COP26 president urged by Stratford councillors to call for more funding in climate fight
The president of COP26 has been urged to give financial backing to ensure local authorities can hit their targets for a net zero carbon future.
Council leader Tony Jefferson and leader of the opposition Susan Juned co-penned a letter to Alok Sharma MP after last Monday’s (18th October) council debate on climate change reached a unanimous decision.
Their debate ahead of the UN climate change conference in Glasgow focused on SDC’s declaration of a climate emergency in 2019 and the local responses to addressing climate change since, as well as the crucial role local government will play in achieving the national target of net zero.
Cllr Juned said: “Climate change is more urgent than it’s ever been, and people are aware of that, thanks goodness. The idea of the letter was to raise with government the fact that local councils have a critical role to play in any action we as a country take, but they need support.
“Not only because of the services they provide, but their role with their local communities. The National Audit Office report made it very clear they felt the government is not doing enough to engage local authorities, support them, or even fund them on this critical issue.”
The letter from Cllrs Jefferson and Juned emphasised COP26 recognising “the importance of local action and commitment”, and a means of ensuring that local government is given greater funding to meet its ambitions of net zero.
A forthcoming council cabinet meeting in November will consider an action plan that can meet three key ambitions in the fight against climate change. Firstly, for a net zero carbon council by 2025, with services provided by those with a net zero target of 2030. Secondly, to reduce net carbon emissions across South Warwickshire by a minimum of 55% by 2030. Finally, and perhaps most daunting, is to enable our environment and communities by 2050 to have adapted to a potential 3 degrees rise in global temperatures over the rest of the century.
Susan explained: “Local government can do a lot more if we are given clear guidance and the support to do things. We can require higher standards in planning, ask for more to be done on energy efficiency, make sure waste is properly dealt with and utilised, and we can do more about encouraging renewable energy.
“It was local councils that led from the front on clean water supplies, which eliminated serious diseases like cholera from this country, which shows we can really make a difference. We are delivery partners and we need to have the ability to properly deliver, that’s the basis of that letter.”