New engagement programme assists in climate decision-making
Lancaster City Council has been hosting district-wide conversations on tackling and addressing the climate emergency following the successful bid to join the UK’s Local Climate Engagement Programme (LCE).
We are making great strides towards this aim and through projects such as the decarbonisation of Salt Ayre Leisure Centre, the purchase of electric vehicles including bin trucks, and improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, we aim to be net carbon zero by 2030.
However, the city council’s emissions are only a small part of the bigger picture. One of the major contributing factors of climate change is how we travel around. We all need to be able to access the things that are necessary to lead a good life but how do we do this at the same time as reducing the emission of harmful gases? Although roads and transport fall under the responsibility of Lancashire County Council, here at Lancaster City Council we want to lead the conversation and help to find solutions.
Message from Mark Davies, Lancaster City Council Chief Executive.
During May and June 2023, we carried out online conversations using the Polis tool to answer the question “How can we as residents of Lancaster district access the resources we need to lead a good life by moving around freely and at the same time reducing emissions?” You may have come across Community Explorers, asking for your views on the question. Community Explorers are a way of involving members of the public about an issue by encouraging them to share ideas and opinions.
During September 2023, we ran a number of workshops. Together, these sessions provided the opportunity for the council and members of the community to discuss and debate the issues raised during the engagement exercises.
Next steps
The results from these workshops will be presented to elected councillors and Lancashire County Council to help make informed decisions in the future. The results can viewed view on OUR STORYBOARD. Further details to follow.
If you have any questions, please contact us at climate-emergency@lancaster.gov.uk
