Lib Dems Welcome Shepway Council Signing Nottingham Declaration

The Liberal Democrats have welcomed the signing of the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change by Shepway Council. The Declaration acknowledges that climate change poses a genuine threat to our planet, and that Local Authorities in particular have a crucial role to play in responding to this challenge.

Over 200 Councils have now signed up, and by signing, they pledge to actively tackle climate change in your area and work with others to reduce emissions country-wide.

Shepway and Folkestone Town Councillor for Cheriton, Tim Prater, said:

"Shepway Council should be congratulated on making this commitment: it is for all of us to work to respond to the challenge of climate change.

"We need to look at practical steps that we can implement locally to start to do our bit which will have two effects if we get it right: to reduce our environmental impact AND to save money in the long term as we reduce our waste."

Folkestone Town Council will discuss the Nottingham Declaration tonight, in a motion proposed and seconded by Liberal Democrat Councillors Tim Prater and Martin Salmon. The motion also proposes a number of specific measures to reduce the environmental impact of the Town Council, including where possible:

• Immediately carbon off-set the mileage of the civic vehicle, and seek at the earliest economic opportunity to replace with an energy efficient alternative such as a Prius;
• Switching energy suppliers to an appropriate green supplier;
• Developing a regular and effective environmental audit and reporting programme to produce recommendations on ways to incrementally decrease waste and reduce energy use for existing and new Council activities;
• Ensuring all future FTC publications and stationery use recycled paper, and display a statement saying so;
• Immediately reducing paper use by sending copy Council Committee documents to Councillors by email only (where the Councillor has email) and they do not sit on that Committee.

The Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change (NDCC Revised Version 8/8/2006) reads:

We acknowledge that:

• Evidence shows that climate change is occurring.
• Climate change will continue to have far reaching effects on the UK's people and places, economy, society and environment.

We welcome the:

• Social, economic and environmental benefits which come from combating climate change.
• Emissions targets agreed by central government and the programme for delivering change, as set out in the UK Climate Change Programme.
• Opportunity for local government to lead the response at a local level, encouraging and helping local residents, local businesses and other organisations - to reduce their energy costs, to reduce congestion, to adapt to the impacts of climate change, to improve the local environment and to deal with fuel poverty in our communities.
• Endorsement of this declaration by central government.

We commit our Council from this date to:

• Work with central government to contribute, at a local level, to the delivery of the UK Climate Change Programme, the Kyoto Protocol and the target for carbon dioxide reduction by 2010.
• Participate in local and regional networks for support.
• Within the next two years develop plans with our partners and local communities to progressively address the causes and the impacts of climate change, according to our local priorities, securing maximum benefit for our communities.
• Publicly declare, within appropriate plans and strategies, the commitment to achieve a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from our own authority's operations, especially energy sourcing and use, travel and transport, waste production and disposal and the purchasing of goods and services.
• Assess the risk associated with climate change and the implications for our services and our communities of climate change impacts and adapt accordingly.
• Encourage all sectors in our local community to take the opportunity to adapt to the impacts of climate change, to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions and to make public their commitment to action.
• Monitor the progress of our plans against the actions needed and publish the result.

This Council acknowledges the increasing impact that climate change will have on our community during the 21st century and commits to tackling the causes and effects of a changing climate on our district.