Bassetlaw District Council officials hit back after being give zero per cent rating for climate change action

Bassetlaw District Council has been given a zero per cent rating for its action to tackle the climate emergency
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All councils across the country were graded on their climate action plans last year, with organisation Climate Emergency UK assessing authorities across nine key sectors.

Councils were then given a percentage on how well they are meeting their targets and addressing each individual area.

All Nottinghamshire authorities have now been given their grading, with both Bassetlaw and Ashfield district councils given the lowest-possible zero per cent mark.

Bassetlaw District Council officials hit back after being give zero per cent rating for climate change action.Bassetlaw District Council officials hit back after being give zero per cent rating for climate change action.
Bassetlaw District Council officials hit back after being give zero per cent rating for climate change action.

Nottingham City Council ranked within the top 15 single-tier councils nationwide, with a 76 per cent grading, including full marks on both its target setting and measuring element and the education and skills bracket.

This was well above the 50 per cent average for single-tier councils across the country.

Notts County Council was graded 20 per cent for its current climate action, half the 40 per cent average for county authorities nationwide.

And most of the region’s district and borough councils were broadly in line with the 43 per cent national average for this time of authority.

Bassetlaw District Council said its zero grading is “disappointing” but stated it declared a ‘climate emergency’ in December, around three months after Climate Emergency UK conducted its assessments.

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The council was the last of the nine authorities in Notts to declare the emergency.

But the council says it has already taken numerous steps to tackle climate change, including installing solar panels on buildings including new council homes and making its housing stock energy efficient.

The district is also part of a wide-ranging decarbonisation programme, is supporting low-income households with energy-efficient measures, has installed electric vehicle charging points and has employed a climate change officer.

David Arminger, interim chief executive of the council, said: “Whilst it is disappointing to receive a zero per cent rating from Climate Emergency Action, we do not consider it is an accurate reflection of the actions we have undertaken.

“We are committed, as a council, to working towards net-zero and to play our part in tackling climate change.”

Ashfield District Council has responded to the ranking by saying Climate Emergency UK “didn’t score our plan” as it was “in the process of updating” it.

A council spokesperson said the authority is currently working on three new climate documents which will commit the authority to becoming net-zero “in line with central Government targets” of 2050.

These documents, the council states, will be “available in the near future” once they have been approved by both the cabinet and full council.