Staffordshire council brings forward net zero carbon emissions target to 2035
Stafford Borough Council is aiming to bring forward the date it becomes carbon neutral by five years.
The authority declared a climate emergency in 2019 and had previously agreed a target date of 2040 to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
Green councillors Doug Rouxel and Emma Carter proposed setting a more ambitious net zero target of 2035 however. And on Tuesday the full council voted to approve the change, which was described as “an aspirational target date which reflects the ambition of the council” and applies solely to the authority as an organisation, not the wider borough itself.
Fellow Green Party member Tony Pearce, the council’s cabinet member for climate action and nature recovery, said: “Good progress has been made. But the fact is global warming is progressing at a faster rate than anticipated.
“We now have a climate change strategy and action plan. We need and want to be more ambitious than we have been previously.
“There is no request for additional revenue budget funding to support this. The action plan will be reviewed annually; performance against this is going to be tracked by the climate change action board and this is going to be a joint exercise with Cannock Chase Council.
“We have secured funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Stage one will be to review the assets of both councils and their suitability towards decarbonisation, and show those where significant savings can be made by reducing energy consumption.”
The council’s opposition group leader Jeremy Pert raised concerns the proposal had not been costed however. “While I accept climate change is happening, I think our residents expect us to act with diligence and common sense”, he said.
“The problem I have with the proposal is it seems there is no borough council costed plan. What’s being asked this evening is to step up to something we don’t understand and the consequences of that would seem to me to be absolutely foolhardy.”
Councillor Roy James put forward an amendment proposing the council approves the change of date to 2035 once there was a “proper, fully costed Stafford Borough Council plan in place”. But this amendment failed to gain enough support from the full council and was defeated.
Councillor Rouxel said: “When the original date of 2040 was set there wasn’t a cost plan put in place. It clearly says (2035) is an aspiration target – if we don’t hit it we are not going to be fined for it.
“It is going to impact us in my lifetime. It is one of the most important things this council can do.”
