Sustainable Warwickshire

Published on behalf of the Environment Agency, the Benchmark looks at actions taken in detail across the sustainability agenda. Overall, the Council was awarded a score of 68.8%, which is an increase of 1.7% on the previous year and placed it 7th of the 20 regional authorities that took part.

The Council gained high rankings in key areas including ‘Resource Efficiency’ where it was ranked fourth and Adapting to Climate Change where it was ranked second.

Under the adapting category, Sustainability West Midlands used Warwickshire County Council as an example of best practice, sharing a case study of its approach to helping the county to adapt to the effects of climate change:

“Warwickshire County Council is building momentum on climate change adaptation. The council recognises that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is unlikely to be enough to prevent the changes in climate that are already locked-in from having an impact on the county's services, infrastructure, people, businesses and natural environment.

“Its response has been a considered and action-orientated approach to adapting to these changes, which started in 2019 when the council convened an adaptation task and finish group. This used the evidence from a series of workshops with officers to produce a report which identified work already being done as well as several risks and possible adaptation responses.”

Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture, said: “I’m delighted that the work we are doing to manage environmental risks and reduce our carbon emissions continues to be recognised on a regional level.

“There is ongoing work taking place at WCC to assess and target reductions in carbon emissions from our estate, across buildings, streetlighting and vehicle fleets. We’ve been replacing gas boilers with efficient electric systems, installing solar PV systems, improving building insulation, increasing the use of electric vehicles and using alternative fuels where appropriate. Our tree planting programme is also ongoing, as part of our commitment to plant a tree for every Warwickshire resident and is now supported by our own Warwickshire Tree Nursery.”

The Council has recently published its Sustainable Futures Strategy which sets the framework for working with local community stakeholders, including  business and other partner organisations, to mitigate climate change and to work towards fulfilling the county’s net zero commitments. Find out more here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/4726/warwickshire-takes-next-strides-towards-net-zero-as-cabinet-approves-sustainable-futures-strategy

View the full West Midland’s Local Authority Sustainability Benchmark Report here: https://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/resources/west-midlands-local-authority-sustainability-benchmark-2023/

For more information about how Warwickshire County Council is facing the challenges of the climate change emergency, visit: https://www.warwickshireclimateemergency.org.uk/

Get the latest news about how Warwickshire County Council and partners are facing the challenge of the climate emergency and how you can get involved: http://eepurl.com/hrk-zf