Calderdale Council’s response to the climate emergency and its innovative work with local communities has received national recognition, with the Council shortlisted for the MJ Local Government Achievement Awards.
The prestigious awards are held annually and recognise success in local government and outstanding work and commitment to local communities.
The Council is a finalist in the ‘Leadership in responding to the climate emergency’ category, which acknowledges progress in delivering climate initiatives against a backdrop of local authority pressures and recognises how councils involve communities in work to tackle the climate emergency.
Calderdale Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and climate action is one of the Council’s three corporate priorities.
The Calderdale Climate Action Plan launched in December 2023 and focuses on the steps that the whole Calderdale community can take between 2023 and 2026 to make progress towards theborough’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2038. The plan has been developed in partnership with people and organisations across Calderdale.
The Council’s award submission focuses on the climate action work taking place across the borough to work towards this ambitious net zero target and the role the Council plays in engaging local people in the fight against climate change.
The Climate Action Plan emphasises the need to work together to achieve carbon targets and protect the environment, focusing on the actions that will have the biggest impact now and which will unlock the best long-term results.
The award submission highlights how local communities, businesses and partners across the public and voluntary sector, work together with the Council to achieve the shared aims of reducing flood risk, capturing carbon and supporting nature.
Examples of recent climate work include:
- The Council, in partnership with the Community Foundation for Calderdale, has invested in projects run by Calderdale voluntary and community groups, through the £1million Climate Action Fund. Groups around the borough have benefited from funding for projects which will have an impact on reducing the carbon footprint of their activities.
- Over 90 sites in the borough have now also been used for natural flood management (NFM), with £1million allocated to local landowners to support NFM measures on private land in Calderdale.
- Calderdale will be the first local authority in England with an interactive Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) digital twin model of the borough. It will help identify where changes can be made to decarbonise local heat and transport, improve the energy efficiency of buildings and generate renewable energy.
- Funding of almost £300k from Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme is also supporting the Calderdale Retrofit Challenge project, which looks at identifying solutions for retrofitting buildings in the borough, to make them more energy efficient.
Calderdale Council’s Director for Public Health, Debs Harkins, said:
“Calderdale Council is committed to climate action and we value the contribution that our knowledgeable and passionate communities make to the delivery of varied and ambitious climate work taking place across the borough.
“We all have a part to play in tackling climate change and our Climate Action Plan looks at the steps we can all take to help reduce carbon emissions and how we can work together to live larger lives in a healthier, greener, fairer Calderdale.
“I’m delighted that this work has been recognised by the MJ Local Government Awards and that we’ve been shortlisted in the ‘Leadership in responding to the climate emergency’ category.”
For regular updates about Climate Action in Calderdale, sign up to the Zero Carbon Calderdale e-newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/calderdale/zerocarbon(external link)
Building a sustainable and resilient future is a key part of the Vision2024 for Calderdale. The year 2024 marks Calderdale’s 50th birthday. Find out more at www.calderdale.gov.uk/vision