MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by:
Councillor Gill Gardiner, Cabinet Member for Environment
Date of Issue: December 15th 2009
Contact numbers:
07983 624610
Lib Dem office: 0151 691 8544

CLIMATE CHANGE: WIRRAL LIB DEMS ACT WHILST WORLD LEADERS DEBATE
 COUNCIL AGREES CARBON BUDGETS - FIRST IN NORTH WEST

At the same time that world leaders are meeting in Copenhagen to tackle the international problems associated with Climate Change, Wirral Council last night (14th December) made its own commitment to tackling the problems locally when Liberal Democrat Councillors secured unanimous agreement of Full Council for their proposals for Wirral Council to be amongst the first local authorities in the country to implement a “carbon budget” to help tackle climate change.

The Liberal Democrat proposal to Council seeks to put carbon budgeting on a level footing with financial budgeting. The aim is that by setting an annual carbon budget for each Council department and building a clearer picture of the environmental impact of Council spending, carbon budgeting will help to meet the local, national and, if Copenhagen negotiations go to plan, global carbon reduction targets.

Wirral Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Gill Gardiner proposer of the motion on carbon budgeting said, “This Council has an excellent track record of recycling, waste reduction and energy efficiency. We want to take this to the next stage by embedding carbon reduction into our financial planning and make sure the Council knows and understands the environmental impact of all its activities.

"We need to stay ahead of the game and save CO2 - the cost, both to the council's coffers and the environment, are too high not to. There is no doubt in my mind that carbon budgeting will greatly assist us in doing just that.

"With effect from 1st April , the Government is introducing a carbon trading scheme, the "Carbon Reduction Commitment" for large users of energy, including this Council. The Council will have to purchase allowances for their energy-related emissions at a cost of £12 per tonne of CO2 , and will be reimbursed according to their relative position in a league table, based on how much emissions have been reduced."

Wirral Liberal Democrat Cabinet member for Corporate Services and Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Simon Holbrook, who seconded the motion added, “We know that there are financial savings to be made through procurement of energy efficient and low carbon contracts, goods and services. In the future, financial and carbon budgeting will become inseparable as carbon trading results in carbon having a value which will have to appear in budgets and balance sheets.

“This forward looking measure will mean Wirral is well placed to play its part in reducing the effects of climate change.  Each department will prepare carbon budgets, detailing carbon emissions and carbon reduction targets, for presentation at Budget Cabinet and Council alongside the Council's financial budget.”

Full text of Carbon Budget Notice of Motion, proposed by Cllr Gardiner:

1.      Council notes:

  1. The excellent work already being carried out to reduce carbon emissions by the council and across the borough through the launch of the CRed scheme and its aim to achieve a 60% reduction in C02 emissions by 2025.
  2. The sign-up and commitment of the council to the national 10:10 initiative, which encourages individuals and organisations to save 10% during 2010.
  3. That the Carbon Reduction Commitment, a mandatory emissions trading scheme affecting large local authorities with an annual electricity bill of more than £500,000 will come into force from April 2010.
  4. The launch in September 2009 of the Scottish Government's carbon budget, linking greenhouse gas emissions with the environmental impact of total government spending.
  5. The publication by DECK in July 2009 of the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, setting out how the UK will meet the 34% cut in emissions on 1990 levels by 2020, set out in The Budget.
  6. The publication by CLG in July 2009 of the Strengthening Local Democracy Consultation, which suggests that local authorities could have a much greater role to play in tackling climate change through local carbon budgets.

2.      Council believes that:

  1. Setting an annual carbon budget for each department and building a clearer picture of the environmental impact of Council spending will help to meet the local and national carbon reduction targets that have been set out above.
  2. Strong leadership is needed to ensure that financial and carbon budgeting is fully integrated into mainstream financial management and business planning activity.
  3. There are financial savings to be made through procurement of energy efficient and low carbon contracts, goods and services.
    Therefore, Council resolves:
  1. To instruct the Director of Technical Services and the Sustainability Unit to establish the Council's carbon footprint and quantify the number of tonnes of CO 2 released as a direct result of Council operations for 2010 onwards, and to instruct the Director of Finance to bring forward proposals for quantifying CO 2 emissions as part of the procurement process for new council contracts and other spend from April 2011.
  2. To instruct the Director of Technical Services and the Sustainability Unit to work with the Director of Finance (in conjunction with other Chief Officers) to prepare carbon budgets detailing carbon emissions and carbon efficiency targets for each department  to be presented at Budget Cabinet and Council alongside the Council's financial budget.
  3. To instruct the Director of Technical Services to report to Cabinet on progress made regarding the carbon budget. This report to include measures and projects to reduce carbon emissions, including an analysis to show progress being made by department and key service areas.