plans was unanimously voted through at the first full Nottinghamshire County Council meeting.
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Proposed by councillor Ben Bradley MP, the motion was one of his first actions as leader of the council, and set out the intention of the new administration to formally declare a ‘climate emergency’, to solidify its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, and to begin to change the perception of the county council when it comes to these issues.

Councillor Bradley said: “We will be on the front foot, and we will make this a priority and build on this progress already made by putting sustainability at the heart of what we do.

“This includes ensuring that where we are investing in infrastructure or supporting development, that it incorporates environmental measures to protect habitats, to encourage pollination and to offset our carbon footprint.”

Almost £1million has been invested in new electric buses now operating in the county.Almost £1million has been invested in new electric buses now operating in the county.
Almost £1million has been invested in new electric buses now operating in the county.

The new Transport and Environment Committee, chaired by councillor Neil Clarke, will be responsible and oversee measures to deliver against the council’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in all its activities by 2030.

Councillor Bradley said: “It’s important to recognise that Nottinghamshire has taken many positive steps on carbon reduction and green initiatives and has been picking up the pace on this agenda for many years.

"There are countless examples and many projects that are ongoing.

“In saving £300 million over the past ten years, this authority has shifted away from old-fashioned energy and resource-intensive ways of working towards modern, often ICT-driven methods.

“Even before the Covid pandemic, we were increasing opportunities for remote-working, reducing the amount of travelling required of our employees, and thereby reducing our need to house large numbers of staff in big, often energy inefficient buildings.

“We also secured funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) to help fund new green infrastructure, which for example has seen almost £1million invested in new electric buses now operating in the county.”

More than £14m investment has also been secured for LED street lighting across Nottinghamshire.