Key stakeholders in Newcastle’s bid to become net zero are set to be invited to help shape policy as the council prepares to launch a new approach to tackling climate change.
Newcastle City Council declared a climate emergency in April 2019 and committed to a series of decarbonisation projects across the city.
The council has reduced emissions citywide by 42 per cent, since 2005, while reducing its own building and travel emissions by 65 per cent since 2010.
Since the authority published its Net Zero Action Plan in 2020, there has been change in government policy, not least with the election of a new government in July.
Now Newcastle’s Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee has been invited to help shape the future approach to net zero with the development of a refreshed strategy.
This will see the council build on their success and launch a new Climate Change Forum to involve residents, businesses and partners in a response to the climate emergency.
Cllr Marion Williams, Cabinet Member for Sustainable City, said:
“We are proud of the work we have done, and the progress we have made, on our net zero ambition.
“This is one of the council’s three key priorities and something we know our communities care deeply about, not least our city’s young people.
“With a new government, now seems like the right time to reflect on what we still need to do, and I welcome a cross-party approach through Scrutiny.
“I am also very excited at the prospect of taking an even more participatory and inclusive approach through the creation of the Climate Change Forum.
“We know that we will only achieve our net zero ambitions through working in partnership and taking people with us.
“This forum is the ideal way to involve as many people as possible in shaping and delivering a cleaner, greener future for our city.”
Overview and Scrutiny Coordination Committee will be asked to help shape a refreshed approach, when it receives a report on progress against the Net Zero Action Plan on 25 July 2024.
The report sets out further progress on implementing the plan, including highlights such as:
- the Council continuing to deliver decarbonisation projects in public buildings and social housing, with a recent example being Heaton Park Court
- developing a North East Green Careers Guide for young people in Newcastle, to explain what green jobs are, the benefits of having a green job and why we need them
- the 4th annual Youth Climate Change Summit at the Discovery Museum, which was attended by 100 students from 12 schools across the city
- the Council being awarded a gold level Cycle Friendly Employer accreditation by Cycling UK, covering the period from 2024 to 2027
- NEAT Academy Trust and Newcastle City Council securing £4 million to decarbonise Benfield School’s buildings
- development of a heat decarbonisation plan, using funding from the Government’s Low Carbon Skills Fund, outlining detailed designs for how the Council could decarbonise 20 public buildings
- the creation of a directory of various funding opportunities towards our net zero goals for charities, internal council teams, businesses, schools and residents
- a cross-council team attending St James’ Park as part of the CGI Young Dreamers STEM Programme, looking at engineering ideas centred around creating a more carbon neutral match day
The report asks the committee to note progress, as well as the mechanisms the council has in place to support implementation.
It also asks the committee to inform a refresh of the Net Zero Action Plan, recognising the context the city and its partners are working has changed significantly since it was created.