STAFF at Westbury Town Council want to help tackle the issue of climate change, by agreeing to turn down the radiators and wear top quality hoodies to keep warm.
Some members of the town council’s policy and resources committee were unsure about the request when it came up for discussion at a meeting on Monday 5th October.
Eleven good quality hoodies, which will cost £470 to purchase, will be emblazoned with the town council logo and the employee’s name.
Cllr Shelia Kimmins questioned the impression that would be given to members of the public being greeted at The Laverton by council staff wearing hoodies. “I thought this was a joke,” she exclaimed. “Is that a very professional thing to have?”
Committee chair Cllr Jane Russ offered, “They would have the town council logo on. It’s for office use as that big office costs a lot to heat as it’s such a large space.”
Cllr Kimmins replied, “The public come to the front door and speak to the staff. To have them in hoodies gives a very peculiar impression. I’m speechless, which is unusual for me!”
The clerk explained the suggestion had been made during discussions about the community action plan into Wiltshire Council’s declaration of a climate emergency.
“Staff felt that provided hoodies were smart and emblazoned with their name etc they would be happy to have them and turn the heating down,” the clerk said. “The office gets extremely cold, the windows are thin glass and we have to have the heating on more than we need for that reason.”
Cllr Mike Kettlety said, “We may well be putting the cart before the horse. I think we need to be thinking about spending some money on applying for grants to insulate the office in a better way.
“I’m not against the idea of the hoodies but there are certain qualifications in the health and safety at work act which says that heat must be at a certain level.
“We ought to look at tackling this in another way in the future.”
Cllr Russ said, “We were looking at a quick fix rather than spending serious money because the windows are large and it’s a listed building. It’s something that ought to come up before The Laverton working group to consider.”
Cllr Ian Cunningham said, “I don’t want to discourage what seems to be an enthusiastic attempt by the staff to do something.
“Turning off the heating by a couple of degrees will possibly save more money than the cost of the hoodies.
“I was joking when i suggested this about jumpers but it’s a good way to show the people of the town that we are taking our commitment to climate change seriously.”
Members voted in favour of purchasing the hoodies for town council staff. They also approved and recommended the draft Climate Emergency Action Plan, which will now be sent to the full town council for consideration.
They agreed to ask the town clerk to work with the Centre of Sustainable Energy to develop a quote for specialist support, which will be shared with the town council in November.
