Warwick District Council scores high in national climate change league table - and is top in the county

Warwick District Council has scored highly in a national climate change league table - and also came out on top in the county.

Climate Emergency UK has released a league table of UK Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plans, with Warwick District Council ranked seventh out of all participating district and borough councils, with a score of 47 per cent.

The council also scored the highest across all councils in Warwickshire.

Each council’s plan was assessed on a range of areas including governance, funding, biodiversity, collaboration, and engagement in early 2023.

The council’s Climate Change Action Programme sets out ambitions for the district with specific steps on how to achieve them, and since its adoption in November 2021 the council says it has made significant progress including:

• Launching the Choose How You Move in Warwick District challenge, rewarding residents with redeemable points for choosing active and sustainable travel.
• Delivering retrofit schemes for council and private housing.
• Developing a Net Zero Development Plan Document (DPD) to impose rigorous standards on new developments to ensure they are carbon neutral.
• Participating in No Mow May, with large areas of the district left uncut to encourage biodiversity.
• Enabling the supply of thousands of trees to local farms with the support of Arden Farm Wildlife Network, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, and the Heart of England Forest.
• Implementing a Local Climate Engagement programme with rural communities.

The score cards also show there are some important areas that the council needs to address, not least in relation to biodiversity.

Councillor James Kennedy, portfolio holder for climate change, said: “We’re pleased to see that the work undertaken so far on our Climate Change Action Programme has been acknowledged by Climate Emergency UK.

"The Climate Change Action Programme has been developed and implemented with cross party support, and this recent score demonstrates the importance of continued collaboration – with Councillors, our partners, stakeholders, and residents - to achieve our ambitions.

“However, we acknowledge that there is more to do.

"With the recent declaration of an ecological emergency, we are making great strides on our Biodiversity Action Plan, and our emerging Corporate Strategy puts sustainability at the heart of our decision making.

“We’re keen to focus on areas that we can we directly influence, and one of our strategic priorities is to reduce energy bills for council tenants, helping private homeowners and renters to reduce theirs as well, and reducing carbon emissions associated with council-owned buildings.”