Climate Change

COUNCIL PUBLISHES EMISSIONS AUDIT

MARLOW Town Council in Buckinghamshire has shown its commitment to tackling climate change by publishing a first detailed audit of its greenhouse gas emissions. It is one of the most comprehensive audits carried out by a parish-level council in the UK. It counts all the emissions produced directly by the council, as well as emissions from contractors it employs, services it pays for but does not manage, and even products it purchases.
It found that in FY 2019/2020 the council’s total greenhouse gas emissions were just over 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. This compares with 9,000 tonnes of emissions reported by Buckinghamshire Council.
Marlow council leader Jocelyn Towns (pictured with councillors, in pink) said: “We recognise the need for every organisation to take responsibility for its own emissions. This audit tells us for the first time and in detail about where our emissions come from. This gives us the starting place to make reductions.”
Five council activities jointly contributed nearly 90 per cent of emissions, with the town bus service accounting for over 30 per cent alone. Transport as a whole, including the bus service, staff commuting and contractor vehicles, accounted for nearly half of all emissions.
However, management of the public realm, including grounds maintenance, security patrols and Christmas lights, resulted in more emissions than either public transport or council administration.
The council recently hired an independent environmental consultant to enhance its Sustainable Marlow programme. It is also committed to working with local interest groups, businesses and higher local government tiers and to engaging with local residents.

Clerks & Councils Direct, March 2021

COUNCILLORS ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES

Cllrs Liz White and Carol Davis, members of HERNE AND BROOMFIELD Parish Council in Kent and both tree wardens, have planted hundreds of trees at the parish’s Broomfield Community Park. The trees were sourced via the Woodland Trust’s MOREhedges scheme, which subsidised 75 per cent of the cost, with the parish council covering the rest.
The council sourced 625 trees to create a wildlife fruiting hedge, a mixture of crab apple, dog rose, hazel, hawthorn, holly and wild cherry. It planned to invite residents to plant them in a community event, but the Covid-19 restrictions meant that that was no longer possible. Instead, the pair rolled up their sleeves and have since made good progress, with over 400 trees planted.
They have received occasional help from fellow councillors Julia Davison and Debbie Checksfield, properly socially distanced, as well as many comments of support from park users. Carol, a tree warden for 30 years, has also planted a special elm tree to celebrate 30 years of the tree warden scheme. The tree is resistant to Dutch elm disease, and is one of only 30 planted in the UK.

Clerks & Councils Direct, March 2021

RESIDENTS URGED TO GET PLANTING

THAME Town Council in Oxfordshire has launched a new tree-planting project, having already planted 420 tree whips received in November. Coronavirus restrictions mean that it cannot organise planting parties at present, so instead it is offering support to residents willing to plant trees themselves, either in their own gardens or anywhere else that they have permission. It is aiming to bulk purchase fruit trees, and will pay half the cost of the trees and stakes and guards, with a total budget of £500.
The mayor, Cllr Ann Midwinter, recently helped the council’s maintenance team to plant two ornamental pear trees and two winter flowering cherries on public open space in Youens Drive, replacing two horse chestnut trees that had to be felled due to bleeding canker disease.

Clerks & Councils Direct, March 2021

KEEPING WATCH ON COASTAL POLLUTION
Keep Britain Tidy’s project LOVEmyBEACH has called on regular beach users to help identify and report signs of coastal pollution to help protect the North West coastline.
Emily Parr, beach care officer at Fylde, said: “Major pollution incidents are well reported, enabling swift action to prevent further damage. In comparison, minor incidents often go unreported and have the potential to cause ongoing and significant environmental damage. Regular beach visitors are likely to be the first people to spot these smaller incidents.”
To help identify and report coastal pollution to the relevant authorities, LOVEmyBEACH has created a new leaflet that can be downloaded for free from its website. Among the common signs of pollution to watch out for are sewage, rainbow-coloured fi lm or sludge (indicating oil), high levels of litter or dumped waste and the presence of new substances or materials, such as palm oil.

Clerks & Councils Direct, March 2021

DONCASTER Council in South Yorkshire has carried out an independent review of its tree management policy to bring it in line with its climate commitments. The council declared a climate and biodiversity emergency in September 2019 and since then has set up an independent Climate Commission representing key agencies and partners in the borough. From this, it has developed its own environmental strategy and priorities.
The mayor, Cllr Ros Jones, said: “Trees form a large part of our carbon and biodiversity commitments, and the revised tree policy will look to consider this when deciding on tree removal and the location of replacement trees.”

Clerks & Councils Direct, March 2021

MARLOW Town Council in Buckinghamshire opened a new water refill station in late October, allowing residents and visitors to fill up their water bottles at no charge. The station, opposite the George and Dragon pub, was paid for using the Community Infrastructure Levy. The mayor, Cllr Richard Scott, said: “We’re hoping this will help reduce the problem of single-use plastic water bottles in the town.”

Clerks & Councils Direct, January 2021

LAUNCH FOR GREEN LIVING PLAN

THAME in Oxfordshire launched its Green Living Plan in early October, a 10-year plan for a cleaner, greener town. It has been developed to protect and enhance the quality of life for residents and includes over 180 recommended actions and projects to involve and benefit the whole community.
Some of these actions will take time, money and effort, such as the continued push for a Haddenham to Thame cycleway. The Thame Green Living group, with the support of the town council, will help to drive such plans forward, but many actions are smaller and achievable by individuals and families playing their part.
Meanwhile September was another busy month for the Sharing Life Trust, which runs the town’s food bank. Its volunteers delivered 57 food parcels, which provided for 66 adults and 70 children. This compared with 70 food parcels in August for 95 adults and 106 children.
It also launched a community larder on 3 September. This operates every Thursday afternoon and already has 48 members, who are offered a wide range of non-perishable and fresh supermarket surplus items. The larder is open to anyone and is not means-tested.

Clerks & Councils Direct, November 2020

COUNCIL CELEBRATES CUTS IN CARBON USE

GODALMING Town Council in Surrey achieved a significant reduction in its carbon footprint in the year to 31 March, with its carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) usage down by 21 per cent year on year. The figure was contained in the council’s annual carbon audit, presented to the environment and planning committee on 17 September. The council calculates its emissions using the Carbon Trust Carbon Footprint Calculator, a tool designed for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Reductions resulted from simple but effective changes, such as the replacement of old light fittings with new LED lighting, a new hot water and heating system in the Pepperpot building and more efficient hand dryers in public toilets. The council will complete the transfer of its energy contracts to renewable energy suppliers this month, meaning that all of its electricity requirements will be met from 100 per cent renewable energy, certified by UK guarantees of origin.
Cllr Steve Williams said: “This shows that simple changes make a big difference and that many other businesses in the town, as well as individual residents, could also reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs by following the same simple steps. Added together, these would have a greater cumulative effect.”
On 8 October, the council awarded its first carbon reduction and biodiversity grant, giving £3,000 to the Godalming Cycle Campaign to cover the cost of a feasibility and design study for a section of the Guildford–Godalming Greenway, a cycling and walking route connecting the two towns.

Clerks & Councils Direct, November 2020

WARMINSTER Town Council in Wiltshire has been consulting the public on its draft climate change strategy. Cllr Steve Jeffries, chairman of the climate change working group, said: “The council has already set out its Declaration on Climate Change, and the draft strategy sets out its strategic aims. Once the strategy is adopted, the council will also have an action plan which will set out how to implement it.” Both documents were available on the council’s website, with a deadline of 23 October to submit feedback.

Clerks & Councils Direct, November 2020

	WITNEY GETS UK’S FIRST TINY FOREST WITNEY Town Council in Oxfordshire joined forces with environmental charity Earthwatch Europe to plant the UK’s first-ever Tiny Forest on 14 March. Staff, councillors and volunteers planted 600 trees on a plot the size of a tennis court. According to Earthwatch, Tiny Forests provide an innovative solution to the challenges of climate change, with direct links to local-level climate and biodiversity strategies. Mimicking native woodland, they are ideal for urban areas where space is limited and deliver significant benefits, including flood mitigation, improved air quality, noise reduction near roads, havens for wildlife and spaces for people to connect with nature. Modelling shows that, four years after planting, a Tiny Forest will grow up to fi ve times faster than traditional monoculture tree-planting schemes and absorb up to 30 times more carbon, attract more than 500 species of animals and plants and process 30,000 litres of rainfall. Cllr Vicky Gwatkin said: “Tiny Forests demonstrate that, far from being a sacrifice, the shift to ‘green’ can actually provide a range of other community benefits. It is a privilege for Witney to have the UK’s first.” Tiny Forests are based on a forest management methodology developed in the 1970s by Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki, and over 3,000 have been planted worldwide. A second UK pilot is planned for Oxford. Witney declared a climate emergency in June 2018 and is committed to becoming net zero carbon-neutral. Clerks & Councils Direct, May 2020
	VOLUNTEERS from community group Buckingham Table helped plant 12 saplings along the riverbank in Bourton Park in mid-March to improve the appearance of the area and help increase biodiversity. A small parcel of woodland was planted with clusters of black poplars (Populus nigra betulifolia) and alder (Alnus glutinosa). It is believed that a rare black poplar was given to the people of BUCKINGHAM by Queen Victoria to celebrate her visit to the town. Cllr Ruth Newell, chair of the town council’s environment committee, said: “We are grateful to Buckingham Table for their generous donation and for helping with the planting, which also contributes to our climate emergency action plan." Clerks & Councils Direct, May 2020
	A TEAM of volunteers planted six new fruit trees in Seymour Park in MARLOW in Buckinghamshire in early March. The day was organised by community group Transition Town Marlow (TTM) under the banner of Releaf Marlow, a new tree-planting project run in cooperation with the town council. The trees have expanded a community orchard started four years ago by TTM, and replace trees damaged by a traveller incursion. TTM paid for the trees and the necessary equipment, using reserves built up via a monthly market run by volunteers. Organiser Liz Lorente said: “Many thanks to the 15 volunteers who braved the weather. It is always lovely to see local people working together and making new friendships, while providing a much-needed local resource. The orchard has made a real difference to Seymour Park, [making it] a warm community space for dog walkers, football players and children.” Clerks & Councils Direct, May 2020
	CHILDREN from SANDFORD School in Devon helped to plant 125 trees to mark the 125th anniversary of Sandford Parish Council in mid-March. They were thanked by parish clerk Malcolm Vallance, who also expressed thanks to the Woodland Trust for providing the saplings free of charge and to council chairman Cllr Jim Stephens and a team of volunteers for preparing the land and digging the holes in advance. He noted: “Another event for the parish records and for posterity has been achieved.” Clerks & Councils Direct, May 2020
	FROME Town Council in Somerset got its Wild about Trees project off to a good start in February half-term with two tree planting days attended by over 500 volunteers. They planted more than 1,200 saplings at two sites, with a variety of UK native tree and shrubs species sourced from the Woodland Trust. These included common oak, rowan, wild cherry, beech, silver birch and hawthorn, providing a good mix of native woodland. The mayor, Cllr Mark Dorrington, said: “It’s been such a great start to our overall campaign to plant a tree for every person living in Frome, all 27,000 of us, over the next three years. These efforts are contributing to our overall goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2030.” Clerks & Councils Direct, May 2020
	COUNCIL SETS UP CLIMATE FORUM MEMBERS of GODALMING Town Council in Surrey agreed in February to establish the Godalming Climate Forum (GCF), following their declaration of a climate emergency in July 2019. Cllrs Jo Purvis and Shirley Wardell have been nominated as group coordinators and the GCF will meet quarterly, sharing ideas and expertise with environmentally concerned groups in the local area. It will seek ways to encourage the community to reduce CO2 emissions, as well as the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity to encourage resilience. It will seek to protect natural habitats, promote strategies to reduce, reuse and recycle waste and provide information to promote understanding of impacts on climate change. The council is also now accepting applications to its carbon reduction and biodiversity projects fund. Applications will be considered for projects involving energy conservation and renewable energy, low-carbon transport, farming and food, particularly organic locally sourced food, community involvement in reducing CO2 emissions and the enhancement of wildlife habitats. Clerks & Councils Direct, May 2020

COUNCIL DECLARES A CLIMATE EMERGENCY
GRIMLEY Parish Council in Worcestershire has declared a climate emergency. It passed a resolution in November 2019 recognising the urgency of the situation and aiming to inform residents and take all possible action to combat the threat of global warming. The declaration includes aims to help regenerate and rebuild parish ecosystems and to promote and support adaption measures to reduce risks. The council chairman, Cllr Dave Stanley, said: “Our emergency declaration is an opportunity to create a better and sustainable future for ourselves and our children.” Volunteers are being sought to join a working party, exploring ways for residents and the wider community to make a difference and suggesting projects to contribute towards a more sustainable and lower-energy Worcestershire. It is hoped that neighbouring parish councils and other local organisations and authorities will get involved, according to clerk Lisa Stevens.