West Somerset council combats Climate Change

West Somerset Council has pledged to help combat climate change in the South West.

Yesterday (Monday, May 21), Leader of the Council, Cllr Keith Ross, and Chief Executive, Tim Howes, officially signed the Nottingham Declaration following its approval at full council last week.

Cllr Ross said, “Climate change has been identified as one of the greatest global threats and every council can make a contribution to combating its harmful effects. The Nottingham Declaration demonstrates our commitment to looking at the sustainability of new developments, and making sure that eco-friendly principles are applied wherever practicable.

“The Council is already using greener planning principles with the proposed energy-efficient low-carbon homes’ development at Carhampton and the use of alternative technologies in the new office build in Williton. However, there is more that we can and will do when considering the sustainability of future developments, and their impact on the environment.”

The Nottingham Declaration is a voluntary pledge, which will see the council working with partners such as Forum 21 and the West Somerset Strategic Partnership and other organisations to:

Establish baselines for the activities relating to climate change to assist in highlighting opportunities and targets for action.

Develop aims and objectives that will be subject to regular review

Produce targets with SMART actions

Produce a draft strategy to encompass all of these items for consideration by policy development.

Cllr Ross added, “West Somerset has a lengthy coastline which already has areas identified as a flood risk, and we must be ready to avert potential problems where possible. By signing the Nottingham Declaration, we are committing to looking after our environment and communities not just for this generation, but for future generations, too.