Our climate emergency declaration
The Council declared a climate emergency in July 2019 and agreed to update it in July 2021. This page provides the updated declaration.
The Council will therefore commit to:
- making the Council’s own activities net-zero carbon by 2030, both production and consumption;
- achieving 100% clean energy across the Council’s full range of functions by 2030;
- supporting and working with all other relevant agencies to ensure that the whole of Richmondshire achieves net-zero carbon (production and consumption) by 2034, to align with the wider target for York and North Yorkshire;
- ensuring that all strategic decisions, budget formulation and planning policy is put in place to ensure protection of the environment and achievement of net-zero carbon in the district by 2034, including the following measures:
- explore policy to achieve the requirement for new-build houses to use sustainable energy sources, for example, in the form of solar panels and heat pumps;
- making provision for and actually installing charging points for electric cars;
- ensuring that political and chief officer leadership teams put in place measures to safeguard the environment and climate in all areas of work and take responsibility for helping to reduce carbon emissions throughout Richmondshire;
- influencing and inspiring partners across the district, county and region to contribute to achieving the Council’s environment and climate goals;
- bring together and give authority for a Climate Change Partnership Group (CCPG), (involving councillors, residents, young citizens, climate science and solutions experts, businesses, and other relevant parties) to research, develop and recommend, strategies and an action plan that will assist in achieving the environment and climate goals for Richmondshire;
- ensuring that the Council’s annual budget setting and investment strategy takes account of the Council’s adopted Climate Change Action Plan, any output of the CCPG, and of those decisions taken by councillors and officers that must be put into practice to address this emergency;
- calling on the UK Government to provide the powers and financial resources required to address the emergency.