News on #ClimateChangeRochdale

A new climate emergency scrutiny study group (CESSG) has been established to ensure that the council and the borough become carbon neutral by 2038 – in line with a pledge made in 2020.

The new scrutiny group, one of only a handful of climate change scrutiny groups set up by councils, will bring focus on making sure targets and actions contained in the council's climate change strategy are delivered.

The CESSG includes chairs and vice-chairs of the council's existing overview and scrutiny committees – corporate; communities, regeneration and environment and the third group, health, schools and care.

Their responsibility focuses on reviewing and monitoring agreed climate change targets, making priority recommendations that will make great strides in the fight against climate change. The group will work with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), other Greater Manchester (GM) councils and various partner organisations to assist in realising the climate change objectives.

Councillor Tom Besford, chair of communities, regeneration and environment overview and scrutiny committee and chair of the CESSG, said: "The role of the CESSG is crucially important in reviewing our climate change strategy and proposed actions, ensuring that we provide oversight and challenge of the plans to meet the objective of the borough being a carbon neutral borough by 2038.

"We will continue to monitor progress in meeting the challenge of climate change in the borough and make recommendations where we feel that we can improve our performance and learn from best practice in tackling the climate emergency."

Councillor Sara Rowbotham, cabinet member for climate change and sustainability added: "We are committed to doing everything we can to make our borough carbon neutral by the deadlines set.

"Initiatives include planting many more trees to aid in cleaner air, trialling eco-friendly fuels in some of our public-facing vehicles, utilising solar bins and providing more charging points for electric vehicles, bringing improvements to active travel options, such as walking and cycling infrastructure. And with plenty more things in the pipeline – we are determined to make a change."

"We continue to work alongside other GM councils in collaboration on the joint clean air plan to tackle illegal levels of contaminants in our air and will be looking forward to hearing more at the forthcoming COP26 event in Glasgow."

The council hopes that making these changes now will deliver additional health benefits, provide more job opportunities, improve energy efficiency in homes and cut fuel poverty. And most importantly, secure a future for the next generation, to succeed and thrive in a low-carbon economy.