By Cllr Stephen Conway
In 2019, recognising the existential threat posed to life as we know it by climate change, the council unanimously voted to declare a climate emergency. Councillors agreed a Climate Emergency Action Plan with ambitious targets that sought to enable the borough to attain carbon neutrality by 2030.
Last week’s full council meeting received a report on progress over the last year with the Climate Emergency Action Plan. The report was generally very positive – a great deal has been achieved, thanks to the commitment, determination, and technical skills of the council’s small but very impressive climate emergency team and to the energy and drive of the executive councillor responsible for this vital work, my colleague Sarah Kerr.
We learned of an overall fall in carbon emissions, the launch of Solar Together, which should help reduce emissions from private homes by making it easier to acquire solar panels, and the council’s successful bid for money from the Social Housing Decarbonization Fund, which will enable us to bring more than 100 of the least energy efficient social housing units up to a much higher standard.
Later in the meeting, Sarah was able to report on progress on the Barkham Solar Farm, which had been delayed by the National Grid by a staggering 11 years. Excellent work by Sarah and the climate, energy and property teams, backed by the council’s chief financial officer and chief executive, led to successful negotiations that have brought us back to our connection date of 2026.
Wokingham Borough Council is one of a very small number of organisations to have secured an early connection commitment.
The solar farm will make a big impact when it is fully connected. It will save the council (and council tax payer) money by providing a new income stream and contribute to decarbonizing the electricity supply.
I want to draw attention to some other initiatives that should help us with our climate emergency ambitions.
The new administration agreed shortly after it took over the running of the council in 2022 to commit to planting a Covid Memorial Wood on Rook’s Nest Farm, close to the new solar farm. Rook’s Nest Farm is council-owned land, which the previous administration had earmarked for 270 new houses in their draft local plan.
We took the view that using the site for a new woodland would be a better way forward.
The new Covid Memorial Wood will provide a place of quiet contemplation for the families of victims of the pandemic. It will also increase canopy cover in the borough and play a part in producing a better environment.
The council’s work to give people the option of active travel by facilitating more cycle journeys and walking is also important. We recognise that active travel is not possible for everyone, nor a realistic option in some instances. But for shorter journeys, we aim to make it a more attractive possibility than it has been in the past.
Walking and cycling have obvious health benefits and provide an opportunity for those who wish to do so to save money on shorter trips. And, of course, every petrol- or diesel-driven car journey not taken reduces congestion for those who do drive and brings down emissions.
Bus subsidies are another area where we can make a difference. We have worked hard to secure continuing subsidies for many important routes. Not only does this help those without a car, it also gives those with a car the option of travelling in a way that produces fewer emissions overall.
Perhaps most importantly of all, Sarah has led the way in ensuring that the council now takes its climate emergency responsibilities seriously in all the decisions it makes; she is seeking to hard-wire climate emergency awareness in all the council’s various departments.
There is still much more to do. The report we received last week honesty assesses the scale of the challenge, indicating that more ambitious targets are needed if we are to reach the goal of carbon neutrality in the borough by 2030.
At a time when the government has rowed back on its climate emergency commitments, we are determined to stick to ours. Though we are only a small part of a very big picture, what we do in Wokingham matters. We can all make our contribution to tackling or at least mitigating climate change.
Too often, as I’ve said before, politics is about short-term decisions, designed to win the next election. We have to have the courage and the vision to look long term.
We will not shirk our responsibility to our children and grandchildren.
Cllr Stephen Conway is the leader of Wokingham Borough Council and ward member for Twyford
