Knowsley has supported Liverpool City Region’s Five-Year Climate Action Plan to tackle climate change.
At its meeting this month, the Combined Authority approved its Five-Year Climate Action Plan which was developed collectively with the city region’s six local authorities in Knowsley, Halton, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.
The Combined Authority declared a Climate Emergency in June 2019 and set an ambitious goal to become net zero by 2040 – at least a decade before national government targets.
Knowsley Council also declared a Climate Emergency in January 2020 and committed that its own estates and services would become Net Carbon Zero by 2040. A commitment was also made to work with partner organisations to reduce boroughwide emissions.
Following the Climate Emergency Declaration, a Climate Emergency Action Plan was developed by the Council to deliver long terms actions and a Net Zero Delivery Plan was approved for 2022-2025. The plan has focused on a number of key priorities, including reducing emissions from council buildings by introducing low carbon alternatives, launching an ambitious street lighting replacement programme and tree planting across the borough.
The actions set out in the Liverpool City Region Five-Year Climate Action Plan demonstrate how the Combined Authority will generate and maintain momentum across the city region. Achieving a net zero city region, mitigating the impact of climate change and building a more resilient natural environment, are key strategic priorities for the Combined Authority.
The plan commits the Combined Authority to a number of actions over the next five years, including progressing the Mersey Tidal project, delivering housing retrofit programmes that will reduce emissions from domestic properties and cut people’s energy bills, and boosting biodiversity through the development of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Transport and infrastructure schemes feature prominently in the comprehensive 80-point plan. Waste and sustainable energy projects are also included along with policy, planning and collaboration.
The plan recognises that choices made by individuals will be vital to avoiding a climate emergency, so it includes education as well as a behaviour change campaign around net zero and natural environment issues.
Cllr Shelley Powell, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods said: “We are pleased to support the Combined Authority’s Five-Year Action Plan as this will help us build on the work we have already done in Knowsley to tackle climate change and support our commitment of reducing emissions from our own buildings and services to net zero by 2040.”
Read more about Knowsley’s action on climate change.