Helping High Peak become carbon neutral

Published on 23 November 2021

Hot on the heels of the COP26 UN climate change conference, the Borough Council has published plans to support communities across the High Peak to reduce emissions and prepare for a changing climate.

An attitude survey of a representative sample of local residents in the Autumn revealed that 80% are concerned about the impact of climate change and 72% say it is likely they will take action to address it.

High Peak Borough Council is committed to becoming carbon neutral in its operations and the services it delivers by 2030 and earlier this year set out some of the priorities for the year in the Part One Action Plan.

Recognising that whilst it can't solve the climate emergency alone but it can take a lead in supporting wider local action, it has now published a draft of Part Two of the plan which looks beyond Council-generated emissions and provides a plan for reducing emissions across the Borough.

Councillor Jean Todd, Executive Councillor for Climate Change, Environment and Community Safety, said: "This is another important step in addressing climate change at a local level which, we know, is something that residents are concerned about.

"It's only by working together that we will see the sort of change we need to have an impact so we're encouraging and supporting residents, businesses and other organisations to reduce their carbon footprints and making it easier, where we can, for those changes to happen.

"We know the plan, and our actions and approach, will evolve over time with help from the local community, the local green network and national networks, but I welcome the framework that this action plan provides for responding to any changes in legislation and funding opportunities to enable us to meet the climate challenge effectively."

The Climate Change working group has considered and commented on the draft Part Two Action Plan and it will go before the Council's Executive next month.

You can read more at www.highpeak.gov.uk/ClimateChange