Woodley Town Council’s commitment to Climate Change
At the Full Council Meeting on Tuesday 1 October 2019, the following motion was adopted:
“This Council notes that:
- The impacts of climate breakdown are already causing serious damage around the world.
- Limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, October 2018) may still be possible with ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society and the private sector.
This Council therefore:
- Commits to a declaration of a ‘Climate Emergency’ with the aim of becoming a carbon neutral organization by 2030.
- Welcomes the declaration by Wokingham Borough Council of a ‘Climate Emergency’ and will actively participate in the creation of the Borough-wide climate change strategy to ensure Woodley Town Council is fully engaged in its creation for the benefit of its residents.
- Will explore, with all parts of the community, the development of a local action plan in support of, and to compliment, the Borough Council’s climate change strategy plan for those parts relevant to Woodley Town.”
Gregor Murray, Wokingham Borough Council Executive Member for Climate Emergency spoke of the Borough Council’s plans to address climate change and work in partnership with town and parish councils. Woodley Town Council will work with Wokingham Borough Council as part of a cross-party working group, beginning with the formation of an action plan over the next six months.
Meanwhile, Woodley Town Council will also continue its commitment to climate change through its current campaigns and initiatives.
—-UPDATE—- February 2020 —-
Since declaring a climate emergency in October 2019 Woodley Town Council has embarked on an ambitious plan to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2030.
January 2020 saw the installation of solar panels on the Oakwood Centre as part of a contract with Reading Community Energy Society to provide cheap daytime electricity and return renewable energy to the grid. This follows the installation of a similar system at Woodford Park leisure centre in 2019. In addition to the discounted rate for electricity, the systems will generate renewable energy with the equivalent saving of around 13 tonnes CO2 per year.
As of February 2020 all Town Council buildings are supplied with carbon neutral gas under a three-year supply contract with Ecotricity. This provides a carbon offset of almost 100 tonnes CO2 per year.
This is a great start but we still have much to do. We are developing a Climate Emergency Plan, which will identify specific measurable targets and will link in with the work being carried out by Wokingham Borough Council and other town and parish councils across the Borough.
In the meantime we are working on the replacement of lighting in our buildings with low energy LED and considering options for rainwater harvesting.
We will also be providing information to residents on local and national environmental initiatives.
