Warwick and Stratford district councils to join forces over climate emergency by sharing key officer

Councillors across south Warwickshire look set to join forces to tackle the climate emergency which could see a key officer splitting his time between Warwick and Stratford.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Dave Barber was appointed Warwick District Council’s programme director for climate change earlier this year but at the latest executive meeting [DEC 10] it was agreed that his work should cover both areas - as long as counterparts at Stratford District Council agreed.

Cllr Alan Rhead (Con, Budbrooke), the portfolio holder for the environment and business, told the meeting that the inability to hold a planned climate change referendum in the spring had prompted councillors to look again at the climate emergency action programme.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “Because that was prevented from happening [due to lockdown] we needed to revisit the whole process of the climate emergency action programme and we needed to specifically establish the short-term priorities for this council in response to the climate emergency.”

Traffic congestion in Bath Street, Leamington, which is a pollution hotspot.Traffic congestion in Bath Street, Leamington, which is a pollution hotspot.
Traffic congestion in Bath Street, Leamington, which is a pollution hotspot.

And he explained how the joint working with their council neighbours would be beneficial.

“The report seeks agreement for the principle of working jointly with Stratford District Council and I think that’s as important a part of this report as anything else because the ability to jointly work with Stratford has all sorts of benefits.

“We are proposing to share our programme director - who I must say has done an immense amount of work in the short time he has been in position - with Stratford District who, incidentally, have £500,000 in their budget for climate emergency. I am looking forward to that joint working being for the benefit of residents in both of our councils."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Members of the executive also approved £60,000 to support key priorities set out in the programme.

Cllr Rhead added: “The £60,000 that this report is asking for is for two essential matters that we need to take forward.

“The first is the SCATTER carbon emissions tool which is important for finding baselines by which we are to measure things. The second point is to undertake a high-level feasibility study to assess the potential to invest in low carbon energy generation infrastructure in the district.

“There are ideas which are well advanced. We are looking at district heating, we are trying to look at solar energy and at hydrogen. I am hopeful we can bring forward some plans on all of those in the near future.”

A report into the combined approach will be considered by Stratford District Council’s cabinet in January when a shared climate emergency strategy could be adopted.