TEENAGERS from Woodley asked a number of questions relating to the climate emergency at the council meeting held on Thursday, January 23.
William Gale wanted to know if the council’s support for a third runway of Heathrow was in direct contradiction of its declaration of climate emergency.
Cllr Gregor Murray, the executive member of climate emergency, said that the council would only support a third runway if three criteria could be met, including ensuring that the airport could be carbon neutral, and it would have no adverse effect on the health and quality of life of residents.
Charlotte Ibbotson wanted to know why the carbon action plan didn’t include congestion charges or road pricing.
Cllr Murray felt that a congestion charge would have negative impacts on the road network surrounding any charging zones.
He also promised that the Local Transport Plan is currently being reviewed and would make responding to the climate emergency a priority.
“It is more important to reduce the number of cars than it is to charge people,” he added.
Following on, Oz Hafsa Khan asked how Cllr Murray travelled to the meeting.
The Norreys councillor thanked her for a really great question.
“I walked here tonight,” he said. “Wherever possible my aim is to walk to meetings. I don’t always meet it.
“The leader of the borough lives 11 miles away. He said if he walked here tonight, he would have had to have set off on Tuesday.
“But we need to find other ways to move people around the borough,” he added.
Millie Rowell wanted to know “how will you be able to make the greenery in our area more effective for reducing our carbon emissions in our community?”
Cllr Murray said that the council seeks to minimise the loss of green spaces through development and that he was pledging to plant 250,000 new trees across the borough.
He also said that green areas would be planted on bus stops, while Woodley Town Council had declared a climate emergency and was doing what it could to bring down carbon emissions.
Ella Wölfel asked the final question to Cllr Murray and wanted to know “What concrete measures is the Council going to implement to make the local schools carbon neutral?”
She drew on the experience of Bulmershe School having some solar panels, adding, “more needs to be done”.
Cllr Murray promised to work with schools to promote climate-friendly behaviours, and that training was being given.
“In March we will hold the first-ever carbon conference. It will be held in the school holidays, and you will be invited to attend,” he added.
“All of our residents have a role to play in the climate emergency.”
Cllr UllaKarin Clark then led a standing ovation to the teenagers. “They have shown such bravery in coming here today,” she told the mayor, Cllr Bill Soane.
The final question on the climate emergency saw an adult, Mel Davies, ask the council leader, John Halsall is the climate emergency action plan needs to have a complete revision before it is approved by the council.
Cllr Halsall said: “As a working document this plan reports our progress and lays out the initial steps of our journey to working towards achieving a net zero carbon Borough. It was not the intention to develop a comprehensive project or ‘management’ plan.”
He continued: An annual Climate Emergency Progress Report will be developed and brought to
Council for approval in July 2020 and annually thereafter. This report will provide more detail on our projects and the anticipated carbon savings that we hope they will achieve.
“With a programme that stretches out until 2030 we will set up more manageable timeframes of work to support delivery of the action plan, whilst being able to respond to both policy and resourcing changes at a national and potentially international level that we cannot at this point second guess.”
He added: “It’s a dynamic plan and it’s a first step.”
