North Tyneside Council is making huge inroads in its ambitious Carbon Net-Zero 2030 projects and has big plans for the coming years.
A report to Cabinet tonight (August 1) detailed some of the local authority’s recent achievements and set out its comprehensive plans to work towards reaching Carbon Net-Zero by 2030.
Since setting out on its carbon journey, the council has already slashed its own carbon emissions by 53 per cent – ahead of its target – and the borough’s carbon footprint has reduced by 47 per cent.
The success is thanks to initiatives like vast improvements to the energy efficiency of council homes and buildings; replacing 10,000 streetlights with LEDs (with another 20,000 planned); major steps forward in active and sustainable travel; further improvements to recycling; increasing planting of biodiversity areas and trees; electrifying appropriate council vehicles; establishing a borough-wide Climate Emergency Board with representatives from public sector organisations and commercial and industrial businesses; and more.
And in demonstrating it is in no way complacent, at Cabinet tonight, elected members heard about the new Carbon Net-Zero 2030 Action Plan, which details its future ambitions and the national investment it will seek to help to deliver them. The plan will be refreshed annually.
Cllr Sandra Graham said: “Taking real, tangible action against climate change is a priority for North Tyneside Council.
“We are very proud of what we have achieved as a local authority and proud of what we see developing across the borough over such a short period of time. We have moved at a pace with this work but there is still much more to do, and this is why we will be closely monitoring our performance and reporting annually to all our stakeholders.
“In developing the plan, we engaged with residents, including young people, businesses and other public sector organisations. We are clear that as a listening council, this engagement is extremely important in helping to shape our plans and I’d like to thank everyone who provided their views.
“As an organisation, we will continue to do everything we possibly can to reach Carbon Net-Zero by 2030, but we can’t do this alone. We are only directly responsible for two per cent of the borough’s carbon emissions, so we need the help of residents and businesses to achieve this target. We can all make small changes – like recycling wherever possible, turning lights off, turning the thermostat down or radiators off when we don’t need them and leaving the car at home for short journeys – which collectively make a big difference.
“We will continue to lobby government to make other impactful measures more affordable for residents and local businesses – like electric vehicles and the associated infrastructure, renewable energy and making homes and buildings more energy efficient, etc.”
The Carbon Net-Zero 2030 Action Plan sets out almost 150 steps the council or partners will take, subject to funding, categorised under themes such as public buildings, council vehicles and street lighting; housing; food and catering; travel; waste, reuse and recycling; industry and commerce; and more.
The plan also includes recommendations from the Green Skills for Retrofit Jobs report from the Council’s Economic Prosperity Sub-Committee – which Cabinet also heard about tonight.
There is a growing demand for new skills, sectors and jobs as the council and others continue with their carbon cutting plans at pace. The recommendations in the Green Skills for Retrofit Jobs help to address the demand and Cabinet agreed to incorporate these into the Carbon Net-Zero 2030 Action Plan.
The green theme continued through much of the Cabinet meeting, with cabinet members also agreeing the North Tyneside Transport Strategy annual report, which sets out the council’s vision for transport in the borough and how it will achieve it. The report noted that cycling continues to increase significantly in the area; work in schools to encourage walking and cycling has seen an increase in sustainable travel; and that roads in the borough are becoming safer reflecting the Council’s investment in recent years.