COUNCILLORS and staff at Westbury Town Council have set up a forum in order to share ideas on how best to prepare Westbury for the effects of climate change.
The forum works on a local level and is separate from Wiltshire Council’s own climate strategy consultation, which was started as a way to shape how funding is to be handed out to authorities on a local level.
Westbury climate action forum is a way for residents to share their ideas on how to best spend money in order to combat the effects of climate change.
Cllr Mike Sutton said, “Climate change is now real and with us and although major reductions can only be made by governments, it is important that all of us as individuals contribute to the preservation of the planet. To this end, Westbury Town Council has declared a climate emergency and implemented various measures to reduce our carbon footprint.
“Ideas we would like discussed include; use of long-life bulbs; grants for car charging facilities; encouraging less car use within the town; an electric bus service around the town; provision of water butts; better walking and cycling provision to encourage less car use; promote a’ green day’ within the town to publicise the message, as well as working with schools. These are just a few ideas, but we would need the support from local residents.”
Westbury Town Council has already set up a climate emergency committee, along with a seven-stage action plan in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the town.
However, town councillors want to go even further and are asking the people of Westbury to have a say themselves on how best to plan for the future.
Some of the plans range from measuring energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the area, to looking at employing more sustainable energy solutions and how Westbury can reduce its dependency on finite energy solutions.
The town council hopes members of the public will bring forward ideas of how best to make Westbury a greener place to live, but have warned that it will not be a quick process and will take several years to reduce the carbon footprint.
Wiltshire Council declared a climate emergency back in 2019, saying it is attempting to achieve carbon neutrality in the county by 2030.
Join the collaborative action project online by contacting Westbury Town Council at the Laverton, Bratton Road, Westbury BA13 3EN. Tel: 01373 822 232. Email: info@westburytowncouncil.co.uk
